02 a. SDB Philippines Historiography %28Fr. G. Bicomong Jr. SDB-FIN%29


02 a. SDB Philippines Historiography %28Fr. G. Bicomong Jr. SDB-FIN%29

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EAO Regional Conference on the State of Salesian Historiography
Day 3 | Wednesday | 6 Nov 2013
SALESIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY IN FIN
Chronologically, according to the time they were written, they are as follows:
1. Don Bosco’s work in Education and Technical Instruction with Special Applications to the
Philippines.
- A Thesis presented by Fr. Gianluigi Colombo SDB in June 1975 to the Faculty of the Graduate
School at the De La Salle College.
- This scientific study made extensive use of sources for its bibliography like books, manuals
and reports, published articles and periodicals, newspapers, unpublished materials, essays
and interviews. These are sources or materials that are available at that time to understand
the current educational situation particularly on Technical Schools and show the extent of
Don Bosco’s contributions on Philippine Education from 1951 onwards, not only on skills
and their productive work in the society but also on the integral formation of youth, using
the Don Bosco’s way of educating the young. In a nutshell it shows the significance of Don
Bosco Technical Schools, at that time when the Philippines was in its early process of
transition from an agricultural-handicraft state of development, with most of its people
directly dependent on the farms, to an industrialized economy urgently in need of technical
education and large urban employment. However, the short history of the beginnings of the
Salesians in the Philippines was based more on interviews rather than on archivial
documents. Important topics includes:
a) Socio-Economic Background and Status of the Technical Education in the Philippines at
the Arrival of the First Salesians.
b) The Salesians and the Beginnings of their Activity in the Philippines
c) The Organization of the Salesian Technical Institutions in the Philippines
d) Extent of Don Bosco’s Possible Contributions
2. Pioneers
- A booklet written by Fr. Miguel Solaroli, SDB and translated by Fr. Adolf Faroni SDB in 2000,
on the work of the Salesians in Tondo, Manila.
- This small book is a short memoire, very limited in scope, of Fr. Miguel Solaroli, who started
the work in Tondo in 1968 together with Fr. John Benna and Fr. John Andreu. It’s a memoire
highlighting some anecdotes describing the slums of Tondo and when the Salesians started
their work in the midst of this incredible subhuman condition. Many anecdotes however are
not dated. Some interesting anecdotes are:
a) The Gangs of Tondo
b) The Visit of Pope Paul VI in 1970 in Don Bosco Tondo
c) The Great Fire in 1971
3. A Dictionary of Asian Christianity
- A Dictionary edited by Scott Sunquist, year 2001, with an Article written by Fr. Francis
Gustilo on the Salesian work in Asia but with special emphasis in the Philippines.
- Practically, the entry “Salesians” in the dictionary highlights only the presence of the
Salesians in the Philippines and its development, mentioning only in passing India and China,
rather than of Asia. The author used only two main books as references in its Bibliography:
a) Tassinari, Vasco, Don Braga, l’uomo che ebbe tre patrie (1990)
b) Santos, Emiliano, Don Bosco Philippines, Silver Jubilee (1976)

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4. The Arrival of Don Bosco in the Philippines
- A historical book written by Fr. Gregorio Bicomong Jr. SDB in 2001, on the requests made to
the Salesians from 1891-1951 before the start of the Salesian work in the Philippines.
- This book, as a fitting work to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Salesians in the Philippines
(1951 – 2001), made use of primary sources researched in numerous archives both here and
abroad like Salesian Central Archives in Rome, Salesian Archives Hong Kong, Vatican
Archives, National Archives Manila etc. The book is not the history of those fifty years but of
the sixty years before that; a kind of pre-history of the Salesians in the Philippines (1891 –
1951).
- Far from attempting to be comprehensive and complete, in which no historian would
pretend to accomplish, it aims more at providing the readers a glimpse of the original letters
and other pertinent documents to help them understand the reasons for the seeming
postponement of the arrival of the Salesians in the Philippines, in spite of the many requests
made to fill a need in the Philippine church especially after Philippine Revolution of 1898.
- Topics includes:
a) Request made by Governor-General Eulogio Despujol himself in 1891, under the
Patronato Real
b) Requests from other bishops, priests and lay persons
c) The “Salesian Presence” of a Salesian Apostolic Delegate to the Philippines, Msgr.
Guglielmo Piani (1922 – 1948) and his secretary Fr. Louis La Ravoire Morrow
d) More requests and the first foundations during the time of Fr. Braga
5. Ang Kasaysayan ng Parokya ng Mayapa sa Unang 25 Taon (1973 – 1998) (The History of the
Parish of Mayapa in the First 25 Years, 1973 - 1998)
- A book written by a cooperator, Andres Molintapang, in the Tagalog language, to
commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Parish of Mary Help of Christians in 2003.
- The author, born in 1930 in Palo Alto that became part of the Parish in 1973, made use of
the archives of the parish, his own knowledge of the parish, his interviews with priests,
catechists and parishioners. An important contribution was the interview with Fr. John
Benna, an Italian missionary, who became the parish priest for 20 years.
- Although it is a simple history of a young parish, it gives an idea of the challenges and
growth of a parish with about 60,000 parishioners and 19 chapels (Six of which would form
part of the new Parish of Fatima in 1996).
6. The Beginnings of the Salesian Presence in East Asia (2 volumes)
- The two-volume work was the collection of reports/articles of the Seminar on Salesian
History held in Hong Kong last December 4 – 6, 2004, edited by Nestor Impelido.
- In the first volume we find the article, Salesians in the Philippines (1949 – 1963): Historical
Notes, written by Nestor Impelido. It is a study of the beginnings of the Salesian work in the
Philippines from the negotiations for foundations (1949) to the first foundations or works
started by the Salesians. This 25-page article made use of books and documents researched
from archives like Salesian Central Archives in Rome, Salesian Archives Hong Kong and some
Salesian local archives in the Philippines.
- The author tried to show the timely expulsion of some Salesians from the Chinese Mainland
during the on-going Communist expulsion of the religious and the much needed requests for
Salesians to start the work in the Philippines particularly on Technical schools. The author
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also noted to study more the contribution of the Salesian coadjutors as well as the impact of
the Salesian technical schools in Philippine education.
7. Salesians in the Philippines
- A historical book written by Fr. Nestor Impelido SDB in 2006, on the Establishment and
Development of the Salesian work in the Philippines starting from the Delegation to
Province status (1951 – 1963). It is therefore a good continuation of the “pre-history” book
written by Fr. Gregorio Bicomong Jr. It wishes to study the beginnings of the Salesians in the
Philippines when they finally started and settled in the Philippines after 60 years of “pre-
history”. The author wishes to answer some questions like: What were the first Salesian
foundations in the Philippines? How were these established and how did they develop in
their first years of existence? Who were the Salesians responsible for the establishment and
growth of the Salesian presence? What were the initial problems and difficulties they
encountered? Interesting were also the difficulties in personalities, characters and
mentalities among the pioneers (“fondatori”).
- The author utilized the documents extensively researched in numerous archives both here
and abroad like Salesian Central Archives Rome, Salesian Archives Hong Kong, Salesian
Archives Manila, Salesian Archives of some houses in the Philippines. Many documents are
recent and the author tried to exercise caution in his research and writing.
- Some Topics includes:
a) The Philippines as a Delegation during the time of Fr. Braga
b) The First foundations in Tarlac, Victorias, Mandaluyong etc.
c) The “Founders” who laid the foundation of the Salesian work in the Philippines
d) The Philippines as a Visitatoria (1958 – 1963)
e) The Philippines as a Province (1963 – 1964)
8. Passing on His Brilliance
- A book written by Fr. Remo Bati SDB in 2008, on his interviews with some Salesians
regarding the shining examples of the Salesian Pioneers who worked in the Philippines from
1951–1963.
- As a methodology, the book is not a historical research based on archives but a compilation
of interviews containing personal impressions, memories and experiences of individuals
with the pioneers. It is a kind of “oral history”.
- Using the Don Bosco’s Dream of the Ten Diamonds, the author listed the Ten Diamonds
(faith, hope, charity, work, temperance, obedience, poverty, chastity, fasting, reward) and
fitted appropriately the examples, traits and values of the pioneers in the Ten Diamonds.
- The author made use of the two books of Gregorio Bicomong’s The Arrival of the Salesians
in the Philippines and Nestor Impelido’s Salesians in the Philippines in his chapter 3 on the
origin and beginnings of the Salesian work in the Philippines.
9. Implantation of the Salesian Charism in Asia: Ideas, Challenges, Answers, Results
- This book was a collection of reports/articles of the Seminar on Salesian History (East Asia-
Oceania Region) held in Batulao, Philippines last November 24 – 28, 2008, edited by
Mathew Kapplikunnel.
- We find three articles related to Salesian History in the Philippines:
A. General Background and the Expansion of the Salesian Work in the EAO Region in the
1950s, written by Gregorio Bicomong Jr. The author showed a general background of
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the difficult political and ecclesial situation vis-à-vis the Salesian expansion in the EAO
region in the 1950s. One difficulty is the feeling of animosity towards Christianity as a
western or foreign religion after the collapse of colonialism in the years immediately
before and after the 1950s. The other is the problem of Communism as primary
antagonist of Christianity; or the Catholic Church in transition from a defensive mood to
greater openness to dialogue with other Christian denominations and religions etc.
The author made use of sources from books that were specialized on this particular
period of the 1950s.
B. The Growth of the Salesian Charism in the EAO Region: Religious Institutes Founded by
Salesians, written by Nestor Impelido. It aims to present the various congregations
founded by some of the Salesian missionaries who worked in the EAO region. It is largely
based on the primary documents collected from archives of the respective
congregations and the Salesian Central Archives in Rome. The article however is
incomplete, as mentioned by the author himself, due to the current lack of clear and
scientific histories of these congregations. The following are the congregations
highlighted in the article:
a) Sisters Announcers of the Lord (SAL)
b) Caritas Sisters of Miyazaki
c) Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
d) The Daughters of the Queenship of Mary
C. The Implantations of the Salesian Charism in the Philippines in the First Thirty Years
(1951 – 1981), written by Remo Bati. The article was just a synthesis of the book written
by Bati, Passing on His Brillance.
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