3213 Don Bosco - found in a drawer!
austraLasia #3213

 

Don Bosco - found in a drawer!


BRUSSELS : 7 April 2013
--   Yes, Don Bosco found in a drawer, but really, you should continue to read on and a little treasure might emerge for you! An elderly Belgian Salesian, Fr Josh Biesmans (with a similarly elder brother Salesian priest, Rick Biesmans, wrote a delightful narrative life of Don Bosco from a 1st person (Don Bosco's) point of view a good number of years back. He write it in Dutch, it was then translated to French - and then English, but at that stage put into a drawer and forgotten about (1998 was the year).

Today Rik found it and sent it to austraLasia - we have put it in SDL. If you like what you see below, then we think you will like the whole 95 pages of it! Could be very useful for work with young people - or adults.

"My secondary school teacher must have had it in for me when he remarked:

"What! You want to study Latin? You only get donkeys coming out of the Becchi, good ones but donkeys nevertheless!"

The class cheered and clapped when I as an awkward sixteen year old teenager, had to sit in the benches with those youngsters of the First Year. The teasing I got then really hurt me. I can smile now as I look back on that time. Contrary to expectations I managed to skip a few forms. I must have known a little more in spite of being "a don-key from the Becchi."

Taking everything into consideration, years of hardship and great setbacks, I think it has all been worthwhile. They left a deep impression on me and for that I have been ever so grateful all my life.

What were Don Bosco's thoughts? How did he feel?

What influenced his life? What brought about that extraordinary development?

You will find that out as you read the touching account of the highlights of his life.

Assured then of this remarkable insight into his life, here is a chance to get to know Don Bosco as a source of inspiration, as an educator and as a man".