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, 7th
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 125th
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 20th,
21st
and 22nd
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 14th
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.
.jpg) |
| (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. |
.png) |
| (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 1st
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
24th 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 13th 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
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