08-junejulydb-studyguide2012


08-junejulydb-studyguide2012

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Getting to Know Don Bosco
June – July 2012
Salesian Core Values
Concluding a year of
examining Don Bosco as a
man of his times, we consider
the core values of his life.
Don Bosco Study Guide
In this Issue:
Page 1
Pages 2-11
An Irish Retreat &
Pilgrimage to Pallaskenry
Fr. Juan Vecchi’s Insight:
Salesian Themes from Don
Bosco’s Life...
Page 2-6
Page 4
Life in the Spirit:
Accompany or Abandon
Pages 6-9
Pages 10-11
Don Bosco as Type and
Model
Salesian Pastoral Charity
Page 11
Page 12
The Fourteen Themes
How to Use This Guide
LhLSiomiaumleseerisniriciagcknkf.o,HrIroceuolasllene,gdMecsoitlnfuoddruedncGttssrraaetntrtgheeae,tUsCaannsitvdleeprrsroioytyviinodfes
Study guide produced by Institute
of Salesian Studies,
John Roche, SDB, editor
An Irish Retreat
At the invitation of Fr. Michael Casey, the Provincial of the Irish Salesian
Province, I enjoyed a week of retreat direction with the confreres in June.
My ten days with these hopeful and joyful Salesians was a shot in the arm
for me and provided a perfect setting for sharing some reflections as we
moved closer to the end of our first year of studying Don Bosco and his
place in history.
As part of the retreat, the Salesians went on pilgrimage to their founding
house in nearby Pallaskenry. There we shared some ideas regarding values
we would consider to be core values and a facilitated discussion invited the
Salesians to bring their own lived experience to the values. This led to a
lively discussion filled with hope as the values were examined as concrete
applications of our Salesian commitment and consecration.
My contributions to the discussion was the identification of 14 values as
gathered by a recorded conference with the late Fr. Juan Vecchi.
At Banratty Castle
Fr. Michael Casey, provincial of Ireland, treated me to a final pint at a
famous pub outside of Banratty’s Castle., Durty Nelly’s.
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June/isJsuuley, 2d0a1te2
Salesians
School at
Ponalrlaestrkeeantrgya, tthheerefoduantdtihnegfhroonutseenintraIrnecleantod
the
Fr. Juan Vecchi’s Insight...
In a conference transcribed in 2001, Fr. Vecchi highlighted fourteen
themes of Don Bosco’s life
The 14 themes of Don Bosco’s life and
spirituality discussed by Fr. Juan Vecchi
has been largely unknown except to a
small Italian audience and to those few
persons who have discovered the small
book created later from a transcription
of the conferences. The content is not
entirely new, certainly, but given the
perpective of Fr. Vecchi, his words and
the organization of these thoughts takes
on a special significance. Toward the
end of Fr. Vecchi’s life we witnessed a
man with a driving passion to see the
Salesian Charism applied to the difficult
tasks of evangelization in a post-modern
context fraught with confusion and
complexity. In fact, Fr. Vecchi referred
to this context as the complicated and
complex Voldocco challenged by the
dangers of a reckless globalization. He
was particularly moved and
disheartened by the militarization of
youth. This direct attack upon some of
the most poor and innocent young
people on the planet obsessed Fr.
Vecchi. This was, for him, just one of
those signs of the times calling for a new
style of Salesian presence and a new
pastoral mentality.
Fr. Chavez has picked up this same
theme calling the Salesian world to be
aware of the conditions so affecting
young people today. Both Fr.
Chavez and Fr. Vecchi have called
for a new Pentecost and to start
afresh from the Spirit of God.
Mr. JohnDougherty
facilitated the Palliskenry
Pilgrimage
Life in the Spirit
Don Bosco’s starting point for his
mission and for the discovery of his
place in God’s plan began with the
careful nurturing of a life in the
Spirit. Don Bosco himself recorded
every event, every key person, and
every challenge which shaped him
for his mission seeing the hand of
God in the smallest detail. The
Salesian world has been invited to
return to the consideration of each
persons’ individual call to
holiness and the communal
consecration offered on
behalf of young people and their
families in these difficult times.
It is not surprising, then, that Fr. Vecchi’s
reflections upon Don Bosco’s identity, and
character begins with an insistence upon
the action of the Spirit of God in Don
Bosco’s life and in the lives of young. This,
more than any
other factor, lays out the path ahead
for a mission that has affected
youth and their families for
centuries.
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June/isJsuulye,2d0a1t2e
Life in the Spirit
For a Salesian the mission is a threefold
path of spiritual life...
...The access offered everyday for
achieving perfection; moving from a
personal to a communal identity;
within the Spirit of God, the Salesian has a
new light for seeing the young whom he
approaches...
The work of Don Vecchi
uncovers a link to the study
made by Don Raimondo
Frattalone, one of the
contemporaries who has
written much about Salesian
spirituality, spiritual
direction, and formation. In
referring to Don Bosco and in
the effort to distill to its
essence the spiritual and
educative mission of the
Salesians, Don Frattalone
makes this synthesis: for a
Salesian the mission is a
threefold path of spiritual life.
It begins as the access offered
every day for achieving
perfection; this access is
permitted the Salesian to
move from his personal
identity into the identity of
the community where the
Spirit of God is the source of
peace and the understanding
of participation as children of
God.1 This position within
the Spirit of God gives the
Salesian a “new light” for
seeing the young to whom the
Salesian makes approach.
This is a place of solitude in
which the Salesian receives
the gifts of joy and peace
which is passed on, by
vocation, to the young in his
care.
This place of solitude creates
a safe harbor for the
young, especially for
those most timid.
Welcomed by the
Salesian, the young
person finds a space
where love and peace
are created, as they
were in the
experience of Don
Bosco. This welcome
becomes the
invitation to journey
along the road to Life
by bringing the young
immediately to Christ. In this
way, our meeting with the
young becomes a meeting for
them with the true God, the
God of salvation. The task of
the Salesian educator, then,
becomes the task of touching
the heart of the young and
manifesting for them the life
of God in their longing
hearts.
Don Vecchi embellished
these ideas in his treatment of
this theme of life in the Spirit
as the starting point and
foundation of all spiritual
An experience of God
begins with the Spirit of
God...
experience and encounter
with God. The contribution
that Don Vecchi made to this
treatment is vital, for he
situates this life and action of
the Spirit in the gritty, post-
modern world of the young, 3
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Continued
deeply affected by the
coldness of scientific analysis.
Don Vecchi recognized that
religious and traditional
institutions have lost their
absolute authority and
religious experience has been
pushed to the margins of
society. To allow one to see
the Spirit of God, a Spirit
which breathes and moves
within this concrete reality,
the minister to the young
must be the one who
recognizes the long view of
God for humanity and
becomes inspired to live a
witness of charity testifying to
the importance and value of
human existence.
An experience of God begins
with the Spirit of God. Don
Vecchi sees the Spirit as the
gift of fine-tuning which
enables one to perceive God
in the experiences of life.
Such a fine-tuning neither
negates the real world nor
sees it apart from God.
Instead, the Spirit allows one
to see the relationship of
God, humanity, and the
world with each other. This
fine-tuning, suggested Don
Vecchi is important for the
Salesian and the educator to
discover the Word of God
within culture itself and to
find a path to salvation in the
realities of life in the present
moment.
Lines of Action
Salvation history consistently
and persistently revealed that
God manifested his name as
Relationship. His plan for
humanity is based on his
identity as their God and their
identity as his people.
Therefore, it is within human
development, and not simply
or preferentially according to
technical development, that
humanity’s progress and
fulfillment are found.
Beyond mere logic and
reason, this God has
manifested again and again
the desire for humanity to
know and embrace this
relationship. Even the
intelligence which has gifted
June/isJsuulye,2d0a1t2e
humanity and led to scientific
knowledge is incapable of
embracing this mystery of
relationship. Instead, the
Spirit makes possible for
humanity to know this God
by entering into the human
heart and making
transformation and faith
possible.
Don Vecchi described three
lines of action by the Spirit of
God which enables that
power to move the human
heart: the messianic or saving
line, which pushes people to
seek freedom; the prophetic
line, which operates in the
enlightening and teaching of
others to maintain hope in all
the circumstances of history;
and the priestly line of action,
in which the Spirit empowers
one to live in the world
sustained by religious
experience, ritual, prayer, and
service. All of these actions
empower humanity to live an
authentic spiritual existence.
(Continued on page 5)
Accompany or Abandon
The Sacred Heart Sisters at
the Salesian Pontifical
University in Rome, who
cared for Fr. Juan Vecchi in
his last days, recall his
courage, his faith, and his
desire to reach out to his
fellow ailing Salesians.
An important detail in their
collective memory is the
preoccupation they witnessed
in the heart of Fr. Vecchi. He
had a particular concern for
the plight of young people
facing newer and more
complicated threats to their
well-being and purpose.
Especially troubling for him
was the plight of young
people caught in the horrible
web of militarization. In so
many places, children are
stolen from their families,
drugged, and forced into
murderous activities for the
sole purpose of advancing the
goals of some madmen or
rebel forces unconcerned
about justice or peace for
such countries.
Fr. Vecchi begged the
Salesian world to find new
ways to be present to such
young people. In his mind, if
we do not accompany such
desperate youth, we abandon
them.
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The Continual Action of the
Spirit
The peak of the experience of
the Spirit of God is found in
Christ. Jesus invited his
companions to live by the
Spirit and not by the flesh.
Even before the birth of
Christ, the Spirit of God
moved through the creating
Word. All of the events of the
Old Testament led to the
revelation of the Word at
work in the world. Now,
made flesh, the Word is
revealed by the Spirit of God
speaking in Jesus, descends
upon Jesus as the sign of his
favor with the Father,
sustains and guides Jesus
beyond temptation into the
act of immolation for the
salvation of the world. This is
the Spirit that raises Jesus
from the dead and who
descends upon the disciples to
carry the Gospel to the whole
world.
Don Vecchi, in this written
work, makes a bridge
between the early Church
encounters of the Spirit of
God with the encounters of
our times, seeing in them the
continual action of the Spirit.
This action is found in the
teaching of the Church,
through Vatican II, and by
other means. Always the
same action leads to the same
conclusion: for the people of
God to see themselves as
united to the bridegroom of
Christ.
The God or Relationship as
the Spirit Moving in the
Educator
It is that the gift of the Spirit
which moves in the heart of
the educator and Salesian to live
according to this God of
relationship. God continues to be
their God and they continue to be
God’s people. From the dawn of
creation, God’s action is one of
accompaniment and relationship.
The duty of the minister to the
young is to live by this Spirit and
to welcome the young into the
knowledge and experience of their
own lives as places of revelation
and action of the Spirit of God. It
is an invitation into mystery and
not something that can be justified
by scientific evidence. Yet, the
mystery is not a poetic reading of
reality. The mystery is the action
of the Spirit enabling both the
educator and the student to see
the living and acting presence of
God in their lives. Don Vecchi
calls this a “new language” in
which the Spirit of God speaks to
the heart of the believer and by
which the believer communicates
this reality in life. This, he claims,
is the recreation of an entirely new
inner structure within a person
giving that person the ability to
work in the world according to the
way of the Beatitudes.
At this point in the discussion, we
come to familiar terms from the
life of Don Bosco. This growth in
the Spirit leads one to “an
adherence to the truth.”1 This
adhesion to the truth is an
adherence to Christ, who is,
himself, the way, the truth, and
the life. This is the ongoing call to
the believer to conform all things
to Christ: to love as he has loved,
to live in communion with the
Father, to put on the new spiritual
person. This is the transformation
of the heart that comes from the
Spirit in the meeting of believers.
This is the transformation of the
June/isJsuulye,2d0a1t2e
heart that comes from the Spirit
in the meeting between educator
and student, between spiritual
guide and pilgrim. Don Vecchi
saw implicit in this meeting the
priority of human development as
not only steps in human
progress but as steps toward
communion with God.
The Reality of Sin and the Spirit
Enabling Transformation
There is, however, another
reality that enters into this
meeting, just as this same reality
often loomed over the meetings
with God throughout the history
of salvation—the reality of sin.
The mystery of the gift of the
Spirit that enables humanity to
live in a new way is not parallel
to or distinct from this corrupted
world of sin. This, in fact, was
perhaps the greatest motivation
for Don Bosco to reach out to
the young. He was convinced
that outside of religion, there
was no hope for humanity.
Jacques Schepens underlines
this conviction of Don Bosco:
For Don Bosco ideal humanity
cannot be found either in human
existence itself or in its specific
dimension, nor even in the task
of education or any other purely
earthly concerns. Man cannot be
fully understood on the basis of
his engagement in this world.
The one essential dimension is
to live one’s life in friendship
and peace with God and to
practice one’s religion and the
Commandments. To Don
Bosco’s way of thinking, a
human being without God and
without religion is a stunted or a
crippled being eternally
unhappy. His social and
educative enterprise seems to
have been entirely aimed at this
goal i.e. that good people might
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serve God in a joyful manner, to avoid sin in
thought, word, and deed and that they should
order, direct, and measure and control their
actions towards enhancing the most fundamental
dimension of their existence.
Guido Gatti puts side by side the reality of sin
and the reality of the presence of the Spirit of
God and describes the task of discerning from
both of these realities. Like St. Paul, this is the
arena of flesh and spirit, the letter of the law
versus the spirit of the law in the moral
development of the person. The goal of the
Salesian educator in the face of this reality, and
as moved by the Spirit of God in the Salesian’s
own life, is to move the young person from a point
of view of life and its choices from the third person to
the first person. In this journey, the young person
is invited to move from fear to intimacy, from
the traps and pitfalls of life and sinfulness to the
freedom that is offered in the experience of the
love of God. Gatti calls this task for the
Salesian the task of interpreting the Spirit of
God in the lives of the young.
So it is that the one who accompanies begins
June/isJsuuley, 2d0a1te2
first from his/her own experience of God initiated
by God’s Spirit and leads to a shared journey of
human and spiritual discernment and growth in
the lives of the young person in need of
accompaniment. The act of sharing reveals the
mystery of the presence of Christ and enables the
young person to make choices and perceive a
reality beyond the mere physical and concrete
situations of life. These choices and this
perception, however, are integrated into the
ingredients of everyday life making spiritual growth
human growth, and vice versa. The realities of sin
and corruption are ever present and demand a
sober awareness of human nature that is always
balanced by the concurrent reality and conviction
that both the one who accompanies and the one in
need of direction are truly children of God.
Don Bosco as Type & Model
Don Bosco as Type and
Model of Salesian Spirituality
Don Vecchi’s text moves
from the action of the Spirit
to the heart of Salesian
patrimony by invoking the
model of Don Bosco for
Salesian spirituality. Because
we have spent much of this
effort to underline elements in
Don Bosco’s lived experience
and highlighted the legacy
that has come down to us by
the witnesses of hearts
transformed by a meeting
with the Founder, we
mention this theme in Don
Vecchi’s text as an
affirmation of this
examination. Still, Don
Vecchi offers special insight
into some of the
details we have already
treated at length. They bear
mentioning in this text. In
fact, Don Vecchi alerted his
Salesians to find their “genetic
code” in Don Bosco and to
participate in personal
development of holiness
according to that code.
Don Bosco as “Father” and
“Teacher”
Immediately, Don Vecchi
took up the title given to Don
Bosco as “Father.” As
familiar as it is, he wanted to
free the term from any
sentimental or nostalgic
entrapment. Instead, this
word signals for the Salesian
the one
who
carries the
charism in
the same
way that Jesus referred to
Abba, Father—the One who
sent Jesus in mission. The
title also evokes a memory of
paternal guidance, a
privileged place of authority
that is ruled by loving
kindness, an education of the
heart.
From “Father,” Don Vecchi
moved to the title always
paired with it, “Teacher.” He
explained the importance of
the “heart” in this image of
Don Bosco:
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Continued
Accordingly, the accent
upon the Father is
understood as “Master.”
Above all doctrinal authority
is the higher place of the art
of teaching, of helping
others to understand, to
speak with the language of
the heart, of communicating
lively. Don Bosco mentions
the fact that we have to
allow play to follow their
experience and, through this,
to encourage them to follow
Jesus. The teaching
authority is a pattern or
theme which recurs often in
Don Bosco’s writings. In
his first dream, Jesus
appears as the Master. In
the Old Testament, Jesus is
alluded to as our teacher and
guide and model. This is
gathered into the wisdom
themes which are central to
his teaching, to his mind,
and in his spiritual life.
June/isJsuuley, 2d0a1te2
The context for invoking these
familiar titles, besides
elaborating on their meaning,
was for Don Vecchi to keep alive
the living connection between
Don Bosco and the present
generations. He feared the loss of
connection with the distance of
time. The flood of interpretative
images of Don Bosco could, he
warned, lesson the centrality of
God’s unique gift in the
Founder. In the same breath,
however, he stood squarely on
the conviction that the best
transmission of Don Bosco was
indeed alive in the “Salesian
culture” carefully preserved in
Don Bosco’s wide religious
family and particularly in the
continued traditions of the
Salesians of Don Bosco and the
Daughters of Mary Help of
Christians.
Seeing with a Father’s Eyes
Referring to the “splendid
accord of nature and grace”
found in Don Bosco, Don
Vecchi asserts that, like the
great saintly figures before him,
Don Bosco deserves to be
studied. Found in Don Bosco
are amazing balances between
austerity and gentleness,
intelligence and practicality,
holiness and an easy
disposition in the world. Don
Bosco found signs of God’s
intimate friendship in his
celebration of friendship and
relationship with others on
many levels. Many dimensions
of the personality of Don
(continued page 8)
Preparing for 2012-2013
With the birthday of Don Bosco, August 16, the
Salesian World closes its first year of study focusing on
the historical figure of Don Bosco and moves into the
next phase of study: The Pedagogy of Don Bosco.
The San Francisco Province will continue to offer study
guides through The Institute of Salesian Studies and will
collaborate with the insights and study of Irish Salesian
and Scholar, Fr. Jack Finnigan. As in the first year,
these guides will begin in October and carry through to
August 2013.
As always, questions or requests for source material are
happily welcomed and the best site for all inquiries will
continue to be at donboscohallCA@gmail.com.
The Salesians at Don Bosco Hall and the team here are
hoping to meet you at some future opportunity for
further study and renewal. Many blessings to the
Salesian Family!
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June/isJsuuley, 2d0a1te2
Bosco fell under scrutiny at this
point in the text. It is here that
Don Vecchi also turned to the
testimony of Don Albera who
exclaimed so enthusiastically his
singularly special experience of
Don Bosco. In similar fashion,
Don Vecchi’s beloved director
during his theological studies at
the Corcetta, Don Pietro Brocardo
resonated with similar affection
and praise, especially when
considering the deterioration of
the idea of a “father” in modern
days. As a father according to the
model of Don Bosco, one is able
to recognize in the children their
beauty and importance:
The ideologies of our time, which
have put heavy burdens on the
father figure, are now in trouble.
We are witnessing a return to the
father, no longer as figure to be
feared, but as the central figure
needed for balanced growth, for
balanced children, albeit with new
forms and modes of presence,
which seems to have been
provoked by a crisis in the classic
roles of the father.
A father must be more
authoritarian than an authority,
closer to the model of the law, as
friend and brother figure. From
this point of view, Don Bosco, in
more than one respect is revealed
as a contemporary of our time,
more in tune with modern ideals.
He urged his directors: "More than
anything, you are fathers,
brothers, friends." No doubt his
being a father is his most important
reason to refer to fatherhood in
faith, as is often mentioned by St.
Paul (1 Thess 2,7-8.10-11). A
fatherliness, however, where
humanity shines forth.
A contemporary bishop described
Don Bosco’s will as void of the
word, “impossible.” Don Bosco
was not, however, impulsive. This
same remembrance records Don
Bosco’s care in making decisions.
While he was always very
practical he made many decisions
by making recourse to deep and
trusting supernatural principles.
A Father’s Balance of Love and
Discipline
To love and to uphold discipline is
a tough balancing act. This is the
second characteristic offered by
Don Brocardo. He recalls the
words of Don Albera and Don
Rinaldi as they wrote lovingly of
the family Don Bosco created.
Don Bosco’s power of attraction
resided in his authentic kindness
and welcome, but coupled with
that was “intransigence” when it
came to certain principles:
“A father always,” Don Bosco was
never cowardly but always
forgiving; he was never
dissmissive of his responsibilities
leaving the unpleasant tasks to
others; but he was always
uncompromising and firm,
especially in cases of theft,
blasphemy or scandal.
Despite his ability to be unbending
in certain areas, this did not
distance the young people from
him nor diminish their love for
him. They perceived in this father
a care that reached deeply into
every part of their lives. To
disappoint Don Bosco was, in
itself, enough of a punishment for
any one of these students.
The Sensitivity of a Father
Don Bosco’s third fatherly
characteristic, according to Don
Brocardo, was his ability to be
both forceful and sensible.
He compares Don Bosco’s
sensitivity and sensible
character to Mamma
Margherita and, by way of
association, to the Most Holy
Mother of God. His strength
was, in fact, his sensitive
nature. He was sensitive to
the needs of the young, to the
dangers of their souls, to the
strength of their gifts and
potentials. Don Brocardo
cites the recollections of Don
Rua and Don Cagliero
remembering how easily
tears would come to Don
Bosco’s eyes. In the end,
suggests Don Brocardo,
without this profound
sensitivity, there would be no
talk of the powerful “loving
kindness” of Don Bosco’s
preventive system, his unique
“amorevolezza.”
The Hidden Quality of
Holiness
Moving to other dimensions
of Don Bosco’s personality,
Don Vecchi, recognized the
cultural and religious
strength characteristic of his
Piedmontese roots. Don
Vecchi insisted that beyond
these traits, his rich
humanity with its sensitivity
and down-to-earth
practicality had the ability to
mix with the problems of his
day and was evidence of Don
Bosco’s generous response to
God’s grace. Unlike the
“story of the soul” left by St.
Therese d’Lisieux or Blessed
John XXXIII, Don Bosco’s
story had a hidden quality of
holiness. Though hidden, it
was profound and
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manifested itself in a style of
action. So profound was Don
Bosco’s faith in God that he
lived as though the invisible
were visible to him (in this,
Don Vecchi recalls the reading
from the Letter to the Hebrews,
11, 27). Important to this trait,
Don Bosco’s response to grace
was translated into a
movement out to others,
always. His encounter in faith
brought him to a project of life.
Inspired by this, Don Vecchi
urged his Salesians:
The Salesian Constitutions tell
us that our consecration is
understood simultaneously as
communal life, the following
of Christ, and the mission to
youth. But this is given for all
of life in its concrete context,
distinguising us and shaping
us. This is the place where
Salesian virtues are written and
enscribed on our hearts, where
we are obliged to come to the
splendid union between what is
human and what is divine.
The Grace and Mystery of
Salesian Identity
In the end, Don Vecchi called
the Salesian world to the model
of Don Bosco for motives
much deeper than academics
and study, though one of Don
Vecchi’s preoccupations had
certainly been to foster ongoing
formation and a deepening of
Salesian study. In his last
circular letter, ACG 375, he
concluded a moving discourse
on the virtue of Salesian
obedience with this call to
return to Don Bosco as the
foundation for a particular
grace and mystery that is
Salesianity:
June/isJsuuley, 2d0a1te2
It was not difficult to detect in
recent General Chapters an
increased effort on the part of the
Congregation to better understand
its Founder and his place in God’s
plan. And this is not for reasons of
theological academics, but to clarify
the grace and mystery of our
identity.
Meditating once again in the light of
the Spirit on the whole story of Don
Bosco, we find it to be a salvation
event in which we too are involved,
and that “for this reason his story is
our story also”. “The relationship of
sons and disciples that Salesians live
with regard to Don Bosco” is a true
and enduring grace.
We recognize in Don Bosco the
guide molded by the Risen Christ to
point out to us – educators and
young people together – a Gospel
way of missionary and youthful
sanctification.
For this reason it is a good thing
that we should continue to love
and sing, in the Salesian world,
that old hymn of the beatification
“Don Bosco ritorna”, which well
expresses our continuing
commitment to “bring Don Bosco
to life again in ourselves” (M. Rua).
...he lived as though
the invisible were
visible to him...
Don Bosco’s response to grace
was translated into a movement
out to others, always. His
encounter in faith brought him
to a project of life!
The whole story of
Don Bosco [is] a
salvation event in
which we, too, are
involved...
The relationship of sons and
disciples that Salesians live with
regard to Don Bosco is a true
and enduring grace.
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lDoroenmBiopsscuomSdtuodloyrGuide
Salesian Pastoral Charity
A response
to God’s call is a
response made by the
action of the Spirit
Salesian charity is the
preventive system...which was a
charity “without limits or
borders...”
This is a charity of a “Father
and Teacher.”
The experience of
love arises from the
experience of the
love of God passed
down to the young...
The mark of this charity is
kindness and gentleness
demonstrated by an intimate
heart that readily adapts to the
needs of others even before a
word or gesture is made...
In looking at pastoral charity,
Don Vecchi made three
passes. First, he examined
charity as presented in the
Gospels. Secondly, he
examined charity according
to “pastoral specifications.”
And finally, he turned his
attention to Salesian pastoral
charity. A repeat of this
process is not necessary. It
has been clearly stressed that
the response to God’s call is a
response made by the action
of the Holy Spirit which is
exemplified most completely
in the life and teachings of
Jesus Christ and which is
always directed outward into
service. Thus summarized,
we look at the nuances Don
Vecchi offers for a specific
Salesian pastoral charity.
Charity without Limits or
Borders
In brief, Salesian charity is
the preventive system. (A
more thorough explanation
and application of the
preventive system will be
treated in 1.4.7. in this
treatment.) Don Fratallone
offers a succinct definition.
He reports that Salesian
charity is the charity of Don
Bosco, which was a charity
“without limits or borders.”
This charity has been
incarnated across many
cultures in the 120 years since
Don Bosco’s death and has
been characterized by Don
Bosco’s own words, “It is
enough that you are young
for me to love you.”
June/isJsuuley,2d0a1t2e
This is a charity of a “Father
and Teacher.” The Salesian
accompanying a young
person welcomes him or her
with a desire to help them
understand their past, present
and to enter the future with
them to help them find order
in the midst of their
problems. As a teacher, the
Salesian is patient and
attentive looking for the right
moment to intervene in the
young person’s life with aids
for understanding. Such
patience is perceived as hope,
never abandoning the young
person or giving up on their
situation. Like a pregnant
mother, this patience nurtures
and slowly brings to birth the
full person in their care.
Charity of Kindness and
Gentleness
The mark of this charity is
kindness and gentleness
demonstrated by an intimate
heart that readily adapts to
the needs of others, even
before a word or gesture is
made.1 It enters into the
dialogue of growth and
maturity to offer
encouragement and a climate
of attentive listening. Such a
charity reflects a profoundly
supernatural charity that is, in
fact, a movement of the Spirit
to enter into a true
interpersonal communion
with the young. The
experience of love arises from
the experience of the love of
God passed down to the
young.
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2.1 Page 11

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435
lDoroenmBiopsscuomSdtuodloyrGuide
Salesian Charity as Apostolic
Charity
Don Vecchi summarized the
specific character of Salesian
charity stating that it is an
apostolic charity. As such, it
expresses itself and grows in
pastoral ministry. It is an
action that needs a soul or it
will burn out quickly. With a
soul, it can thrive easily with
trust and joy in the pastoral
work at hand. The tensions
that militate against Salesian
life—tensions between action
and prayer, between
community life and mission,
between education and
ministry, between
professionalism and apostolic
availability—find unity in this
charity. Every challenge in this
pastoral ministry is buoyed and
spurred on by the command of
Jesus to love as he has loved.1
encouragement and a climate
of attentive listening. Such a
charity reflects a profoundly
supernatural charity that is, in
fact, a movement of the Spirit
to enter into a true
interpersonal communion with
the young. The experience of
love arises from the experience
of the love of God passed
down to the young.
Salesian Charity as Apostolic
Charity
Don Vecchi summarized the
specific character of Salesian
charity stating that it is an
The Fourteen Themes
June/isJsuulye,2d0a1t2e
apostolic charity. As such, it
expresses itself and grows in
pastoral ministry. It is an
action that needs a soul or it
will burn out quickly. With a
soul, it can thrive easily with
trust and joy in the pastoral
work at hand. The tensions
that militate against Salesian
life—tensions between action
and prayer, between
community life and mission,
between education and
ministry, between
professionalism and apostolic
availability—find unity in this
charity. Every challenge in this
pastoral ministry is buoyed and
spurred on by the command of
Jesus to love as he has loved.
All fourteen themes can be found in the one text which has transcribed this conference of Fr. Vecchi.
That text is entitled: Vecchi, Juan “Andate Oltre!” Temi di Spiritualità Giovanile, a cura di Maurizio
Spreafico, Leumann (TO), Elledici, 2002.
1. Life%in%the%Spirit!#
2. Don%Bosco%is%our%type%and%model%of%our%spirituality#
3. We%are%consecrated%by%the%Lord%with%the%gift%of%the%Spirit#
4. The%Community%is%the%place,%sign,%and%school%of%Salesian%Spirituality%
5. Salesian%Spirituality%is%a%daily%spirituality%that%is%living%and%active%
6. The%Pastoral%Praxis%of%Salesian%Spirituality%is%the%Preventive%System%
7. Salesians%are%educators%for%the%experience%of%God%
8. Salesian% pastoral% charity% compels% evangelization;% evangelization% and% the% present% % times% mold% our%
spirituality%
9. We%educate%to%the%Sacraments%where%Christ%is%the%mediator%of%reconciliation%
10. The% mature% expression% of% pastoral% charity% is% our% special% Salesian% inheritance% and% focus:% the%
Fatherliness%of%Don%Bosco%
11. Our% Mission% is% of% Service% % and% not% of% Authority—We% are% called% to% be% good% servants% of% Christ% who%
served%people,%not%problems%
12. Salesian%Spirituality%is%marked%by%distinctive%Gospel%icons%of%Mary,%the%Mother%of%God%
13. Our%consecration%is%a%synthesis%of%the%titles%by%which%we%invoke%Mary:%Immaculate,%and%Helper%
14. Accompaniment%as%Various%Forms%of%Presence#
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lGoremttinipgsutomKdnoloowr Don Bosco
June /July 2012 Study Guide
Institute of SalesianisSsutue,ddieaste
Preparing for 2012-2013
• Check#the#community#library#for#the#
works#of#Fr.#Pietro#Braido#whose#life#
has#been#dedicated#primarily#to#the#
study#and#historical#critique#of#Don#
Bosco’s#Educational#Methodologies.#
• Prepare#monthly#sessions#reviewing#
the#Preventive#System#and#work#
together#for#opportunities#to#rework#it#
for#this#time#and#your#specific#mission.#
• Invite#members#of#the#Salesian#Family#
to#these#discussions.#
Young people are starving for “life in the Spirit”
and for a sense of meaning and purpose. They
discover this life best in the experience of charity
• Invite#young#people#to#become#involved#
in#campaigns#for#living#charitably#at#the#
Salesian#Mission#where#they#are#involved#
• Take#on#the#issue#of#bullying,#for#
example.##Challenge#them#to#collaborate#
on#plans#to#reach#out#to#the#abused#and#
cast#off#members#of#their#peer#groups.#
• Perhaps#a#sodality#for#justice#can#be#
established#to#meet#on#a#regular#basis#to#
bring#awareness#to#peers#and#adults#to#
the#threat#of#bullying#and#its#
consequences.#
Cooperators have a wonderful
opportunity in the coming new year of
study to share with their families, their
parishes, and their colleagues the insight
brought to the raising of children and the
catechizing of families by means of the
Preventive System of Don Bosco.
As for this last study guide for 2011-2012,
examine the fourteen themes of Fr.
Vecchi and find applications to your own
spirituality as Cooperators of Don Bosco.
Working together as professionals, we can
become lost in the tasks of the day and forget
the spiritual foundations of our lives, our
works, and our mission.
• Encourage#moments#of#prayer#and#
reflection.#
• Make#use#of#the#“Lectio#Divina”#
resources#at#sdb.org.###
• Invite#colleagues#to#brief#moments#of#
prayer#before#and#after#any#task#
• Invoke#the#Spirit#of#God#into#every#
shared#moment#of#ministry.#
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Don Bosco Study Guide
June/July 2012
Among sky-born and royal:
He may well throw me and
renew my birth...Antaeus 1966
Seamus Heaney recites poetry in a recent
celebration of his work.
During the Irish Retreat, we framed our days of
reflection with the poetic musings of their favorite
Son and Poet Laureate, Seamus Heaney.
Beginning with the image of being lifted out of our
comfort to discover new possibilities beyond familiar
ground, we concluded with the invitation to allow the
Spirit of God to surprise us and lead us to new
visions.
“Catch the heart off guard and blow
it open...”
Post Script 1999
Institute of Salesian Studies
Don Bosco Hall
1831 Arch Street
Berkeley, CA, 94709
USA
DonBoscoHallCA@gmail.com
+01 510 204-0801
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