“Miscelánea Comillas” praises the work of Fr Arthur Lenti
(ANS – Madrid) – The Jesuit
Comillas Pontifical University, in
its review “Miscelánea Comillas” –
its main publication for academic
material from the Faculty of the
Humanities and Social Sciences – in
a recent very positive book review
spoke highly of the first volume of
the Spanish edition of “Don Bosco,
History and Charism” by Fr Arthur
Lenti SDB.
The Spanish language version was
edited by Fr Juan José Bartolomé
and Fr Jesús Graciliano González
and published by the “Central Cate-
quística Salesiana” (CCS) in Madrid.
In agreement with the author the
two editors have brought together
Fr Lenti’s monumental work in
seven volumes – in 3 volumes while
updating the notes and quotations
and adding a Spanish bibliography.
William Rodriguez Campos, the
author of the review of the first
volume, recommends the work of
Fr Lenti, a historian who is able to
identify the main thread uniting hu-
man events, and record them objec-
tively. Fr Lenti does this in masterly
fashion presenting the life and work
of Saint John Bosco (1815-1888).
“The first two chapters dedicated
to a study of the sources and the
biographical tradition concerning
Don Bosco are jewels of inestimable
value for historians, social scientists
and researchers” Rodriguez Campos
declares.
Using a hermeneutic approach Fr
Lenti indentifies, evaluates, com-
pares and often corrects documents
and interpretation regarding Don
Bosco formerly considered indis-
putable. He forcefully and in a
definitive manner combats myths
and superficial views. In this regard
he emphasises the work done on the
text of the “Memoirs of the Ora-
tory”, because it subjects to a critical
examination anecdotes from the
life of Don Bosco which had been
transformed into “categories”: Don
Bosco in opposition to the parish
priests, a revolutionary persecuted
by the civil authorities, abandoned
and alone, not involved in politics. Fr
Lenti shows that all these anecdotes
are false.
In locating the saint in his religious
context, Fr Lenti illustrates a funda-
mental aspect: the direct, conscious,
desired influence of the Jesuits,
Barnabites, Franciscans, Oblates,
Oratorians... In studying the social
activity of Don Bosco, his spirituali-
ty and Pastoral work, the fact cannot
be ignored that Don Bosco syn-
thesises these influences in a vital,
spiritual and pedagogical way.
The atmosphere of the Convitto
Ecclesiastico as experienced by Don
Bosco was an experience of forma-
tive and theological equilibrium. It
was an atmosphere contrary to Jan-
senism, Liberalism and Gallicanism.
There was a strong Jesuit influence,
among other things, through the
InTouch 5 7.19.12
“friends’ association.” The models of
moral and pastoral theology pro-
posed were, in addition very differ-
ent from one another: Saint Charles
Borromeo, Saint Philip Neri and
Saint Francis of Sales. And help-
ing Don Bosco to move towards a
spirituality founded on love and on
pastoral charity there was Fr Joseph
Cafasso. “In fact,”– Rodriguez Cam-
pos declares, “ Fr Luigi Guala and Fr
Cafasso were the founders and the
soul of the Convitto”.
The author of the review goes on
to note that Chapter XIV makes
the most impact and containing
the most extensive documentation;
demonstrates the “explosive discov-
ery by Don Bosco of the poor and
abandoned boys of Turin.” In a most
disillusioned manner he describes
the social, moral and religious situ-
ation of youth. The increase in the
population and the urban expansion
contributing to making worse the
living conditions of the rural popula-
tion with hunger, exploitation of the
work force and unemployment, pov-
erty illiteracy, and beggary. Whereas
at the Oratory the boys found a
house, a school, a playground. The
novelty of Don Bosco’s Oratory: its
fundamentally religious purpose.
Rodriguez Campos also points out
that through the Regulations for the
Oratory one can recognise another
of Don Bosco’s gifts, that of the
writer. And he concludes: “An ex-
traordinary work. Full of topics and
themes. An excellent and success-
ful effort uniting harmoniously a
realistic view of the life and work of
Don Bosco and his genuine religious
motivation.”
