Video Saluto Anno Bicentenario EN: happy birthday (200) John Bosco

New Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco

Padre Angél Fernandez Artime, SDB

 

- 10th successor of Don Bosco

- 11th Superior General of the Salesian Congregation, and the Salesian Cooperators.

- 2nd Superior General of non italian descent (he is a Spaniard)

- 1st Superior General ever to be elected outside of the superior council members.

The secret formula of Don Bosco: he listened to The Lord

The preventive system requires a super model rather than power-managers.

002 – The preventive system requires a super model rather than power-managers.

- Carlo Maria Savio Villegas, SDB

In the preventive system, the importance of a good leader is essential. But this initial statement begs another question... what is a good leader? In the business and commercial world, a leader is called a CEO ie. The chief executive officer. The success or demise of a corporation depends on the skill and acumen of the CEO. And many a times, the Rector is expected to function now a days as a CEO. Can this paradigm of a skilled CEO be what the preventive system is asking for in Salesian terms?

The answer is both no and no. No, because a successful CEO is exactly described as one who 'is hands on' which means in-touch with the reality of the rank and file. He is keeping in-touch and monitoring closely everything that happens in the work-environment. This is not enough. Moreover the answer is again, No despite the CEO's great delegation skills when dealing at the management level of leaders. These two skills do not translate into a successful CEO in the Salesian preventive system automatically.

The good CEO closely monitors the very details of the system at the rank and file level. He also clearly organizes human resources skillfully and aptly delegates responsibilities to run the system at the top levels, these does not assure a successful running of the preventive system. These characteristics may work well with production lines and service companies. But not in the educative field. But many other non Salesian schools will be up in arms after hearing that. Because in their schools today, their educational system is likened to a corporation and thus would merit a CEO functioning head. Should the Salesians do the same?

For the Salesian school, a CEO skill and functionality is not disregarded nor contradictory to the Preventive system. In fact, a typical Salesian CEO is one who has ALREADY the skills to animate both the rank and file as well as the managerial and delegated roles of responsibility but also has more. The Salesian CEO adds more uniqueness to the educative system.

First of all the basis of this argument is proven time and time again by the alumni of our Salesian schools. Those who have studied in our Salesian schools in their primary and secondary schools can easily feel and notice the difference when they transfer to another school which is still run by religious educators but are non Salesian. These others schools have also CEO's but are totally in contrast with that of the CEO version in Salesian settings.

So what is the difference? Actually its hard to limit the definition to a few verbs and adjectives. Probably because it is not a mere prowess of management and organizational skill. It is a building up of a lifestyle more than a building up of a system. Some descriptions of our alumni are as follows...it was easy to approach a priest or brother... now in a new school, we miss the presence of the priest or brother in the corridors, in the play ground, in the classrooms and shops, talking, and joking with us... we miss the family spirit even among teaching and non-teaching staff... we miss the weekly eucharistic celebrations... we miss the confessions at first friday masses... we miss the annual retreat. For the alumni, they know that in the School of don Bosco is governed by a soul and not by a rule. And if there be a rule and regulation, it is subservient to its spirit and not the other way around.

The good Salesian CEO is a unique breed of leader. He not only takes the sheep out for pastures but he tries to know each by name. Where lies the difference with other educational structures is that it is not enough for a Salesian CEO to assure the excellent training of the students in the intellectual, physical and values education. The main difference lies in the word 'confidence.' This confidence is borne from an earned relationship of trust. It goes beyond the curricular program of academics or technological training for excellence. It is a trust that goes beyond the confines of the schedule and classroom walls. In fact, it goes beyond the duration of time spent in the early years of schooling. Only if this trust is gained can we even say that it was borne with great cost from a different set of 'power-managers' that do not have any other agenda than the good of the person being prepared for life.

The very alumni who spoke to don Bosco in the Letter from rome should not be understood only as a 'blast from the past.' Instead this personage of the alumni who gives testimony of his past for the present clearly explains that the preventive system is not a mere tool in the education of the young WHILE in the school and presence of their mentors. No, the preventive system is a lifestyle that is imbued by the young and in turn is passed on to the next generation with great eagerness due to great inspiration of its maturing and transforming effectiveness.

Usually the best way to gauge the condition of our educative system is simply counting its fruits. By the fruit we easily know the tree. The Alumni have said it better than anyone else, the preventive system is an available presence of a father, educator and friend that attracts the young to willing and spontaneous entrustment of oneself to a mature salesian educator so as to be guided into enthusiastically preparing oneself for life, and not only for the grade nor for the schooling certificate.

The preventive system needs a C.E.O., a Charismatic Educative Orienter... he who models an inviting lifestyle for all walks of life towards one common destination of perfection. Pedagogues usually call this end 'human perfection.' But Salesians spelled it in fewer letters in “h.o.l.i.n.e.s.s.” ie. A fitting relationship with the other and The Other.

All CEO worry about meeting standards. The preventive system CEO seeks not only a human ISO standard. He seeks not only accreditation for international standardization. In fact he seeks supranational standardization. And why? Because its CEO never loses sight of its long-term objectives and merely its short term goals. The Salesian CEO understands clearly the Ireanean phrase Gloria Dei est vivens homo! Irenaeus, a man who knew a thing or two of finding the secret of human 'maturation' after the model par excellence of formation is said to repeatedly insist that God began the world and has been overseeing it ever since this creative act; everything that has happened is part of his plan for humanity. The essence of this plan is a process of maturation: Irenaeus believes that humanity was created immature, and God intended his creatures to take a long time to grow into or assume the divine likeness. Thus, Adam and Eve were created as children. Their Fall was thus not a full-blown rebellion but rather a childish spat, a desire to grow up before their time and have everything with immediacy.¹ This thing about growing up before their time is tantamount to carrying out a system of immediacy that is facilitated through coercion – a language inherent to the repressive system and not to the preventive system of Don Bosco who cannot conceive of this system without having Christ as his super model and “C.E.O.”

1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irenaeus)

The preventive system is better than making more bananas

001-The preventive system is better than making more bananas

– Carlo Maria Savio Villegas, SDB

In fairness to both systems, both the repressive system and the preventive system were meant to foster growth. In closer scrutiny, the purpose (intent) may seem the same but actually are not. While the means and methods are clearly divergent if not incompatible. Yet in both systems, they also share in the same fundamental principle of education of establishing a 'controlled' environment to foster the intended result.

One of the main difference between these two systems is in terms of expected outcomes. To explain this, I would like to compare the way agricultural processes are made. There are the so called genetically engineered banana or chicken and those that are left to follow their natural process of growth. One can easily taste that a genetically engineered banana or chicken is not only larger but quicker in growth than a non genetically engineered banana or chicken. It is true it may take double time and triple effort to wait for a naturally grown banana or chicken than an engineered one. But as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. No one needs to be rocket scientists to see the big difference. It can easily be proven and attested by any one that the naturally grown bananas or chickens retain their normal size ie. Smaller than their engineered relatives but are more tastier than their larger and even paler (in color) genetically engineered counter parts. While keeping the discussion still pedagogical and not only agricultural, the difference lies in the following: the number of outcomes (quantity), the duration it takes to produce the outcome (time) and the amount of labor required to produce the said outcome (work-force). Mind you that the kind of products (quality) comes now as the last to be considered if not taken as secondary to the first three factors taken as a unit.

Due to an external pressure and external demands to meet quotas¹, to meet deadlines and to increase production in the shortest span of time has propelled man to device ways and means to 'get the job done' immediately and desires that its 'burden of responsibility' be delivered out of his hands at the soonest. It is easily understood that man is forced to create a system that would serve his good objective but in ways and means that would be fast and expedient (easier) for himself.

As part of this reflection, I have seen that the repressive system may actually have the good of the recipients in mind but as mere secondary to the self interest of the educator himself. The main intent was not so much the integral good of the recipients but rather have been all the while to preserve the titular honor as educators and as safeguard to the prestige as an educational institution. It would be of great interest to be disproven that most cases of people who adhere to the repressive system had always a personal agenda of assuring oneself of being able to keep their job-performance rating in good light for whatever purpose it may serve – egoistic or economic ends.

Among the 4 factors mentioned earlier I would like to focus on two which I consider more contrasting elements between the two systems. The first is the factor of time and the second is the factor of work-force.

The great factor of time. The banana, going back to the agricultural metaphors, when taken off the tree to enhance the speed of its ripening by way of reduction of humidity in the air would certainly reach the external condition of maturation sooner than that of the banana still hanging on the tree. The banana that remained hanging on the tree when it reaches its natural cycle of maturation, is surely much sweeter. We are talking about two naturally grown bananas, we are not talking of genetically engineered items. The only difference is that one is rushed (forced) in maturing by removing it from the tree immediately and subjecting it to a dehydrating environment and the other left to mature on the tree gradually ie. Normally.

The fact remains, the banana that grew on the tree, naturally and gradually ie. Respecting its time and cycle of growth created better chemical formation in the fruit than the one that rushed the cycle of growth that in a way had forced the chemical formation of inside the fruit to remain stale. The fruit that freely grew according to its time and cycle of growth was much more sweeter as what a banana should be. This is also true of education. When a student is forced to grow faster than his or her cycle of maturation, then the psychological character and biological internal chemical fluids to say the least, being formed inside has not yet come to proper levels of maturation and bonding.

The big mistake of the repressive system is that the recipients are taken by bulk. That means they are always considered and treated as a whole and not as individuals with individual differences. This basic flaw of lack of consideration of basic principle of education with regard individual difference takes its toll on the forced duration, to mean rushed time of maturation of the recipients is not at all convincing to produce an integral and wholesome person. And the contrary is exactly the strength of the preventive system because it considers 'building trust' in the individual(s) as the basic foundation for any work of integral education.

Related to the last point on building trust we can already begin to explain the second factor in question that is, the work-force... multiplying various forms of presence. It is true that when using the term automation, the work-force reduction is drastic and even at times brutal. The nuances of the term 'brutal' can already give a hint that the repressive system's recourse to the rigid referral to rules and its sanctions (consequential punishments) are similar to the brutal (painful) effects of reduction of humanity and the increase of automation.

The work force factor can be understood as reduction or increase of workers in the workplace. By work place I am already limiting its meaning to strictly refer to the work of education to save time. The work place is not a facility or a portion of land where education activities are carried out. By work place I immediately would like to refer it to the very individual, the very person who is in need of being educated. Thus the work place is a person. The work is education. And the workers or work force should be taken into account now.

Since the work of education should be carried out in the very person being educated, the person himself is the work place also. But at the same time, this person being educated is also part of the team and work force in the work of education. The work of education is not and should not be limited to the teacher. The work of education is a team effort and has better rate of success when the co-worker is the person being educated freely cooperates in his or her formation to growth. Thus when speaking of work-force reduction, the repressive system does not see the need to increase of personnel. The repressive system does not understand the concept of involving more people in the education of an individual is essential. And the first candidate to be considered as the primary work-force in the work of education is the individual himself. This is the acuteness of the preventive system. It understood the very nature of education – the very psychology of education is understanding the very context of the work of education – the person. This lack of appreciation and involvement of the individual person in his education is the very lacunae of the repressive system and the practice of this dialogue and frankness with the individual is the gem of the preventive system.

In short, the repressive system requiring short duration of implementation as well as the reduction of the work-force, limited to the teacher only definitely would seem more economical and faster in method. It is no wonder that the repressive system is by far easy to use (easier to do) than the preventive system – which respects the time of the person as well as the involvement of the person whose cooperation does not come automatically but must be won over. For more profound maturation as well as involvement of the person himself, the preventive system definitely produces more fruit because it creates new educators in the person of the individual who is living proof of the skill and of the effectiveness of the preventive system. A style of living that is naturally transmitted in life and through life. Only in the preventive system will there be more fruits but also better tasting ones.

1 Personal or institutional quotas

Inde Exibit Gloria Mea? È Vero. (part 1/4)

The Souvenir of Don Bosco to his first missionaries¹

1: Seek souls, but not money, honours, or rank.

2: Use charity and the greatest courtesy with all, but avoid conversations and familiarity with persons of the opposite sex, or persons of questionable life-style.

3: Do not go visiting, except for motives of charity or out of necessity.

4: Never accept invitations to dinner except for the most serious reasons. In these cases arrange for two of you to go.

5: Take special care of the sick, of the children, of the aged, and of the poor, and you will win for yourselves the blessings of God and the good will of people.

6: Pay due respect to all civil, religious, municipal and government authorities.

7: When meeting a person in authority in the street, be sure to greet him respectfully.

8: Do the same for ecclesiastics and religious.

9: Stay away from idleness and disputes. Great sobriety in food, drink and rest.

10: Love, revere, respect the other religious Orders, and always speak well of them. This is a way to gain the esteem of all, and to promote the good of the (Salesian) Congregation.

11: Take care of your health. Work, but only to the extent your strength allows.

12: Let the world know that you are poor in clothing, food, dwelling, and you will be rich in the sight of God and you will win people's hearts.

13: Love one another, counsel one another, correct one another, but do not give in to either envy, or resentment; on the contrary, let the good of one be the good of all; the pain and suffering of one be considered the pain and suffering of all, and let each one try to eliminate, or at least ameliorate them.

14: Keep your Rules, and never forget the monthly Exercise for a Happy Death.

15: Every morning recommend to God the work of the day, in particular Confessions, classes, religious instruction, preaching.

16: Constantly recommend devotion to Mary Help of Christians, and to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

17: To the young people recommend frequent Confession and Communion.

18: To cultivate vocations to the priesthood and religious life instill 1) love of chastity; 2) horror of the contrary vice; 3) the avoidance of indisciplined companions; 4) frequent Communion; 5) charity, by means of special signs of kindness and goodwill.

19: In disputed matters, listen to both sides before coming to a decision.

20: Amidst toil and suffering never forget that a great reward awaits us in Heaven.

Amen.²

The memento of Don Bosco to his first missionaries are light and strength³ of religious life. It should be treated as a written spiritual guide from a man of God to all his sons that have the privilege of having a more profound experience of God before leaving this world.

This paper springs from the study and reflection on the fundamental text of The souvenir of Don Bosco to his first missionaries: 20 advices. A further two other documents will be used to serve as context as to the choice and motivation of this paper. ACG 336 (1991) Don Egidio Viganò, 7^th Successor of Don Bosco. And The Message of Pope John Paul II to the Rector Major on the occasion of the Jubilee year and the 125^th missionary expedition in Turin (2000).

 

The Text

The text is made up of twenty (20) statements which have been referred to as mementos⁴ and souvenirs of Don Bosco to the first group of Salesians departing for the missions in Argentina. After the first group of missionaries had received these mementos, it had been a practice since then that every group, or every Salesian, that was to be sent to the Missions ad gentes, would receive a copy of this text. Why copy, because it was not a public document for general consumption so to speak. It was a personal souvenir of Don Bosco to his departing missionary sons. It was not part of the book of the Constitutions then. The next twelve⁵ (12) missionary expeditions that followed with Don Bosco still alive definitely continued to receive the same text. The handing over of the same set of mementos was in a sense establishing itself as part of the Salesian tradition.

This text of the mementos are found in every edition of the Salesian Constitutions and Regulations today. When the Rule⁶ of the Society of St. Francis of Sales had its definitive approval⁷ in 1874 these mementos were not obviously included because the first expedition to the missions would happen only three years into the future. The insertion of this text into the Rule ie. Constitutions and Regulations and into the Rule book⁸, came later. In fact, in the 1924 edition of the Rule, the text of the memento can be seen inserted as part of the Regulations⁹ of the Society. Likewise in the 1966 edition of the Rule of the Society it was still part of the Regulations.¹⁰ In the 1972 edition of the Rule, the text of the memento was removed from the Regulations and instead was placed among the other Writings of Don Bosco. These writings of the founder and Father of the Salesians are definitely treasures of the Society that stand out to deserve constant reference and accessibility by his sons. These 'other' writings were in fact the third part of the Rule book that refers to it now a days as the Appendix; an important appendix to say the least. The present 1984 edition of the Rule likewise continues the tradition of the 20^th, 21^st and 22^nd General Chapters that decided to retain these tracts for their particular significance in order to assist the sons of Don Bosco to faithfully live out their Salesian Vocation.¹¹

The text has been translated from the original Italian into other languages familiar to the departing missionary(ies) as it seems to be the custom still of giving a copy to them. The text is not at all a difficult literary piece to read nor to comprehend. It has barely any need of a dictionary to understand what the author intended. The text was written in a manner that was and is still is exhortative and instructive as a Father to his sons.

 

The context of the Text

The original text was written by Don Bosco himself. He wrote it with a pencil on his pad. This gives more credence that he wrote this not while on his desk but while he was traveling. In fact while Don Bosco was traveling by train¹² when his thoughts and sentiments came to him to definitely scribble these famous twenty mementos. Thus it would seem that Don Bosco was obviously in those days in the height of preparing one of the momentous events of his life and his sons. And amidst all the material preoccupations, Don Bosco felt he needed to prepare not only the logistical matters his missionary sons would need to depart but to help them, prepare them and guide them as they would begin a new life in a land, culture and society he himself would not be able to be beside them in this life. Don Bosco had these twenty (20) mementos recopied and gave by hand to each¹³ of the departing missionaries a copy as they walked away from the altar of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians on November 11, 1875.

Three years after the Rule received approval (1874), it would be natural that these professed Salesians would have already their own copies of the Rule with them. And yet, it would be interesting that Don Bosco even wanted to have a photo-op where he would purposely want to have a photo¹⁴ taken with him handing on to Don Cagliero, the head of the expedition, the book of the Salesian Constitutions. It was not so much the 'staging' of the handing over of the constitutions. The very famous photo shows only Cagliero receiving one copy of the book of the approved Rule of the Society. The other Salesians did not have that in hand. Neither they nor Cagliero needed to get a new copy. The significance of this photo-op is crucial. This intention of the founder and father was to be as it is clearly quoted from the words of Don Rua that which encapsulate the heart and desire of Don Bosco: I want to accompany you myself, but this is not possible to do, I give this Constitutions instead. Guard it as a precious treasure. This intention¹⁵ was only a truncated quote that is now read in the introductory page of the present¹⁶ Constitutions and Regulations of the Salesians. The full text of Don Rua's recounting should have read recounting the full words and emotions of the Founder and Father: 'You will cross the seas, you will go into unknown lands, you will have to deal with people of different languages ​​and customs, you will probably be exposed to great trials. I would like to accompany you myself, comfort you, console you, protect you. But I can not do it myself, I will do this through this booklet. Guard it as a precious treasure.'¹⁷ Now where is the connection to the mementos in all these? The whole atmosphere surrounding Don Bosco and his sons during these days in the run up to the 11th of November 1875, the departure ceremony for the first Salesians to go to the missions ad gentes should be taken into full account.

While handing out the mementos and the intentional photo-op of Don Bosco passing on the book of constitutions to Cagliero would have not at all occurred months apart. The point being, the intensity of the moment, the charged atmosphere was where these mementos were scribbled by a more pensive Don Bosco in pencil. Their Father knew he would not be seeing them again While they are sent by him and the Church to obey the invitation of the Lord to spread his Gospel to all the ends of the earth.

When Don Bosco expressed himself in writing to his departing so young missionary sons, he was writing as though it was his last will and testament. He was writing as though this would be the last time for them to see each other here on earth. At least for most this would be true. In fact Don Giovanni Battista Baccino would die in Buenos Aires, just two years later¹⁸ in 1877 due to illness.

The understanding the trepidation, fear for uncertainty, apprehension due to the distance, paternal concerns and the finality of the event is what should situate the reader to see and understand where Don Bosco's missionary anxiety, so to speak, was coming from. This anxiety was not only reserved to Don Bosco. Nor was it reserved only to those who were about to depart. This anxiety was in fact shared by everyone who had everything to do with this first missionary send off. Preceded by the emotional departure ceremonies was preceded by the regular Exercise of a Happy Death,¹⁹ but this time would have a more real comprehension of this pious strategy of Don Bosco due to the immanent truth that they would be seeing these young men off for the last time. It was a first for all those who knew these young men. It was a period of religious excitement and of a confrontation of human mortality at the threshold of a divine commissioning.

It may seem strange but the giving of the Missionary Crucifix to the missionaries was not as notably accounted for unlike this Missionary Memento. It could be surmised, based also on the photographs mentioned above with Don Bosco and Don Cagliero giving and receiving, respectively the Book of the Constitutions. Why was the crucifix not mentioned nor seen much, probably because it was not as equally significant to each and every member unlike the Memento which was given to each one personally. In this famous group photo referred to continually, only the five priests are seen to have the Crucifixes. That means the four Coadjutors ie. Lay Brothers and the one Cleric do not seem to hold a crucifix at all. The second missionary expedition²⁰ in 1876 when twenty three Salesians received the missionary mandate have also the same appearance in their group photo. Only the priests have the large Missionary cross very pronounced and visible. This hold true as well as for the third missionary expedition²¹ of nineteen Salesians in a group picture with Don Bosco and Don Cagliero. This third expedition was sent on two separate groups and occasions that were a month apart only. The first batch was in December 1877 and the second batch was in January 1878. All priests definitely are seen with the large missionary crucifix. But the coadjutors and seminarians as the first two early expeditions, do not have these crucifixes but definitely were each given the now famous missionary memento Don Bosco wrote to his sons who departed for the missions for the first time.

In 1888 Father Rua, after taking the helm of being the Rector Major, is seen in the photo with the 14^th Expedition of Missionaries. And in this photo it would be clear that each and every missionary had a missionary cross in his hand. When stating 'each and every' it meant that even the coadjutors ie. The Lay Salesians likewise are having the Missionary Crosses. This is obviously a difference with the first expeditions of Don Bosco. The significance of again would be asserted that the first expeditions would give more importance to the text of the Memento of Don Bosco rather than the Missionary crosses. The giving of the Missionary Crosses became a later practice as seen and proven in the photographs compared below. 

 

(1st expedition: During the time of don Bosco in 1875)
Using Inverse Exposure to the Photograph, notice the crucifixes some have in their hands,
the Coadjutors (Lay Salesians) do not have the Missionary Crosses.

(14th expedition during the time of don Rua in 1888)
Using Inverse Exposure to the Photograph, notice the crucifixes each have in their hands,
even the Coadjutors (Lay Salesians) have the Missionary Crosses.

(...to be continued in part 2/4)

1 Mementos given to the Salesian Religious on November the 11th on the occasion of their departure from the Church of Mary Help of Christians to begin their voyage to the Argentine Republic. CRITICAL EDITION: Jesús Borrego - translation & notes: P. Laws. http://sdl.sdb.org (accessed 1^st december 2013)

2 E.Ceria. ANNALI DELLA SOCIETÀ SALESIANA: Dalle origini alla morte di S. Giovanni Bosco (1841-1888). Società Editrice Internazionale, Torino. p.255.

3 Don Egidio Viganó, ACG 336 (1991). “Se la dimensione missionaria è davvero un elemento essenziale del nostro carisma, vorrà dire — da una parte — che esige dalla nostra spiritualità una luce e una forza speciali per rendersi presente e operante nelle missioni, e — dall’altra parte — che l’ottica missionaria approfondisce e rende più genuina la stessa spiritualità salesiana.”

4Memento would be the preferred term used through out this paper when referring to these 20 advices of Don Bosco to his first group of Missionaries.

5ed. E.Valentini. PROFILI DI MISSIONARI: Salesiani e Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice. LAS, Roma: 1975, p.xi. (1875, 1876, 1877, 1878, 1880, 1881 January, 1881 December, 1883, 1885, 1886 April, 1886 December, 1887) Rettorato di San Giovanni Bosco, erano 12 spedizioni missionarie dei Salesiani.

6Rule of the Salesians refers to the two integral parts of the Constitutions and the Regulations of the Society of St. Francis de Sales.

7G.Bosco. Memorie dell'oratorio di San Francesco di Sales: dal 1815-1855, Instituto Storico Salesiano-Roma. Fonti-Serie prima, IV. Intruduzione, note e testo critico a cura di Antonio Da Silva Ferreira. LAS, Roma. p.17

8The entire book that contained not only the Constitutions and Regulations but also some of the very writing of the Founder, Don Bosco.

9Regolamenti della Società Salesiana. Società Editrice Internationale, Torino: 1924. p.31-33

10Regolamenti della Società Salesiana. Direzione Generale Opere Don Bosco, Torino 1966. p. 163-164.

11General Title and description in the Appendix. 'Scitti di Don Bosco. Si riportano alcuni scritti del nostro Padre e Fondatore che I Capitoli generali 20°, 21°, e 22° hanno ritenuto di particolare significato per vivere fedelmente la nostra vocazione.'

12 MB XI, p.389

13 MB XI, p.389

14 G.Soldà. DON BOSCO NELLA FOTOGRAFIA DELL'800: 1861-1888. Società Editrice Internazionale, Torino: 1987, p.125-126.

15 Preface, Constitutions and Regulations of the Society of St. Francis de Sales. Direzione Generale Opere Don Bosco. SGS Roma: 1984. cfr. DON RUA, L 1.12.1909

161984 edition

17 Lettere Circolari di Don Michele Rua ai Salesiani, Tip. S.A.I.D. <>, Torino 1910, p. 409; G.Soldà. DON BOSCO NELLA FOTOGRAFIA DELL'800: 1861-1888. Società Editrice Internazionale, Torino: 1987. p.126

18 G.Barberis. Vade mecum. Vol I, Tip. Salesiana, San Benigno Can.:1901. p.140; ed. E.Valentini e A.Rodino. DIZIONARIO BIOGRAFIOCO DEI SALESIANI. Scuola Grafica Salesiana, Torino:1969. Don Baccino was born in Gisvalla (Savona, Italy) on the 24^th of April 1843. He met Don Bosco in the Oratory of Valdocco at the age of 24. He professed as a Salesian in 1869 when he was 26 years old. He was ordained a priest in Turin in 1874 at 31 years of age. At 34 years of age while three years a priest He died on the 13^th June 1877 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

19E.Ceria. ANNALI DELLA SOCIETÀ SALESIANA: Dalle origini alla morte di S. Giovanni Bosco (1841-1888). Società Editrice Internazionale, Torino. p.254; A.Lenti. DON BOSCO: HISTORY AND SPIRIT: Expansion of the Salesian Work in the New World and Ecclesiological Confrontation at Home. Vol. 6. A.Giraudo,ed. LAS, Rome:2009, p.73

20 G.Soldà. DON BOSCO NELLA FOTOGRAFIA DELL'800: 1861-1888, p.131

21 G.Soldà. DON BOSCO NELLA FOTOGRAFIA DELL'800: 1861-1888, p.132-133

Inde Exibit Gloria Mea? È Vero. (part 2/4)

(from part 1/4 continued... )

The Author of the Text

The author of the text lived in an era that was unafraid because it was also a time where he literally held hands with God. The zeal for which the missionaries of the 19^th century moved should also be contextualized. And this contextualization of the author could also trivialize him and simply lump him and fit him into a common drop box called Missions of the 19^th Century. It should be considered too that the very hand that wrote the Mementos, were coming from an author that was not only a man of his milieu, even if this could account for the style and language of his writing. But in reality, the author is also expressing an experience uniquely his own and irreplaceable. Don Bosco was a student of the theology, ecclesiology, soteriology, and pastoral sociology of his time.¹

Don Bosco rejoiced in experiencing and contemplating God as a father to him². For Don Bosco giving God glory finds perfect sense and meaning because it is but just to the honor God for His great work in the world.³ And all apostolic endeavors are all at the service of the glory of God. It was natural for Don Bosco to conceptualize doing mission as a normal extension of God's reign ie. Enhancing the growth of the kingdom of God.⁴ When putting flesh into all of these experiences of the goodness of the Fatherhood of God, Don Bosco could not help but hurl himself untiringly for the glory of God in the saving of (more) souls.⁵ This energy to work for the glory of God can be recalled in Don Bosco's writing to one of the missionaries of the first hour, to Don Tomatis in 1876. He wrote: Listen to me Don Tomatis; A missionary must be prompt to give (his) life for the glory of God; and must he not then be able to withstand a little with the dislike for a companion, and even (with his) obvious defects?

The terms 'savages' and 'pagans' in the nineteenth century reflects the ecclesiology⁶ of the time which can be summed up with the phrase outside the church, there is no salvation. Don Bosco can be accused of using such self-righteous nominatives when using frequently 'pagans' to refer to the indigenous or natives of the mission lands. These apparent insensitive remarks if applied two centuries after his time obviously would not sound at all 'tolerant'. Such referrals would easily pass as 'racist remarks' today. However for his era, the very language simply reflected the identity of reflection on the dominant responsibility of the Church of the nineteenth century instead of the shared responsibility to be THE instrument of light and of salvation for people who do not believe in Christ, who is fully and truly found only in the Roman Catholic Church. And outside of this Church, no one can be saved. This therefore brings one to a natural consequence to seek out the others and try with all energy to bring them into the Catholic Church through baptism. Fr. Francis Desramaut quotes an article of Don Rua in the Bolletin Salesiano of January 1898, that explained to the Salesian Cooperators the very missionary thoughts of Don Bosco: Every day in every place on earth, millions of hearts are on fire with charity that rises towards throne of God in prayer: Holy be Your Name, Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done. How fortunate they are who with their apostolate to those in distant missions can contribute in making known the name of God, to make Him reign in many hearts, to accomplish His Will on earth through the observance of His commandments! Ah this honor, the glory (of God) which the humble sons of Don Bosco aspire for, and does not seek to be recompensed by the costly toll of bidding farewell to his own country, relatives, renouncing comfortable lives in civilized countries, and instead to condemn oneself to inevitable sufferings of deadly environments, an unbearable heat and to all sorts of privations.⁷ This could not in any way be construed otherwise. This missionary intent of Don Bosco was only for the glory of God and the means to do this was in teaching many others to call on the holy Name of the Lord.

Don Bosco may be condemned by liberalists today as triumphalistic as the Church to which he belonged. And yet on a different stand point, it would be of little effort to see another side of him as a sincere priest who simply wanted to advance the Glory of God and not his own glory. To seek more souls and not to collect scalps or trophies. Don Bosco sought more ways to win more souls made him a zealous apostle of the church because he was deeply a man of God.

It should be noted that the intention of Don Bosco for his sons to go to the Missions was to go in the name of the Pope, that means in the name of the Church. Don Bosco knew that the colony of the Italian immigrants were growing in numbers and also growing in the laxity of their Christian faith. Thus for Don Bosco, a missionary has the duty to usher in the pagans and heretics into the true Church, that is in the Church of Rome, the one governed by the Pope; and because of this many savages will come to be part of the flock (fold) of the Jesus Christ.⁸

A natural consequence of seeking the Glory of God and through increasing membership into the Church, the work for the salvation of souls⁹ is more assured. And this should not be a surprise if aptly expresses it in the motto of the Society he founded, Da Mihi Animas Coetera Tolle. It was paramount that he and all his sons understood the necessity or 'absolute need to save souls from hell and eternal perdition.' This can easily be gleaned or derived according to Desramaut, through the re-published volumes and study of the language of writings Don Bosco utilized in his many printed apostolate.

Third to the last of the characteristics that defines the author, Don Bosco, is his concept of 'development' of peoples and of societies. Don Bosco and his time was punctuated by a time of social and moral decadence more than wars and strife. Thus Don Bosco should be seen as the author who would propose a missionary insertion for the development of a Christian civilization. And by Civilization is meant a way of life that is not depraved or immoral. But for Don Bosco there is only this formula to be understood. That there could never be a civil life without moral life. And there could not be a moral life without religion. And there is no other religion capable or up to the task save that of the Catholic Church because in the Catholic Church is found the true Christ and the complete Christ, its Savior and founder.¹⁰

Because Don Bosco was a prolific publisher, again in his publications he asserts that the 'civility' of Europe is the fruit of Christian-ism.¹¹ The journey away from a barbarous life is Christianity. In his Storia Ecclesiastica much earlier before his sons left for the missions ad gentes, Don Bosco wrote that if peoples were enlightened by the light of the Gospel, they would not be drunkards, unchaste, thieves, and in error and cannibalistic. Instead they would cast away their pride, become chaste, temperate, be fervent and shed fearlessly their blood for the sake of Christ.¹²

The fourth and last but the distinguishing element that characterizes the Author, Don Bosco from other nineteenth century founders and mission expedition organizers is the strategy of winning souls rather than imposing God and Christ, imposing the commandments of the Church, and imposing the sacraments. With the sweetness of St. Francis of Sales the Salesians will pull the population of America to Jesus Christ. It will be most difficult to bring morals to the savages. But their children will obey with ease all the words of the missionaries and with them we will establish the colony, civility will take the place of barbaric lifestyles and because of this many savages will belong to the flock (fold) of Jesus Christ.¹³ Don Bosco time and again explained and in a way taught the very basic concept of his Missionary strategy. He recounted to them his missionary dreams in full color and detail. He offered to his sons not a combative approach to mission territories, He offered this wise and patient strategy...instead of flinging yourself in the midst of the tribes of savages, establish trade schools, hospitals in civilized towns, where you can study the modes of approaching and the means to penetrate.¹⁴ This trade schools and hospitals will be founded primarily as a service to the Italian immigrants that have grown in great numbers in Argentina as well as grown without faith and lack of civility or moral standards; and then to the Catholics of the city and soon (ben presto) to the countryside of South America, where the fruits of the Salesians lie.¹⁵ The establishment of the first presence would be in the midst of the migrants to serve as 'listening posts' to the main objective which is to evangelization of the native Indians.¹⁶ The earlier missionaries prior to the arrival of the Salesian had the same missionary desire which was to evangelize the native Indians, but failed. And instead, Don Bosco sends his own sons with the apprehension of a true father and yet with the prudence and the wisdom that made him teach them with a more 'sweeter' and more attractive approach.

On May 12, 1875 five months before the expedition, Don Bosco gave a goodnight about the finalizing of the foreign missionary Project of Argentina. He recounts not a morbid, wild and rough outlook of missionary territory and recipients as previous years would have him do. He would instead speak of 'at our disposal a school and sufficient pasture land for as many as eighth thousand sheep with an orchard, playgrounds, etc. Don Bosco continues to narrate the kind of workforce needed in that mission... There will be enough work for all sorts of people. Priests will be needed to preach and conduct services in the public churches; teachers for the schools; singers and musicians, for they are very fond of music; shepherds to take the sheep to pasture, sheer them, milk them, and make cheese, and then, people for various domestic chores. From here Don Bosco shows his change of words and tone... More important still, my dear sons, not far from San Nicholas lies a territory inhabited by savage tribes. Now these natives are friendly and great many of them have already expressed their willingness to embrace our Faith, if someone will volunteer to instruct them. At present no one has come forward, and so they live in idolatry. Now let us take courage and endeavor in every way to prepare to go to these lands and do some good there. Soon we shall select the personnel, and those chosen will start learning Spanish, the language spoken in Argentina...¹⁷

Don Bosco may have used again the term savages to mean the collective and uses the term native when they show more signs of civility, ie. friendliness to the faith.

The first recipients of the Text

These missionary mementos are the fundamental principles and examples of the master educator and apostle of Turin, Don Bosco himself. Don Bosco wanted his missionary sons to learn quicker and not to commit the same mistakes he probably did earlier. After 60 years of life experiences, Don Bosco wanted his sons to take to heart in most part, an ascetical way in order to survive the new missionary life beyond his assisting reach.

After having assured the Argentine project as more feasible than ever, Don Bosco wrote his circular letter to the Salesians dated February 5, 1875.¹⁸ In this circular Don Bosco asks only for volunteers. He ask them to make their intentions explicit through writing. He and the Superior council will meet and after invoking the Holy Spirit, will proceed to choose those who posses the following qualities: health, intellectual capacity, physical endurance, moral strength and above all only those whom the superiors believe will be more advantageous for the salvation of their own soul and for the greater glory of God. The circular continues with the third point which states that those who would be chosen would gather together to study the language and customs of the people to whom they intend to bring the words of everlasting life. The fourth and last point, Don Bosco already mentions the scheduled date of departure, which was October of the same year, unless circumstances says otherwise.

By the end of July 1875 Don Bosco writes to a parish priest of San Nicolas de los Arroyos, Don Pietro Ceccarelli¹⁹ and Italian migrant who would be the one facilitating the insertion of the Salesians beyond the capital of Buenos Aires. Don Bosco says he is making changes to the personnel that had been requested. He would be choosing five (5) priests who are all qualified teachers and holding certified state diplomas. They would be the back bone for the church and school services required in the missions. Further more, two (2) Lay Salesian Brothers would to handle church maintenance and the residential quarters of the school. For greater dependability Don Bosco wanted the whole domestic staff to be made up of members of his Salesian Society. Don Bosco concludes by insisting that his anxiousness should be appeased by requesting the Argentine Consul residing at Savona, Hon. John Gazzolo, accompany his sons in this first long sea voyage to an unknown world. He then assures that by the middle of November they will leave for Argentina.²⁰

In his second letter to the Don Ceccarelli in August, three months before the time for departure, Don Bosco discusses minute details of the needs of the church and the school in San Nicholas. It is worthy to note his words when he commented on the regulations of the school he is sending a copy, which was in place for all Salesian schools in Europe. Don Bosco reiterates that “the best regulation lies in the quality of the teacher.” He continues, “I want to cut a good figure so that no one may say, it is a shoddy operation. ” Since the honor of a budding Congregation is at stake, I intend to spare neither personnel nor expense if this will contribute to the success of the undertaking.”²¹

Don Bosco took pains to make up his mind to finally decide the final choice of personnel for the first expedition. And he and his council chose ten (10). With all that was mentioned above, of the human qualities required, the kind of services needed as well as the responsibility and honor they would be representing, the choices must never be considered haphazard. Don Bosco and his counselors had the job of sifting or screening and of elimination instead of worrying due to the lack of available personnel. On the contrary, there were many volunteers and among them only ten would be picked.

These were the ten in the final hand written list of Don Bosco:

1) Fr. John Cagliero, aged 37; 2) Fr. Joseph Fagnano, aged 31; 3) Fr. Dominic Tomatis, aged 26; 4) Fr. Valentine Cassini, aged 24; 5) Fr. John Baptist Baccioni, aged 24; 6) Cleric John Baptist 'James' Allavena, aged 20; 7) Brother Bartholomew Scavini, aged 36; 8) Brother Batholomew Molinari, aged 21; 9) Brother Vincent Gioia, aged 21; 10) Brother Stephen Belmonte, aged 30.

Within two years, by 1877 one Salesian would die of illness (Baccino) and one would leave the Society (Molinari). Later on one would return to Italy (Scavini). And in due time the other Salesians would end up assisting founding of further Salesian Mission presences one in the East (Allavena for Uruguay) and two in the West (Tomatis and Gioia for Chile). Leaving the remainder of the first group in Argentina till the end of their lives.

First Expedition 1875	year of birth	yr of death	yr. of vows	Yr. of Ord.	As of 1875			Age at death	Burial site
					Age departing	Age as w/vows	As priest
1) Fr. John Cagliero22	1838	1926	1862	1862	37	13	13	88	Argentina
2) Fr. Joseph Fagnano23	1844	1916	1864	1868	31	11	7	72	Argentina
3) Fr. Dominic Tomatis24	1849	1912	1867	1873	26	8	2	63	Chile
4) Fr. Valentine Cassini25	1851	1922	1871	1875	24	4	0	71	Argentina
5) Fr. John Baptist Baccino26	1843	1877	1869	1873	32	6	2	34	Argentina
6) Cl. John Baptist 'James' Allavena27	1855	1887	1874	1878	20	1	n.a.	32	Uruguay
7) Brother Bartholomew Scavini28	1839	1918	1869	na	36	6	n.a.	79	Italy
8) Brother Bartholomew Molinari29	1854	left	1869	na	21	6	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
9) Brother Vincent Gioia30	1854	1890	n.a.	na	21	n.a.	n.a.	36	Chile
10) Brother Stephen Belmonte31	1846	1905	1872	na	29	3	n.a.	59	Argentina

Table: These are the names and the ages of the ten missionaries whom Don Bosco chose among the volunteers and thought of when he wrote his twenty mementos.

They were young. The average age of the group would be 27. Only two priests were past their quinquennial year of priesthood. Only Cagliero was more than a decade in the priesthood.

It would be interesting to note the difficulties, not so much of the climate, the culture or the pastoral challenges of these first group but rather of the internal difficulties. Case in point is Molinari. Who upon arrival, did not gel well with his team.

When Father Ceccarelli enthusiastically wrote to Don Bosco on Christmas day of 1875, just a month after the team had arrived, that he was so amazed at the how tireless and indefatigable the Salesians are, specially Brother Molinari. In addition to teaching first level classes, he was directing the singing, the music band and taught religion to the externs.¹ And yet ironically and for the purpose of this paper more significantly, according to Cagliero, Molinari rezaba poco² ie. He prayed little. And this is exactly what is important to note. First, the contrasting impressions of what people expect a missionary should be. Second, and more significant is that where there is a problem, a response that serves as a solution finds 'air-time' ie. opportunity for depth of reflection comes to the fore.

(...to be continued in part 3/4)

1 F.Desramaut. IL PENSIERO MISSIONARIO DI DON BOSCO: Dagli scritti e discorsi del 1870-1885.

2 F.Desramaut, p.50

3 F.Desramaut, p.50

4 F.Desramaut, p.51

5 F. Desramaut, p.51

6 F. Desramaut, p.52-54

7 Bollettino Salesiano (Gennaio 1898) 5. ' Ogni giorno, su ogni punto del globo, da milioni di cuori infiammati dalla carità s'innalza fino al trono di Dio la preghiera: Sia santificato il tuo Nome, venga il regno tuo, sia fatta la volontà tua. Che fortuna per coloro che col loro apostolato nelle lontane missioni possono contribuire a farvi conoscere il Nome di Dio, a farlo regnare in molti cuori, a far compiere sulla terra la sua volontà per mezzo dell'osservanza de' suoi commandamenti! A quest'onore, a questa gloria aspirano gli umili figli di Don Bosco, e non par loro di pagarla troppo cara dando l'addio alla patria, ai parenti, rinunziando alle agiatezze dei paesi inciviliti, per condannarsi alle inevitabili sofferenze d'un clima micidiale, d'un insopportabile calore, ad ogni sorta di privazioni.'

8 F.Desramaut, p.54

9 F.Desramaut, p.54-55

10 F.Desramaut, p.56

11 F.Desramaut, p.56

12 G.Bosco, Storia Eccles. (1870) p.309-310

13 F.Desramaut, p.57 'Con la dolcezza di San Francesco di Sales i Salesiani tireranno a Gesù Cristo le popolazioni dell'America. Sarà cosa difficilissima moralizzare I selvaggi; ma I loro figli obbediranno con tutta facilità alle parole dei Missionari e con essi si fonderanno colonie, la civiltà prenderà il posto della barbarie e cosi molti selvaggi verrano a far parte dell'ovile di Gesù Cristo.'

14 F.Desramaut, p.58; cfr. E.Ceria. Annali I, 251.

15 F.Desramaut, p.58; cfr. E.Ceria. Annali I, 251-252

16 F.Desramaut, p.58

17 G.Barberis, Cronachetta autografa, Notebook 1,11, in EBM XI, 133-134; A.Lenti. DON BOSCO: HISTORY AND SPIRIT: Expansion of the Salesian Work in the New World and Ecclesiological Confrontation at Home, Vol. 6, p.67.

18 G.Bosco to the Salesians, Circular, Turin, February 5, 1875 (A.Lenti, DON BOSCO: HISTORY AND SPIRIT Vol. 6: Expansion of the Salesian Work in the New World and Ecclesiological Confrontation at Home. Ed A.Giraudo, p. 64-65; Motto, Epistolario IV, 408-409; EBM XI, 130-131)

19 A.Lenti, p55. Fr. Peter Ceccarelli (1842-1893) was born in Modena, Italy and having been ordained and having obtained doctor's degree in Theology and Canon Law, he migrated to Argentina while accompanying the body of Archbishop Mariano de Escalada of Buenos Aires who happen to die in Rome in 1870 during the first Vatican council. He was appointed pastor of San Nicolas del los Arroyos in 1873 and ministered to the people for 20 years. On his pilgrimage to Rome in 1893, he died is buried in his native city of Modena.

20 A.Lenti, p.69

21 G.Bosco to P.Ceccarelli, Turin, August 12, 1875 (Motto, Epistolario, VI, 502-504); A.Lenti, p.70

22 ed. E. Valentini. PROFILI DI MISSIONARI. LAS, Roma:1975, p.1-8

23 ed. E. Valentini. PROFILI DI MISSIONARI. LAS, Roma:1975, p.2-19

24 ed. E. Valentini. PROFILI DI MISSIONARI. LAS, Roma:1975, p.20-21

25 ed. E. Valentini. PROFILI DI MISSIONARI. LAS, Roma:1975, p.10-12

26 ed. P. Ambrosio DIZIONARIO BIO-BIBLIOGRAFICO: DELLE MISSIONI SALESIANE. Centro Studi di Storia delle Missioni Salesiane. Roma: 1977, p.6

27 ed. E. Valentini. PROFILI DI MISSIONARI. LAS, Roma:1975, p.9-10

28 ed. E. Valentini. PROFILI DI MISSIONARI. LAS, Roma:1975, p.10-12

29 A.Fasulo. Le Missioni Salesiane Della Patagonia. LA PATAGONIA, Missioni Salesiani. Società Editrice Internazionale, Torino: 1925, p.20. Coadiutore Molinari Giuseppe, maestro di musica vocale ed instrumentale, nato a Genova nel 1847. A.Lenti. A.Giraudo, ed. DON BOSCO: HISTORY AND SPIRIT. Vol. 6. LAS,Rome: 2009, p.72, Bartholomew Molinari. (1854-...), 21 years of age, worked as director of music at San Nicolàs de los Arroyos. Always listed as a lay novice he left the Salesians in 1877.

30 ed. E. Valentini. PROFILI DI MISSIONARI. LAS, Roma:1975, p.55

31 ed. E. Valentini. PROFILI DI MISSIONARI. LAS, Roma:1975, p.10

32 H.Baratta. RESEÑA BIOGRÀFICA DE LOS DIEZ PRIMEROS MISIONEROS SALESIANOS LLEGADOS A LA ARGENTINA. Coleccion Archivo Historico Salesiano Nro. 5. Buenos Aires. 1986, p.26. Molinari, indefatigable... ademàs de tener las clases de primer grado, dirigia la escuela de canto , la banda de musica, y tambien, daba clases de religion a los externo.

33 H.Baratta, p.26