SALESIAN MISSIONARY ANIMATION NEWS
THE PILGRIMAGE OF DON BOSCO’S CASKET
O
n 25 April at Valdocco, Turin,
in the Basilica of Mary Help of
Christians the casket
containing a special relic of
Don Bosco will be blessed
before setting out to visit in the next few
years the countries in which the Salesians
are present.
The pilgrimage of the casket which will
cross the five continents is the idea of the
Rector Major of the Salesians, Fr Pascual
Chávez Villanueva, in preparation for the bi-
centenary of the birth of Don Bosco to be
celebrated in 2015.
The presentation and the blessing of the
casket will take place in conjunction with the
celebration of the Thanksgiving Feast-day
of the Special Circumscription of Piedmont
and the Val d‟Aosta (ICP). After presiding at
Mass Fr Pascual Chávez will bless the
casket which will be carried in procession
from inside the Basilica of Mary Help of
Christians to the courtyard outside.
From the courtyard where the Saint from
Turin worked for the benefit of so many
boys, the casket will begin its pilgrimage
round the world.
The Casket
The casket, the work of the architect
Gianpiero Zoncu, has been made of
aluminium, bronze and glass. The artists
employed were Marco Berrone (blacksmith),
Francesco Boglione (carpenter), and the
glass is from the Bivetro Company. The De
Carli Artistic Foundry produced the metal
structures and the Perlaluce Company was
responsible for the illumination.
The base of the casket is in the form of a
bridge supported by four pillars which bear
the dates of the bi-centenary: 1815-2015.
They are decorated, on the ends of the
casket, with square tiles with the faces of
young people from the five continents made
by the sculptor Gabriele Garbolino. The coat
of arms of the Salesian Congregation which
this year is celebrating the 150th
anniversary of its foundation and the
charismatic motto adopted by Don Bosco
himself – Da mihi animas, cetera tolle –
complete the decoration of the case.
Including the base, the casket is 253 cm
long, 100cm wide and 132cm high with a
total weight of 530 kg.
Inside is a statue of Don Bosco similar to
the one in the casket preserved in the
Basilica of Mary Help of Christians. It was
made by the sculptor Garbolino and the
Apostolato Liturgico, and Sr Anna Scaglia
FMA made the vestments. The face has
been reproduced from the mask made by
Cellini the day after Don Bosco died.
The Pilgrimage
At the end of the short blessing
ceremony, the casket will begin its
pilgrimage around the world. The logistics
for the pilgrimage have been entrusted to
the Roberto Bertoli Company and the
Missioni Don Bosco in Turin.
The first stage will be in Lazio. After a
stop at the Poor Clares Monastery in Città
della Pieve, the casket will travel through
several cities - Frascati, Latina, Formia,
Castelgandolfo, Genzano – and stop at
several Salesian houses in the capital. The
pilgrimage in the Lazio region will finish at
the end of June at the Generalate of the
Salesians in via della Pisana and will then
head off for Latin America.
The first international phase of the
pilgrimage will see the casket in the
Salesian Region of America South Cone
and it will pass through Chile, Argentina,
Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil.
The programme of the pilgrimage which
will end on 31 January 2014.
Inter-America, Region between March and
October 2010
* East Asia Oceania Region, between
November 2010 and April 2011
* South Asia Region, between may and
November 2011
* Africa-Madagascar Region, between
December 2011 and April 2012, July and
August 2012
* West Europe Region, May and June and
between September and November 2012
* North Europe Region between December
2012 and August 2013
* Italy MOR Region, between September
2013 and January 2014.
150th - Anniversary
Salesian “Holy Year”
2009 is the 150th Anniversary of the foundation of the Society of St Francis de Sales (the
Salesians). The Rector Major, Fr Pasqual Chavez, has therefore declared 2009 a Salesian
“Holy Year” and a year of grace for the renewal of the Salesian spirit in the all Salesian
works throughout the world. There will be a number of local and national celebrations
and professional learning opportunities associated with this significant anniversary for
the Salesian Family.
All rights reserved 2009 By: Ronaldo s. Lora
