Tonight was the opening salvo for the feast of St John Bosco the founder of the Salesians. The children of the youth center paraded around the streets of Pasil with banners and a marching band inviting children to join them with the hope they would become new DBYC members.
The feast of St John Bosco will be held on the 31st January to mark the anniversary of his death. For the next nine days there are many activities planned as part of the lead up to this special day.
A short summary of the life of St John Bosco:
St John Bosco was born on August 16 1815 in Becchi, Morialdo, Castelnuovo near Turin in Italy. His father, Francis Louis Bosco died when he was only two years old. He had a step brother called Anthony and a brother called Joseph. He was brought up by his mother Mama Margaret. The family were poor farmers and John had to help with the manual chores.
John Bosco wanted to become a priest but he was poor and could not afford to study. His step brother Anthony was particularly annoyed that John wanted to spend his time reading and studying rather than helping with the farming work. Eventually John went to public school in Castelnuovo. He become a working student and learnt the skills of a tailor, waiter and shoemaker. John did well as a student as he studied hard but also had a photographic memory. Throughout all of his studies however, John's mission remained the same; to become a priest.
On June 5 1841 John was ordained as a priest in Turin. He celebrated his first mass the next day in the church of St. Francis of Assisi. Don is a title for priests in Italy so St. John Bosco is also known as Don Bosco.
On December 8 1841 the beginning of the Oratory stated. Whilst waiting for the mass John heard the sacristan shouting at a poor boy who had come into the church to keep warm. John scolded the sacristan stating that the boy was his friend. The boys name was Bartholomew Garelli and he was 16 years old. The young boy became a friend of John Bosco and over the week he brought more friends to the church on Sunday to celebrate mass and then receive lessons from Don Bosco.
In the 1840s in Italy the Industrial Revolution had occurred. The population in Turin had risen from 90,000 in 1800 to 250,000 by 1871. There were many problems of poor housing, cheap and child labor, poor health and starvation and death. It was these children that Don Bosco focussed on to help.
Don Bosco had met Father Cafasso who was the apostle of prisoners. They would visit the prisons together and Don Bosco would spend time with the young people helping them to change their life. Don Bosco's mission statement was "Give me souls - take away the rest".
Don Bosco focused on creating an Oratory. It would be a place for organized recreation but also prayer and spiritual formation. Oratories were not new. Originally they meant a place of prayer and preaching. St Philip Neri (1515-1595) had founded a congregation of preachers for the effective use of oratories. However, the uniqueness of Don Bosco was that he shifted the concept of the 'oratory' to one of the 'playground' to attract young people to it by the use of fun; games, music and familial atmosphere.
In the beginning the Oratory wandered from place to place between 1845 and 1846. The local people were afraid of these large groups of boys who they believed to be troublesome and so there was no permanent place to meet. But, every Sunday the group would meet. Don Bosco would say mass, hear their confessions, give religious instruction and then the boys would play games.
The first permanent Oratory was started on Easter Sunday, April 1846 as Signor Pinardi had been kind enough to give Don Bosco a shed in Valdocco, Turin. Don Bosco set about transforming the shed, lowering the floor and creating room for a chapel. It was named "The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales". This Oratory grew into a place of accommodation for the boys, somewhere to learn new skills to create job opportunities, a home, a parish, a playground and a school. It was here that the first concept of a Training Center developed and is still continued today, here in Pasil and elsewhere.
Don Bosco's style of treating the youth was unique and he developed his own system of education called the Preventative System. The Preventative System is based on three pillars; Reason, Religion and Loving Kindness. Reason is used to appeal to the intelligence of the boys and to explain the reasoning behind the rules so that they understand them. Religion is to appeal to the soul of the boys. To give them an opportunity to experience God. Loving Kindness is to appeal to the heart of the young. To make sure they realize that they are loved and wanted. This means spending time with the young.
On December 18 1859 the Salesian Society was born. There was the profession of 18 Salesians. The first Salesians were made up of Michael Rua, Johnny Cagliero, Johnny Francesia and Paul Albera. The order was originally known was the Society of St. Francis de Sales, but is today known as Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB). The SDB are priests and brothers who make three vows: chastity, poverty and obedience.
Today the Salesians number 16,092. The SDB run 1,650 centers (schools, youth centers, media houses, parishes, retreat centers, activities for youth in need) in 130 countries. The head office is in Rome and the current leader for SDB, called the Rector Major, is a Mexican called Fr Pascual Chavez.
The Salesians first traveled abroad in 1875 when Don Bosco sent ten missionaries to Buenos Aires to care for Italian immigrants. The Salesian Congregation currently ranks second among the Church's missionary orders.
On January 31, 1888 Don Bosco died in Valdocco Turin after working tirelessly all his life for the young.