OngoingFormationFeb09


OngoingFormationFeb09



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Febuary 2009
Dear Confreres and Friends,
This month, the theme is on Don
Bosco’s twofold intentions in accept-
ing the invitation to go to Argentina.
It is in this moment that Don Bosco
sees the possibility to have Salesian
Congregation seen as a worldwide
missionary Congregation with all the
eventual possibilities this implies.
It opens a field of evangelization
much wider than ever before for the
fledgling congregation. These pages
provide us with a view to the inner
thoughts of Don Bosco in seeking ever
wider horizons for his evangelical zeal.
As usual the monthly letter of Don
Pascual Chavez from sdb.org is in-
cluded.
Gael E. Sullivan,sdb
Office of Ongoing Formation
Don Bosco with the First Missionary Expedition in 1875.
Salesian Missions Established in
Argentina (1880-1885)
by Arthur J. Lenti, SDB
Introduction
The official proposal to establish
the Salesian work in Argentina was
made and accepted without any
reference to the evangelization of
the native tribes of Patagonia and
Tierra del Fuego. In 1875 by initiative
of John Gazzolo, Argentine consul
in Savona, offers were made to Don
Bosco by Archbishop Federico Aneyros
of Buenos Aires and by Fr. Peter
Ceccarelli. But these offers concerned
only pastoral work among poor Italian
immigrants, a chaplaincy at the Italian
church of Our Lady of Mercy in Buenos
Aires and, some 160 miles northwest
up river, a school in San Nicolás de los
Arroyos.
1. Don Bosco’s Missionary Aim in
Accepting the Argentine Proposal
Don Bosco was quick to see the
specifically missionary possibilities of
the proposal, which responded to the
missionary plans he had been forming
in the late 1860s and early 1870s,
and to the suggestions of his dream
of 1871/1872 (Cf. below in Lectio
Salesiana). Thus, in his exchanges with
the Argentine Church authorities he
spoke only of the typical Salesian work
for youth in parish, school and oratory,
etc.1 On the contrary, in addressing
the Salesians or the Holy See, he
emphasized the missions proper.
For instance, in a circular letter
inviting Salesians to volunteer he
writes: “Among the many proposals
received for the establishment of a
foreign mission, the one submitted
by the Argentine Republic seemed
preferable. In Argentina, beyond the
regions already civilized, there are
immense territories inhabited by
savage populations.2 It is among these
1 Cf., e.g., letters to Fr. Ceccarelli of December
25, 1874 [Motto, Epistolario IV, p. 372-373],
and (in Latin) to Archbishop Aneyros, No-
vember 15, 1875 [Motto, Epistolario IV, p.
552-553].
2 In typical European 19th c. usage, native
that, by the grace of God, the Salesians
are called to exercise their zeal.”3
Likewise in a memorandum addressed
to Card. Alexander Franchi, Prefect of
the Congregation for the Propagation
of the Faith, Don Bosco outlined a plan
for the evangelization of the native
tribes, and spoke of the school of San
Nicolás as a “seminary” and as a staging
area for the mission: “The strategy that
appeared to be most likely to succeed
is to establish shelters, schools,
hostels and educational institutes on
the borderlands of the savages. Once
contact is made with the children, it
would be an easy step to contact their
families, and so gain a foothold among
the tribes of the savages. This city [San
Nicolás] is situated a mere 60 miles
from where the savages live. From this
vantage point the Salesians would be
able to study the language, the history
and the customs of those peoples.
populations with lower cultural standards were
often referred to as “savages.”
3 Cf. circular letter of February 5, 1875 (Motto,
Epistolario IV. p. 407-409).
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It might even be possible to develop native missionary
vocations from among the pupils. [...] It is called San Nicolás
School only so as not to offend national sensibilities. But it
is actually a seminary, that is, a school where missionary
vocations are trained for work among the savages.4
This strategy for the evangelization of the native
population through native vocations was too idealistic to
be put into effect. This was due to personnel limitation,
language and cultural difficulties, ecclesiastical organization
and the fact that in the eyes of the Buenos Aires Church
authorities the Salesians were there to take care of the poor
in city slums. They were not regarded as “missionaries.”
Moreover, the armed clashes between the Argentine
government and the natives at the southern frontier
complicated matters.
Don Bosco, however, did not refrain from speaking and
writing in glowing, optimistic terms of the conversion of the
natives. This served to keep alive the missionary spirit among
his Salesians and boys, and to keep the idea of possible
missionary territories before the Roman authorities.
The prospects for early missionary activity among the
natives were not good, But as far as he was concerned the
Argentine proposal offered opportunities that went beyond
the churches and schools in Buenos Aires and San Nicolás.
He never gave up his plan for the canonical establishment
of one or more mission territories, since he considered that
an essential step in the work of spreading the gospel and
“building up the Church.” Don Bosco was impatient to begin
missionary activity. It was only a matter of time before the
hour of the missions would strike.
But sobering words of advice were heard from Buenos
Aires. Fr. Cagliero wrote to Fr. Rua, “You live in a fantasy
world: ‘Go and preach to the natives, convert and civilize
the natives!’ We cannot even find an entry. [...] Everyone,
beginning with the Archbishop, advises us to bide our
time.”5
Don Bosco’s utopian projects had perforce to come to
terms with the harsh reality encountered by his Salesians
in the field. He acknowledged the wisdom of establishing
a strong base in Buenos Aires and the Plata area; he simply
replied, “What you write about Patagonia is in complete
accord with my own feelings about the matter.”6 But, he
felt that a missionary engagement had to take place to
earn the Church’s official recognition for the Salesians as
“apostolic missionaries,” through the creation of Vicariates
or Prefectures.
2. Military Activity by the Argentine Government to Extend
the Frontier Southward
In the early 1870s, the southern Argentine frontier did
not extend beyond the near reaches of the Pampas and
4 Don Bosco to Card. Franchi, May 10, 1876, in ASC 131.01, FDBM 23
A3-6 (autograph), Ceria, Epistolario III, p. 58-61.
5 Fr. Cagliero to Fr. Rua, December 20, 1876.
6 Ceria, Epistolario III, p. 170.
the Rio Colorado. The soldiers had built a series of forts or
stockades on the frontier to protect the settlements; and
from there they were attempting to drive the natives farther
south. But the natives kept coming back; and although they
usually got the worse of it in skirmishes, in practice it was
a stand off. The catalyst of the resistance was the Araucan
Chief Calcufurá. He died in June 1873. But the resistance
continued under his son, Manuel Namuncurá, and the
engagements continued with increasing frequency and
violence.
In 1875 the Minister of Defense (General Alsina) decided
to engage in a sustained and organized effort to establish
permanent Argentine control of Patagonia. The incentive
came not only from the “threat” the natives posed, but also
from two other factors. One was the fear that Great Britain
(who had control of the Falkland or Malvinas Islands) would
try to go into Patagonia. Another and more serious reason
was the attempt by the Chilean government to establish
control over parts of that territory. In April 1879 General
Julio Roca (successor to Alsina as Minister of Defense)
mounted a large military expedition for the purpose of
extending the frontier farther to the south to ensure for
Argentina undisputed control of Patagonia. This would entail
driving the natives back beyond the Rio Negro and the Rio
Neuquén. Msgr. Anthony Mariano Espinosa (diocesan vicar
of Buenos Aires) and the Salesians Fr. James Costamagna
and seminarian Louis Botta accompanied the expedition
as chaplains. Carefully kept abreast of events, Don Bosco
immediately notified the Holy See with a note of triumph.7
On April 27, 1879 the expedition made peaceful contact
with the natives at Choele-Choel on the Rio Negro, the
gateway to Patagonia. Holy Mass was celebrated, as the
natives looked on. The trip ended at Carmen de Patagones
at the mouth of the Rio Negro, where Fr. Costamagna
preached a mission to the settlers.
3. Salesians Established at Carmen de Patagones and
Viedma. Pacification of the Rio Negro Region
In the context of the above-mentioned expedition,
Archbishop Aneyros decided to entrust to the Salesians
the parishes of Carmen de Patagones and Viedma at the
mouth of the Rio Negro, from where natives living along the
river might be contacted. On February 2, 1880, Fr. Fagnano
was installed as pastor. A few months later, Fr. Emil Rizzo
was assigned as pastor to Our Lady of Mercy in Viedma,
the future seat of the Vicariate on the southern bank of
the river.8 It is from this twin base that the Salesian mission
work proper would spread upward along the Rio Negro in
the next few years.
Meanwhile General Roca’s campaign for control of the
7 Don Bosco to the Holy See (Leo XIII). April 20, 1879, Ceria, Epistolario
III, p. 468-470.
8 Cf. J. Borrego, “Il primo iter missionario nel progetto di Don Bosco e
nell’esperienza concreta di Don Cagliero,” in Missioni Salesiane 1875-
1975, ed. by Pietro Scotti (Roma: LAS, 1977), p. 78-85.
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Don Bosco with Second Missionary Expedition in 1876.
territory was meeting with fierce resistance on the part
of many groups of Araucan natives led by Chief Manuel
Namuncurá. The skirmishes continued for some years,
usually with undecided outcome, but with considerable
loss of life sustained by the natives. Some of the natives
fled into Chile, while others surrendered and were detained
as prisoners or were drafted into the Argentine army.
Toward the end of 1882 and into 1883, General Conrad
Villegas, to whom General Roca had handed the command
of the Rio Negro frontier, undertook another campaign
that forced Namuncurá to surrender. The Salesian Father
Dominic Milanesio acted as go-between in the negotiations
that pacified the region under Argentine control. These
military operations impeded Salesian missionary activity
to a considerable degree, but by 1883, with the cessation
of military action, Salesian missionary activity among the
remaining tribal groups gained momentum all along the Rio
Negro valley as far up as the Andes. Fr. Fagnano’s report of
1883 describes the Salesians’ first missionary successes. 9
The establishment of the Salesians at Carmen de
Patagones, Viedma and the Rio Negro marked the initial
9 The story of the pacification of the Rio Negro is told in EBM XVI, pp.
291-295.
Fr. Dominic Milanesio (1843-1922) joined the Salesians in 1869, was
ordained in 1873 and was a member of the third missionary sending in
1877. In 1880 he joined the small group that founded the mission on
the Rio Negro and distinguished himself as an active missionary in the
field. In 1883 he acted as intermediary in the surrender of Chief Namun-
curá (whom he converted) and in 1888 he baptized Namuncura’s son
Ceferino. Fr. Milanesio died at Bernal, Argentina in 1922.
phase of Salesian missionary activity. But it should be
clearly understood that the Salesians began their mission
work among the natives under the patronage of the
Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, not as apostolic missionaries.
It was only when the vicariate was created (1883-1885) that
the Salesian mission work came under the jurisdiction of
the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, and that
the Salesians became missionaries of “apostolic right.” Don
Bosco hailed this achievement as the greatest triumph of
the congregation and as the augury of the future expansion
of the Salesian work throughout South America.
4. Entrustment of a Vicariate / Prefecture to the Salesians
by the Holy See: the Church’s Official Recognition of
Salesian Missionary Activity
(1) Importance of the Church’s Official Recognition
Even before the realization of this first stage of the
missionary “project” on the Rio Negro, in fact even as the
Salesians of the first expedition were just beginning the
work in Buenos Aires and San Nicolás, Don Bosco had been
petitioning the Holy See for the official recognition of the
missionary activity of the Salesian Society through the
erection of Vicariates or Prefectures. Such recognition by
the Holy See would confer “apostolic” status on the Salesian
missions in Patagonia.
Don Bosco attached the utmost importance to
this official stamp of approval, to the point that this
further stage of the “project” became an all-engrossing
preoccupation. He practically came to regard its successful
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Don Bosco with Third Missionary Expedition in 1876.
completion as a vindication of the Salesian Society and its
mission in the Church. Don Bosco wrote to Fr. Costamagna,
who had meanwhile (in 1880) succeeded the deceased
Fr. Francis Bodrato as provincial: “Obtaining the erection
of a Prefecture or of a Vicariate Apostolic in Patagonia is
of the utmost importance. The Holy Father wants it and is
urging it. It would also be advantageous to us, for without
this [official commissioning] we shall not have the support
of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in
Rome, nor that of the Society for the Propagation of the
Faith in Lyons, nor that of the Holy Childhood. It seems that
neither Fr. Bodrato nor you yourself have been aware of
the importance of this project”10 To Fr. Fagnano he wrote:
“The mission of Patagonia is our Congregation’s greatest
undertaking. You will be told everything in due time. But I
must warn you at once that great responsibilities are being
placed on you. God’s help, however, will not be wanting.”11
Don Bosco had been petitioning the Roman
Congregation for such recognition ever since 1876.
(2) Don Bosco’s Essay on Patagonia Researched by Fr.
Barberis (1876)
10 Don Bosco to Fr. Costamagna, January 31, 1881, Ceria, Epistolario IV,
p. 7.
11 Don Bosco to Fr. Fagnano, January 31, 1881, Ceria, Epistolario IV, p.
13-14.
Patagonia was no household word in Rome, and Church
authorities wanted more detailed information on the land
and its native people. Hence it was that at the request of
the Prefect of the Congregation for the Propagation of the
Faith Don Bosco undertook to produce a memorandum on
the subject. He had Fr. Barberis research “Patagonia and
the Southernmost Regions of the American Continent,”
and the result was sizable monograph. Don Bosco signed
it with the date of August 20, 1876 and submitted to the
Sacred Congregation.12 The information contained therein
was derived from current manuals, dictionaries and
encyclopedia, and reflected the knowledge of Patagonia
that was current in Europe in 1876 (much of it defective).
The concluding pages of the work described a number
of possible projects for the evangelization of Patagonia’s
native populations.
(3) Petitions and proposals submitted by Don Bosco to
12 G. Bosco, La Patagonia e le Terre Australi del Continente Americano
(Torino 1876) is a manuscript of 164 pages dated and signed by Don
Bosco himself. It was discovered in 1983 in the library of the Pontifi-
cal Urban University of Rome by the Salesian Father E. Szanto, who
published it in facsimile with a Spanish translation in 1986. The Salesian
Historical Institute published a critical edition: G. Bosco, La Patagonia e
le Terre Australi del Continente Americano, Introducción y texto crítico
por Jesús Borrego, Ricerche Storiche Salesiane 7 (1988), and separately
in Piccola Biblioteca dell’Istituto Storico Salesiano, 11 (Roma: LAS, 1988).
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the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith
No sooner had the first Salesians established themselves
in Buenos Aires and San Nicolás than Don Bosco began
making his case for “missions” with the Roman authorities.
The essay on Patagonia mentioned above (1876) is a case
in point. Between 1876 and 1883 numerous exchanges and
negotiations took place to that effect.
In the 1876 memorandum to Card. Franchi (quoted
above), after laying out his strategy for the evangelization
of the native tribes out of San Nicolás, Don Bosco adds: “I
humbly ask your Eminence: [...] 3º to create a Prefecture
Apostolic that might exercise ecclesiastical authority over
the natives of the Pampas and of Patagonia, who up to now
have not been subject to any diocesan Ordinary nor to any
civilized government.”13 In a subsequent memorandum to
the same Prefect (1877), Don Bosco suggested the erection
of a Prefecture Apostolic at Carhué and of a Vicariate at Santa
Cruz.14 A little later (1878) in a letter to Cardinal Giovanni
Simeoni, newly appointed Prefect of the Congregation
for the Propagation of the Faith, Don Bosco proposed the
creation of a Vicariate or of a Prefecture at Carmen de
Patagones at the mouth of the Rio Negro. Here “two well
known [native] chiefs are asking for our missionaries, giving
assurance of help and protection.”15
Cardinal Gaetano Alimonda (Archbishop of Turin)
and Msgr. Dominic Jacobini were delegated to study the
proposal. Of this phase of the negotiations Don Bosco wrote
to Pope Leo XIII in 1880 (when the Salesian, though already
established at Patagones, had hardly begun any missionary
activity): “In obedience to Your Holiness’ command, I have
had a long conference with His Eminence Card. Alimonda
and with the Most Reverend Msgr. Jacobini. [...] It was a
common point of agreement that a Vicariate Apostolic
should be erected for the colonies [missions] established
on the Rio Negro, and that a seminary to train evangelical
workers should be founded in Europe.” In the detailed
“Report on the Salesian Missions” (that is, on the Salesian
work in Argentina and Uruguay) attached to this letter, Don
Bosco pointed out that the Argentine government had just
created the Province of Patagonia. He suggested that the
Vicariate might well take the same name and cover the
same territory, including all the lands to the east of the
mountain range of the Andes “until another Vicariate is
erected at Santa Cruz.” 16
13 Don Bosco to Card. Franchi, May 10, 1876, in ASC 131.01, FDBM 23
A3-6 (autograph) Ceria-Epistolario III, p. 58-61.
14 Don Bosco to Card. Franchi, December 31, 1877, Ceria, Epistolario
III, p. 256-261, transcribed in EBM XIII, 590-596. Carhué (in the Pampa
southwest of Buenos Aires) and Santa Cruz (on the Atlantic coast in
southern Patagonia) were military outposts. Fr. Cagliero declined these
offers.
15 Don Bosco to Card. Simeoni, [March] 1878, Ceria, Epistolario III, p.
320-321. In this letter Don Bosco also declares his willingness to prepare
missionaries “for the Vicariate of Mangalor, India, or some other mis-
sion.”
16 Ceria, Epistolario III, p. 567-575; EBM XIV pp. 500-508 (Don Bosco’s
Don Bosco’s “definitive” proposal was made, after
further consultations and negotiations, in a laboriously
worded memorandum to Cardinal Simeoni, on July 29, 1883.
This proposal was for three Vicariates and/or Prefectures.
Don Bosco suggested the immediate erection of a Vicariate
for Northern Patagonia (Rio Negro) with seat at Carmen
de Patagones, and a Prefecture for Southern Patagonia
(Santa Cruz). Central Patagonia (Chubut), still undeveloped
and “wholly under Protestant control,” would be under
the patronage of the northern Vicariate, until a separate
Vicariate could be established there. Similarly, the southern
Prefecture would remain under the general patronage of
the northern Vicariate, unless the Holy Father decided to
make it an independent Vicariate.
Requested to nominate candidates for these posts, Don
Bosco submitted the names of Fr. Cagliero or Fr. Costamagna
for the northern (and central) Vicariate, and Fr. Fagnano, for
southern Patagonia. Don Bosco commended the three as
“strong, hard-working men, good preachers, inured to toil,
and of unimpeachable moral character.” Fr. Fagnano, was
further commended as particularly suitable for southern
Patagonia, being ”a man of powerful physique and defiant
of toil and danger.”17
At this point (end of July 1883) Don Bosco rested his
case and waited for Rome’s decision. A few days before, the
Salesian work had been established in Niterói (Brazil).18
One month later, the Third General Chapter was
convened and held its preparatory spiritual retreat at San
Letter and Report to Leo XIII of April 13, 1880).
17 Don Bosco to Card. Simeoni, July 29, 1883, Ceria, Epistolario IV, p.
225-227; EBM XVI. pp. 295-296.
John Cagliero (1838-1926), one of the early followers of Don Bosco,
was ordained a priest in 1862, and led the first band of 10 Salesians to
South America, where as Don Bosco’s vicar from the start, he headed
the Salesian work and guided its development through the length and
breadth of the continent. He was appointed Vicar of Northern Patagonia
in October, and ordained bishop on December 7, 1884. Pope Benedict
XV made him a cardinal in 1915.
James Costamagna (1846-1921) was ordained a priest in 1868 and
served as local director of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians
from 1875 to 1877. He led the third missionary party in 1877, and was
among the three missionaries who accompanied General Roca’s military
expedition in 1879 and made contact with the Araucan natives on the
Rio Negro. In 1880 he succeeded the deceased Fr. Bodrato as director
of the Pius IX school in Almagro (Buenos Aires), and as provincial he
founded the Salesian work in Chile in 1887. Nominated Vicar Apostolic
of Méndes y Gualaquiza (Ecuador), he was ordained bishop on May 23,
1895. While awaiting the opportunity to enter his Vicariate, he acted
as Fr. Rua’s representative for the Salesian works on the Pacific side.
He was permitted to visit Ecuador briefly in 1902, and then allowed to
enter his Vicariate permanently in 1912.
Joseph Fagnano (1844-1916) was ordained in 1868 and was a last-hour
substitute member of the first missionary group in 1875. He served as
first director of the school of San Nicolás, and in 1879 he was named
pastor of the parish of Patagones, whence his true missionary career
was launched. In November 1883 he was appointed Prefect Apostolic
of southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Having established a base
at Punta Arenas in mid-1887, the indomitable Fr. Fagnano founded mis-
sions in Tierra del Fuego for the evangelization of the natives.
18 Cf. EBM XVI, pp. 288-291; Ceria, Annali I, p. 457-460.
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Benigno. The “missions” were represented by Fr. Cagliero
and Fr. Costamagna.19 Although the missions were not
a topic on the Chapter’s agenda, they must have been
a lively topic of conversation.20 Father Costamagna had
made first contact with the Araucan natives during the
expedition of 1879 and had celebrated a memorable Mass
in their presence at Choele Choel. The two missionaries
must have created a stir by their reports; and Don Bosco
himself doubtlessly fanned the flames by expatiating on the
great project and on his future plans. They were the very
persons whom Don Bosco had nominated for the post of
Vicar Apostolic in his proposal to the Holy See. Perhaps this
was not yet public knowledge; but Don Bosco must have
opened his heart to them, and the three must have shared
their experiences and future projects.
In this climate, on the last day of the retreat, Don
Bosco, as he anxiously and with high hopes was awaiting the
impending fateful decision of the Holy See, had a dream—
the Second Mission Dream (Cf. below in Lectio Salesiana).
5. The Church’s Official Approval of Salesian Missionary
Activity: the Creation of Vicariate and Prefecture and the
Ordination of Fr. John Cagliero as Bishop-Vicar Apostolic
(1) First Action: Creation of a Pro-Vicariate of Northern
Patagonia and of a Prefecture of Southern Patagonia and
Tierra del Fuego
Fr. Costamagna was already on the high seas bound for
the missions at the head of a band of 20 Salesians and 10
Salesian Sisters, when the Congregation for the Propagation
of the Faith came to a decision.21 But disappointingly, by
the briefs of November 16 and 20, 1883, it only erected a
pro-Vicariate of Northern Patagonia, and a Prefecture for
Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, naming Fr. Cagliero
and Fr. Fagnano for those posts respectively. This action of
the Holy See establishing missionary territories under the
patronage of the Congregation for the Propagation of the
Faith made the Salesians Apostolic missionaries, but this
arrangement granted less than what Don Bosco had hoped
for, since neither Fr. Fagnano as Prefect nor Fr. Cagliero as
pro-Vicar would be appointed bishop. At a meeting of the
General Council held at Alassio on April 5, 1884, Don Bosco
stressed the importance for the Salesian Society to have a
full Vicariate and a bishop.
From Alassio Don Bosco, accompanied by Father
Lemoyne, went on to Rome primarily for the purpose of
19 Cf. ASC 04: Capitoli Generali presieduti da D. Bosco, FDBM 1,863 E7,
where the official list of participants, 35 in number, is given.
20 Neither Don Bosco’s letter of convocation of June 20, 1883 nor the
eight themes published with the same date, nor the minutes of the
Chapter, nor its proceedings published together with those of the
Fourth General Chapter in 1887 show that the missions were up for dis-
cussion. [Cf. Ceria, Epistolario IV, p. 221-222; Annali, p. 468-469; ASC 04:
Capitoli Generali; FDB 1,863 E7 -1,864 B6; Opere Edite XXVI, p. 249-280].
21 Cf. Don Bosco’s letter to Fr. Costamagna of November 12, 1883, Ceria,
Epistolario, p. 240-241.
petitioning Leo XIII personally for the privileges, and possibly
also discussing the Vicariate. His Roman sojourn lasted from
April 14 to May 14, 1884 and it was a time of apprehension
and pain. When he was finally granted an audience on May
9, the Pope assured the ailing venerable old man that the
privileges would be granted, and that he loved him, yes, him
and the Salesians. It appears, however, that the question of
the Vicariate was not raised in the audience.22
(2) Second Action: Creation of a Full Vicariate with
Cagliero as Bishop-Vicar
Back in Turin, Don Bosco sought the mediation
Archbishop Cajetan Alimonda, who also believed that,
in view of the great development of the missions on the
Rio Negro, it would have been more appropriate to have a
full Vicariate established there, with a bishop at the helm.
Consequently on September 26, 1884, he submitted a
petition to Pope Leo XIII to that effect. Pope Leo was not
unaware of the situation in Argentina, and of that of the
Salesian missions in particular. Don Bosco had kept him
informed about what had been achieved and of what was in
progress or being planned. Hence, he granted the request,
and by decree of October 30,1884, he upgraded Patagonia
to a Vicariate with Fr. Cagliero as vicar and bishop. (Southern
Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, with Fr. Fagnano as prefect,
retained the status of prefecture.)
This action by the Holy See was a great victory, as well as
a great physical and moral boost, for Don Bosco personally.
It was also a sure sign of the Pope’s benevolence for Don
Bosco and the Salesians. But more significantly it was the
Church’s seal of approval and validation of the Salesian
Society’s missionary vocation and of its missionary projects.
Rightly Ceria writes: “The raising of this son of Don Bosco to
the episcopacy was, for the whole Salesian family, an event
of unparalleled significance. Later Salesian generations
cannot even imagine the triumphant jubilation of the
confreres at the time. Who would have dared entertain such
a hope? For the Cooperators too it was a time to rejoice; for
in that elevation they recognized the Church’s anointing of
the Salesian missionary apostolate.”23
(3) Bishop Cagliero’s Ordination and Difficult Entry into
His Mission
Fr. Cagliero’s ordination as titular bishop of Magida
by Cardinal Alimonda took place on December 7, 1884.
On February 1, 1885 the bishop was ready to leave for his
mission at the head of a band of 18 Salesians priests and
brothers and 6 Salesian Sisters. Don Bosco had spent the
previous days in a painful, almost anguished state of mind.
He was, moreover, confined to his room by illness. Cagliero,
his beloved son, was leaving him. He might never see him
again. It was in this context and in this frame of mind that
on the night of January 31, 1885, preceding the departure
22 The month-long stay in Rome is described in detail in EBM XVII, pp.
54-102. The privileges were finally granted by decree of June 28, 1884.
23 Ceria, Annali I. pp. 504-505.
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of the missionaries, he had a dream—the Third Missionary
Dream on South America.24
By the time Bishop Cagliero and the missionaries arrived
in Montevideo (Uruguay), the situation in Argentina had
deteriorated. Anticlerical opposition to the Salesians and
their work; accusations by General Winter, governor of the
Rio Negro province, specifically against pastor Fr. Fagnano,
director of the mission; the government’s refusal to accept
the new vicar on grounds that there had been no prior
consultation regarding the establishment of a vicariate—all
this made the bishop’s entry problematic.25
Bishop Cagliero, after a brief stay in Uruguay, entered
Argentina quietly and took up residence in the Salesian
school of Almagro (Buenos Aires), waiting for the right
moment to make his official appearance and hopefully be
permitted to enter his See.
Fr. Fagnano, who was the chief target of the accusations
by Governor Winter, brought his case before the Archbishop
with a detailed exposition of the facts. The Archbishop
then took the case to the Minister of the Interior, who
apparently accepted the explanation, and refrained from
acting on the Governor’s brief.
With this development, taking advantage of a lull in
the hostile press, Bishop Cagliero asked to be received by
President Julio Roca. Accompanied by Fr. Costamagna, who
had participated in General Roca’s expedition of 1879, he
presented his credentials to the president. The audience
started badly, but took a turn for the better, when Fr.
Costamagna began to recall events from the expedition,
and Bishop Cagliero reassured the President that as a
Salesian and as Vicar he would work for the development
of all the people in the area. Thus reassured, the President
gave him a letter of introduction to the Governor. On July
9, 1885, Bishop Cagliero could finally obtain permission
to enter his See at Patagones and Viedma. The Salesian
Missions could now be regarded as established de facto as
well as de jure.26
At this time Don Bosco’s health had taken a turn for the
worse. He was loosing his eyesight, a consequence of his
rapidly degenerating bodily systems. It was a foreboding
of his approaching end. But his moral vigor and spiritual
insight seemed rather to be on the increase. He was sure
now that the extension of the Salesian work in South
America (and worldwide) could not be stopped. Painfully
he wrote to his “generals” in the field. These letters are
precious guidelines for Salesian missionary strategy, as
well as a kind of spiritual testaments.27
Conclusion
The courage and perseverance of the missionaries
(Salesian fathers, brothers and sisters) made Don Bosco’s
original dream of missions among the natives a reality.
From Turin Father Rua, at great cost in personnel and
money and with continuous personal encouragement,
backed the missionaries’ efforts. And with the help and
support of the Salesian Cooperators by 1900 the whole
lower portion of South America, from the Pampas to Tierra
del Fuego, was recognized as the mission field entrusted
to the Salesians—Don Bosco’s Salesian Family.
27 Don Bosco’s letters: to Bishop Cagliero (August 6, 1885); to Fr.
Costamagna (Provincial) and to Fr. Fagnano (Prefect Apostolic) (August
10); to Fr. Tomatis (Director at San Nicolás) (August 14); to Fr. Lasagna
(Director at Villa Colón and Provincial of Uruguay and Brazil) (Septem-
ber 30). [Ceria, Epistolario IV, p. 327-329, 332-337. 340-341; Aubry-
Caselli, Spiritual Writings, pp. 339-346 (Don Bosco’s last five letters to
heads of missions).
Lectio Divina — Mt 28:16-20; Lk 24:45-48: Great mis-
sionary commission of the disciples by the risen Lord
Matthew 28:16-20: The eleven disciples went to Gali-
lee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.
Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in
heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, there-
fore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have com-
manded you. And behold, I am with you always, until
the end of the age.”
Luke 24:45-48: Then he opened their minds to under-
stand the scriptures. And he said to them, “Thus it is
written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from
the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the
forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to
all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are wit-
nesses of these things.
Lectio Salesiana — (1) Don Bosco’s First Mission Dream
(1871/72), Barberis Report — (2) Don Bosco’s Second
Mission Dream (1883), Lemoyne B Report
24 “Don Bosco accompanies the missionaries to [South] America,” title
given to this dream, which we have on Lemoyne’s authority alone. (Cf.
EBM XVII, pp. 273-280.)
25 In a letter to Don Bosco, dated January 2, 1885, Archbishop Aneyros
had described the pique of the government when presented with a fait
accompli in the matter of the vicariate (Cf. Ceria, Epistolario IV, p. 314,
note 1; EBM XVII, pp. 287-289.)
26 For the story of the “persecution” of the Salesians by the Governor
of Rio Negro (General Winter) and of Bishop Cagliero’s entry into his
Vicariate see EBM XVII, pp. 285-292.
The (First) Missionary Dream of 1871/72
(1) Sources and Reports
According to Don Bosco’s own statement as reported in
the sources, this dream (commonly called (“after the fact”)
Dream of the Patagonian Missions) took place in 1871 or
1872. We are also told that he tried to identify the people
and the land he had seen in the dream, but was unable to
do so. He interpreted the dream to refer to the Patagonian
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natives only after he had received the offer from Argentina
(1874). In February-March 1875 Don Bosco was in Rome
and was received by Pius IX. On that occasion he may have
discussed the Argentine mission with the Pope (though
there is no record that he did so); in any case he did not
speak of his dream.1
He related the dream for the first time to Pius IX the
following year, in March 1876, and subsequently to some
Salesians. This was at least four years after it had occurred,
and a few months after the first “missionaries” had left for
Argentina.
The dream narrative comes to us primarily from a first-
hand report of Fr. Julius Barberis. The Barberis Report is the
primary source and was so regarded by Lemoyne. In ASC it
is included in Lemoyne’s collection of dream narratives. The
manuscript is neither in Barberis’ nor in Lemoyne’s hand,
but appears to be a calligraphic copy made from Barberis’
original draft and placed by Lemoyne in his own file. 2
Lemoyne, following his accustomed method, edited the
two reports (Barberis’ and his own) into one narrative, in
Documenti. And this is the text that Father Angelo Amadei
transcribed in the Biographical Memoirs. 3
2. Text of the Dream Narrative
(1) Marginal notes by Lemoyne are inserted into the text
in italics. Editor Lemoyne’s inserted slashes (//) at various
points, where he was planning to do editorial work. Words
that are struck through in the Barberis Report are part of
Lemoyne’s editorial work.
(2) Where the source reads “selvaggi,” I translate “savag-
es;” where it reads “indigeni,” I translate “natives;” where
it reads “barbari,” I translate “barbarians.” These terms
should be understood in the sense given to them in the
Romantic literature, especially in the missionary journals of
the day.
July 31, 1876
Don Bosco’s Dream of the Missions in Patagonia
Report by Father Julius Barberis
[Barberis’ Introduction]
Here is the dream on account of which Don Bosco was
later to decide to give some thought to the missions of
Patagonia. He first related it to the Pope on the last trip he
took to Rome // (before July 31, 1876). Subsequently, [he
related it] to some of us. On July 30, [he told it] to Father
Bodratto. From the latter I heard it, too, on the evening of
1 No mention of missions or dream occurs in EBM XI, p. 98-128.
2 The Barberis Report is in ASC 111: Sogni, Lemoyne, “31 Luglio 1876,
Sogno,” FDBM 1314 D1-4. Barberis’ autograph could not be traced; it is
not where one would expect to find it, namely, in ASC 110: Cronachette,
Barberis, Notebook 8, where the pages are missing, though the dream is
listed in the Table of Contents of that notebook [cf. FDBM 843 E9 e 844
A3 and 5].
3 Cf. A. Amadei, IBM X, p. 54-55 (dream text) and 1267-1270 (Don
Bosco’s attempts to identify the natives and the region); EBM X, p. 46-48
and 543-548.
the same day at Lanzo, where for some twenty days I had
been vacationing with half of the clerical novices’ class.
Three days later, back in Turin, Don Bosco related it to me,
as we paced up and down in the library. I took care not to
mention that I had already heard it, because Don Bosco
usually omits one detail or another [in a first narration];
and also because, heard from his own lips, it would make a
stronger impression on me. He told us we were the first to
hear it.
[Dream Narrative — Dream Setting]
I seemed to find myself in a region, wild and completely
unknown [to me]. // It was an immense, totally uncultivated
plain on which neither hills nor mountains could be seen.
At its farthest boundary, beyond the ken of human eye,
[the plain] was wholly encircled by jagged mountains that
formed a crown on either side of it. On this plain I saw two
bands, throngs of men // roaming about. They were nearly
naked, of extraordinary height and build, fierce-looking,
with shaggy, // long hair, bronzed and dark of complexion,
their only garments being long cloaks draping down from
their shoulders and made of animal hides. For weapons they
carried a kind of long spear and a sling. //
[Scene I]
Just then a great number of individuals came into view
whose way of acting showed them to be missionaries
belonging to various [religious] orders. They approached
[the natives] in order to preach the faith of J. C. [to them].
But [the natives] with diabolical fury and with hellish glee
slaughtered them all, hacking their flesh to pieces, and
impaling it on their long, pointed spears. From time to time
bloody fighting would break out among them, and between
them and neighboring peoples. //
[Scene II]
After observing these horrible slaughters for some
time, I asked myself, “How can one convert such brutal
people?” At that moment I saw a small group of missionar-
ies, different from the former, advancing with cheerful mien
toward them, with a band of youngsters marching in front.
I trembled at the mere thought that they were going to get
killed. I walked up // to them; I did not recognize any of
them, but I could tell that they were Salesian missionaries,
our very own. “How can this be?” [I asked myself.] I did not
want them to advance any farther, and was about to stop
them and force them back, when I realized that their arrival
was causing widespread joy among that throng of barbar-
ians. They lowered their weapons, ceased from their savage
behavior, and received our missionaries most courteously.
[Scene III]
In utter amazement I mused: “Let’s see how things
will turn out.” I then saw that [the natives] were receiving
instruction from our missionaries, and they were paying
willing attention and were learning. [The missionaries] were
admonishing them, and they were putting their admoni-
tions into practice. // I watched them for a while, and then I
realized that they were reciting the rosary, missionaries and
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savages, peaceably together. //
[Conclusion of Dream Narrative]
After a while one of the missionaries intoned the
[hymn], “Praise Mary, You Faithful Tongues;” and all those
men with one voice took up the song. They sang it through
in such unison and with such power that I woke up with a
start.
[Don Bosco’s Conclusion and Comments]
I had this dream four or five years ago, // but I did not
make much of it [at the time], especially as I was unable to
learn what people might be indicated by the characteris-
tics I had observed in those savages. At first I thought they
might be Africans // from the region of Mgr. Comboni’s
mission.4 Then, as I was at the time negotiating with Mgr.
Raimondi for missions in Hong Kong,5 // I thought they
might be from those islands. But upon investigation I
learned that neither the area nor its inhabitants matched
what I had seen [in the dream]. Some time later we had a
visit from Archbishop Quin of Australia [sic],6 and I made
inquiries about the condition and character of the savages
there; but again what he told me did not tally with what I
had seen. And yet the impression the dream had made on
me and the intimations it had left with me were such that
it could not be disregarded—especially since, as past ex-
perience had taught me, what I had seen might well come
to pass. Meanwhile, we began to talk about the Argentine
Republic and [to discuss] the proposals for [foundations in]
Buenos Aires and San Nicolás, made to us through the Ar-
gentine consul.7 I gathered data, made appropriate inqui-
ries and sought information. I quickly reached the certain
conclusion that the people I had seen were the Patagonian
natives dwelling in the southern regions of that republic.
From then on I entertained no further doubt as to where
my concern and my efforts should be directed. 8
4 [Bishop] Daniel Comboni, founder of the Verona Fathers, had estab-
lished missions in the Sudan and the White Nile region. In the late 1860s
he and Don Bosco had discussed involving the Salesians.
5 On October 6, 1873, Bishop Timoleonte Raimondi sought Cardinal
Barnabò’s mediation to obtain Salesian missionaries for Hong Kong. In a
letter to Father Rua of January 5, 1874 [Motto, Epistolario IV, 194-195]
Don Bosco wrote that he had spoken to Pius IX about the project. On
March 12, 1874 he presented a petition to the Pope in which he stated
that he was about to open “a home for poor children in the island of
Hong Kong, China,” and a “hospice and school in Savannah, [GA] in
[North] America” [Motto, Epistolario IV, 251-252.]
6 Archbishop Matthew Quinn of Sydney, Australia.
7 The Argentine consul was John Baptist Gazzolo (1827-1895), a Geno-
ese navy captain who had migrated to Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was
appointed consul for Argentina at Savona, Italy, in 1870. Soon after his
appointment he met Don Bosco, in 1871 or 1872, on visits to the Sale-
sian schools of Alassio and Varazze. [Jesus Borrego, “Primer proyecto
patagónico de Don Bosco,” Ricerche Storiche Salesiane 5 (1986) 21-72,
p. 48, Note 147.]
8 Lemoyne in Documenti and Amadei in the Biographical Memoirs ex-
pand considerably Barberis’ account of Don Bosco’s attempts to identify
the people and the region of the dream (Cf. EBM X, 543-545).
Don Bosco’s Second Mission Dream (1883)
(1) Occasion of the Dream Experience and of the
Narration
The second Mission Dream took place at San Benigno,
at the end of the spiritual retreat preparatory to the Third
General Chapter, on the night preceding the feast of St.
Rose of Lima, hence on the night of August 30, 1883.1 Don
Bosco narrated the dream five days later to the members of
the Third General Chapter meeting at Valsalice. In some of
the manuscripts, it bears the title, The American Missions or
The Great Gathering at the Equator.
This lengthy dream narrative tells of a gathering at a great
hall located in the equatorial region of South America. Here
the missions are the topic of conversation and of allegorical
scenes. There follows a train journey southward down the
length of South America to the Straits of Magellan, along
the eastern slope of the Andes. Don Bosco, accompanied
by an interpreter, is shown “the harvest entrusted to the
Salesians.” This is followed, in one tradition of the text, by a
journey northward, by another route, back to the point of
departure.
(2) Sources and Textual History of the Second Mission
Dream
A number of archival documents, namely, Viglietti’s
chronicle, the minutes of the Third General Chapter, and
Lemoyne’s reports.
[Lemoyne A]
Fr. Lemoyne, a member of the Third General Chapter,
drafted a first-hand report, (Lemoyne A). It is a long
autograph narrative with marginal notes by the same. It
tells of the gathering in the great hall at the equator, and
relates the train journey southward ending at Punta Arenas
(with a conclusion of the dream and the awakening). It does
not speak of a return journey back to the starting point.2
[Lemoyne B]
Subsequently, Lemoyne (on the basis of Lemoyne A)
drafted a second report that he submitted to Don Bosco
for revision. As in the case of Lemoyne A, we have a long
autograph narrative describing the meeting at the hall,
the train journey southward, ending at Punta Arenas with
a conclusion of the dream and the awakening. A number
of marginal additions and interlinear corrections in Don
Bosco’s hand appear through the first part of this draft.
One large marginal addition of over 160 words near the
beginning reports the conversation heard by Don Bosco in
the hall. There are also further marginal notes by Lemoyne
(perhaps added later). Again, there is no reference to a
return journey.
Lemoyne B, reviewed and authenticated by Don Bosco,
1 The feast of St. Rose of Lima fell on August 31. The memorial is now
kept on August 23.
2 Lemoyne A is in ASC 132: Autografi-Sogni, FDBM 1,347 B10-C9.
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remains our principal source.3
Second Mission Dream (1883) Dream Narrative —
Text of Lemoyne B
[Note: The marginal additions and corrections in
Don Bosco’s hand are inserted in bold Italics into
the main body of the text. Lemoyne’s additions are
left in the margin at the place where they occur in
the manuscript. Titles and other additions in square
brackets are added for easier reading.]
[Introduction by the Narrator]
On the night preceding the feast of St. Rose of Lima
(August 30) I had a dream. Somehow I was conscious of
being asleep. At the same time I seemed to be running hard,
which exhausted me to the point that I was unable to speak,
write, and work at my usual occupations.
[Dream Setting: In the Reception Hall]
As I was considering whether this was dream or reality, I
seemed to be entering a reception hall where many people
were conversing on various subjects.
A prolonged conversation ensued on the fact that a
great number of savages in Australia, in India, in China, in
Africa, and particularly in America, are still shrouded in the
shadow of death.
One speaker remarked: “Europe, Christian Europe, the
great teacher of civilized living and of the Catholic faith,
seems to have grown apathetic with regard to the foreign
missions. Few have the courage to brave long voyages or
unknown [lands] to save the souls of those millions of souls
[sic] that were nonetheless redeemed by the Son of God,
Jesus Christ.” 4
Another speaker added: “How many idol-worshippers
in America alone lead unhappy lives outside the Church,
deprived of the knowledge of the Gospel! People think
(and geographers make the same mistake) that the
American Cordilleras are like a wall that divides that part
3 Lemoyne B is in ASC 132: Autografi-Sogni, FDBM 1,347 A6-B5, It is
followed immediately (FDBM 1,347 B6-9) by Appendix X containing the
adventurous story of the return journey. Appendix X is all in Lemoyne’s
hand, with his own marginal notes, but none by Don Bosco. It was not
part of Don Bosco’s original narration at GC III, and therefore not part
of Lemoyne A. It was added by Lemoyne after the conclusion of Lem-
oyne B in a further editorial effort. Hence the status Appendix X is
uncertain. Lemoyne final editorial effort is represented by Lemoyne C,
which re-orders all elements to achieve a logical and integrated narra-
tive: main narrative as in Lemoyne B + Appendix X (return journey) +
conclusion and awakening + integration of all marginal notes into the
narrative (Lemoyne C is in ASC 111: Sogni, FDBM 1,318 D7-E12+1,319
A1-9). This is the text edited in Lemoyne’s Documenti XXVI (Ch. 37, p.
525-534, in ASC 110: Cronachette, Lemoyne-Doc, FDBM 1,089 E11 -
1,090 A8), and thence transcribed by Ceria in the Biographical
Memoirs (Cf. EBM XVI, p. 304-312).
4 The portion of text in bold italics that follows is Don Bosco’s long mar-
ginal addition, already mentioned. In dreams “auditions” and conversa-
tions are not unusual; but this conversation is very unusual for its length
and complexity. All other marginal and interlinear corrections or addi-
tions by Don Bosco deal with small details. The important consideration
is that Don Bosco reviewed this text.
of the world in two. But it is not so. Those long and high
mountain ranges are crossed by valleys that are more than
one thousand kilometers long. Within them are forests
as yet unexplored; [rare] plants, animals, and [precious]
stones [so rare] that [they] are scarce [even] there [sic].
Coal, petroleum, lead, copper, iron, silver and gold lie
buried in those mountains, where the Creator’s almighty
hand placed them for people’s benefit. O cordilleras,
cordilleras, how rich are your eastern slopes!”
At that moment I felt the urge to seek an explanation
on a number of subjects, and to find out who those people
were, and where I was. But I thought: “Before opening my
mouth I ought to see what kind of people these are!” And
so I looked around to investigate, but I recognized no one.
Meanwhile, as if they had only noticed me at that very
moment, they invited me to join them, and they received
me kindly. Then I inquired: “Where are we? Are we in
Turin, London, Madrid or Paris? And who are you?” But
the gentlemen dodged my questions and continued their
discourse on the Missions.
[Act I: Allegorical Actions in the Reception Hall]
At that moment a young man of ravishing beauty,
radiating light brighter than the sun, who appeared to be
about sixteen years of age, came up to me. His clothes were
splendidly embroidered; he wore a crown-like adornment
on his head that was set with sparkling jewels. He looked at
me kindly, and seemed to be interested in me in a special
way. His smile expressed ineffable love. He spoke my name,
took me by the hand, and began to speak about the Salesian
Congregation.
At a certain point I interjected: “Whom have I the honor
to be speaking with? Please tell me your name.”
The young man replied: “Have no fear! Speak freely, for
you are with a friend.”
“But what is your name?”
I would gladly tell you my name, but it isn’t necessary.
You should know who I am.”
Then I looked more intently at that radiant face. How
beautiful it was! Immediately I recognized him as the son
of Count Colle, the illustrious benefactor of all our houses,
and especially of our [South] American missions.5 “Oh, it’s
5 In a number of dreams Don Bosco is guided by an Interpreter. For
example, Dominic Savio fills this role in the Lanzo Dream of 1876. Here
the Interpreter is Louis Colle, the son of Count Louis Antoine Fleury
Colle of Toulon, France. In March 1882, Don Bosco visited the young
man as he lay dying of tuberculosis. He died on April 3 at the age of 17.
Don Bosco thought so highly of Louis, (and of his great benefactors, the
Count and Countess Colle) that a short time later, with the help of Fr. de
Barruel, he wrote and published a biography dedicated “À Monsieur et à
Madame Colle”: Biographie du jeune Louis Fleury Antoine Colle, par Jean
Bosco prêtre (Turin, 1882) [Cf. EBM XV, p. 57-59.] Was Louis to be the
new Dominic Savio?
Be that as it may, the identity of the Interpreter-Guide, as presented
in the sources of this dream, is problematic. In the GC3 Minutes he is
simply a “layperson.” In Lemoyne A (up to page 4 of the main text), the
Interpreter is described as “a gentleman” (un personaggio), “a man” (un
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you,” I said, speaking his name. “And who are all these
gentlemen?”
“They are friends of the Salesians; and I, as a friend of
yours and of your Salesians, and in God’s name, would like
to give you a small task to perform.”
[Scene 1: Acted Allegory: The Numbered Rope]
“What kind of task? What’s this all about?”
“Come up to this table, and pull down on this rope.”
There was a table in the middle of the great hall, and on
this table was a rope coiled up into a ball. I observed that
this rope was scored with lines like a ruler. Later I realized
that the hall was located in South America, right at the
equator, and that the numbers on the rope represented the
degrees of the earth’s latitude. So, I grasped the end of the
rope, and as I looked at it I saw the number 0 marked on it.
I began to laugh.
“This is no laughing matter,” the angelic youth said to
me. “Observe, and tell me what you see written on the
rope.”
“The number 0.”
“Pull on the rope a bit.” I pulled, and out came the
number 1.
“Pull some more, and coil the rope as you pull.” I pulled,
and out came the numbers 2, 3, 4, up to 20.
“Is this enough?” I asked him.
“No,” the young man replied. “Pull farther. Pull till you
find a knot.” I pulled till I reached the number 47 and, after
it, a large knot. The rope extended beyond that point, but
divided into many smaller cords that radiated out toward
the east, the west, and the south.
“Is this enough?” I asked him.
“What is the number?” he inquired in turn.
“The number is 47.”
“And what does 47 plus 3 make?”
“50!”
“And 50 plus 5?”
“55!”
“Watch carefully: fifty-five,” he said, and added: “Pull
some more!’
“I have reached the end!
“Well, then, turn around, and pull the rope in the
opposite direction.” I pulled on the rope in that direction till
I reached the number 10.
“Pull some more,” said the young man.
uomo), “that man” (quell’uomo). But Lemoyne’s later marginal notes
from page 2 on, already specify that he was a young man (un giovane),
subsequently identified as “the son of the Counts Colli” [sic]. Then from
page 4 on, Lemoyne systematically deletes the original designations
(such as “that man”) replacing them with expressions like, “that young
man”, “that dear young man.” It appears, therefore, that in the original
narration Don Bosco had not identified the Interpreter as young Louis
Colle. In Lemoyne B, which (as mentioned above) is a re-working of the
text by Lemoyne reviewed by Don Bosco, the Interpreter is identified as
young Louis Colle from the start.
11
“There is no more!”
“So, there is no more. Then, look farther. What do
you see?
“It’s water,” I replied. At that moment I had an
experience so strange as to defy all explanation. I was
standing in that room, was pulling on that rope, and
yet at the same time I had a bird’s eye view of a vast
panorama that was unfolding before my very eyes, and
that stretched along the full extent of the rope.
[Lemoyne’s
marginal note]
It seems
that the point
47 represents
the starting
place of the
Salesian center
from which to
reach out to the
Falkland Islands
and the Tierra del
Fuego, and other
islands of those
farthest lands
[sic] in [South]
America. 6
[marginal note]
I saw in
concentration all
that I later saw
in detail. The
degrees on the
rope where the
clues that helped
me memorize
successive points
visited on the
journey.
[Main text]
[rope] From the first
number 0 to number 47 there
stretched a limitless land that
was bounded at its end by
straits of ocean and then broke
up into hundreds of islands, of
which one was much larger
than the others. To these
islands apparently pointed the
little cords that radiated from
the large knot. Each little cord
ended at an island. Some islands
were inhabited by fairly large
numbers of natives; other islands
appeared sterile, stark, rocky,
and uninhabited; yet others were
entirely capped with ice. To the
west [were] numerous clusters
[of islands inhabited by savages
in large numbers.
At the opposite end, that
is, from number 0 to number
10, stretched more of the same
country: and it ended in that
[body of] water seen last of
all. That [body of] water was
(so it appeared) the sea of the
Antilles. There it lay before my
eyes in a manner I find totally
inexplicable.7
[inexplicable] After my reply, “It’s water!” the young
man continued: “Now add 55 and 10. What does that
add up to?” I replied: “It adds up to 65.”
6 This note by Lemoyne locates a Salesian center at the 47th degree
of latitude south. Actually there is no Salesian center at that location.
Santa Cruz, which may historically be regarded as the staging base of
Msgr. Fagnano’s future mission, is located at about the 50th degree of
latitude south. Ushuaia, the future southernmost Salesian foundation,
is located at about the 55th.
7 In a (later) note at the end of the dream narrative, Lemoyne states
that the bishop of San José, Costa Rica, had requested the Salesians by
letter of September 15, 1883. This city is located at the 10th degree of
latitude north. (The Salesian work in San José began in 1933.)

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“Now put everything together, and you have one
[unbroken stretch of] rope.
“What happens now?”
What do you see on this side?”
“To the west I see very high mountains; and to the east,
the ocean.”
“Excellent! These mountains constitute a bank, a
boundary. From the mountains to the ocean lies the harvest
entrusted to the Salesians. These thousands and millions
of people are waiting for your help, waiting for the faith.”
Those mountains were the Cordilleras of South America.
[Scene 2: The Allegory of Unripe Figs]
“But how are we to do this?” I rejoined.
“How? Look.” Immediately Fr. Lago appeared on the
scene carrying a basket of small, green figs.8
“Here, Don Bosco, take this,” he said to me.
“What have you got there?”
“[Figs.] I was told to bring them to you.”
“But these figs are not fit to eat. They are not yet ripe.”
Then the young man took up the basket, which was
wide but not very deep. He offered it to me with the words,
“This is the present he is giving you.”
“And what am I to do with these figs?”
“These figs are not ripe yet, but they are nonetheless
the fruit of the great fig tree of life. It is up to you to bring
them to maturity.”
“How? If they were larger, they could be made to ripen
on straw like other kinds of fruit. But these are so small, so
green! That would be impossible.”
“There is more to it than that. You should know that for
these figs to ripen you have to re-attach them to the tree.”
“How? That’s impossible.”
“Then watch. Saying this, the young man took a fig
and dipped it first in a small bowl of blood, and next in a
little bowl of water. Then he explained: “By sweat and by
blood will the savages be returned to the tree and be made
pleasing to the Lord of life.”
I was thinking to myself: This will require a lot of time.
Instead turning to the dear young man I said: “I just don’t
know what to say.”
The youth replied: “All this will be accomplished before
the end of the second generation.”
“What second generation?”
“Not counting the present generation—two generations
from now.”
I was thoroughly confused, and could only stammer:
“How many years to each of these generations?”
“Sixty years.”
“And after that, what?”
8Angelo Lago (1834-1914), a graduate pharmacist from the University
of Turin, joined Don Bosco after hearing a retreat sermon by the saint
in 1872, and was ordained in 1877. Assigned to the office of the prefect
general, he worked as assistant to Fr. Michael Rua practically until his
death.
“Do you want to know what lies in the future? Come
and see.”
[Act II: The Railway Journey Southward]
Without knowing how, I found myself at a railway
station, where a lot of people had gathered. We boarded
a train. I wanted to know where we were. The young man
replied: “Look and pay close attention. We are going to
travel along the Cordilleras. But the road is open to you also
to the east, as far as the ocean.9 It is another gift from the
Lord.”
“And when shall we go to Boston? They are awaiting us
there.10
“In its own good time.” And so saying he took out a map.
“What is that?” I asked. He answered by unfolding the
map. On it the diocese of Cartagena was shown on a large
scale and in high relief. (Was that to be our starting point?)11
[Scene 1: First Stage of the Journey]
As I looked at the map, I heard the train whistle and observed
that the train had started. During the trip my friend did
most of the talking, but I was unable to follow him very well
because of the noise the train was making. Nevertheless, I
learnt new and wonderful things pertaining to astronomy
and navigation; and about the mineral resources, the fauna
and flora of those lands. On these subjects he spoke with
eloquence and precision. From the very beginning he held
my hand and continued to hold it in friendly manner until
the end of the dream. Occasionally I would lay my [free]
hand on his, but it seemed to vanish under my touch, so
that my left hand would only find my right. The young man
only smiled at this futile attempt of mine.12 I kept looking
out the window and watched the ever-changing and
amazing landscape filing by: forests, mountains, plains, very
large and majestic rivers, which even so far upstream were
far larger than I had thought. We traveled along the edge
of a virgin forest, as yet unexplored, for over a thousand
miles. My power to see was intensified in such a marvelous
______________
9 Some two months before the dream Don Bosco, in response to
repeated requests, decided to open a house in Brazil, and asked Father
Louis Lasagna to proceed with the negotiations. The first Salesian
foundation was in Nichteroy (Niterói), close to Rio de Janeiro, toward
the end of 1883.
10 A proposal to establish a Salesian work in Boston had been received,
through intermediaries, toward the end of 1882. The first Salesian work
in Boston (the Don Bosco Technical High School) was established in
1945.
11 The city of Cartagena (Colombia), like San José (Costa Rica), is
located at about the 10th degree of latitude north. But at the beginning
of the dream narrative the reception hall is said to be located at the
equator.
12 A similar experience of the insubstantial nature of heavenly appari-
tions is described, with additional elaborate explanations, in the Lanzo
Dream of 1876, with respect to Dominic Savio (cf. EBM XII, p. 439f.).
12

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manner, that it seemed able to penetrate those regions at
will. It could not only peer into the Cordilleras, but it could
also see through the isolated mountain ranges rising above
those interminable plains (Brazil?).
[Marginal note by
Lemoyne]
Between
the 15th and 20th
degree there lay a
very long and wide
basin (seno) that
began at a point
forming a lake. Then
a voice spoke and
said repeatedly:
“When mines will
be dug in the depths
of these mountains
(of that valley),
then the promised
land flowing with
milk and honey
will be revealed
here, and there will
be inconceivable
wealth. 13
[(Brazil?)] The incomparable
[mineral] riches of the soil still
awaiting discovery were revealed
to my gaze. I saw numerous mines
of precious metals, inexhaustible
coal pits, petroleum deposits
more abundant than existed
anywhere. And this is not all.
At many points the Cordilleras
opened up on regions the
existence of which is totally
unknown to our geographers.
They [mistakenly] imagine that
in those regions mountain ranges
form a kind of sheer wall. In those
basins, in those valleys, which
may be as long as one thousand
kilometers, live dense populations
that have had as yet no contact
with Europeans, nations that are
as yet completely unknown.14
[unknown] The train meanwhile kept rolling on and on,
turning here, turning there. Finally it came to a stop. At this
point a great number of passengers got off and crossed under
the Cordillera over to the west. [Don Bosco made reference
to Bolivia. The station may have been La Paz, where a tunnel
may provide a passage to the Pacific coast, and may connect
Brazil with Lima by another railway line.]15
[Scene 2: Second Stage of the Journey]
13 This marginal note in Lemoyne’s hand has been interpreted as pin-
pointing geographically the future capital of Brazil, Brasilia, even though
no mention is made of any city, and the geographical description of the
site is too general for any determination. At this time Don Bosco had
Brazil on his mind, as he had Boston (USA) and San José (Costa Rica).
14 These ideas were ridiculed in Rome. Reporting Don Bosco’s words,
Lemoyne writes in Documenti: “In Rome I made a full presentation to
Card. Barnabò [Prefect of Propaganda Fide]; but he ridiculed the project
as childish fantasy, especially my statement that in South America there
were large populations yet to be discovered. Therefore, he refused to
speak to the Pope about it. Don Bosco himself then spoke to the Pope,
who at once took the matter seriously and asked Card. Franchi [the next
Prefect of that Congregation] to make a report. His Eminence was put-
ting it off, however; and when Pius IX insisted, he would reply: ‘These
are delusions of a sick mind!’ But Pius IX gave the order, got the report,
and fully backed the new mission” [Documenti XIV, p. 143, ASC 110:
Cronachette Lemoyne-Doc, FDBM 1,024 C4]. It should be noted that
Pius IX had served as auditor in the apostolic delegations of Chile and
Peru from 1823 to 1825.
15 The words in square brackets are a comment by reporter Lemoyne.
16 The words in square brackets are a comment by reporter Lemoyne.
[Lemoyne’s
marginal note]
+ The name
of the river
should be
noted (the
Paraná, I think).
++ D.B. should
also put the
river’s name
here (Uruguay)
and, as before,
it runs over
bridges,
through
tunnels, by
lakes, rivers,
forests.
[Main text]
[line] The train continued on its
journey. We rode along the banks of
the Uruguay. I had thought it was a
short river; instead it is very long. At a
certain point I saw the river +
which flows close to the ++
both of them, rivers of great length.
Then they separate and form a wide
loop.
Meanwhile the train kept on
rolling south, turning first one way,
then another; after a long haul it came
to a second stop. Here again a lot of
people got off and crossed under the
Cordillera over to the west. [Don Bosco
made reference to the province of
Mendoza in the Argentine Republic.
Hence he believes, the station may
have been Mendoza, and the tunnel,
that which gives access to Santiago or
Valparaiso, the capital of Chile.]16
[Scene 3: Third Stage of the Journey]
The train continued on its run through the Pampas
and Patagonia. Fields under cultivation and scattered
homesteads were an indication that civilization was making
inroads into those deserts
[ L e m o y n e ’ s [Main text]
marginal note]
[deserts] Finally we arrived
at the Straits of Magellan. I was
Huge heaps looking on. We got off. Puntarenas
of metal partly in lay before me. The ground for
ore form and partly miles around was strewn with
refined.
stores of coal, planks, beams and
lumber. Freight cars were parked
in long rows on the tracks.
My young friend drew my
attention to all these things. So, I
It took but a
asked him, “What are you trying
moment. I got off to tell me by all this?”
the train and saw
“That at present,” he replied,
them at once.
“this is all at the planning stage.
There were more But these savages will one day
churches, schools, become so docile that they will
many houses with freely come in order to be taught
large numbers of religion, civilized living, and com-
people in them, merce. Here [the development]
many hospices,
that has caused people elsewhere
apprentices in
to marvel will be so astounding
trade and agricul- as to surpass that of all other
tural schools,
peoples [sic.]
young people and
I have seen enough [of this], I
adults together
said ending the conversation.
13

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guided by
missionaries—
Daughters [of
Mary Help of
Christians?]
were working at
various domestic
tasks. I mingled
with them. They
looked at me as
though I were a
stranger.
“Now take me to see my Salesians of
Patagonia.”
He did, and I saw them. There
were many of them, but they were
unknown to me; and not one of my
old sons was among them. They
stared at me in utter amazement.
And when I demanded, “Don’t you
know me? Don’t you know Don
Bosco?”
[They replied,] “Don Bosco? Ah
yes, we know him all right; but only
from pictures, not personally,”
“And where are Fr. Fagnano, Fr.
Lasagna, Fr. Costamagna?” 17
[Costamagna?] “We have never known them personally.
They are the pioneers of old, the first Salesians to come to
these lands from Europe. But they have been dead all these
many years!” On hearing this amazing reply, I began to ask
myself: “Is this dream or reality?” I clapped my hands, felt
my arms, and shook myself. I had a distinct perception of
the sound of the clapping and of the feel of my body.
[Conclusion and Awakening]
In this troubled state, I thought I heard Quirino ringing
the morning Angelus; but when I was awake, I realized that
the ringing came from the bells of the parish church of St.
Benignus,18
The dream had lasted all night long.19
[Moralistic Conclusion]
Don Bosco concluded with these words: “With the
gentleness of St. Francis de Sales will the Salesians succeed
in drawing the peoples of [South] America to Jesus Christ. At
first the task of converting the savages to Christian morals
will be a most difficult one; but their children will most
willingly accept the teachings of the missionaries. Through
them colonies [missions] will be founded; civilization will
replace barbarism; and a great number of savages will join
t_h_e__f_o_l_d_o__f_J_e_s_u_s__C_h_r_i_st.”
17 Luigi Lasagna (1850-1895), ordained in 1873, left for the missions
with the second group in 1876. As director and then as provincial he
developed the Salesian work in Uruguay and initiated scientific and
cultural projects. He established the Salesian work in Brazil. He was
ordained bishop in 1893 and charged by Leo XIII with the mission of pro-
tecting and evangelizing the natives there. But he died in a tragic train
collision shortly thereafter.
18 Don Bosco was at San Benigno Canavese (a house of novitiate at this
time) for the spiritual retreat with the members of the Third General
Chapter, and was awakened by the Angelus bells of the local church of
St. Benignus. In his half-waking state he had at first thought that it was
the Angelus bell of the Church of Mary Help of Christians in Turin rung
by Brother Camillo Quirino (1847-1892), “that saintly brother—a math-
ematician, polyglot and bell ringer.” [EBM XVI, p. 312, note 34]
19 Dreams do not last all night, though they may appear to do so. They
last only some fifteen or twenty minutes in real time during REM sleep
toward the end of a sleep cycle.
FEBRUARY :
THE OFFICIAL
GROUPS OF THE
SALESIAN FAMILY
The Salesian Family
of Don Bosco is made up
of three central groups
(SDB, FMA, Cooperators)
to whose foundation he
himself gave much time,
energy, and formative and
organizational expertise,
because they constituted
the key and nucleus of his work, and of a constellation
of many other groups. From him the Association of
Mary Help of Christians took its rise. (CIC 2).
In the previous article in the month of January,
I explained how Don Bosco founded the first four
groups of the Salesian Family. But he was not simply
the founder of the Salesians, of the Daughters of Mary
Help of Christians with Saint Mary Dominic Mazzarel-
lo, of the Cooperators and of the Association of Mary
Help of Christians.
In fact, creating an all-embracing family atmo-
sphere, within and outside his houses, he not only
originated a particular style of personal relationships
and of authority, but, guided but God, he gave rise
to a charismatic identity that was shared and was
capable of being shared, which finds its expression in
the Salesian spirit and mission.
In this way, the action of the Holy Spirit guided
Don Bosco to give life to various apostolic forces, the
first, but not the only ones, those founded by himself.
His original plan, not fully realized in his own lifetime,
remained a driving force to be developed: the Sale-
sian Family with its innumerable groups is the obvious
historical proof of this.
If on the one hand one cannot attribute all the de-
velopments of the Salesian Family to Don Bosco, since
his heritage is not a “museum” but a living reality; on
the other hand, all the subsequent foundations in the
Salesian Family are attributable to his own apostolic
plan, as has been so often said by his successors,
guarantors of the authenticity of his spirit and of the
Salesian mission.
The miraculous expansion of the Salesians and
of Salesian work in the world was certainly the fruit
of the co-involvement of so many apostolic forces,
especially of the Cooperators. Even today we can say
that this involvement of the Salesian Family continues
to be the secret of the expansion of Salesian work, in
all parts of the world. To commit ourselves therefore
to know and love the Salesian Family and help it grow
14

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has been and will continue to be a common
characteristic of the common Salesian voca-
tion and at the same time, the secret of the
fruitfulness of this great spiritual and
apostolic movement which had its origins
in the heart of Don Bosco.
Don Bosco had therefore begun his work
on behalf of poor boys founding the Salesian
Congregation (SDB standing for Salesians of
Don Bosco), then the Institute of the Daugh-
ters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA), the
Salesians-Cooperators (SSCC), and the As-
sociation of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA).
But all this was only the seed spoken of in
the Gospel; that tiny seed which has a great
future ahead of it: to become a great tree.
For all the Sons of Don Bosco, nowadays this
image has become an icon, and all those who
know about it speak with full awareness of
“the tree of the Salesian Family”.
At the moment there are twenty three
groups officially accepted as being part of this
great family. It is already a tree with many
branches, each different from the others but
animated by the same charism: there are
groups with members male and female
consecrated in the religious life, members
belonging to secular institutes and lay people.
Their areas of apostolate are also different:
some are working in the field of education,
others in health services, other in human
development or the world of social communi-
cation. But all of them with common elements
and a common identity that finds its origin in
the great heart of the Founder, Don Bosco,
now so well-known in all parts of world.
Dear Members of the Salesian Family,
This is the time of the year when the Institute of Salesian
Spirituality at Don Bosco Hall in Berkeley begins to pro-
cess applications for the 2009-2010 course year. We invite
you to consider this program for your ongoing formation
and personal enrichment.
Statement of Purpose
The Institute of Salesian Spirituality (ISS) offers a various types
of study programs and formative experiences. Programs range from
one week to nine months.
The specific purpose of the Institute is to make a comprehen-
sive Salesian renewal experience available to members of the Salesian
Family. Critical study is integrated with experiences aimed at deepen-
ing spirituality and fostering personal growth in the context of Salesian
community life and ministry.
The process encourage participants to deepen their apprecia-
tion for the charism of the founder, the spirit and story of the Salesian
Family, and the distinctive qualities of Salesian spirituality and mission.
Don Bosco Hall in Berkeley, home of the ISS, is a
community that is fully committed to pursue the ideals
of Salesian ongoing formation. (cont.)
15

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Institute of Salesian Spirituality
1. To acquire a deeper and more critical
knowledge of Don Bosco’s life and times
by research, study and reflection;
2. To draw on the theological and cultural
resources available in the area for an ever
broader vision of the Salesian mission;
3. To live a spirituality that impacts our
everyday life and calls us to face new challenges
with courage and a spirit of initiative.
4. To live our vocation through a deep
experience of community characterized
by Salesian family spirit.
The Salesian vocation is a gift from God rooted in Baptism. It is the
call to become, like Don Bosco, disciples of Christ to form
communities that witness the love of the Good Shepherd to the young.
[Formazione dei Salesiani di Don Bosco. #1]
Program Components
Course Offerings
Every ISS program has five components:
• Intellectual and professional
• Life in the Spirit
• Personal Growth
• Pastoral development
• Living and working in community
• Don Bosco Founder
• Spirituality Francis de Sales
• Youth Spirituality
• Don Bosco Builder
• Salesian Identity & Charism
• Leadership, Ministry & the Young
In addition to three Salesian courses offered each term, ISS participants have ample opportunity for
pastoral updating and pursuing specific interests in religious education, thanks to the wide array of
theological courses available at the Graduate Theological Union (GTU). ISS is fully affiliated with the
Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (DSPT), which in turn is a member school of the GTU.
For More Information, Email, Write or Call:
Institute of Salesian Spirituality
Don Bosco Hall
1831 Arch St.
Berkeley, CA 94709 USA
Email: Gael Edmund Sullivan, SDB
Director, Don Bosco Hall
sullivangael@aol.com
Phone: 510.204.0801 Fax: 510.843.4335
16