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NOTE
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE TEACHER:
THE SALESIANS - 100 YEARS IN SLOVENIA (1901-2001)
Bogdan Kolar
The Salesian Family in Slovenia celebrated the jubilee of 100 years of
Salesian presence in the local Church in the year 2001. Many liturgical, cul-
tural, and social festivities were organized for the occasion. At the Ljubljana-
Rakovnik castle, where on the 23rd of November 1901, the first group of Sale-
sians started their activity, confiscated after World War II and recently re-
turned to its owner, an extensive exhibition was prepared on the history and
the present day of the Province of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. It has been, at
the same time, an opportunity to trace the main features of the Salesian pres-
ence in Slovenia and to find out the priorities of their pastoral activities1.
Agitated political circumstances in the geographical region where
Slovenia is situated strongly influenced the Church and its institutions in the
20th century. Significant political events which marked the history of Europe
profoundly affected the organization of Christian communities, including the
Salesians. The spread of Don Bosco institutions was the answer to the needs
of Christian communities in this part of Europe and, at the same time, the
fruit of the efforts of the leaders of local Churches who saw in the Salesians
help regarding a solution for difficult social questions, above all those relating
to youth, and a more effective evangelization in special circumstances. If
during the first two decades of the Salesian presence in Slovenia (until the
end of World War I) the Catholic Church and its multifarious institutions were
an integral part of society, favored also by the public authorities, in the fol-
lowing two decades (until the beginning of World War II) the Catholic com-
munity was considered an inferior religious community, being the State an
Orthodox one and the royal family belonged to that same Church. Salesians
of Slovene origin, were at the very beginning not sufficient in number, and
1 See B. KOLAR, Salezijanci sto let na Slovenskem (Salesians – 100 Years in Slovenia)
1901-2002, Ljubljana 2001; B. KOLAR, Njih spomin ostaja. In memoriam III, Ljubljana 2002.

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330 Bogdan Kolar
not adequately prepared to realize and carry out all the expectations matured
before the arrival of the first group; they were, therefore, helped by the confr-
eres from other provinces and from different cultural backgrounds. Inevitably,
tensions of various origins (predominantly that of ethnic background) brought
impediments to a more efficient presence and a stronger influence in that so-
ciety. Those kinds of setbacks were eliminated only after the break down of
the multi ethnic Hapsburg Monarchy. Fortunately, a group of Salesian Coop-
erators, among them many influential priests of the dioceses of Ljubljana and
Maribor, were able to mitigate the tensions between Salesians and local
bishops and between local autorities and Salesians2. The expectations of the
local Church and public authorities regarding the Salesians were too high and
sometimes completely unrealistic. The Salesian Cooperators encouraged the
first Salesians to accept the conditions put forth by local authorities in order
to give a stable beginning to their educational project and in order to support
their work after the Salesians envisaged the needs of the local population. The
most important means of communication with the public was the religious
press and various publications, which became an integral part of the Salesian
image in Slovenian society. In relation to the overall political circumstances,
an examination of the history of the Salesian presence in this region can be
divided into four periods.
1. The Time of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy
This is the period from 1868, when a report about Don Bosco’s work
first appeared in Slovenia, to 1918, when the Hapsburg monarchy fell. The
first group of Salesians arrived in Rakovnik on November 23, 1901. How-
ever, preceeding this, an authentic picture of what Don Bosco and his institu-
tions were, were already set up in the Slovenian territory; Salesian coopera-
tors did a great deal of work in this regard, among whom were some distin-
guished priests, such as canon Luka Jeran (1818-1896), catechist Janez Sm-
rekar (1853-1920), and the theology professor Dr. Ivan Janežič (1855-1922).
Newspapers in Slovenia often reported on Salesian institutions, especially on
the missions and on their apostolic work through print; in 1888, Don Bosco’s
biography was published in feuilleton. Even before this, his biographies of
Dominic Savio and Michael Magone were published in Slovene. The
Slovenian Cooperators kept in written and personal contact with Don Bosco
himself. Through donations they supported the Salesian press and the mis-
2 See Don Bosco nel mondo II, Torino 1988, p. 132.

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In the footsteps of the teacher: The Salesian - 100 years in Slovenia 41901-2001) 331
sions as well as the building of the Basilica of the Heart of Jesus in Rome, the
Salesian College in London, and a variety of other institutions. In order to
open the first institution in the Slovenian area, many plans were prepared,
many houses bought, and over 50 students sent to Italy, where they attended
school in Turin, Lombriasco, Valsalice and other places with Salesian col-
leges3. In the eyes of the Salesian Cooperators, at that time organized as a self
standing group under the direction of an appointed leader from Turin that was
the best way to provide Salesian vocations and to assure priests that would be
able to take over the places of leaders in that German considered Province of
Carniola. In 1895, catechist Janez Smrekar took part in the 1st International
Congress of the Salesian Cooperators in Bologna4.
The work the Salesians would assume was in accord with the program
of the first Slovenian Catholic Congress of Ljubljana (1892). One of the con-
gress’ resolutions demanded establishment of a private Catholic college with
the school founded on Christian principles and able to provide for boys who
were in conflict with society. This was because there was lack of an institu-
tion for juveniles who were excluded from the usual type of schooling and
education in Ljubljana. The leadership of such an institution was to be taken
over by the Salesians. For the erection of the building, the Society for the
building of a shelter and educational home (Društvo za zgradbo zavetišča in
vzgojevališča) was established, with catechist Janez Smrekar leading the way.
School authorities in Ljubljana and in Carniola then logically demanded that
the college in Rakovnik become a reformatory for juvenile delinquents5. For
this reason they were not able to accept candidates for Salesian life there, but
rather sent them to other colleges in Italy or Poland. The turning point in this
regard was the conclusion taken at the end of the canonical visitation, per-
formed by the Provincial of the Austrian Province Emanuel Manassero
(Provincial from 1905 to 1911) in 1906. The college at Rakovnik was
changed to a reformatory for boys between 7 and 14 with elementary school
as the main focus. In spite of regular control by the provincial school superior
Anton Mayer and his (at times) authoritarian ways, the Salesians and their lay
teachers could follow the principles of Don Bosco’s educational system in
keeping pace with the colleges in the Italian territory. The college at
3 See S. ZIMNIAK, Motivazioni delle fondazioni salesiane nell’impero asburgico, in Ri-
cerche Storiche Salesiane (= RSS) 14 (1995) 155-171; K. SZCZERBA, Don Bosco e i polacchi,
in RSS 7(1988) 171-195.
4 See Atti del Primo Congresso Salesiano in Bologna, Torino 1895.
5 See B. KOLAR, Le attività a carattere rieducativo e correzionale dei Salesiani tra gli
Sloveni (1901-1945), in: F, MOTTO, Insediamenti e iniziative salesiane dopo Don Bosco. Saggi
di storiografia, Atti del 2° Convegno-Seminario di storia dell’opera salesina, (= Istituto Storico
Salesiano, Studi 9), Roma 1996, pp. 395-408.

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332 Bogdan Kolar
Rakovnik had conserved the same feature until 1922, even though from 1911
on, boys from regular families predominated. After the beginning of World
War I, there were no more Provincial school authorities to send the alumni to
the college at Rakovnik, but singular school councils and individual families
and parishes could have even done this. Salesians were free in accepting the
boys and it was only up to them to provide the necessary means for their
board and lodging, because the public authorities, preoccupied with military
activities, were no longer in charge of educational and social services. A valu-
able job was done for the war refugees who were forced to leave their homes
after the Isonzo Front opened on May 1915 and took refuge in various parts
of the inner Austrian Provinces. Boys from the families were accepted to the
colleges at Rakovnik and Veržej6. The house of Radna became a philosoph-
ical and theological studentate for the Austrian Province.
Another source of tension was the unsettled legal situation of Salesians
in Austria in general; not until 1912 did Emperor Franz Joseph sign a docu-
ment officially recognizing the Salesian Congregation in the Austrian Empire.
The Bishop of Ljubljana, Anton Bonaventura Jeglič, played an important role
in promoting the case; he was the first of the Austrian bishops to present his
demand for a prompt recognition of the Salesian Congregation in the Empire.
He pointed out the importance of the social work among youth and the Sale-
sian professional formation in that field7. At the Rakovnik college, a festive
oratory also operated for a short time as well as a strong group of cooperators.
The lack of good teachers and skilled workmen prevented an expansion of
professional schools in spite of the well prepared plan by superior Angel
Festa, the second director of the college at Rakovnik. By 1909, a new college
and the Church of Mary Help of Christians were built next to the castle. The
building of that church, however, was not finished until 1924, when there was
a solemn consecration at the Marian Congress in Ljubljana with the presence
of Cardinal Giovanni Cagliero. The college in Radna (from 1907) served
Polish novices and students of philosophy until 1917. It was at the Marian
college in Veržej that the German Sons of Mary, who until that time had been
educated at Penango, were temporarily housed in 1912. A number of
Slovenes and Hungarians were educated with them8. However, during World
6 See P. SVOLJšAK, Slovenski begunci v Italiji med prvo svetovno vojno (I profughi Slo-
veni in Italia durante la Prima Guerra Mondiale), Ljubljana 1991.
7 See S. ZIMNIAK, Annotazioni sul problema del riconoscimento giuridico della Pia So-
cietà Salesiana nell’impero degli Asburgo, in RSS 11 (1992) 73-96; S. ZIMNIAK, Salesiani e
politica alla luce dei documenti concernenti il loro riconoscimento giuridico nell’impero
asburgico, in RSS 12 (1993) 263-373.
8 See B. KOLAR, Mednarodni znaèaj in naloge zavoda v Veržeju (1912-1919) (The inter-
national feature and role of the college at Veržej), in Èasopis za zgodovino in narodopisje 69 =
34 (1998) 41-54.

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In the footsteps of the teacher: The Salesian - 100 years in Slovenia 41901-2001) 333
War I, the majority of colleges were used by the army, so Salesian activities
were limited to a minimum. Because of their links with their superiors in
Italy, which was listed among the enemies of the Hapsburg Monarchy, they
were accused of anti-Austrian activities and a spy process was organized in
1916 in Ljubljana. After a few hearings, Fr. Pietro Tirone was pronounced in-
nocent.
Besides their educational work in colleges, the Salesians gave new be-
ginning to a list of other activities. Among them were: help to the traditional
pastoral work in the parishes, work for the spreading of religious practices di-
rected toward Mary (triduums, novenas, memory of the 24th of every month,
rosary), gatherings of the Salesian Cooperators for their usual meetings, mis-
sionary animation, and others. Their allegiance to their founder commanded
Salesians to be active in the field of the Catholic press. They started pub-
lishing the monthly Don Bosko (1904-1906) as the bulletin of the friends of
the Salesian college at Rakovnik. It was published in Ljubljana, and then con-
tinued as Salezijanska poročila (Salesian Bulletin, 1907-1915) that was
printed in Turin. It was interrupted by the war between Austria and Italy, that
also caused a complete interruption of the relations between the leaders of the
Salesian society in Turin and the communities on the Austrian side of the
front. The official bulletin of the Salesian community among the Slovenes
Salezijanski vestnik (Salesian Bulletin) reappeared in 1916. This time, it was
bi-monthly, published in Ljubljana and with its own editing office. Many
other publications, either translated or originally written by the Salesians
themselves, were published during the Austrian period. Some titles, printed
without ecclesiastical approbation and with a questionable theological ap-
proach of the themes, but inspired by the genuine popular religiosity, caused
an outraged reaction by the bishop of Ljubljana Anton B. Jeglič. In 1910, Don
Bosco’s prayer book Preskrbljeni mladenič (Il giovane provveduto) adapted
for the needs of the alumni of the Salesian college was published in
Slovenian9.
The Slovenian area was under the jurisdiction of the Provincial of
Venice until 1905, when the Austrian Province of “Guardian Angels” was es-
tablished, embracing all the colleges in the territory of the monarchy except
Trento, Gorizia, and Trieste. In 1911, Pietro Tirone was named the superior of
this Province; before then, he was the headmaster of the college at Rakovnik.
He could be regarded as the founder of Salesian work in the Austro-Hun-
garian Empire. Because of the many political changes after the end of World
9 The famous Don Bosco’s prayer book was published two years after the translation had
been prepared and after a few corrections had been introduced requested by bishop A. B. Je-
gliè. The book was translated and adapted by Josip Valjavec.

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334 Bogdan Kolar
War I, when the centuries-old Hapsburg Empire fell and several new states
came into existence, with religious communities adjusting to the new condi-
tions10. Strong national tensions, diversity of language, the distance between
colleges, and an aggravated relationship with the head administration in Turin
motivated the Provincial Pietro Tirone (Provincial since 1911) to propose a
division of the Austrian Province. Hence in 1919, two Provinces were estab-
lished: the German-Hungarian with its seat in Vienna and the Polish, which
included Yugoslavia and had its seat in Oœwiêcim. Pietro Tirone remained
the Provincial for the latter. In spite of the diversity of languages and ethnic
backgrounds of the members of the three colleges (Rakovnik, Radna, Veržej)
there were no remarkable tensions when World War I came to an end and new
boarders were established11. Also, the inhabitants of the places where the col-
leges were set up, admitted they had good relations with the Salesians even
though they were rather mistrustful in the beginning. That was particularly
the case at Veržej and its superior Aurelio Guadagnini who was contrary to
the moving of the aspirantate for the German’s sons of Mary from Penango to
Ver ej.
2. The Period of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes (from 1929, the Kingdom
of Yugoslavia) was established on December 1, 1918. Because the Royal
family Karadjordjeviæ was Orthodox, the Orthodox Church had ascendancy
in the country. Relations between the royalty and the Holy See were in the
process of being arranged from 1922 to 1935, when a concordat was signed;
however, it was not ratified by the parliament. During this time the Salesians
developed a variety of successful activities and became the largest religious
community in the Slovenian part of the monarchy. They opened new colleges
in Slovenia, namely: Ljubljana-Kodeljevo (1919), Murska Sobota (1924),
Razkri je (1928), Kapela (1932), Ljubljana-Selo (1936), and Celje (1938).
They also began to work in Croatia: the Zagreb archdiocesan seminary
(1922), Zagreb-Kne ija (1928), and Split (1936). Work began among
Catholics in diaspora: Uroševac (1938). In 1921, they accepted the adminis-
tration of the parish Veržej, which was the first parish under the administra-
10 See S. ZIMNIAK, Don Pietro Tirone Superiore dell’ispettoria austro-ungarica (1911-
1919), in RSS 9 (1990) 295-346.
11 See S. ZIMNIAK, Salesiani nella Mitteleuropa. Preistoria e storia della provincia
Austro-Ungarica della Società di S. Francesco di Sales (1868ca.-1919), (= Istituto Storico
Salesiano, Studi 10), Roma 1997.

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In the footsteps of the teacher: The Salesian - 100 years in Slovenia 41901-2001) 335
tion of Salesians in this part of Europe. In 1922, the Yugoslav Vice-Province
was established, and three years later it became an independent Province.
Pietro Tirone was the first visitor and then the first Provincial; he was fol-
lowed in 1926 by the Pole Stanislaw Pływaczyk. The Yugoslav Provincial Dr.
Francis Walland (Provincial from 1929 to 1936)12 was also the delegate for
Czechoslovakia until 1935, when a new Salesian province was founded
which included the colleges and parishes in that nation.
The Salesian presence and their activities were still deeply influenced by
the institutions, the ways of reacting and even of the models of behaviour that
were characteristic of the Italian cultural milieu. The system of religious for-
mation and that of schools, of daily prayers and of theological literature,
sometimes even ways of thinking and writing texts strongly echoed the atti-
tudes received during their presence in Italy. Youth organizations that were
introduced in the colleges were copied from the same cultural and religious
background. Actually, the Salesians were considered an Italian community
until the late 1930s, when with the Provincial Ivan ˇpan (Provincial from
1936 to 1954) started a process of accommodation. It was hardly carried out,
however, because of the beginning of World War II which changed the subse-
quent political situation in Slovenia.
All of the characteristic activities of Salesian institutions came to life. A
lower grammar school opened at Veržej for Salesian candidates only, then,
beginning in 1934, opened to others. A novitiate and upper grammar school
(philosophy) were opened in Radna. The college of Radna became a kind of
cradle for young Salesians from Slovenia, Croatia, and for a certain period
also from Czechoslovakia. The students of Radna had their own literary re-
view called Naše delo (Our Work). In both places, the schools were private
educational institutions, without public recognized certificates. Students,
therefore, had the duty to pass public school examinations at the end of each
school year. In 1929, a higher theological school was established at
Rakovnik. In spite of the lack of adequately prepared teachers, a rather poor
theological library, and the intense involvement of the students in the activi-
ties of the Oratory, the Provincial Dr. Franc Walland was successful in car-
rying out the main purposes of the theological formation of young Salesians.
For some subjects, the Salesians attended lectures at the Faculty of Theology
at the State University in Ljubljana13. Some professors prepared school texts
that gained a more wide spread acceptance in the ecclesiastical circles.
12 Dr. Francis Walland (1887-1975) completed the building of the church of Mary Help
of Christians at Rakovnik and gave a fresh impetus to the salesian press. He resigned in 1936.
See B. KOLAR, In memoriam III..., pp. 422-423.
13 See 75 let Univerze v Ljubljani. 75 let neprekinjenega delovanja Univerze v Ljubljani
1919-1994 (75 Years of the University of Ljubljana), Ljubljana 1994, pp. 96-100.

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336 Bogdan Kolar
Besides their primary work, every school had a Festive Oratory. The
Daily Oratory was the main mission of the Youth House at Kodeljevo, where
the Church of St.Theresa of the Child Jesus, patroness of missions, was built
in 1936 (but it was completed only after the 2nd Vatican Council). The Ora-
tory and youth center at Kodeljevo were founded with the support of the char-
itable organizations in Ljubljana immediately after World War I. This was in
order to offer to the families of war victims various kinds of welfare, and to
give the children a chance to finish their schooling and a place to spend their
leisure time. In the first post-war years, more than 500 orphans daily received
a warm meal. The official bulletin of the Kodeljevo Oratory was Naš oratorij
(Our Oratory) and Šah (Chess) of the sport section. A daily oratory was also
successfully operated at Rakovnik. With its sports, cultural, and social activi-
ties, it had become a model for all the other colleges in that time. The Oratory
at Rakovnik had a very strong impact on a large part of Ljubljana. Thanks to
a group of very enthusiastic Salesians who were in charge of hundreds of
young Christians in the Oratory, which was seen by many as their second
home, successfully developed their ecclesiastical consciousness and estab-
lished an adequate scale of values. From the Oratory at Rakovnik emerged a
few bulletins, with the longest running Rakovniški zvon (The Bell of
Rakovnik). Each Oratory had at least one musical band, a couple of football
teams, as well as many other athletic teams. In the years before World War II,
the main attraction of the Ljubljana sport public was when the football groups
Mladika (Kodeljevo) and Korotan (Rakovnik) met. Particular attention was
dedicated to the formation of numerous groups of altar boys, which were con-
sidered the best way as vocational recruitment. In 1938, a successful and well
greeted congress of altar boys from all colleges in the territory of the
Kingdom was organized. Life of the oratories had found an echo also in
Slovenian literature.
For the education of middle-school youth, boarding schools were oper-
ated in Murska Sobota and at Rakovnik. In Celje, a similar college was also
constructed, but it operated for only two years. According to the Salesian tra-
dition, boarding schools offered all the necessary conditions for successful in-
tellectual and spiritual growth, their main focus or objective expressed with
Don Bosco’s words: “Good Christians and honest citizens.” Occasional meet-
ings with the parents, special occasions being every month’s memorial of
Mary Help of Christians, contributed to the realization of integrated educa-
tional goals.
Vocational schools were successfully developed at Rakovnik (until
1935) and in Selo (1936-1945), where there also was an elementary school.
Since the school at Rakovnik did not have all the necessary school pro-
grammes and books being established at the very beginning of the new Yu-

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In the footsteps of the teacher: The Salesian - 100 years in Slovenia 41901-2001) 337
goslav state, it was up to its teachers to prepare the manuals and plans for car-
penters, tailors, and shoemakers. The school was dissolved by the anti-cler-
ical federal government in Belgrade in 193514. The correctional college for
juveniles at Selo was run by the Salesians according to the agreement be-
tween the Provincial government of Dravska Banovina and the Salesian
Province in Ljubljana. The facilities, offered by the school and set up for up
to 150 pupils, could have also been used for the candidates of the Salesian so-
ciety. The two professional schools were considered by the Salesian commu-
nity as well as by the public authorities as the most beautiful and the most
eloquent evidence of Don Bosco’s educational genius. Because of permanent
care for the new professional teachers, it was possible to follow the educa-
tional project planned by the Provincial Dr. Francis Walland in his Provincial
Costumary from 1933. That was, nevertheless, never approved by the supe-
rior council of the Salesian Congregation.
The Salesians strongly shaped public opinion through their own printing
press, founded in 1922, and the expansion of their publishing activities, as
well as supporting the local bishops in their pastoral plans. They edited the
monthly Salezijanski vestnik (Salesian Bulletin) as well as Mala Cvetka
(Little Flower) a monthly bulletin at the church of Kodeljevo. Every two
weeks, beginning in 1931, they also published Knjižice (Booklets - Letture
Cattoliche), that dealt with current questions in a more comprehensive
manner. After a couple of years as a supplement to the Salezijanski vestnik,
the booklets were published bi-weekly as an independent publication starting
in 1933. More than 240 titles were published until May 1945. For the promo-
tion of religious life among the faithful, a series of biographies was estab-
lished, the first one being the biography of St. Francis de Sales in 1922. In
1938, they opened their own bookstore and stationery store, where religious
material was available. And as part of a service to the Church, they supplied
the Slovenian market with literature for sermons and with catechetical hand-
books. Salesian publications and their fidelity to the teaching of the Church,
particularly regarding the Church’s attitude towards the communist movement,
were among the principal reasons for the strong reaction against Salesians by
the revolutionary forces that took power in Slovenia after World War II15.
Two features which had the most impact on the Salesian place in the
local Church were: their interest in missions and their devotion to the Virgin
14 See B. KOLAR, Le attività a carattere rieducativo e correzionale dei salesiani tra gli
sloveni (1901-1945), in F. MOTTO (a cura di), Insediamenti e iniziative salesiane dopo Don
Bosco..., pp. 395-408.
15 Besides the Salesians, the Jesuits and Lazarists were considered spies of the Vatican
and because of their the so called counter-revolutionary activities banned from the public life.

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338 Bogdan Kolar
Mary. Many Salesians decided to go to the missions and, some of them, to
serve Slovenes abroad. A special bulletin called Marijin sklad (Marian funds)
was published to encourage missionary benefactors. Before World War II, the
Salesians had the largest number of mssionaries among the religious orders in
Slovenia, having a strong missionary impact on the local Church at large and
the Salesian community in particular with their printing activities, various
manifestations, and with the missionary museum at the college of Rakovnik.
The work for the missionary vocations, realized by Fr. Jožef Radoha, who
acted in full harmony with the Rector Major Blessed Filippo Rinaldi, is still
to be evaluated. However, starting in 1925 he sent to various colleges in Italy,
established for the formation of future missionaries, 76 boys, 39 of them be-
came priests and worked in different parts of the world16. The region of Prek-
murje with a rich religious tradition and solid family life became the most fer-
tile field for the spiritual vocations of the whole Slovenian region with many
of them becoming Salesians, regardless of the promise, made by the first
rector of the college Martinišče in Murska Sobota, that the Salesians would
not work for their own vocations.
The other characteristic feature of the Salesians in Slovenia was their
genuine devotion to Mary Help of Christians17. The sanctuary at Rakovnik,
dedicated in 1924 and in the following years brought to its completion had
become the very centre for all their activities. Also every Salesian college be-
came a center of the devotion to Mary Help of Christians. Every 24th of the
month was a special occasion for the meeting of Marian devotees, special re-
ligious practices were set up in those days, and there was a kind of competi-
tion among Salesians to have speeches to honor the Mother of God. A series
of books was prepared to promote that element of Salesian spirituality.
Among the most popular religious practices was the ‘novena’ in honor of
Mary Help of Christians. The attention of everyday life after Easter was fo-
cused on the month of May with the liturgical feast, during which all groups
of the alumni took part in the celebration. Thousands of pilgrims, from all re-
gions of Slovenija came to Rakovnik to celebrate. If we repeat the assertion
of a well known Slovenian scholar, it was the devotion to Mary that made the
Salesians so well known and influential among the Slovenes.
In 1936, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians settled in Slovenia; at
first they worked together with the Salesians in the office of the provincial
educational college at Selo near Ljubljana. Then in 1939, they opened their
16 See M. RASSIGA, Don Andrea Majcen, missionario salesiano in Cina e Vietnam, Lju-
bljana 1989.
17 See F. WALLAND, Cenni storici sul culto di Maria SS. Ausiliatrice tra gli Sloveni, pre-
pared for the Marian exhibition in Turin, Italy, 1920.

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In the footsteps of the teacher: The Salesian - 100 years in Slovenia 41901-2001) 339
own school, also a youth home, a pre-school, and a boarding school for
girls18. A group of the sisters was already engaged in the missionary work in
various parts of the world. The Salesian past pupils were also provided with a
form of organization, even though their organization had never reached a very
stable or efficient form. For a short time, they had their proper bulletin called
Vez med brati (Link Between Brothers). Salesian Cooperators were organized
for every Salesian house. They were offered many ways of practical religious
exercises. Jožef Valjavec19 wrote a very succesful (and among the cooperators
appreciated) book as their spiritual vademecum Duhovne vaje (Spiritual Ex-
ercises), printed in a few editions.
3. The Period of Communist Yugoslavia
On April 6, 1941, Yugoslavia entered World War II. The Slovenian terri-
tory was occupied by the forces of three countries: the Hungarians occupied
Prekmurje; the Germans, Gorenjska and ˇtajerska; and the Italians, Ljubljana
and the western part of Slovenia20. In the German occupation area all the
Salesian colleges were confiscated, and the confreres and pupils were ex-
pelled. The college in Murska Sobota was attached to the Hungarian
Province. The majority of the members of the Congregation took recourse in
the Italian Province of Ljubljana, where there were many other refugees. In
the Italian occupied area all the colleges retained their own property, and they
still performed their own duties; the publishing of books, however, was re-
duced due to the fact that it was no longer possible to ship to the German
area. For the novices, a new college was opened in Škrljevo near Šentrupert,
and for the young brothers a manor in Lisičje near Škofljica was rented by the
Province. As the end of the war neared, violence increased and was led and
organized by the Communist Party itself. However, as early as 1941 the first
victims began to fall. Many priests and seminarians were killed. On the
grounds of accusations of cooperation with partisans many were sent to con-
centration camps. Through the efforts of the chief catechist Pietro Tirone,
some Slovenian priests whom the Italian authorities accused of cooperating
with partisans were interned in the Italian Salesian colleges. Some Salesians
18 See M. SECCO, Stabilita sulla roccia. Suor Luisa Domajnko FMA (1897-1970), Roma
1991.
19 Jožef Valjavec (1879-1959) was one of the most popular Salesian writers, publisher,
and preacher. He was also well known for his dictionaries. See B. KOLAR, In memoriam III...,
pp. 406-407.
20 See J. A. ARNEZ, Slovenia in European Affairs. Reflections on Slovenian Political Hi-
story, New York-Washington 1958.

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340 Bogdan Kolar
were dedicated to the organization of aid to exiles and refugees in Serbia and
Italy; an office for refugees was opened at the college at Rakovnik, where
they collected materials to aid the exiles. Because of the activity of some of
the priests, the college at Rakovnik was proclaimed a focal point of anti-com-
munism. Simultaneously with a war of liberation, the Communist Party of
Yugoslavia carried out a socialist revolution, and a component part of it was a
negative relationship with religion and everything regarding faith. The
Church, including many Salesians, was accused of cooperating with the occu-
piers, and hence began many judicial proceedings with the main intention of
confiscating Church property. Because of threats of revenge on all opponents,
about ninety Salesians left Slovenia at the end of the war and went to Austria
and Italy21. More than 20 of those who took refuge in Austria (along with
other refugees) in the English occupation area of Austria were returned to Yu-
goslavia and afterwards killed.
Because the Catholic Church in Slovenia remained the only organized
institution outside the influence of the Communist Party, it was constantly
under many of the pressures and repressive measures of the system22. Even
though the main lead of the bishops and the religious superiors in Slovenija
throughout the communist era was that they should avoid any confrontation
with the regime, there was always enough reason for the authorities to tie up
the Church’s presence. All of the property of the Salesian congregation that
exceeded 10 hectares was nationalized. Colleges confiscated by the Germans
(Radna, Veržej, Murska Sobota, Kapela, Celje) were also seized by the new
authority. Still others which were not seized during the war were also confis-
cated (Ljubljana-Kodeljevo, Rakovnik). The church in Kodeljevo was
changed into a military warehouse and the college into a prison for German
war prisoners. If a Salesian was tried and then condemned (and if the primary
reason was because he was a supposed betrayer of his country and had collab-
oration with the forces of occupation) he was given a concurrent sentence, i.e.
the property of the college where he lived was confiscated as his private pos-
session. The Slovenian government that emerged in May 1945 had a very
clear intention to suppress the religious orders and communities what could
be considered as a beginning step in the process of dechristianization of the
country. The Church as such, actually, was regarded as an institution of reac-
tion and of counterrevolution23.
21 J. A. ARNEZ, Slovenski tisk v begunskih taboriščih v Avstriji 1945-1949 (The Slovenian
Press in the DP camps in Austria 1945-1949), Ljubljana-Washington 1999.
22 See Cerkev na Slovenskem v 20. stoletju (The Church in Slovenia in 20th Century),
Ljubljana 2002.
23 See D. DRNOVSEK, Zapisniki Politbiroja CK KPS/ZKS 1945-1954 (Records of the Po-

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In the footsteps of the teacher: The Salesian - 100 years in Slovenia 41901-2001) 341
The printing press at Rakovnik was confiscated and shipped to Skopje,
Macedonia, where it was used as a military printing press. The printing ac-
tivity was taken completely under the control of the revolutionary forces, put
in the service of the new order and subjected to the rigid control of the Com-
munist Party. Knjižice (Booklets, Letture Cattoliche) which were well known
for their anti-communist attitude before and during World War II were put on
the list of prohibited literature and not allowed to be seen in the hands of the
faithful. In the complex of the church at Rakovnik, there remained only a
couple of rooms, and in 1947 the seminarians had to go to the diocesan semi-
nary in Ljubljana24. At first, a public school was founded in the college, then
the building was changed afterwards into a military warehouse and finally, in
the 1960’s, it became a textile factory. Only in 2000 the college at Rakovnik
was returned to the Salesians but in such bad condition that a complete
restoration of the college had to be undertaken.
In the years immediately after World War II, many parishes were
without priests, so in response bishops offered them to the Salesians as re-
placements; hence they began to be included in diocesan pastoral activities.
At its peak there were over 40 parishes under the administration of the
Province; for Salesians in Slovenia this was the only way they could survive.
Following the demands of the bishops in the southern parts of Yugoslavia,
commonly called ‘diaspora’, a few Salesians from Slovenija moved there and
concerned themselves primarily with parish work, thus founding new centres
for Christian life. The possibilities of community life were very limited. In
order to retain at least some of the characteristics of Salesian activity and to
keep Salesian identity so that it would not be completely lost, the Provincial
chapter prepared Smernice za salezijansko življenje po župnijah (Guidelines
for Salesian life in parishes) (confirmed 1958) in which the Provincial Jakob
Augustin (Provincial from 1954 to 1964)25 outlined the fundamental features
of Salesian work in parishes. In 1959, after 25 years, a member of the highest
administration of the congregation visited Yugoslavia once more. This was
the Prefect General Fr. Albino Fedrigotti, who conducted an extraordinary
canonical visitation and withthe exception of the houses in Serbia, visited all
the communities in Croatia and Slovenia. However, upon his return the police
at the border confiscated all of his records. The Association of the patriotic
litburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Slovenia and the Executive Com-
mittee of the League of Communists of Slovenia 1945-1954), Ljubljana 2000.
24 See V prelomnih časih. Rezultati mednarodne raziskave Aufbruch (1995-2000).
Cerkev na Slovenskem v èasu komunizma in po njem (1945-2000) (Kirche im Aufbruch. The
Church in Slovenia during the Communism and after it. 1995-2000), Ljubljana 2001.
25 Fr. Augustin Jakob (1912-1990) contributed an essential part to the process of accomo-
dation of the Salesian Congregation during the communist period in Slovenia. He was also

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342 Bogdan Kolar
priest, organized by the Slovenian secret police, which claimed to be the rep-
resentation of the Slovenian clergy, did not get much support from Salesians,
in spite of the fact that many privileges were offered.
After many difficult years, about 1955, some possibilities of specialized
work with pastors were offered. The Salesians began to assume the leadership
of parish missions and in this area achieved great progress. They prepared
many manuals regarding the method of these missions and were members of
the church working bodies that planned pastoral activities. After 1955, they
began to prepare catechetical aids, from the writing of catechesis and com-
piling catechisms to the making of color films, which they translated from
Italian and then duplicated. Franc Mihelči č (1925-1978) and Vinko Furlan
(1911-1997) pioneered the efforts in this area. In 1963, the first Salesian cate-
chetical center was established. In that same year the first meeting for altar
boys was organized, where they celebrated the name day of St. Dominic
Savio and had a social get-together. The work for altar boys remained the
same until the year 2000. They provided a great deal of help to priests
through the preparation of sermon guidebooks published separately or as the
sermon journal Sejavec (Sower)26. In 1963, Dr. Valter Dermota (1915-1994)
returned to Slovenia and in the next ten years became the central figure in-
volved with catechetical work here. Besides taking over the lectures for this
subject at the Theological Faculty, he was in charge of qualifying catechetical
teachers, translating official documents, and putting together textbooks. He
was a member of some working bodies of specialists at the Yugoslav Bishops
Conference and an adviser to the Vatican institutions. He oriented the Sale-
sians toward an increased engagement in the catechetical field, the prepara-
tion of catechisms, and the introduction of catechism classes for youth27.
Communities of young priests were established which offered expert help to
pastors and took over the preparation of the meetings of various groups. In
1963, the Salesians began to organize retreats for youth and to help them with
vocational decisions. That could be considered a beginning of the qualified
youth pastoral in the Slovenian local Church after the end of World War II.
After 1948, there were no longer Salesian educational institutions in
Slovenia. Salesian aspirants, novices, and young confreres were educated and
introduced into the congregation in Croatia, where there were more possibili-
ties for their activity. In the course of some years colleges were opened in Ri-
among the first Slovene priest allowed to leave the country and to get in touch with the supe-
riors in Italy. See B. KOLAR, In memoriam III..., pp. 120-121.
26 See B. KOLAR, Predicatori sloveni, in Dizionario di omilettica, Torino 1998, pp. 1194-
1198.
27 See Men of Achievement 1984, vol. 10, Cambridge 1984, pp. 251-252. His particular

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In the footsteps of the teacher: The Salesian - 100 years in Slovenia 41901-2001) 343
jeka, in Križevci, in Zadar, and in Zagreb. The students of theology attended
the lectures at the Faculty of Theology in Ljubljana, which in 1952, was ex-
cluded from the University of Ljubljana but was given the status of a Papal
educational institution28. For the entire period during World War II and after,
a special Provincial delegate was named for the Croatian region and two ad-
visers from Croatia were on the Provincial council. Slovenes were active in
the colleges in Croatia and in the diaspora in the south of Yugoslavia; here
they took over a large number of parishes and helped in the organization of
church communities. The work among the dispersed Catholic community was
perceived as an original contribution to the conservation of the Catholic pres-
ence in that region. In the archdiocese of Belgrade Salesians were closed col-
laborators of the Archbishops in the leadership of the local Church. Since
1965 the Salesians of the Ljubljana Province have been involved in the pas-
toral activities among the Hungarian faithful in the Province of Vojvodina,
Serbia.
Those who went abroad were first with refugees in the refugee camps,
and among them they organized authentic Salesian activities (youth houses,
printing press, religious life), then they accompanied the refugees to their new
countries29. For the Salesians that fled Slovenia and made their first stop in
Austria, it was a part of their legacy to take care of the refugees that repudi-
ated the new social order adopted in Slovenia, a new community was orga-
nized under the patron saint Hildegarde30. Afterwards eighteen of the Sale-
sians went to the USA; a few went to Argentina31, some to Spain, and some
went to the missions. A new field of activity was offered to the Salesians after
1956 in the Austrian Province of Koroška (Kaernten), where there was a
strong Slovenian minority. There they were invited to take over the boarding
house (property of the St. Hermagoras Confraternity) for the Slovenian High
School students. Dr. Franc Cigan, who was made director of the community,
then developed a large set of musical activities. He was teaching in the High
School; he collected the rich musical cultural heritage among the population;
he also guided various choirs and finally organized a school for church organ-
contribution to the salesian life in Slovenia was a translation of a few basic texts into Slovene,
among them he translated 18 volumes of the Biographical Memoirs of St. John Bosco.
28 It was an eloquent expression of the revolutionary arrogance towards the Catholic
Church that the Faculty of Theology was excluded from the University on a non-existent day,
i.e. June 31, 1952.
29 See Slovenians in Canada, Hamilton, Ontario 1984.
30 See R. ŠVENT, Slovensko begunsko šolstvo po letu 1945 (Slovenian Refugee Schools
after 1945), in Šolska kronika – Zbornik za zgodovino šolstva in vzgoje 6-XXX-1997, Lju-
bljana 1997, pp. 61-77.
31 See Življenje in delo Slovencev v Argentini (po letu 1945) (Vida y obra de los Eslo-
venos en la Argentina desde 1945), Ljubljana-Washington 1994.

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344 Bogdan Kolar
ists. The Slovenian Salesians were in charge of the boarding house, which in
1984 moved to the Modestov dom (Modestusheim), until 1991. By the end of
1945 a group of Slovenian Salesians settled in Turin, where some of them
carried out their theologial studies and others were appointed to various du-
ties at the Salesian colleges. At that same time, Anton Vode founded a simple
bulletin called Naše delo (Our Work) which later on became an important link
among the Slovenian Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians
who moved to various parts of the world. It was published between the years
1945 and 1978, until Anton Vode (1904-1978) passed away.
The conditions became better for the Church after 1966 when the Bel-
grade Protocol was signed and a relationship between the Holy See and Yu-
goslavia was restored. The same year a novitiate was established in Želimlje,
where in the years that followed the central Salesian educational college with
a religious high school was established through a great deal of international
assistance and the efforts of Provincial Martin Jurčak (Provincial from 1964
to 1970)32. The high school had, according to the Slovenian Constitution and
the common Yugoslav legislation, the right to register only those students
who expressed an intention to become priests or members of a religious order.
Since it was not part of the public school system the students had to take
exams in the public schools at the end of each school year. The college in Že-
limlje was available for various gatherings, from retreats for altar boys to cat-
echetical meetings and study days for priests. In 1970, the Croatian Vice-
Province was established, which in 1972 developed into the independent
Province of St. John Bosco with its seat in Zagreb.
4. A New Beginning
In the eighties, soon after the death of Tito (1980), there were already
some signs suggesting significant political changes in which demands were
voiced for more political freedom and the end of the one-party system. With
the process of democratization and the enforcement of human rights, which
quickly developed after the proclamation of the sovereignty of Slovenia
(1991), we can speak about new beginnings in the life of the Church and the
Salesian congregation. New possibilities for Salesian work opened up, how-
ever, in the period of transition, their work was slowed down and made more
difficult. The passage of the law on denationalization (1991) was to have cor-
32 Martin Jurčak (1907-2002) was arrested in December 1945, condemned to death and
then amnestied. He spent eight years in prison.

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In the footsteps of the teacher: The Salesian - 100 years in Slovenia 41901-2001) 345
rected the wrongs that were done to individuals and legal entities at the time
of the revolution. Systematic obstructions to the implementation of the law
caused numerous complications, expenses, and incapacities regarding the
Salesians full engagement in their work. The Salesians were returned their
colleges in Veržej, Celje and Rakovnik. The remaining colleges have still not
and will not be returned; instead the state has issued bonds from the indem-
nity fund as compensation.
Under the new circumstances, the Salesian congregation began with var-
ious activities that had become their original contribution to the life of the
Church in Slovenia. In 1991, the first private Catholic high school in Slovenia
(Želimlje) was opened; the school’s founding act was adopted on April 23,
1991. The premises that had been previously set up for the small seminary
was enlarged, modernized, and new facilities were added. The construction
works that had been going on since 1994 were concluded in the 1999-2000
academic year. The school was intended to show the actuality of Church
teaching in the field of education and schooling that would bring long-term
effects to Slovenian society and, at the same time, improve the Church’s place
in educational work33. The inauguration of the school had placed the Sale-
sians among religious orders that were bound to this kind of pastoral activi-
ties. Since then the school and boarding house in Želimlje (which compre-
hends also a school of music and a family retreat center) has constituted the
core of the Salesian presence in Slovenia.
Great growth occurred in the area of media and the preparation of cate-
chetical resources after 1980, when the Catechetical Center was opened with
a specialized library as well as a team of members in the Community of the
Good Shepherd. Then in 1995 the publishing house Salve was established,
which had been active in the areas of publishing, preparing audio-visual aids,
and merchandizing. Taken in its historical perspective, this kind of activity
carries on the efforts that have become characteristic for the Salesians in
Slovenia from the mid 1950’s and on.
The Salesians began to carry out fresh work in the area of ministering to
youth. Two institutions were established which offered a new form of work
for youth: the college Janez Smrekar and the Youth Guild. The former orga-
nizes activities for young people who interrupted their formal education and
are trying to pursue their vocational formation and to enter responsibly into
the world of work. It runs also a project called Skala (A Rock) meant for
youth on the streets in bigger cities. The Youth Guild, on the other hand, of-
33 “In the words of Dr. Alojzij Šuštar, archbishop of Ljubljana and Slovenian metropo-
litan, it is a ‘living monument to the year in which we gained independence’”. See Letno
poročilo 1999-2000 (Annual Report), Želimlje 2000, p. 7.

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346 Bogdan Kolar
fers a variety of professional help in the field of organizing meetings, profes-
sional formation for collaborators and covers legal questions for the whole
area of the Salesian youth ministry. Cooperation began with the movement of
Salesian Sports for Youth (PGS), where Slovenian Christian youth was pro-
vided with the possibility of participating with sports groups from other coun-
tries34. For the formation of parish co-workers, a special project has already
been operating since 1985 – the school for animators, led by Jože Vidic. Reg-
ular courses are organized every year during summer holidays at Uskovnica.
The Salesian movement, which introduced new possibilities of coopera-
tion on behalf of work for youth, was strengthened. Regarding the members
of the Salesian family, the past pupils of Don Bosco were organized anew.
The Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, who obtained their own Province
in 1993, engaged intensively in catechetical work and took over new forms of
working with youth (retreats, kindergartens, providing for the Papal Nuncio
in Slovenia). After 1979, groups of Don Bosco volunteers were started in
Slovenia. Several groups of young cooperators were established as well as the
Association of Devotees of Mary Help of Christians. In 1993, the Apostole
della Sacra Famiglia were first introduced in Slovenia. Members of the
Province Sts. Cyril and Methodius are still found among Slovenes in Italy and
Austria (Opčine/Villa Opicina and Celovec/Klagenfurt) and elsewhere
(Hamilton, Canada)35. Slovene Salesians still have a consciousness of the
missions (10 percent of them are in the missions). They are also involved in
the beginnings of Salesian work in Albania. Collaboration with other reli-
gious communities developed new and rich lines of activity (courses in
common formation for Novices, common projects, St. Anna funds); and that
with Church institutions resulted in cooperation with bishops, participation in
the Theological Faculty and in catechetical-pastoral courses. Two members of
the Ljubljana Salesian community became leaders of local Churches: Arch-
bishop Msgr. Zef Gashi in Bar (Montenegro) and Archbishop Msgr. Stanislav
Hočevar in Belgrade (Serbia). The central focus of veneration of Mary Help
of Christians is still at the church at Rakovnik, but there are also other places
where local associations of her devotees gather (Celje, Veržej, Murska
Sobota).
34 In 1993, the 4th European Salesian Sports meeting was organized in Ljubljana, the
first meeting of that kind in the new Republic of Slovenia.
35 See Slovenska cerkev sv. Gregorija Velikega (St. Gregory the Great Slovenian
Church), Hamilton, Ontario, 1982.