June 09 ONGFB :: Formation

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San Francisco Province

June 2009

Dear Friends,

Arthur Lenti has given us this month, a

reflection on the holiness proposed to

youth. This comes after the month in

which we have celebrated the feast of

Dominic Savio. This reflection is enlight-

ened by the thoughts given to us by

Pascal Chavez, our Rector Major, in his

2004 strenna, Laura Vicuña also occupies

a place in this reflection. Next month Fr.

Art will give us a scriptural on the holiness

theme.

As always, the words of the Rector Major,

in this case a reflection on nextyear’s

strenna, are featured.

Gael E Sullivan, SDB

Office of Ongoing Formation

Don Bosco Hall, Berkeley

HOLINESS PROPOSED TO YOUNG

PEOPLE AS THE GOAL

AND STANDARD OF ORDINARY

CHRISTIAN LIFE

by Arthur J. Lenti, SDB

INTRODUCTION

The “Strenna” (that is, “New Year’s

Offering”) given to all Salesians for

2004 reads in Italian: “Riproponiamo a

Tutti i Giovani con Convinzione la Gioia

e l’Impegno della Santità come “Misura

Alta di Vita Cristiana Ordinaria”—

which might be rendered as follows:

“Let us Challenge All Young People with

a New Serious Proposal of Holiness to

Be Embraced Wholeheartedly and with

Joy “as the Goal and High Standard of

Ordinary Christian Living.”(1)

On New Year’s Day 2004, the

Salesian Rector Major, Fr. Pascual

Chávez, delivered his commentary

on the “Strenna.” As its title states,

it invites us to place again before our

young people young people a new

and serious proposal of holiness—a

committed and joyful spirituality

that would pervade and power their

ordinary Christian life.

The Rector Major introduces the

subject by recalling the conquest of

Mt. Everest some fifty years before

(1953) as a symbol of the spiritual

ascent to which Don Bosco called his

young people. Then as examples of

the conquest the Rector Major, as the

subtitle of the commentary indicates,

recalls the fiftieth anniversary of

Dominic Savio’s canonization” [1954]

and the 100th anniversary of Blessed

Laura Vicuña’s death (1904). He

emphasizes that it is a matter of

challenging our young people (in Don

Bosco’s words) “to give themselves

totally to God.”(2)

In the presentation the follows,

we shall first speak of Don Bosco’s

and the Salesians’ priorities in their

work of education of young people.

Next, we shall describe the Salesian

spirituality of young people, its nature

and characteristics. Finally, from Fr.

Chávez’ commentary we shall gather

a florilegium of salient statements apt

to bring such description into sharper

relief.

In the first place, we should speak

of the priorities of the Salesian mission,

namely, the preferential thrust of

the Salesian mission according to the

charism of the founder.

I. DON BOSCO’S AND THE

SALESIANS’ OPTION FOR THE

YOUNG

1. The Young, Absolute Priority

of the Salesian Mission

The lessons young John Bosco

read in, and learned from, the

vocation dream that he dreamt at the

age of 9 imparted the basic direction

to his whole life—a ministry to the

young. In the constitutions he wrote

for the two religious congregations

that he founded this option was

clearly articulated. Besides striving

for holiness, the Salesian fathers and

brothers were to be “engaged in all

works of charity, both spiritual and

temporal, on behalf of young people,

especially poor young people.” (3) The

Salesian Sisters were to work for the

salvation of their neighbor, “especially

through the Christian education of

girls of the working classes (figlie del

popolo).” (4)

In its Special General Chapter of

1971-72 (SGC), the Salesian Society

engaged in a radical re-examination of

its mission, the result of which was a

restatement of the ”absolute priority”

of the young, especially the “poor and

abandoned” among them. That this

was Don Bosco’s “absolute priority” in

the first place was taken as axiomatic.

(5)

The question remained with

regard to the meaning of the term

“young.” After all, the liturgy spoke

of Don Bosco as “father and teacher

of adolescents (adulescentium pater

et magister).” The SGC concluded

that the mission of the Salesians was

to pre-adolescents, adolescents and

young adults, in accordance with the

age that corresponds to those decisive

stages in human life in different

human groups and cultures. Care of

younger children might be undertaken

occasionally in function of the older

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groups. (6) (It should be said that the Salesian Sisters at the

time had a different view regarding this last point.)

2. The “Poor and Abandoned”

The SGC, after stating the priority of “poor and

abandoned” young people and the meaning to be attached

to the term “young,” went on record also regarding the

meaning of the qualifiers “poor and abandoned.”

It concluded that by “poor” we are to understand the

victims of any form of poverty. It may be material poverty

(the root cause of many other kinds of deprivation); it may

be social and cultural poverty (experienced as frustration

and alienation); it may be affective poverty (as is the

case with orphans and children of broken homes and

dysfunctional families); or again it may be and moral and

spiritual poverty (lacking moral values or even a knowledge

of God).

Don Bosco in his instructions often referred to the

“poorer and more abandoned” or “the poorest and most

abandoned,” and therefore more needy, young people,

perhaps wishing to establish a priority among priorities for

the Salesian mission.

This is the case, according to the SGC, when young

people live in extreme poverty, suffer hunger, are illiterate,

and therefore cannot hope for a normal life unless they are

helped. It is the case of young people who struggle with

serious religious and moral problems, who find themselves

enmeshed in marginal cultures of delinquency and

addiction. Such diverse kinds of poverty are often found

in accumulation in Third-World countries, as well as in the

larger cities of developed countries, where the children

of the very poor live in the hopeless conditions of a

“Fourth World.” Many Salesians, so the SGC noted, believe

that, since programs of social reform financed by public

agencies often do not reach the outer margins of poverty,

it is our mission to address these dire needs and so witness

to Christ’s saving love. (7)

The renewed Salesian Constitutions state: “With Don

Bosco we reaffirm our preference for the young who are

‘poor, abandoned and in danger,’ those who have greater

need of love and evangelization, and we work especially in

areas of greatest poverty.” (8)

The Salesian option for the young embraces all these

young people in all their real needs. As they are the objects

of the Salesian educational effort, they are thereby also

challenged with a realistic call to holiness.

3. Young People—Young Men and Young Women

A determination of the age and social condition of

the beneficiaries of the Salesian mission, important as

it was, was insufficient to deal with the socio-cultural

developments that were already in effect at the time of

the SGC. For example, in accordance with Don Bosco’s

spirit and practice, which was the spirit and practice of the

time, boys and girls were educated separately. The Salesian

Fathers and Brothers worked with boys, the Salesian

Sisters with girls.

But the second half of the twentieth century wit-

nessed socio-cultural developments that brought boys and

girls together not only in school but also in practically ev-

ery other area of their social life.

As far back as 1965, the Nineteenth General Chapter

of the Salesian Society took note of these developments

and stated, “we cannot ignore the contacts between

the sexes which are a commonplace in modern living.”

(9) The SGC (1871-72) spoke even more distinctly on the

subject. In a paragraph entitled “Young Women,” referring

back to the statement of GC XIX, recognized “a need for

an integrated education for our young people. In this

education all the values of life (love, beauty, etc.) seen in

the light of the divine plan, will be precious elements for

the maturing of their personality.” (10) The Seventeenth

General Chapter of the Salesian Sisters (1881) spoke in

similar terms and directed the Sisters involved in education

to “adopt a balanced position [in the matter], and to

equip themselves, as other modern educators were doing,

to work also for young men whenever pastoral reasons

demanded it.” (11) The Salesian Regulations of 1884 allow

provincials, under certain conditions, to “open our schools

to young women.” (12)

By the end of the twentieth century coeducation

was regarded as normal both by the Salesians and the

Salesian Sisters. (13) And symbolically enough, in 1996, the

two Salesian schools at Valdocco (Salesians and Salesian

Sisters) by common agreement went coeducational.

In his letter on the New Evangelization, the Rector

Major, Fr. Viganò, while recognizing that coeducation

complicates rather than simplifies the educational

endeavor, writes:

The two sexes, complementary as they

are one to the other, require that persons be

formed according to the specific requirements

of their sex on the one hand, and on the other

that a kind of reciprocity be cultivated in them

[for maturity]. […] Experience shows that this

will not be effective without a spirituality of

young people. (14)

II. A SALESIAN SPIRITUALITY OF YOUNG PEOPLE

1. Salesian Education, Salesian Spirituality and Call to

Holiness

According to the official document referred to above (Fr.

Chávez’ commentary on the “Strenna” for 2004), the

challenge of the Salesian proposal of holiness is addressed

to all young people (“tutti i giovani”), young men and

young women, including those most at risk. Normally both

young men and young women under Salesian auspices

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receive a spiritual formation together with their education

imparted in accordance with the Salesian educational

method. For the method is also a way of the spiritual life.

Pope John Paul II, speaking of Don Bosco educator

and spiritual master in his letter Juvenum patris (for DB 88)

writes:

We need to get back to the true concept of

“holiness,” as a component of the life of every

believer. The originality and the boldness of a

plan for a “youthful holiness” is intrinsic to the

educational art of this great Saint, who can rightly

be called the “master of youth spirituality.” His

secret lay in the fact that he did not disappoint

the deep aspirations of the young (the need for

life, love, expansiveness, joy, freedom, future

prospects). At the same time, however, he led

them gradually and realistically to discover for

themselves that only in the “life of grace, i.e., in

friendship with Christ, does one fully attain the

most authentic ideals.” (15)

2. A Salesian Spirituality of Young People, Bosconian

Style

Don Bosco did in effect conceive and impart a spiri-

tuality intended for young people—“a method or way of

life,” to use his expression, that bears a typically Bosconian

stamp. He invited the young people of his earliest Oratory

to choose certain values, to adopt and act by certain stan-

dards, to organize their life as believers in a way that was

“Catholic”—in a word, to live in accordance with a spiritu-

ality and thereby enter the “way of holiness.”

That spirituality was a simple one to be sure, but it

was also designed and able to take the young people far

along the way of holiness. Moral lessons and spiritual

guidance were proposed though the Companion of Youth

(Giovane provveduto, 1st ed., 1847). They were also given

expression in Don Bosco’s biography of Louis Comollo (1st

ed., 1844), in his History of the Church (1st ed., 1845), in

his Bible History (1st ed., 1847) and in the Regulations of

the Home Attached to the Oratory (unpublished at the

time). These spiritual writings and the all-important, in

fact decisive, presence and inspired word of Don Bosco

himself, the educator and spiritual master, nourished the

spiritual life of young people like Michael Rua, Dominic

Savio and others in the 1850s. The great “experiment”

in the education of young people, and in the same act

in a spirituality of young people, continued in narrative

form in the biographies of Dominic Savio (1859), Michael

Magone (1861) and Francis Besucco (1864), in which Don

Bosco described three different, and yet so similar, spiritual

journeys.

The Bosconian style is evidenced in all of Don Bosco’s

writings intended for young people. But it is given the most

distinctive expression in the introductory section of the

Companion of Youth, just mentioned.

The Introductory Address (“Calling on the Young”) is

Don Bosco’s most personal statement of his love for young

people. He writes, in summary, “to discourage you from

virtue the devil tries to deceive you in two ways. The first

is to make you believe that the Christian life is a life of

sadness. On the contrary, it is a life of joy: ‘Serve the Lord

with gladness.’ The second is to deceive you into putting

off giving yourself to God to your old age. You would be

taking a grave risk. It is important that you make a decision

for God when you are young. This book is meant to show

you the way.” He concludes:

My friends, I love you with all my heart, and

your being young is reason enough for me to love

you very much. You will certainly find books writ-

ten by persons much more virtuous and much

more learned than myself; but, I assure you, you

would be hard put to find anyone who has a great-

er love for you in Jesus Christ, or who cares more

about your true happiness. (16)

The Address is followed by four series of

meditations providing spiritual and ascetical guidelines

for a young person’s Christian life. They are indebted to

St. Alphonsus’ Maxims for Eternity, and Preparation for

Death, to Charles Gobinet’s (1614-1690) Instruction de la

jeunesse, and to others.

In the paragraph, “Means to lead a good Catholic

life,” the chief structural concepts are as follows: God

loves the young, and wants them all to go to heaven. A

life of virtue is a life of joy, as the saints have shown us.

Obedience, spiritual reading, and the word of God are

ways to virtue. (17)

In the section, “Means of Perseverance,”

Don Bosco gives advice on temptation, deceits of the

devil, purity, devotion to Mary and vocation. There are

also things to guard against. They are idleness, bad

companions, bad conversations, scandal, temptations and

suggestions of the devil. (18)

Seven important considerations follow—all except

one derived literally from St. Alphonsus’ Maxims for

Eternity. They deal with such topics as the end of man, sin,

hell, etc. The last meditation, on Heaven, is derived from

St. Francis de Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life. (19)

Thus was the Spirituality of Young people in the

Bosconian style created and handed down to subsequent

Salesian generations. It imparted purpose and depth to

Salesian educational efforts for years and lifetimes to

come.

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3. Don Bosco’s Spiritual Insights Adapted to New

Generations of Young People

The evolution of ideas and lifestyles begun and increasing in

momentum during the latter half of the twentieth century called

for an adaptation of traditional Salesian spirituality to the new

realities, so as to enable Salesian educators to make a realistic

proposal of holiness to young people today. This was in effect

attempted by the SGC (1971-72) and by the twenty-first GC

(1977). Later in 1990, the twenty-third GC of the Salesian Society

as part of its theme “Educating young people to the faith,”

undertook to articulate at some length such Salesian education

to the faith in terms of a “Spirituality of Young people.” The

section is in effect entitled, “Salesian Spirituality of Young People

(La spiritualità giovanile salesiana),” (20) with the understanding

that it is also spirituality for adults, that is for the educators.

Educator and pupil need each other and are collaborators in this

undertaking.

Pope John Paul II in his DB-88 letter to the Salesians

(Juvenum Patris) writes: “[Don Bosco] realized his personal

holiness through an educative commitment lived with zeal

and an apostolic heart. […] At the same time he knew how to

propose holiness as the practical objective of his pedagogy

[educational method]” (21) Again the Pope, as quoted above (but

it bears repeating), writes:

The originality and the boldness of a plan for ‘youthful

holiness’ is intrinsic to the educational art of this great

Saint [Don Bosco]. He can be rightly called the “master of

youth spirituality”. His secret lay in the fact that he did not

disappoint the deep aspirations of the young (the need for

life, love, expansiveness, joy, freedom, future prospects).

At the same time, however, he led them gradually and

realistically to discover for themselves that only in the “life

of grace,” i.e. in friendship with Christ, does one fully attain

the most authentic ideals. (22)

(4) It is a Spirituality of Communion in the Church

Daily life is experienced in the Church (cf. Const. 13 and 35),

as the natural setting for growth in faith through the sacraments.

In the Church the young people find Mary (cf. Const. 20 and 34),

who leads, accompanies and inspires them on the way.

(5) It is a Spirituality of Responsible Service

Daily life is offered to the young people as an opportunity for

generous service (cf. C 32), whether ordinary or extraordinary. (23)

III. RECTOR MAJOR’S COMMENTARY ON THE

“STRENNA” FOR 2004

INSIGHTS AND SALIENT STATEMENTS

After a fairly extensive Introduction (see above),

designed to set the stage and provide inspiration, the Com-

mentary is divided into four long paragraphs:

1. The Significance of this Jubilee (Dominic Savio’s and

Laura Vicuña’s) — These young saints exemplify the “high

standard of ordinary Christian living,” the aim of Salesian

education and Salesian spirituality for young people.

2. Memory — The great number of young saints and

saintly young people that is our heritage in education and

spirituality challenges us as educators and spiritual guides.

3. Prophecy — The prophetic witness of all our saintly

young people of the past speaks to our young people of to-

day.

4. Dominic Savio and Young People’s Holiness in the

Third Millennium — The holiness of Savio and other young

people, some mere children, alerts us to the spiritual poten-

tial inherent in the young, waiting to blossom in spite of the

negative pressures from modern culture.

IV. FLORILEGIUM: BRIEF ANTHOLOGY OF SA-

LIENT PASSAGES

4. Five Pivotal Aspects of the Salesian Spirituality of

Young People

The chapter on Salesian Spirituality of Young People of GC XXIII

(1990) is divided into five extensive paragraphs that are prefaced

by a “Synthetic Presentation” of the five paragraph headings with

a brief explanation for each and with references to articles of the

Salesian Constitutions. These represent the five pivotal aspects or

components of this spirituality.

(1) It is a Spirituality of the Quotidian (Ordinary Daily Life)

Ordinary daily life, as was the case with the life of Jesus of

Nazareth (cf. Const. 12) is the setting in which the young person

recognizes the presence of God actively at work, and lives in that

presence working toward personal realization.

(2) It is a Spirituality of Joy and Optimism

The young person lives ordinary daily life in an atmosphere

of joy and optimism, without however failing to meet one’s

commitments and responsibilities (cf. Const. 17 and 18).

(3) It is a Spirituality Based on a Deep Friendship with the

Lord Jesus

The Risen Christ (cf. Const. 34) renews the young person’s life

daily and infuses it with fresh hope, imparting to it meaning and

fulfillment.

[1. Challenging all young people]

[We believe] that from their teenage years young-

sters are capable of making courageous life choices as Dom-

inic Savio, Laura Vicuña [and others] did. We recognize that

young people have resources for good waiting to be devel-

oped, capable of choosing Jesus and his gospel values, and

determined to fight for these values. We may and should,

therefore, challenge them, in Don Bosco’s words, to give

themselves totally to God.

[Furthermore] great ideals are meant to be put not

just before the few, the select group of the “elect,” but be-

fore everyone, because everyone has a vocation [to person-

al holiness] and a mission [to others]. (24)

[2. Don Bosco calls for a high standard of ordinary Chris-

tian living]

The high standard of ordinary Christian living asked

for by Don Bosco could be summed up in basic ideas: cheer-

fulness, study and piety; or equivalently: cheerfulness and

the perfect fulfillment of one’s duties. But it is important

to note that here, as in his other educational insights, the

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aim was holiness, that is, conformity to Christ through obe-

dience and humility—giving oneself entirely to God, serv-

ing others and finding happiness in it. [He asked] neither

for long prayers nor for sacrifices inappropriate to young

people, but for cheerfulness and the carrying out of their

ordinary duties in church, school and society. Just as he rec-

ommended to the people at large love for the Eucharist, de-

votion to Our Lady, etc., or to educators reason, religion and

loving kindness; or to the Salesians work, temperance and

prayer—from the young he asked for cheerfulness, study

and piety.

I would say that in Don Bosco’s mind these are dif-

ferent ways of expressing the nature of Salesian spirituality,

which, while naturally taking on different forms, remains

the same in its essentials. Spirituality, in fact, is the force

that powers our life of faith, and that gives meaning, pur-

pose, unity and direction to our whole life. It is the expres-

sion of our fundamental religious option in terms of the way

we live our ordinary daily life. It gives authenticity to our

motives and our choices in life. (25)

place of the young; it is they themselves who have to be-

come responsible agents for change. (29)

[6. Holiness possible in young people:

Savio was not yet 15; Vicuña not yet 13; Namuncurá not

yet 19; the 5 Polish martyrs of Poznan between 19 and 23]

Taken together, these young people cover the age

of adolescence and young adulthood, 13 to 23. They devel-

oped their holiness to maturity is a Salesian atmosphere,

just like many other boys and girls who have found inspira-

tion in Dominic Savio. This fact forces us to recognize the

great educational force of the Salesian charism. […]

Why [is all this] of practical interest to us? Because

it is important that parents, teachers, educators, and adults

in general recognize the potential to be found in the souls of

young people. It can happen that the expectations we have,

the trust we are able to build up, the proposal we make are

far below [young people’s] capacity and willingness. It is not

common today to set the highest standards. Indeed often

today what is proposed is a life without ideals. […] (30)

[3. Significance of Dominic’s and Laura’s jubilee]

We could ask ourselves what these two young

saints, Dominic and Laura, have to say to the youngsters of

today. […] “[They remind] young people of the third millen-

nium that true happiness requires courage and a spirit of

sacrifice, the refusal to compromise with any kind of evil,

and the readiness to pay the price for fidelity to God even

with one’s life.” (26)

[4. Holiness the product of the Salesian educational

method]

Our saints, especially the young ones, are the best

seal that we have of the authenticity and validity of the

Salesian educational method. […] Don Bosco, the extraordi-

nary educator that he was, knew the hearts of the young so

well that he was able to direct them “joyfully’ along paths

that others considered too difficult and beyond the reach of

ordinary youngsters. […] (27)

Our task and our expertise lie in being travelling

companions of the young. (28)

[5. Adolescence and young adulthood important stages of

growth]

Adolescence and young adulthood are not waiting

times, but stages of growth in which the young person’s

potential for good is developed, courageous decisions are

made, and questions about life and its meaning are an-

swered. One must reject the notion that many young peo-

ple have to settle for a life without ideals. Rather one must

encourage the young to work for a better world.

Important values such as honesty, justice, solidarity,

communion, involvement, defense of human rights and of

the dignity of the individual, concern for the environment,

for peace, should be pursued as real commitments. There’s

where the hope of a better world lies. No one can take the

[7. Differences in times and cultures are bridged by

the fact that all young people are “young”]

The cultural awareness of young people in today’s

world, as well as their expectations, are different [than they

were in Savio’s time]. Yet their deepest aspirations remain

the same: a thirst for love, happiness and life. Differences

are bridged by the fact that he or she is a young person. The

question: To which fountains are we leading them so they

can quench their thirst? (31)

[8. What our young people are like in reality and

how we might respond]

In young people we can recognize:

—a great desire for life and meaning; […]

—hesitation and compromises in seeking a full and

happy life;

—sufficient ability to distinguish between the worth of

what is on offer: the long-lasting from the ephemeral, what

is ennobling from what is destructive;

—a desire to share worthwhile experiences with their

peers and with adults;

—generosity, even though often fragile and fleeting.

If this then is what our young people are like, what can

Don Bosco and Dominic Savio offer as a program of youth-

ful holiness?

This program is of interest to us because, translated

into present-day terms, it is a proposal of holiness for

young people of today.

Here are the points:

(1) Accept life as a gift, develop its best aspects with

gratitude and live it with joy.

(2) The heart, the backbone, the source and the guar-

antee of growth is the experience of God through living

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in God’s presence, friendship with Jesus and a way of life

faithful to Jesus: “Being faithful in carrying out one’s duties

spiritual and temporal.”

(3) Adopting a plan of life that includes being open to

society, to service, to solidarity and to charity. “Working to

gain souls for God.” (32)

CONCLUSION

1. Beatitudes for Young People on the Way of Holi-

ness (J. Aubry)

In 1990, the year of GC XXIII, a book appeared under the

editorship of the Salesian Generalate in Rome and intended

for the Salesian Family. It offered a number of essays (“con-

ferences on important aspects of Salesian spirituality”), one

in particular by Fr. Joseph Aubry on Salesian spirituality of

young people.

This author states that Don Bosco in the Companion of

Youth (Giovane provveduto) outlined a way of happiness

that was also a way of holiness for young people. He then

presents the basic principles of this “way of happiness-holi-

ness” in the literary form of beatitudes. (33)

(1) Blessed are you, young people, for God loves you

with a love of predilection and wants you to be happy. —

That young people are greatly loved by God was Don Bos-

co’s deepest conviction.

(2) Blessed are those who choose to serve God, for

thereby they choose life in its fullness. — In order to re-

ceive the happiness that God offers out of love one must

accept God himself and must be willing to “serve God.” This

means doing God’s will with love, doing what pleases God

in everything, and practicing the Christian virtues by imitat-

ing Christ.

(3) Blessed are those who choose God while young and

do not put it off, for thereby they choose a life of happiness,

followed by a peaceful death and a happy eternity. — Those

who fail to make their fundamental religious option and do

not give themselves to God in their youth put at risk both

their present and future life.

(4) Blessed are those who find the means of doing God’s

will, for thereby they enter the way of holiness. — One who

wishes to persevere in the way of happiness looks for help

to sustain him/her on the journey. Fortunate indeed are

they, if they find educators to show them how they may

serve God and so remain in God’s joy. Consequently they

accept the demands of daily duty, seeking God in prayer and

instruction, using the sacraments of reconciliation and com-

munion, and taking Mary as mother and help. The young

person will also need the courage to withstand and over-

come the enticements of evil, and to bear the pain entailed

in fidelity to conscience and to God.

(5) Blessed are those who make these choices, for

thereby their progress toward holiness is assured. — “Serv-

ing the Lord in holy joy” is a simple but effective method apt

to lead young people to holiness.

2. Closing Comment

Don Bosco firmly believed that young people can commit

themselves to a life of holiness, and that holiness is possible

in the young who make an early decision for the Lord. For

him Christian holiness does not require biological maturity

in a person. It is not dependent on prolonged prayers, ascet-

ical practices, miracles, ecstasies, or any other charismatic

experiences. It depends solely on the faithful fulfillment of

the duties of ordinary daily life and on one’s generous offer-

ing of self to God in love is spite of difficulties encountered.

This describes a “spirituality of the quotidian.” Don Bosco

wrote: “Let us stick to easy things, but let us do them with

perseverance.” (34)

Endnotes

(1) The clause “as the criterion of ordinary Christian living” is

a quote from Pope John Paul II’s proclamation, Novo millennio

ineunte (NMI) #31. The Rector Major’s commentary on the

yearly “strenna” is traditionally in the form of an address

delivered at the generalate of the Daughters of Mary Help of

Christians, who also handle its publication (Rome: Istituto FMA,

December 2003).

(2) P. Chávez, Commentary, Introduction and # 1 (“Significance

of this Jubilee”).

(3) SDB Constitutions, 1874.

(4) FMA Constitutions, 1877.

(5) SGC XX, Capitular Documents, Doc. I, Ch. 1 (“The

Mission…”) C) # 45-57.

(6) SGC XX, # 45-46.

(7) SGC XX, # 47-48.

(8) SDB Constitution 26 (1984),

(9) GC XIX, Document 17 (“Formation of the Young”), Ch. 5A,

p. 196.

(10) SGC XX, # 51.

(11) FMA GC XVII (Rome, September 15, 1981 - February 28,

1982) Atti, p. 112.

(12) General Regulations (1884) # 3.

(13) Cf. Acts of the Salesian International Colloquium of 1992

entitled “Coeducazione e presenza salesiana,” a cura di Cosimo

Semeraro (Leumann: Elle Di Ci, 1993) 234 pgs.

(14) E. Viganò, in Acts of the General Council # 349 (July-

September 1994) p. 23.

(15) P. John Paul II, Juvenum patris, # 16.

(16) Translation mine. Cf. The Companion of Youth by St. John

Bosco (London: Burns Oates & Washbourne, 1938), p. 4.

(17) The Companion of Youth, pp. 6-15.

(18) The Companion of Youth, pp. 16-35.

(19) The Companion of Youth, pp. 36-55.

(20) GC XXIII, Educating Young People to the Faith, Capitular

Documents, pp. 100-120, in Acts of the General Council # 333

(May, 1990). The official English translation of “Spiritualità

giovanile salesiana” is “Salesian youth spirituality.” But “Salesian

spirituality for/of young people” seems more appropriate.

(21) P. John Paul II, Juvenum Patris, # 5.

(22) P. John Paul II, Juvenum Patris, # 16.

(23) GC XXIII, Educating Young People to the Faith, Capitular

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Documents, in Acts of the General Council # 333 (May, 1990), p.

103.

(24) Commentary, Introduction.

(25) Commentary, Paragraph 1.

(26) Commentary, Paragraph 1. The Rector Major quotes

words of Pope John Paul II spoken of St. Maria Goretti on July 6,

2003.

(27) Here, starting with well-known names such as Dominic

Savio, Laura Vicuña, Ceferino Namuncurá, and passing over the

many martyrs, the Rector Major names 18 saintly young men

and women from 10 different countries, all of them products of

Salesian education.

(28) Commentary, Paragraph 2.

(29) Commentary, Paragraph 3.

(30) Commentary, Paragraph 4.

(31) Commentary, Paragraph 4.

(32) Commentary, Paragraph 4, final sections.

(33) Joseph Aubry, “Foi et bonheur. Don Bosco propose à ses

jeunes les Béatitudes évangéliques,” in Avec Don Bosco vers l’an

2000. Vingt conférences salésiennes (Rome: Salesian Generalate,

1990), pp. 52-83. The “beatitudes” interpret Don Bosco’s ideas

of holiness for young people as presented in the Giovane

provveduto. Cf. The Companion of Youth by St. John Bosco

(London: Burns Oates & Washbourne, 1938), Part I.

(34) G. Bosco, Cenno biografico sul giovanetto Magone Michele

[…] (Turin: Paravia, 1861), p. 47.

Readings:

A — From Sacred Scripture (Jesus Blesses the Chil-

dren): Mark 10:13-16 (Cf. Mt 19:13-15; Lk 18:15-17) —

[Mk 10:13-16] 13 People were bringing little children to

him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples

spoke sternly to them. 14 But when Jesus saw this, he was

indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to

me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the

kingdom of God belongs. 15 Truly I tell you, whoever does

not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never

enter it.” And he took them you in his arms, laid his hands

on them, and blessed them.

B — From Salesian Sources —

1. First Draft of Don Bosco’s Constitutions (1858), Pre-

amble, Rua Ms., Italian [Italics mine]:

At all times it has been the special concern of the min-

isters of the Church to promote, to the best of their power,

the spiritual welfare of the young. The good or evil moral

condition of society will depend on whether young people

receive a good or a bad education. Our Divine Savior himself

has shown us the truth of this by his deeds. For in fulfilling

his divine mission on earth, with a love of predilection he

invited children to come close to him: Sinite parvulos venire

ad me [Let little children come to me].

The Supreme Pontiffs, following in the footsteps of

the Eternal Pontiff, our Divine Savior, whose vicars on

earth they are, have at all times by the spoken and written

word promoted the good education of the young; and

consequently have they favored and supported those

institutes that are dedicated to this area of the sacred

ministry.

At the present time, however, this need is felt with far

greater urgency. Parental neglect, the abusive power of the

press, and the proselytizing efforts of heretics demand that

we unite in fighting for the Lord’s cause, under the banner

of the faith. Our efforts must aim at safeguarding the faith

and the moral life of that category of young people whose

eternal salvation is more at risk precisely because of their

poverty.

This is the specific purpose of the Congregation of St.

Francis de Sales, first established in Turin in 1841.

2. Salesian Constitutions (1984) # 26; # 31.

26. The young to whom we are sent

The Lord made clear to Don Bosco that he was to

direct his mission first and foremost to the young, especially

to those who are poorer.

We are called to the same mission and are aware of

its supreme importance: young people are at the age when

they must make basic life-choices which affect the future of

society and of the Church.

With Don Bosco we reaffirm our preference for the

young who are “poor, abandoned and in danger”1, those

who have greater need of love and evangelization, and we

work especially in areas of greatest poverty. R 1.3.11.15.26.

1. cf. MB XIV, 662.

OUR PASTORAL EDUCATIONAL SERVICE

‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has

anointed me to preach good news to the Poor He has sent

me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of

sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed

to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord¬ (Lk 4,18-19).

31. Total development

Our mission is a sharing in that of the Church

which brings about the saving design of God, the coming

of His Kingdom, by bringing to men the message of the

Gospel, which is closely tied in with the development of the

temporal order.1

We educate and evangelise according to a plan for

the total well -being of man directed to Christ, the perfect

Man.2 Faithful to the intentions of our Founder, our purpose

is to form “upright citizens and good christians”.3 R 45, 22

1.cf. EN 31.

2.cf. GS 41.

3.Plan of Regulations of the Oratory, 1854 (MB 11, 46;

BM 11, 36).

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Presentation of the 2010 Strenna

«Truly, nothing is more beautiful than to know Christ and to make him known to others.»1

On the occasion of the centenary of the death of Don Michael Rua, who was totally

faithful to Don Bosco and to his charism, I want to invite the whole Salesian Family to

act as a real movement of disciples and apostles of Jesus and to be committed to the

evangelization of the young.

Being committed to evangelization is the fruit and the consequence of being the disciple

of the Lord Jesus, who following Him becomes his zealous missionary. In this way we want to

take up the challenge of helping the young «to look on this other person not simply with my

eyes and my feelings, but from the perspective of Jesus Christ»2

The 2010 Strenna takes its cue from the year of St Paul which has almost finished and from the Synod on the

Word of God during which I spoke about the passage in St Luke about the disciples on the way to Emmaus, which on

account of the contents and the method is seen as a model for the evangelization of the young.

“Sir, we want to see Jesus”

In imitation of Don Rua,

Many groups of the Salesian Family see themselves already in harmony

as authentic disciples

and zealous apostles

let us bring the Gospel

with this commitment. By way of example I refer you to two quotations from the

General Chapters of the SDB and the FMA.

The XXVI General Chapter of the Salesians recognizes the urgent need

to evangelise and the centrality of proposing Jesus Christ: «We perceive

to the young

evangelization as the principal requirement of our mission, aware that the young

have a right to have Jesus proclaimed to them as the source of life and promise

of happiness now and in eternity»3. Our « fundamental purpose is that of proposing that everyone should live their

human life as Jesus lived it. […]at the center … should be the proclamation of Jesus Christ and of his Gospel, together with

the call to conversion, to the acceptance of the faith, to their taking their place in the Church; then from this will come

faith journeys and forms of catechesis, liturgical life and the witness of charitable work »4 .

Then the XXII General Chapter of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians recognizes that it is the Love of God which

urges us on: «The Upper Room where the apostles were together is not a place for them to stay but one from which to

launch out. The Spirit changes them from fearful men into zealous missionaries who, full of courage, carry the good news

of the Risen Jesus along the world’s highways. Love leads to exodus and to a going out of oneself towards new frontiers

to make a gift of oneself: love grows through love.5 Mary, who from the Upper Room teaches us to throw open the

doors was the first to experience the exodus and to set out on her journey. The first to be evangelized became the first

evangelizer. Carrying Jesus to others, she offers her service, brings joy, makes love an experience».6

Suggestions for putting the Strenna into practice

Here are some ideas which will be useful so that the groups of the Salesian Family may together be engaged in

bringing the gospel to the young. They are offered to the individual groups but also to the Consultative Committees of the

Salesian Family at local and Province level.

1. The local and Provincial Consultative groups to

4. Make good use of the Apostolic Exhortations at the

reflect on and re-think the pastoral approach, so as to

conclusion of the continental Synods in order to identify

make effective the choices regarding the centrality of

priorities and approaches suited to the specific contexts

the proposal of Jesus Christ, personal and community

for the evangelization of the young. In the case of Latin

witness, the reciprocal relationship between education America, use the “Continental Mission” issued by the

and evangelization, attention to the variety of

Assembly of Bishops held at Aparecida; in the case of the

circumstances and the involvement of families.

Africa and Madagascar Region, follow the guidelines of

2. Starting from the “Mission Statement of the

the next Synod of Bishops.

Salesian Family,” identify in the local and Provincial

Consultative groups the best ways to plan and organise

Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva

Rector Major

together experiences of the evangelization of the young.

Rome, 2 June 2009

3. In particular, foster collaboration among the

Salesian Family at Province and local level, so as to

[1] BENEDICT XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 84.

[2] BENEDICT XVI, Deus caritas est, n. 18.

[3] GC26 SDB, n. 24.

carry out the mission to youth, as an updated for of

[4] BENEDICT XVI, Letter to Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva, Rector Major of the Sale-

proclamation and catechesis, involving the young people

themselves as evangelizers of their peers.

sians, on the occasion of the XXVI General Chapter, 1 March 2008, n. 4.

[5] Cr. BENEDICT XVI, Deus caritas est, n. 18.

[6] GC XXII FMA, The greatest of these is love, n. 33.