2-A.-Lenti-The-Most-Wonderful-Day-of-My-Life-The-Sesquicentennial-of-Don-Bosco-s-Ordination-Remembered%281991%29 :: Salesian history

Expand document

Collapse document

2-A.-Lenti-The-Most-Wonderful-Day-of-My-Life-The-Sesquicentennial-of-Don-Bosco-s-Ordination-Remembered%281991%29

1 Pages 1-10

1.1 Page 1

1.2 Page 2

1.3 Page 3

1.4 Page 4

1.5 Page 5

1.6 Page 6

1.7 Page 7

1.8 Page 8

1.9 Page 9

1.10 Page 10

2 Pages 11-20

2.1 Page 11

2.2 Page 12

2.3 Page 13

2.4 Page 14

2.5 Page 15

2.6 Page 16

2.7 Page 17

2.8 Page 18

2.9 Page 19

2.10 Page 20

3 Pages 21-30

3.1 Page 21

3.2 Page 22

3.3 Page 23

3.4 Page 24

3.5 Page 25

3.6 Page 26

3.7 Page 27

3.8 Page 28

3.9 Page 29

3.10 Page 30

4 Pages 31-40

4.1 Page 31

4.2 Page 32

4.3 Page 33

4.4 Page 34

4.5 Page 35

2-A.-Lenti-The-Most-Wonderful-Day-of-My-Life-The-Sesquicentennial-of-Don-Bosco-s-Ordination-Remembered%281991%29

1 Pages 1-10

▲back to top

1.1 Page 1

▲back to top

"The Most Wonderful Day

of My Life"-

Sesquicentennial of Don

Bosco's Priestly Ordination

(1841-1991)

Arthur Lentl, SOB

Introduction

The opening lines of Don Bosco's Spiritual Testament read as follows:

I began my spiritual retreat [preparatory to priestly ordination]

in the [retreat] house of the [Vincenlian Priests of the]

Mission, on the feast of St. Philip Neri, May 26, 1841.

Priestly ordination was conferred by our archbishop, Louis

Fransoni, at the archbishop's residence on June 5, that same

year.

1.2 Page 2

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

First Mass was said in [the church of] St. Francis of Assisi

on June 6, Trinity Sunday, with the assistance of my signal

benefactor and director, Fr. Joseph Cafasso from Castelnuovo

d'Asti.1

By these simple words, written in his old age in what began as

Memoirs but quickly became a Spiritual Testament, Don Bosco points to his

priesthood as to the all important milestone and starting point from which the

spiritual journey of a Founder's lifetime might be retraced.

This paper will survey that period in Don Bosco's life that saw him

ordained a priest. It will not be a study of Don Bosco the priest. At the risk of

turning into an archaeological exercise, or of sounding like a travelogue cum

calendar combined, it will only attempt to assemble facts and dates relating to

the historical circumstances of Don Bosco's ordination. True, it will also

'indulge' in some reflection on the spiritual values arising out of Don Bosco's

recollections of that momentous occasion. The aim of this study, however, is

modest enough-it is simply that of remembering an anniversary.

In a brief chapter of his Memoirs, written some ten years before the

Spiritual Testament, Don Bosco had likewise written of his ordination-

speaking also of the orders that preceded the conferral of the priesthood.

1 Francesco Motto, Memorie dal 1841 al 1884-5-6 pel Sac. Gio. Bosco a'

suoi figliuoli salesiani (Testamento Spirituale) (Piccola Biblioteca dell'ISS, 4).

Roma: LAS, 1985 (henceforth cited as Motto-TS), p. 20.

This is a critical edition of Don Bosco's manuscript in Archivio Salesiano

Centrale (henceforth cited as ASC) 132: Quaderni-Taccuini 6, cf. Fondo Don Bosco

Microfiches (henceforth cited as Micro) 748 D6-750 El.

Don Bosco began jotting down these notes in early 1884 and continued at

intervals through 1886 [cf. Motto-TS, lOf.]. The initial pages have the appearance of

a 'memoir' and record scanty data and personal souvenirs. Almost at once, however,

the writing changes to exhortation and advice in a testamentary style. Hence the

designation 'Spiritual Testament.' From the title (Memorie [...]), from the fact that

initially years are noted (1841: p. 3, Micro 746 D7; 1842: p. 7, Micro 746 Dll;

1845, struck through: p. 9, Micro 746 El), and from the fact that the first few pages

deal with the beginning of Don Bosco's priestly life, it has been thought that the

work may have been at first conceived as an autobiographical piece of writing to

serve as a complement and a sequel to the earlier writing, Memoirs of the Oratory. It

should be noted, however, that even the first few pages are wholly personal and

contain no reference to Don Bosco's early apostolate.

1.3 Page 3

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

The year Comollo died (1839), my third of theology, I received

the tonsure and the four minor orders. With that behind me, I

got the idea of attempting something, permission for which

was seldom obtained-to do a year's theology during my

holidays. [...] [Archbishop Fransoni] granted the favor I was

asking. [...] In two months of study I worked through the

prescribed treatises, and was admitted to the subdiaconate at the

ordinations of the autumn Ember Days. [...] I made a ten day

spiritual retreat at the House of the [Vicentian priests of the]

Mission in Turin. [...] On my return to the seminary I was

enrolled in the fifth year of theology [...]. On Sitientes

Saturday of 1841 I received the diaconate. At the summer

Ember Days I would be ordained a priest. [...] My priestly

ordination took place on the vigil of the feast of the Holy

Trinity.2

Ordinations were by ancient custom conferred on one of the seasonal

liturgical and penitential days called Ember Days.3 They were also held on other

2 Giovanni Bosco, Memorie dell'Oratorio di San Francesco di Sales dal

1815 al 1855. /nJroduzione, rwte e testo critico a cura di Antonio da Silva Ferreira

(lstituto Storico Salesiano - Roma, Fonti - Serie prirna, 4). Roma: LAS, 1991

(henceforth cited as MO-daSilva), p. 108ff.

This is a critical edition of manuscripts in ASC A 222: Oratorio, original by

Don Bosco, Micro 57 Al-60 A2 (henceforth cited as MO-DB) and transcription by

Fr. Joachim Berto, corrected by Don Bosco, Micro 60 A3 -63 C8 (henceforth cited as

MO-Berto). In spite of unanswered questions, most of MO-DB may be dated between

1873 and 1875, and most of MO-Berto before 1879. For details, cf. MO-daSilva,

18ff. and Francis Desramaut, Les Memorie I de Giovanni Battista Lemoyne. Etude d'un

ouvrage fondamenJale sur la jeunesse de SainJ Jean Bosco. Lyon: Maison d'Etudes

Saint-Jean Bosco, 1962 (henceforth cited as Desramaut-Mem I), p. 119ff.

MO-daSilva replaces the earlier S. Giovanni Bosco, Memorie dell' Oratorio

di S. Francesco di Sales dal 1815 al 1855, [ed. E. Ceria]. Torino: SEI, [1946]

(henceforth cited as MO-Ceria), whose introduction and notes are still valuable.

English translation based on the MO-Ceria text: Memoirs of the Oratory of

Saint Francis de Sales from 1815 to 1855: The Autobiography of Saint John Bosco,

tr. by Daniel Lyons, with notes and commentary by Eugenio Ceria, SDB, Lawrence

Castelvecchi, SDB, and Michael Mend!, SDB . New Rochelle, N.Y.: Don Bosco

Publications, 1989 (henceforth cited as MO-En), p. 165f.

3 These were twelve days distributed in four triads (Wednesday, Friday and

Saturday), one for each season of the year. The winter Ember Days were observed after

the third Sunday of Advent; the spring Ember Days, after the first Sunday of Lent; the

1.4 Page 4

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

liturgical days, such as Sitientes Saturday (the Saturday after the fourth Sunday

of Lent, Laetare Sunday).4

As will be further specified below John Bosco received the tonsure, and

minor and major orders as follows:5

(1) Tonsure and the four minor orders (porter, lector, exorcist and

acolyte), on Laetare Sunday, March 29, 1840 (or on Sitientes Saturday, April

4?);

(2) Subdiaconate, on autumn Ember Saturday, September 19, 1840;

(3) Diaconate, on Sitientes Saturday, March 27, 1841; and

(4) Priesthood, on summer Ember Saturday, June 5, 1841.

John Bosco received all his orders in Turin at the hand of Archbishop

Fransoni.6 This prelate held ordinations, not in the cathedral, but (for political

reasons) in the archiepiscopal chapel, that is, the church of the Immaculate

Conception attached to the archbishop's palace.7

summer Ember Days, after Pentecost Sunday; and the autumn Ember Days, after the

feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14).

4 The names Sitientes and Laetare derive from the opening words of the

entrance chant of the liturgy of the day, words taken respectively from Isaiah 55, 1

("All you who are thirsty [sitientes], come to the water"), and Isaiah 66, IO ("Rejoice

[Laetare] with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her").

5 This may be determined from the passages of Don Bosco's Spiritual

Testament and Memoirs of the Oratory, mentioned above, and from seminary records

to be referred to below), with the use of chronographic manuals [cf. e.g. A. Cappelli,

Cronologia, Cronografia e Calendario Perpetuo [ ...].Milano: Ulrico Hoepli, 1930, p.

54f., 76f., 92f.] .

6 Louis (Marquis) Fransoni (1789-1862), was a scion of Genoese nobility.

The family suffered exile during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period

until the Restoration in 1814. After an uneven education he was ordained a priest and

consecrated bishop in 1821 at 32 years of age. In 1832 he was appointed to succeed

Archbishop Chiaveroti in Turin. As the liberal revolution was gathering momentum

in the 1830s and early 1840s, he maintained an uneasy peace with the government.

The break and confrontation with the liberal movement and reforms came in the later

forties and was finalized with his imprisonment and exile, first in 1848 and

definitively in 1850. He 'governed' the archdiocese from his exile in Lyons, France,

until his death in 1862. All of Don Bosco's seminary and priestly formation took

place under Archbishop Fransoni, who remained Don Bosco's personal friend and

supporter [cf. Sussidi 2: Dizionarietto. Alcune situazioni, istituzioni e personaggi

dell' ambiente in cui visse Don Bosco. Roma: Dicastero per la Formazione (pro

manuscripto), 1988 [henceforth cited as Sussidi 2], p. 270-274).

7 These premises had been built by the Vincentians shortly after their

community was established in Turin in 1655. When the Jesuits were suppressed by

1.5 Page 5

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

Ordinations were preceded by a ten-day spiritual retreat. Candidates from

the three diocesan seminaries made their spiritual retreat in Turin at the 'House

of the Mission,' as Don Bosco tells us.8 This was a retreat house run by the

Vincentians, or Priests of the Mission, the society founded by St. Vincent de

Paul. Archbishop Columban Chiaveroti had especially entrusted to them the

preparation of priestly candidates.9 For this purpose, in 1830, he had given over

to them the former convent and church of the Visitation. Under the leadership of

the distinguished Vincentian Superior, Fr. Mark Anthony Durando, who

remained for many years a major influence in the Church of Turin, the premises

were enlarged, and a vigorous retreat program established. IO

Pope Clement XIV (1773), the Vincentians replaced them at the church of the Holy

Martyrs. Thus it was that in 1777 their house was assigned to the archbishop as his

official residence, and the church of the Immaculate Conception became the

e archbishop's private chapel [cf. Aldo Giraudo and Giuseppe Biancardi, Qui vissuto

Don Bosco: ltinerari storico-geografici e spirituali. Leumann (Torino): Editrice Elle

Di Ci, 1988 (henceforth cited as Giraudo-B}, p. 126f].

8 Cf. Motto-TS, 20.

9 Cf. Giraudo-B, 123f.

Columban Chiaveroti (1754-1831), a highly educated Turinese, became a

monk at Camaldoli at the age of 22, and lived on at the hermitage through the

Napoleonic period and the suppression of religious orders. Subsequently, in 1817, at

the age of 63, he was consecrated bishop and almost immediately (1818) appointed

archbishop of Turin. On the religious front, his tenure was marked by theological

controversy involving the faculties of the university and the seminary, as well as the

priests of the Convitto; and on the socio-political front, by revolutionary

movements. His pastoral action and writings show him as adamantly conservative

[cf. Sussidi 2, 252-255).

10 The community of the Visitation (the order of nuns founded by St.

Francis de Sales) had been established in Turin in 1638 by St. Jeanne de Chantal

herself. The lovely church of the Visitation was built some thirty years later. The

convent was suppressed under Napoleon in 1801; and when the community returned it

was settled in another location [cf. Giraudo-B, 123, 126).

1.6 Page 6

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

Part I : The Preparation

The Seminary

To prepare himself for the priesthood John Bosco had entered the

seminary of Chieri in 1835, where he spent "six happy years".11

In choosing the seminary John chose the safest and most conservative

way of priestly formation. For the seminary was not the only way in which a

candidate could study for the priesthood. There was first of all the theological

faculty at the university in Turin. A candidate who studied for the priesthood in

this way would normally be a resident of Turin and live at home or in lodgings

while attending classes at the university; but he would also belong to one of

three 'clerical communities' set up in designated parishes. There he would receive

priestly formation and be involved in religious services and some pastoral

ministry. Secondly, the institution of the 'non-resident seminary' [chiericato

esterno] enabled candidates to do their theological courses, again, while residing

at home or in lodgings, and taldng classes at one of the three archdiocesan

seminaries (or at the university as described above). In special circumstances

theological instruction with an informal seminary program might be available

under the guidance of the local parish priest. 12 Finally, the third way of priestly

formation was the diocesan seminary for philosophical and theological

studies.The diocesan seminaries were thus attended by a certain number of non-

resident clerical students. Although Don Bosco in his Memoirs makes no

reference to the fact, in the 1830s and 1840s the number of non-resident clerical

students attending the diocesan seminaries was quite high; in fact, at one point,

during this period it surpassed that of the resident seminarians.13 The 'externs'

11 Don Bosco writes in his Memoirs, "My six years at the seminary were a

very happy period". Later he describes the pain he experienced on leaving the place

where he had spent six years of his life [cf. MO-daSilva, 91 and 110; MO-En, 128 and

166). But cf. notes 23 and 32 below, and text relating thereto.

l2 Cf. Sussidi 2, 178-181. The number of priestly candidates in the non-

resident seminary program, especially in the city of Turin, was substantial. Among

such candidates one may mention Archbishops Laurence Gastaldi (1815-1883) and

Cajetan Alimonda (1818-1891), Bl. Frederick Albert (1820-1876) and St. Leonard

Murialdo (1828-1900). On the other hand, St. Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860) studied as

a non-resident seminarian based at the parish of Castelnuovo until his entrance into

the Chieri Seminary at its opening in 1829-1930. He was in his second year of

theology at the time.

13 Cf. Sussidi 2., 179.

1.7 Page 7

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

would obviously bring a different, perhaps a not so desirable, dimension to the

life and discipline of the seminary.14 John Bosco could conceivably have opted

for the chiericato esterno, that is, for attending the seminary lectures while

continuing to lodge in Chieri. This would have been financially advantageous,

for he could thus work at lucrative jobs which were denied to him as a resident

seminarian. He would also have enjoyed greater freedom to pursue the youth

apostolate he had been involved with. Be that as it may, probably for moral and

religious reasons, he chose the safer way.

The Turin archdiocese maintained three major seminaries at the time,

the principal one in the city of Turin,15 and two others in the towns of Bra and

Chieri. The seminary of Chieri had been established in 1829 in the former

monastery of the Oratorian Fathers of St. Philip Neri.16 It was estabished

primarily to meet the need created by the surge in priestly vocations during the

Restoration.17 But it was also part of a strategy adopted by Archbishop

Chiaveroti which attempted to provide greater seclusion for priestly candidates,

in a country setting and in a quasi-monastic environment. It was hoped that such

isolation would shield the seminarians from the turmoil in the capital-the

14 Don Bosco speaks of "bad" seminarians and recalls serious disorders

which may have been due to the presence of non-resident students [cf. MO-daSilva,

92; MO-En, 131f.].

15 The metropolitan seminary for the archdiocese of Turin had been founded

in 1711, shut down during the first period of Napoleonic rule (1800-1806), and

reopened in 1807. It continued to function side by side with the theological faculty at

the university until it was again shut down in 1848, this time by Archbishop

Fransoni in consequence of the seminarians' political involvement, and reopened

only in 1863, after his death [cf. Sussidi 2, 182-185].

l 6 Suppressed like other religious groups by Napoleon in 1801, the

Oratorian community had returned to the Church of St. Philip and to the monastery in

1816. But two years later it ceased to exist for lack of vocations, and the premises

remained vacant [cf. Secondo Caselle, Giovanni Bosco [studente] a Chieri 1831 -

11841. Dieci anni che valgono una vita. Torino: Edizioni Acclaim, 1988 (henceforth

cited as Caselle-DBStud), p. 148, 150].

17 The term 'Restoration' refers to that period in nineteenth-century Europe

when the monarchies and the old order were restored after having been swept away by

Napoleon Bonaparte. It may be regarded as beginning with the removal of Napoleon

and with the Council of Vienna (1814-15). It lasted until the liberal revolutions of

1848. The Restoration was characterized by political repression on the part of

monarchs attempting to undo the Napoleonic reforms; and by conservative reaction

on the part of the institutional Church, opposing liberal movements and patriotic

aspirations.

1.8 Page 8

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

theological controversies raging between rigorists and benignists, the liberal

ideologies, and the growing social and political unrest 18

Framework and Highlights of the Seminary

Period

By the time John entered the seminary in 1835 the seminarians

numbered close to one hundred, distributed in seven years (two of philosophy and

five of theology) under an appointed staff of five "superiors".19 In addition,

senior seminarians were engaged, with appropriate financial compensation, to

help with various aspects of the seminary program-supervision in dormitories

and study halls, instruction in liturgical chant, care of the sick in the infirmary,

management of the sacristy, and the like. John Bosco, in his second year of

theology, served as sacristan and, in his last year, held the position of dormitory

prefect or supervisor.20

In his Memoirs Don Bosco does not provide us with a complete

framework of the seminary period; but this can easily be established.21

18 Cf. Pietro Stella, Don Bosco:[/] Life and Work, 2nd ed. tr. by J. Drury.

New Rochelle, N.Y.: Don Bosco Publications (henceforth cited as Stella-DB I), p .

35-40; Sussidi 2, 181.

It may be of interest to note that in 1834, the year before John Bosco

entered to seminary, Archbishop Fransoni specified that the seminaries of Chieri and

Bra were to be reserved for those priestly candidates that did not aspire to a

theological degree [Caselle-DBStud, 150].

19 These were: the Rector of the Seminary (Fr. Sebastian Mottura, 40 years

of age); the Spiritual Director (Fr. Joseph Mottura, 26 years of age); the Professor of

Philosophy (Fr. Innocent Arduino, 30 years of age, temporary substitute for the

regular Fr. Francis Tarnavasio, 29 years of age); the Professor of Theology (Fr.

Laurence Prialis, 32 years of age, later aided by Fr. Arduino as tutor); and the Rector of

the Church of St. Philip (Fr. Matthew Testa, 48 years of age). The lectures were "read"

with appropriate elucidations by the professor while the students took notes. In the

evening the tutor "repeated" the lesson in summary, during which the students asked

questions and revised their notes [cf. Stella-DB /, 42, n. 20; Caselle-DBStud, 148-

151.182ff.; Giraudo-B , 85ff.; Sussidi 2, 186f.].

20 Cf. MO-daSilva, 105, 109; MO-En, 156, 166.

There were five dormitory prefects at the time [cf. Pietro Stella, Don Bosco

ne/la storia economica e sociale (1815-1870) (Pubblicazioni del Centro Studi Don

Bosco. Studi storici, 8). Roma: LAS, 1980 (cited as Stella-DBEcSoc), p. 413.

21 Cf MO-daSilva, 90-111; MO-En, 126-171; also Giraudo-B, 77, 85-90.

1.9 Page 9

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

In 1835-37 John Bosco completed his two-year course in philosophy

with a plusquam optime (A plus) in his studies, and an egregie (excellent) in

conduct.22

In November 1837 he began the 5-year theology course, which,

however, he would complete in only 4 years (1837-41), skipping the fourth year.

In his Memoirs Don Bosco records a number of significant events from

those years. The second year of theology (1838-39) is highlighted by John's

appointment as sacristan, by his meeting Fr. John Borel on the occasion of a

memorable Lenten retreat, and by Louis Comollo's death on April 2, 1839, and

his subsequent appearance in the common dormitory.

At this time John experienced a protracted period of ill health and

(perhaps also) spiritual crisis. This condition plagued him well into his third

year of theology (hence, for the better part of a year) until it became so serious

that around March 1840 the physician enjoined bed rest for about a month. 23

22 Cf. Seminary records cited in Caselle-DBStud, 166.

23 Fr. Lemoyne relates how John Bosco began feeling better after eating

the loaf of millet bread and drinking the bottle of good red wine which Mamma

Margaret had brought him. The biographer's concluding words are worthy of note:

"Traces of his illness lingered, but these eventually disappeared completely during

his chaplaincy at the Rifugio after some ups and downs and a very serious relapse" (cf.

Giovanni Battista Lemoyne, The Biographical Memoirs of St. John Bosco, tr. from

the Italian original, Diego Borgatello, Editor-in-Chief. New Rochelle, N.Y.:

Salesiana Publishers, 1865ff., vol. I and II (henceforth cited as EBM), I, p. 357f.

(Italian original henceforth cited as IBM)]. It is documented that Don Bosco was ill

while at Barolo's Rifugio (1844-1846). He had in fact been ill since leaving the

Convitto in 1844, and this was one of the reasons why the Marchioness wanted him

to leave his boys and take a long vacation. He refused and finally fell gravely ill in

1846 and nearly died [EBM II, 256f.,327-330, 381-387]. This was the bronchial

pneumonia from which he never quite recovered. Hence Lemoyne's words about the

'seminary' illness leave one perplexed.

This illness, which is poorly reported, is said to have been a consequence of

the frightening experience of the death and appearance of Comollo [cf. MO -daSilva,

104; MO-En, 152); but other causes are rightly suspected. P. Stella views it rather a

consequence of the ascetic tension inherent in seminary formation, an experience

which could drive to the brink any seminarian who took matters seriously: "This

ascetic tension helped to drive his friend Comollo to his death, and John Bosco

himself to the very limits of his strength" [Stella-DB I, 66]. Stella also cites, with

due cautions, Fr. John Francesia's testimony, according to which the crisis and

illness suffered by John Bosco were due to obsessive fears for his own salvation. This

anxiety arose out of an emphasis placed on theological questions regarding

predestination. In this respect, therefore, John Bosco's trial would have paralleled

1.10 Page 10

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

Tonsure and Minor Orders

In spite of his weakened condition, John Bosco received the tonsure and

the four minor orders. As to date and place, official certificates bearing

Archbishop Fransoni's signature are clear:

We hereby state and certify that [cleric John Melchior Bosco]

was thought worthy of being promoted and ordained to the four

minor orders of porter, lector, exorcist and acolyte, [...] and

that he was promoted and ordained by us on Laetare Sunday,

March 29, 1840, in Turin in our archiepiscopal chapel, at a

[non-pontifical] celebration held [specifically] for the conferral

of sacred orders.24

that endured by St. Francis de Sales for the same reason [cf. Stella-DB I, 50-54 and n.

36).

24 Certificate in ASC 112: Documenti personali-Ecclesiastici, Micro 73

Dl2. A separate certificate makes an identical statement with regard to tonsure [cf.

Micro 73 Dll. Cf. also MO-daSilva, 108, note to line 539.

However, a seminary document cited in Caselle-DBStud, 203 states that the

conferral of tonsure and the four minor orders was to take place on Sitientes Saturday

[cf. notes 4 and 5 above, and text relating thereto], which in 1840 fell on April 4. Of

itself, Sitientes Saturday would be the more likely liturgical choice for the conferral

of orders. But the archbishop's certificate is unambiguous.

Lemoyne states that these ordinations took place on Laetare Sunday, March

25, 1840 and were held in the Turin Cathedral [cf. EBM I, 358). But Laetare Sunday,

that is, the fourth Sunday of Lent, in 1840 fell, as already indicated, on March 29.

And understandably Lemoyne assumes that ordinations were held in the cathedral. The

practice, however, had been discontinued for political reasons, and ordinations were

being held in the church of the Immaculate Conception attached to the archbishop's

residence [cf. note 7 above, and text relating thereto].

S. Caselle, in spite of the document which he adduces, follows Lemoyne as

to the date, though not as to the place. Giraudo-B does the same on p. 77, but emends

it to March 29 on p.126. This is also the date given in MO -Ceria, 112, n. to line 3.

The editors of MO -En, 167, n. l, give "Saturday, March 28, 1840, the day

before the fifth Sunday of Lent" as the date. In 1840 March 28 was the Saturday before

the fourth Sunday of Lent, or Laetare Sunday.

As elsewhere in his Memoirs, so here also Don Bosco's date is less than

exact: "The year Comollo died (1839) I received the tonsure and the four minor orders"

[MO-daSilva, 108; MO -En, 165). Louis Comollo died on April 2, 1839 [cf. certificate

of death cited in Caselle-DBStud, 199) .

2 Pages 11-20

▲back to top

2.1 Page 11

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

Previous to admission to orders, a scrutiny was held by the seminary

staff, and candidates were evaluated as well as examined. On this occasion John

Bosco received high, but not highest, marks.25

Shortly thereafter John "got the idea of attempting something,

permission for which, was seldom granted in those days."26 He wanted to do

fourth theology on his own during the summer holidays of 1840. He went to the

archbishop with this request, giving his "advanced" age as a reason. After

appropriate inquiries, the archbishop granted the favor on condition that John

should take examinations in all required subjects before beginning the next

regular term. After two months of hard study John took examinations from Fr.

Cinzano, the parish priest of his home town of Castelnuovo, who had been

delegated for the purpose. This also paved the way for his admission to the

subdiaconate, which he received, following a spiritual retreat, on the Ember

Saturday of autumn.27 In 1840 this Ember Saturday fell on September 19.

25 Cf. The above cited seminary document in Caselle-DBStud, 203. The

document bears the title, "Evaluation of reverend seminarians, candidates for

ordinations on Sitientes Saturday, 1840." It records notes earned by candidates in

various categories. It shows that John Bosco received Jere optime (A minus) for

ability, optime (A) for application, Jere optime for piety, and Jere optime in the

examination. Several seminarians had higher scores.

The examination taken before admission to orders must be distinguished

from the one taken by seminarians in academic subjects upon returning to the

seminary in the fall and at mid-year. In these examinations John Bosco apparently

always earned the highest grades and a prize [cf. MO -daSilva, 105; MO -En, 156 and

EBM I, 382].

26 MO -daSilva, 108f.; MO-En, 165.

27 MO -daSilva, 109; MO -En, 165.

An ecclesiastical dowry was required before admission to the subdiaconate.

About a century earlier synods and Papal instructions had legislated on the dowry. It

was intended to serve the priest as a kind of social security. It was to be constituted by

real estate, and it had upper and lower limits as to its annual yield. The dowry

requirement presented a serious problem for John, for he and his brother Joseph

jointly were worth considerably less than even the lower limit. Joseph's former

partner at the Sussambrino farm, John Febbraro, came to the rescue by putting up

some of his property. (Anthony was not heard from in this matter.) John's

ecclesiastical dowry was set up by deed dated March 23, 1840. The signatures appear

as follows: "Bosco Giovanni; cross sign by Giuseppe Bosco, illiterate; Febraro

Giovanni Agostino" [ASC 112: "Costituzione di Patrimonio", Micro 74 Cl 1-D7].

For a fuller discussion of the matter, cf. Stella-DBEcSoc, 19ff. and 36ff.

Don Bosco in his Memoirs does not mention the dowry. But Lemoyne

quotes him as though he did: "Since September was not far off, John was notified by

2.2 Page 12

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

Obviously all spiritual retreats prescribed for ordinations were important

exercises, for they afforded the candidate an opportunity to consider with all

seriousness the step he was about to take and the responsibilities that went with

his decision. But the one preparatory to the subdiaconate was perhaps the most

important For with the reception of that order the candidate made a definitive

commitment to the priestly life by talcing the vows of celibacy and obedience

and by assuming at the same time the obligation of the divine office. Here is

how Don Bosco in his Memoirs describes his feelings on that occasion.

When I think now of the virtues required for that most

important step, I am convinced that I was not sufficiently

prepared for it. But since I had no one to care directly for my

vocation, I turned to Fr. Cafasso. He advised me to go forward

and rely on his word. I made a ten day spiritual retreat at the

House of the [Vincentian Priests of the] Mission in Turin.

During it I made a general confession so that my confessor

would have a clear picture of my conscience and would be able

to give me suitable advice. [...] I quaked at the thought of

binding myself for life. Before I took the final step I wanted to

receive the full approbation of my confessor.28

At the beginning of fifth theology (1840-41), his last year at the

seminary, John was appointed prefect, the highest possible appointment for a

seminarian.

On Sitientes Saturday (March 27), 1841 he received the diaconate.

Again, in the scrutiny and examination, he received high, but not the highest,

marks. The examiner was Canon Lawrence Gastaldi.29

his Superiors at the seminary to prepare himself for the major order of subdiaconate.

This is how he describes in his memoirs this most important and decisive event in his

life: 'Since my share of inheritance from my father's estate was insufficient for the

required ecclesiastical dowry, my brother Joseph gave all the little he had. I was

ordained a subdeacon at the autumn Ember Days Ordinations[...]' "[EBM L 366].

28 MO-daSilva, 109; MO-En.,165f.

29 Cf. Seminary records cited in Caselle-DBStud, 207. The document,

entitled "For Ordination on Sitientes Saturday, 1841," shows that John Bosco

received optime (A) in ability; Jere optime (A minus) in application; optime in piety;

Jere optime in the examination. By way of comparison, the "other Bosco" (James

Bosco from Rivalta) [cf. EBM I, 302] received optime (A), optime, optime and

egregie (outstanding) in the same categories.

2.3 Page 13

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

By this time he must have been counting the days, perhaps even the

hours and the minutes, to his priestly ordination. This was to take place on the

summer Ember Saturday, which in 1841 fell on June 5. A final evaluation and a

final examination took place before the candidates, sixteen in number, moved out

of the seminary and to Turin for their spiritual retreat, May 26-June 4.30

In a touching passage of his Memoirs, Don Bosco writes of his feelings

on leaving the seminary:

Having to leave the seminary for good was a most distressing

experience for me. My superiors loved me and had shown me

continual marks of benevolence. My companions were deeply

devoted to me. You could say that I lived for them and they

lived for me. [...] Hence the parting was very painful indeed. I

was leaving the place where I had lived for six years, where I

had received an education, knowledge, priestly spirit, and all

the tokens of kindness and affection one could desire.31

Clearly, it hadn't been all fun and games, and many and keen had been

his disappointments-with superiors, whom he could not approach; with fellow

seminarians, who seemed to lack Christian commitment and priestly spirit; with

the seminary program of study, which he found abstruse and even threatening;

with himself, as he struggled with illness and spiritual crisis. But in spite of

drawbacks, he regarded the seminary experience as positive and rewarding.32

As Lemoyne relates the episode [cf. EBM I, 382], John rated a not-so-

satisfactory Jere optime (A minus) in the examination, for failing to answer a certain

question to Dr. Gastaldi's satisfaction.

30 Cf. Michele Molineris, Don Bosco inedito: Quella che le biografie di

San Giovanni Bosco non dicono. Colle Don Bosco-Castelnuovo Don Bosco (Asti):

Istituto Salesiano "Bemardi-Semeria", 1974 [henceforth cited as Molineris-

DBin], p. 249f.

The seminary records cited in Caselle-DBSt ud , 207, entitled "For

Ordinations on Saturday after Pentecost, 1841," show that "Bosco Gio Melchior of

Castelnuovo" was rated optime (A) in piety; Jere optime (A minus) in ability; and

optime in application. No grade for the examination is recorded in this document. But

Lemoyne writes: "On May 15, [John] passed his final examination before ordination

and scored a plus quam optime (A plus)" [EBM I, 382].

3 1 MO-daSi/va, 110; MO-En, 166. Cf. also note 11 above, and text relating

thereto.

32 Cf. MO -daSilva, 91f., 98ff., 104, 116; MO-En., 131f., 144ff., 152,

180. Cf. also Stella-DB I, 40-74, and note 23 above, and text relating thereto.

2.4 Page 14

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

Part II: Priesthood

The Spiritual Retreat, the Keepsake and the Nine

Resolutions

As mentioned above, in his Spiritual Testament Don Bosco dedicates

the first few pages of the tiny notebook to a summary recall of the events

relating to the beginnings of his priesthood. In brief opening sentences he

mentions the preparatory retreat, the ordination itself and his first Mass.33 This

is followed by a 'transcription' of a keepsake given as a conclusion of the retreat,

and of the nine resolutions made by him on that occasion. In his earlier work, on

the other hand, the autobiographical Memoirs of the Oratory, he does not

mention the preparatory spiritual retreat, nor does he record the keepsake and the

resolutions. However, after a passing reference to his priestly ordination, he

dwells at some length on his first Masses.34

To quote his Spiritual Testament then,

The concluding keepsake of the retreat I made in preparation for

my first Mass was worded as follows: "A priest does not go to

heaven, nor to hell, alone. If he will have proven worthy of his

calling, he will go to heaven with those [souls] who will have

been saved through his good example. If, on the other hand, he

will have proven unworthy, through a scandalous life for

instance, he will go to perdition with those [souls] who will be

damned because of the scandal received from him.

[In addition I made the following] resolutions:

1. I will not go out for walks, unless a real necessity,

such as visiting the sick, demands it.

2. I will make good and careful use of my time.

3. I will not shrink from suffering, from striving, nor

even from humiliations, whenever it is a question of saving

souls.

4. May the love and gentleness of St. Francis de Sales

be my guidelines in everything [I think, say and do].

33 Cf. Note 1 above, and text relating thereto.

34 Cf. MO -daSilva, 110f.; MO-En, 166f.

2.5 Page 15

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

5. I will always be satisfied with whatever food is

served to me, unless it should prove harmful to my health.

6. I will not drink wine unless it is mixed with water;

and then only as a 'remedy', that is, when and in the measure

that my health may require it.

7. Work is a powerful weapon against the enemies of

the soul. Hence I will sleep no more than five hours at night,

nor will I take any rest during the day, and certainly not after

lunch. Only in case of illness shall I make some exception to

this rule.

8. I will set aside some time each day for meditation

and for spiritual reading. During the day I will pay a brief

visit, or at least raise my heart in prayer, to the Blessed

Sacrament. I will spend at least one quarter of an hour in

preparation for Holy Mass, and another quarter of an hour in

thanksgiving.

9. I will not indulge in conversations with women,

except to hear their confession, or whenever their spiritual

welfare may make it necessary.

These memoirs were set down in writing in 1841.35

The last sentence deserves a comment. By 'memoirs' in this context

Don Bosco means the resolutions just 'recalled' or 'transcribed' , perhaps also the

keepsake; but certainly not the Spiritual Testament, or the initial portion of it,

even though it bears the title, Memoirs[. ..]. Internal evidence shows beyond any

doubt that no portion of the work, even that referring to the beginnings of his

priesthood, was set down in writing before 1884.36 This fact, of itself, would

not preclude the possibility that for his resolutions Don Bosco could have

availed himself of notes dating from 1841, but now lost. If this be the case, the

text of the resolutions would have been 'transcribed', not merely 'recalled. •37

35 Cf. ASC 132: Quademi-Taccuini, 6, p. 3-6 (Micro 748 07-10) and

Motto-TS, 21ff. Cf. also note 1 above, and text relating thereto.

36 Cf. Motto-TS, lOf., especially note 14, and Desramaut-Mem / , 136.

37 Lemoyne at this point quotes the Spiritual Testament without comment

[cf. IBM I, 519 (EBM I, 385: "He wrote all the above in 1841"!)]. It is unlikely that

Lemoyne knew of a manuscript dating from 1841. It would be contrary to Lemoyne's

custom not to acknowledge the existence of such an important document.

2.6 Page 16

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

Da Silva writes, "Also the resolutions which the seminarian John

Bosco took at the end of his spiritual retreat re-echo the commonplaces favored

by the Vincentian preachers and reflecting the practice of the community."38

Granted-but I believe there is more to these resolutions than the fact that they

reflect common themes and practice.

As indicated above, in his autobiographical Memoirs of the Oratory,

antecedent to the Spiritual Testament by some ten years, Don Bosco does not

record these priestly resolutions, though he records those made at the donning of

the clerical habit in 1835. These are worth quoting for the purpose of

comparison:

I drew up a fixed rule of life; and in order to be sure I would

not let it slip from my mind, I wrote up the following

resolutions.

1. Never again in the future will I take part in public

shows, attend dances or watch stage performances that are seen

at fairs or markets. Nor will I, as far as possible, take part in

dinners that are common on such occasions.

2. Never again will I entertain people with games of

dice, conjuring tricks, acrobatic feats, sleight of hand, and

tightrope walking. I shall give up my violin playing and

hunting. I now regard these pursuits as contrary to

ecclesiastical dignity and spirit.

3. I will love and practice a retired life and temperance

in eating and drinking. I will allow myself only those hours of

rest that are strictly necessary for health.

4. In the past I have served the world by my pursuit

of secular literature. Henceforth I will try to serve God by

devoting myself to religious reading.

It is also worth noting that the original draft of this text in Don Bosco's

Spiritual Testament was emended by him at various points [cf. ASC 132: Quademi-

Taccuini 6 , p. 3·6 in Micro 748 D7-10; cf. critical apparatus in Motto-ST, 21f.]. This

would tend to show that he was 'recalling' rather than 'transcribing.' The question

may then be asked, how far Don Bosco's later experiences and concerns, and

specifically those that dictated the Spiritual Testament, influenced the fashioning of

this text.

38 MO -daSilva , 110, note to line 579, quoting L. Chiericotti, C.M., ll P .

MarcanJonio Durando (1801-1880) .

2.7 Page 17

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

5. I will oppose with all my strength anything

contrary to the virtue of chastity-readings, thoughts,

conversations, words and actions. Positively, I will practice all

those things, even the smallest, which may help preserve this

virtue.

6. In addition to the ordinary practices of piety, I will

not fail to set aside a short period of time every day for

meditation and for spiritual reading.

7. Every day I will tell some story or relate some

example that is apt to be of spiritual advantage to others. I

will do this with my companions, friends, relatives, or other

people. And failing this, I will share it with my mother.39

A comparison between these two sets of resolutions may be instructive.

Some aspects are carried over from the earlier to the later set temperance in food,

drink and sleep (1835, 3bcd and 1841, 5,6,7bc); prayer, meditation and spiritual

reading (1835, 6 and 1841, 8); chastity in a negative and positive mode (1835,

5), corresponding perhaps to avoidance of conversation with women (1841, 9).

On the other hand some aspects are not carried over either because they are taken

for granted, or because the life situation and the understandings that suggested

them have been transcended: shunning of worldly pastimes and of activities

understood to be opposed to the ecclesiastical spirit (1835, 1,2); practice of

retirement (1835, 3a); readings (1835, 4); telling edifying stories (1835, 7).

But the 1841 resolutions also show significant differences of the kind

that are not determined merely by the change in circumstances (as would be, for

instance, preparation for and thanksgiving after Mass, 1841, 8c). Nor is this

development to be understood merely as referring to 'new concepts,' such as the

coupling of work with temperance (1841, 7a). The vaster difference lies in the

new spirit, indeed the new spirituality, that infuses the priestly resolutions.

Assuming that the two sets of resolutions do reflect actual historical situations

39 ASC 132: Autografi-Oratorio, MO -Berto, p. 54 (Micro 61 Alf.), MO-

daSi/va, 89 (cf. MO -En, 122f.).

Again it should be noted that Don Bosco's first draft of this text in MO -DB,

p. 53f. (Micro 57 D6f.; cf. critical apparatus in MO-daSilva, 89) has been subjected to

extensive re-working in Don Bosco's own hand. This is evidence enough that when

recording these resolutions some forty years after the event, he was 'recalling' rather

than 'transcribing' them. And again the question, to what extent his later

experiences, and the very didactic purpose of the work as a whole, may have

influenced the fashioning of this text in mid-1870s appears legitimate .

2.8 Page 18

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

in Don Rosco's life,40 one is struck with the development that has taken place

over the seminary period. We are forced to conclude that, in spite of struggles

and difficulties,41 Don Bosco had transcended the undesirable strictures of

seminary formation and was well on the way to the new understandings that

would later power his whole spiritual life and apostolate. Likewise the negative,

one might say oppressive, aspects of the fuga mundi expressed in the earlier set,

presumably under the influence of current understandings of Christian and

priestly life and spirituality, are gone. And while the discipline of work and

temperance (1841, 5-7), prayer life (1841, 8), and the safeguarding of chastity

(1841, 9) are re-emphasized, the breath ofa fresh spirituality oriented toward the

apostolate is now in evidence (1841, 1-4). By resolutions 1 and 2, Don Bosco

renounces even legitimate recreation in order to devote as much time as possible

to the apostolate. His complete commitment to the apostolate is expressed in

resolution 3: "I will not shrink from suffering, from striving, nor even from

humiliations, whenever it is a question of saving souls." And as for the 'style of

the apostolate,' St. Francis de Sales is taken as the model (resolution 4).

The significance of Don Rosco's recourse to St. Francis de Sales as

model and guide for the apostolate at the beginning of his priestly life has often

been noted and commented upon.42 One cannot doubt that it reflects basically

the actual historical situation and not a later reflection. St. Francis de Sales was

an established model for the clergy, and therefore, also for seminarians. The

Chieri seminarians would certainly have been exposed to the biographical facts

and the teachings of St. Francis de Sales.43 But perhaps the spiritual retreats,

40 Cf. Notes 37 and 39 above, and text relating thereto.

41 Cf. Notes 23 and 32 above, and text relating thereto.

42 Cf. E.g. Arnaldo Pedrini, St. Francis de Sales, Don Bosco's PaJron. St.

Francis de Sales in the Times, Life and Thought of St. John Bosco, translated. by

Wallace Cornell; adapted, compiled and edited by Francis Klauder. New Rochelle,

N.Y.: Don Bosco Publications, 1988, p. 23ff.

43 The episode reported by Fr. Lemoyne [cf. EBM I, 302) on the testimony

of Don Bosco's seminary companion and life-long friend , Fr. John Francis

Giacomelli (1820-1901), would corroborate this. The two Boscos (James and John)

are described as Hard-Wood Bosco and Pliant-Willow (sales, in Piedmontese) Bosco.

And it may well have been the example and teaching of St. Francis de Sales

that enabled John Bosco to overcome the spiritual crisis referred to above [cf. Note

23 above, and text relating thereto].

It is also worthy of note that the church of St. Philip attached to the

seminary contained a chapel dedicated to St. Francis de Sales, with a painting of the

2.9 Page 19

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

preparatory to ordinations, were the more decisive influence. Not only were they

held in the house and church of the Visitation, with its pictures and memories of

St. Francis de Sales, but the Vincentian retreat masters propounded a spirituality

derived from the French Oratory of Pierre de Berulie and from St. Francis de

Sales.44

A comment on the retreat keepsake quoted above also seems apropos.45

It deals with priestly responsibility and accountability. It emphasizes the idea

that the priest is answerable for souls saved or lost. This is a commonplace to be

found in spiritual and ascetical writings on the subject current at the time. For

instance, in his Dignity and Duties of the Priest, St. Alphonsus expresses this

idea in a variety of ways. At one point he writes:

saint. A sodality of St. Francis de Sales, still active in the nineteenth century, met

here for their devotions [cf. Giraudo-B, 91).

44 Cf. Giraudo-B, 126 and 123f.

Pierre de Berulie (1575-1629), a contemporary of St. Francis de Sales,

distinguished himself as cardinal, diplomat, theologian, contemplative, mystic and

spiritual writer. He founded the French Oratory and was a leading figure in the French

school of spirituality [cf. The New Catholic Encyclopedia 2, 362f.].

Francis de Sales (1567-1622), was a scion of Savoyard nobility, a priest, a

theologian, and a missionary through whose preaching and apologetical writings

(the Catholic Controversies) the Calvinist-dominated region of the Chablais was

restored to the Catholic faith. As Bishop of Geneva, with residence at Annecy, he

distinguished himself for his pastoral charity and as a spiritual director and master. He

was the author of pace-setting spiritual writings, and the founder of a brotherhood of

priests under the Oratorian rule and of the Order of the Visitation. A Saint, a Doctor of

the Church, and the patron of writers, he stands as a priestly model for his zeal in

defense of the faith, for his pastoral charity and for a spirituality permeated with love

[cf. The New Catholic Encyclopedia 6, 34ff.]. This is how he was known among the

clergy in the Kingdom of Savoy-Piedmont-Sardinia, and this is how Don Bosco came

to take him as model and guide for his priestly apostolate.

''The monastery of the Visitation founded in Turin in 1638 by Jeanne de

Chantal, the massive circulation of the works of St. Francis de Sales published in

numerous editions through the eighteenth century, the Life of St. Francis authored by

the Piedmontese Fr. Pier Giacinta Gallizia (1662-1737), first published in Venice and

reprinted numerous times-these were the vehicles through which the knowledge and

spirit of St. Francis spread through the region" [Massimo Marocchi, "Alle radici della

spiritualita di Don Bosco," in Don Bosco nella storia. Atti de/ 1e Congresso

lnternaziona/e di Studi su Don Bosco (Universita Pontificia Sa/esiana, Roma, 16-20

gennaio 1989), ed. M. Midali. Roma: LAS, 1990, p. 166.]

45 Cf. Note 35 above, and text relating thereto.

2.10 Page 20

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

The souls that were once wild beasts and monsters of hell, but

were afterwards converted and became dear to God, shall be so

many gems adorning the crown of the priest who has brought

them back to the path of virtue. A priest who is damned does

not go to hell alone, and the priest that is saved is certainly

not saved alone.46

St. Joseph Cafasso, Don Rosco' s beloved master and mentor, in his

conferences on the priesthood, expresses similar concepts:

I do not think that it is possible to imagine any sin or disorder

more fatal than scandal in a priest [...]. To find himself on his

deathbed, to have to present himself before the tribunal of God

to give an account of the souls entrusted to him, of the souls

for whom he is responsible, and of the sins committed because

of him! [...]What punishment he must expect from God!47

Don Bosco frequently spoke on the priesthood, repeating and

emphasizing the traditional concepts. For example, some of Don Rosco' s words

on the subject, reported from a conference held in 1868 and guaranteed by

Lemoyne, are recorded in the Biographical Memoirs:

The priesthood is the highest dignity to which a person can be

raised. For to the priest is given the power to change bread

and wine into the substance of the body and blood of Christ;

the power to forgive sins-powers not given even to angels.

He is the minister of the thrice-holy God [...].If this be so,

then how great should the holiness be of one who is a priest or

who aspires to the priesthood! Such a person should be just

like an angel, that is, a totally spiritual person [...]. A priest

4 6 St. Alphonsus de Liguori, Dignity and Duties of the Priest or Selva,

Translated [...] and edited by Rev. Eugene Grimm (The Complete Works of St.

Alphonsus de Liguori, Ascetical Works, vol. XII). Brooklyn: Redemptorist Fathers,

1927, p. 175. Cf. also Ibid., p. 230ff. (Part II, Instruction II: "The Good Example that

the Priest Should Give").

47 St. Joseph Cafasso, The Priest, the Man of God: His Dignity and Duties,

Translated by Patrick O'Connell. Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, 1971, p.

166.

3 Pages 21-30

▲back to top

3.1 Page 21

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

should possess all the virtues [...], especially outstanding

charity, humility and chastity [...], a most lively faith, a most

ardent charity [...]. And, yes-good example is essential! Let

us remember that a priest never goes to hell or to heaven

alone, but always well accompanied.48

Lemoyne cites an archival document in Don Bosco's hand and

transcribes titles of sermons delivered during the August retreat of 1867. Among

them are the following: "A priest does not go to hell or to heaven alone, but

always accompanied by those who have been lost or saved on his account.

Dignity and Duties of the Priesthood."49

Such a concept of priestly accountability went hand in hand with

current teachings about the holiness required of a priest, the almost impossible

demands made of one who embraced the priestly vocation, the dangers with

which priestly life and existence were beset, the strict judgment priests would

receive at God's tribunal. Such emphases were common in the current ascetical

literature, as well as in seminary teaching.SO They continued to be staples of

priestly spirituality for a long time.

Don Bosco's priestly resolutions may then be seen as an appropriate

response to the demands of priestly life and existence, as understood in that

context. But, as indicated, their pastoral orientation and the open spirituality

which they reveal, would tend to show that the dangerous, introverted anxiety of

earlier seminary days has been left behind.

48 IBM IX, 343f (omitted in EBM IX (161)).

49 IBM Vill, 909; cf. EBM VIII, 392, 438.

50 Cf. Stella-DB I, 52ff. This author discusses the subject in connection

with seminary formation, and points out the anxieties, even phobias, to which such

emphases could give rise. He writes in conclusion:

The seminarian who seriously pondered such things would perforce

be led to think of the priesthood as something grand and terrible

indeed. It could earn him a greater reward, but it would also subject

him to a stricter judgment. As a consequence the priestly vocation

aggravated rather than solved the problem of personal salvation.

3.2 Page 22

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

Don Bosco's First Masses

As Don Bosco states, and the seminary records concur, he was ordained

a priest on the summer Ember Saturday (the Saturday after Pentecost Sunday, the

vigil of Trinity Sunday), June 5, 1841. Archbishop Louis Fransoni was the

ordaining prelate, and the ordination ceremony was held in the Church of the

Immaculate Conception at the archbishop's residence. In both the Spiritual

Testament and the Memoirs of the Oratory the priestly ordination receives only

the briefest mention. Likewise, in the Spiritual Testament, the first Mass, which

was said the following day in the church of St. Francis of Assisi attached to the

Convitto, is allotted a couple of lines. These momentous events are recalled

simply, almost impersonally:

Priestly ordination was conferred by our archbishop, His Grace

Louis Fransoni, at the Bishop's House on June 5 that same

year. First Mass was said at St. Francis of Assisi on June 6,

Trinity Sunday, with the assistance of my signal benefactor

and director, Fr. Joseph Cafasso from Castelnuovo d' Asti.51

On the other hand, in the latter work, Don Bosco speaks of his first

Masses at some length. The first, second, third and fifth Mass are recorded in the

Memoirs of the Oratory. In the Biographical Memoirs Lemoyne fills out Don

Bosco's text with additional material, including details of the fourth Mass:

1. First Mass: Turin, Church of St. Francis of Assisi, June 6, 1841,

Trinity Sunday.

In the Memoirs ofthe Oratory Don Bosco writes:

The vigil of the feast of the Holy Trinity was the day of my

ordination. I said my first Mass in the church of St. Francis of

Assisi, [adjacent to the Convitto] where Fr. Cafasso held the

chair of moral theology. The townsfolk of Castelnuovo were

anxiously waiting for me to say it there, for there had not been

[a priest ordained and] a first Mass said in my home town for

many a year. But I preferred to say it without fuss in Turin.

51 Cf. Motto-TS, 20 and note 1 above, and text relating thereto.

3.3 Page 23

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

That day was the most wonderful day of my life. At the

Memento in that unforgettable Mass I made devout

remembrance of all my teachers, of my benefactors both

spiritual and temporal, and especially of the ever-lamented Fr.

Calosso, whom I have always remembered as a great and

signal benefactor.52

In the Biographical Memoirs Lemoyne fills out this quote with

considerable detail from other sources, but (as he often does) he ascribes

everything to Don Bosco's Memoirs:

Again in his much quoted manuscript Don Bosco writes:

The vigil of the feast of the Holy Trinity, June 5, was my

ordination day. The ordination ceremony was held by His

Grace Archbishop Louis Fransoni at the bishop's house.

I said my first Mass in the church of St. Francis of Assisi

[adjacent to the Convitto], where Fr. Joseph Cafasso, my

signal benefactor and director, held the chair of moral theology.

The townsfolk of Castelnuovo were anxiously waiting for me

to say it there, for there had not been [a priest ordained and] a

first Mass said in my home town for many a year. But I

52 MO-daSilva, 110; MO -En, 166f. The church and the monastery of St.

Francis of Assisi were built early in the thirteenth century (by St. Francis himself, as

tradition has it). They quickly acquired great religious and civic importance. Both

church and monastery were restored in the early seventeenth century; but the church

again underwent considerable rebuilding in the 1760s, and through this it acquired the

definitive architectural and artistic character that was familiar to Don Bosco in the

early 1840s. The Franciscans were expelled by Napoleon and never returned, for the

monastery premises had been largely disposed of. The church was taken over by the

Archdiocese, and Fr. Dr. Louis Guala (1775-1848) was appointed rector in 1808.

Working in association with Fr. Pius Bruno Lanteri (1759-1830), founder of the

Oblates of the Virgin Mary, Fr. Guala began the famous conferences which, once

housed in restored premises obtained from what remained of the old Franciscan

monastery, became known as the Convitto Ecclesiastico. It offered a two-year

program in moral theology and pastoral practice for newly ordained priests who lived

there in community. Don Bosco entered the Convitto after his ordination with the

sponsorship of Fr. Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860) who had been engaged by Fr. Guala

as associate [cf. Giraudo-B, 130-133).

3.4 Page 24

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

preferred to say it without fuss in Turin. [I said it] at the altar

of the Guardian Angel, which in this church is situated on the

Gospel side. On that day the Universal Church was keeping

the feast of the Most Blessed Trinity; the Archdiocese of

Turin, the feast of the Miracle of the Blessed Sacrament; the

church of St. Francis of Assisi, the feast of Our Lady of

Graces, honored in this churchfrom time immemorial. That

day was the most wonderful day of my life. At the Memento

in that unforgettable Mass I made devout remembrance of all

my teachers, of my benefactors both spiritual and temporal,

and especially of the ever-lamented Fr. Calosso, whom I have

always remembered as a great and signal benefactor. It is a

pious belief that the Lord infallibly grants the grace requested

of Him by a new priest at his first Mass. I prayed most

ardently for efficacy ofspeech, that I might thereby do good to

souls. It seems that the Lord truly heard my humble prayer.53

53 EBM I, 385f. Under the one reference to Don Bosco's autobiographical

Memoirs, Lemoyne introduces considerable material derived from elsewhere

(italicized portions). For such a procedure, and for Lemoyne's editorial method

generally, cf. Francis Desramaut, "Come hanno lavorato gli autori de/le Memorie

Biografiche," in Don Bosco nella storia (note 44 above), p. 37-65. Cf. also Arthur

Lenti, "Don Bosco's 'Boswell': John Baptist Lemoyne-the Man and His Work,"

Journal ofSalesian Studies 1 (1990: 2) 39ff.

Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860) from Castelnuovo (a compatriot of Don

Bosco) studied for the priesthood at first as a non-resident seminarian and then as a

resident student of theology in the Chieri seminary. He was ordained in 1833. A

student of moral and pastoral theology at the Convitto, then associate lecturer under

Fr. Guala, and finally chief lecturer and rector, he became the spiritual director and

supporter of priests and lay people engaged in ministry, and of Don Bosco in

particular. A relationship that grew stronger with the years was established between

seminarian Cafasso and young John Bosco perhaps [?] in 1827, when the two met at

the door of the church of Morialdo (on the patronal feast, SS . Joachim and Ann, July

26?). [Cf. MO-daSilva, 51f.; MO-En, 47f., bearing in mind that Don Bosco's dates at

this point are not to be relied on]. But Fr. Cafasso became more and more deeply

interested in John, to the point of seeing him through to ordination by moral,

spiritual and financial support [cf. MO-daSilva, 105. 109; MO-En, 156 165) .

Subsequently Fr. Cafasso brought Don Bosco into the Convitto and became his

inspiration and guide in the apostolate, as well as his spiritual director.

John Melchior Calosso (1760-1830), the chaplain of Morialdo (1829-

1830), was John's first great benefactor and father-figure. Don Bosco gives him what

seems at first a disproportionate amount of space in his Memoirs [cf. MO-daSilva,

3.5 Page 25

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

As the italicized citations show, we are dealing with three additions.

The first (a fairly small one) records the place as well as the date of ordination

and the ordaining prelate. It is clearly derived from the Spiritual Testament.54

The second (the sizable middle addition) contains details obtained by

Lemoyne upon inquiry of the parish priest of St. Francis of Assisi. The

information was conveyed to Lemoyne in a letter which he included in Volume

XL.III of his Documenti.55

44-50; MO-En, 33-36. 4lff.], until we read his touching tribute to, and his lament

over the death of the good priest. Then we understand:

Fr. Calosso had become my idol. I loved him more than a father, I

prayed for him and served him willingly in every way I could. My

greatest happiness was to do things for him; and, believe me, I

would gladly have given my very life to make him happy.[...] On

his part, that holy man loved me so much, that he would frequently

reassure me: " Do not worry about your future. As long as I am alive

I shall see to it that you lack nothing; and I shall provide for you

after I am gone."

Fr. Calosso 's death was a disastrous loss for me. I wept

inconsolably over my dead benefactor. I thought of him in my

waking hours and dreamt of him when asleep. It affected me to the

point that my mother became alarmed over my health and sent me

off to my grandfather at Capriglio [MO-daSilva, 50. 52; MO-En,

42. 48).

Thus we understand why Fr. Calosso 's remembrance figures so prominently

in Don Bosco's first Mass.

54 Cf. Note 51 above, and text relating thereto.

55 [Giovanni Battista Lemoyne,] DocumenJi per scrivere la storia di D.

Giovanni Bosco, dell'Oratorio di S. Francesco di Sales e di Sales e della

Congregazione Salesiana [privately printed; no place, no date given] [henceforth

cited as Documenti], vol. XLill, p. 9 in ASC 110: Cronachette-Lemoyne-Doc,

Micro 1183 C3.

The following letter was written by a Fr. Lawrence Romano in the name of

the Rector of the church of St. Francis of Assisi, a Fr. Louis Dadesso, O.M.V. in

response to Lemoyne's request:

Turin, December 11, 1891.

Most esteemed and reverend Fr. Lemoyne:

Just today I had a note from the Rev. Fr. Louis Dadesso,

O.M.V, Rector of the church of St. Francis of Assisi, in these

terms: "I checked out the older ledgers of this church, as you

3.6 Page 26

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

The third addition, at the end of the paragraph, deals with 'efficacy of

the word' Except for the clause, "that I might thereby do good to souls" the

passage already appears in its entirety in Lemoyne's Documenti, and must have

been taken from some written source available to Lemoyne.56 The additional

clause included in the text of the Biographical Memoirs may have been derived

from the testimony given by Fr. Ascanio Savio at the Process of Beatification

(1895) otherwise not utilized.57

requested, and have ascertained that the Very Rev. Fr. John Bosco

did indeed say his first Mass on June 6, 1841, and he said it at the

altar of the Guardian Angel, which in this church is situated on the

Gospel side."

On that day the Universal Church was keeping the feast

of the Most Blessed Trinity; the Archdiocese of Turin, the feast of

the Miracle of the Blessed Sacrament; the church of St. Francis of

Assisi, the feast of Our Lady of Graces, honored in this church

from time immemorial.

Lawrence Romano .

The style and shape of the letter indicates that the information concerning

Don Bosco's first Mass in the upper part originates with Fr. Dadesso and is based on

his research. On the other hand, the liturgical information concerning the feasts kept

on that day seems to have been volunteered by Romano, writer of the letter.

The miracle of the Blessed Sacrament referred to here took place in 1453

during the plunder of the city of Turin. A soldier was carrying off in a sack slung over

the back of a mule a monstrance containing the consecrated Host. When he reached

the spot where the present church of Corpus Christi was later built, the mule refused to

budge in spite of being severely whipped. The animal reared, and the monstrance fell

to the ground while the Host remained suspended in midair for all to see [cf. EBM I,

16, note 4).

56 Cf. Documenti II, 6, in ASC 110: Cronachette-Lemoyne-Doc., Micro

969 DlO. Lemoyne began printing this work in 1885.

57 Processus ordinarius Curiae Taurinensis, Ascanio Savio, Juxta Interrog.

decimum tertium in ASC 161: Deposizione dei Testi, Micro 2198 D6: "I can only

testify that (as he once told me) at his ordination [Don Bosco], among other graces,

had asked for the gift of the word, that he might thereby do good to souls. It is my

conviction that he obtained what he asked for, because whenever he spoke in the

exercise of his ministry he never failed to win over the minds and hearts of people."

Fr. Ascanio Savio (1831-1902), Rector of the diocesan seminary of Bra and

Turin, testified in November 1895. His testimony was available to Lemoyne for

Biographical Memoirs I (1898), but not for Documenti II (1885). Therefore, the

'efficacy of the word' passage in Documenti was drafted from another source.

3.7 Page 27

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

All things considered, perhaps Lemoyne may be forgiven for 'defacing'

Don Bosco's simpler account, and thanked for preserving the additional

infonnation regarding the beginnings of Don Bosco's priesthood.

The Celebret, or faculty to celebrate Mass, released to Don Bosco by

the Archbishop is also worthy of note:

Louis Marquis Fransoni [...] to our beloved in Christ, the

Very Rev. John Melchior Bosco [...], newly ordained to the

priesthood, Greetings in the Lord.

You have passed your examination in sacred Rites and have

demonstrated sufficient knowledge. Therefore we grant you the

faculty to celebrate a First Mass and Masses thereafter, but

under the following conditions:

You must have an experienced priest present to assist you in

the celebration of the first Mass and the next seven. You are

not to have a gentleman or a lady as sponsors for the Mass

(patrinum aut matrinam), as they say. And you should see to it

that elaborate banquets and everything that smacks of

worldliness are eschewed. You must also have the permission

of the most Rev. Rector of the church where you plan to offer

your first Mass; and it is our wish that you inform him of the

above.

You should ponder again and again what the exalted nature of

this Sacrifice and the majesty of our good and great God, to

whom you have access as a priest, require of you. You should,

in other words, cultivate the necessary inner dispositions;

always manifest the gravity of speech appropriate to your

estate; attentively observe all prescriptions pertaining to the

rites of the sacred liturgy, in the conviction that none of them

may be performed, even in the least degree, carelessly or

hurriedly. Therefore, every year you should set aside some time

(at least twenty minutes) to review the liturgical rites with the

care that their divine character requires [...]58

58 Celebret in ASC 112: Documenti personali-ecclesiastici, Micro 73 E2.

3.8 Page 28

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

Perhaps it is in line with such priestly ethic that Don Bosco chose to

say his first Mass "without fuss" in Turin rather than in his hometown, and at

St. Francis of Assisi with Fr. Cafasso as assistant priest.

2. Second Mass: Turin, Church of Our Lady of Consolation, Monday,

June 7, 1841

On Monday I went to say Mass in the church of Our Lady of

Consolation to thank the great Virgin Mary for the

innumerable graces she had obtained for me from her divine

Son, Jesus.59

This Mass acquired the character of a pilgrimage to thank Our Lady at

her renowned and beloved shrine, for it was Don Bosco's firm conviction that he

owed everything to her. Even if not a resident of Turin, Don Bosco was familiar

with this popular center of Marian devotion, and the choice was a logical one.

Later, while at the nearby Convitto at St. Francis of Assisi (1841-1844), Don

Bosco was considering joining the Oblates and going to the missions. He must

have been a frequent visitor to their house and church of the Consolata, and it

may have been at the Virgin's shrine that his vocational crisis was resolved.

Lemoyne writes: "He continued to pray fervently that the Blessed Virgin might

show him how and where best to exercise his sacred ministry on behalf of

souls."60

3. Third Mass: Chieri, Church ofSt. Dominic, Tuesday, June 8, 1841

On Tuesday I traveled to Chieri and offered Mass in the church

of St. Dominic, where my old professor, Fr. Giusiana, [sic]

59 MO-daSilva, llOf.; MO-En, 166. Built on a very early shrine in 1679

and dedicated to Our Lady, Consoler of the Afflicted (popularly known as the

Consolata), it soon became the people's favorite church, and its miraculous image of

the Virgin a center of popular devotion. After the Cistercian monks, it was officiated

by the Oblates of the Virgin Mary (1834-1855) [cf. note 52 above]. Subsequently it

was entrusted to the Franciscans, and in 1869 to the priests of the Convitto under Bl.

Joseph Allarnano (1851-1926), Fr. Cafasso's nephew and founder of the Missionary

Society of the Consolata [cf. MO-daSi/va, 111, note to line 588] . .

60 EBM II, 162 [160-164].

3.9 Page 29

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

was still living and where he was waiting for me with fatherly

affection. He was so moved that he cried throughout that

Mass. I spent the whole day with him, one I can call a day in

paradise.61

This recollection harks back to Don Bosco's pre-seminary days at

Chieri and the friendship which had sprung up between John and his old revered

professor, the Dominican Fr. Hyacinth Giussiana, of the monastery attached to

the church of St. Dominic. He had been John's professor of 'grammar' in the

latter's second year of secondary studies at the 'Royal College'. He had also

saved John from the penalties of cribbing, as Don Bosco himself relates in his

Memoirs.62 A little earlier Don Bosco had spoken of his good fortune in finding

a good confessor in Fr. John Maloria, a canon at the duomo (cathedral). But it

seems that in Fr. Giussiana he had found a 'father', just as he had in Fr.

Calosso. There is then an interesting parallel between the first and the third Mass

in their recollection of father-figures from Don Bosco's youth.

This third Mass, like the second, seems also to have had a Marian slant,

for it was said in the chapel and at the altar of Our Lady of the Rosary, the most

beautiful chapel of a very beautiful church.63

4. Fourth Mass: Chieri, the Church of St. Mary of the Stairs (Duomo),

Wednesday, June 9 , 1841

Don Bosco makes no mention of his fourth Mass either in his Spiritual

Testament or in his Memoirs. But Lemoyne, quoting Don Bosco as though he

61 MO-daSilva, 111; MO-En, 166.

62 Cf. MO-daSilva, 66; MO-En, 76.

Fr. Hyacinth [Count] Giussiana (1774-1844) was professor of 'grarrunar' in

the secondary school of Chieri for 26 years. As rector of the church of St. Dominic,

he was instrumental in restoring the Dominican community that had been disbanded

by Napoleon [cf. Casel/e-DBStud, 70).

63 Cf. MO -daSilva, 111, note to line 590; Giraudo-B, 81f. I have been

unable to corroborate from the sources that Don Bosco said this Mass at Our Lady's

altar. Lemoyne makes no mention of it [cf. EBM I, 387).

The three-naved church of St. Dominic, with its imposing gothic-styled

fayade and bell tower, and the adjoining monastery of that name, date back to the

thirteenth century.

3.10 Page 30

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

did, writes tersely: "On Wednesday, I offered the Holy Sacrifice in the duomo of

that city.''64

The Mass was said in the chapel-shrine dedicated to Our Lady

[Dispenser] of Graces.65 Again we see the •Marian connection'. As a high

school student in Chieri, so Lemoyne assures us, John Bosco came to this

chapel every morning and evening without fail to pray before Our Lady:

At Chieri his favorite church was that of St. Mary of the

Stairs. It was generally known as the duomo [cathedral],

because with its three huge naves and its twenty-two splendid

side chapels it surpassed any of the cathedrals in Piedmont in

size and grandeur. John would be found there every morning

and evening without fail. Advancing under the ancient and

lofty gothic vaults, he would go and kneel before the statue of

Our Lady [Dispenser] of Graces. He would offer her his filial

homage and pray for the graces needed to fulfill the mission

she had entrusted to him. He continued this practice

throughout his student days at Chieri.66

It was also at the feet of the Virgin of Graces that John's vocational

crisis was resolved after his attempt to enter the Franciscan monastery and after

much soul searching. As he writes in his Memoirs:

Since the obstacles were many and lasting, I decided to reveal

the whole matter to my friend Comollo. He advised me to

make a novena. Meanwhile he would write to his uncle the

provost. On the last day of the novena, I went to confession

64 Doc umenti II, 7 in ASC 110: Cronachette, Lemoyne-Doc, Micro 969

D11 ; EBM I, 387. The church of Our Lady of the Stairs, popularly called duomo

(cathedral) because of its size and grandeur, is an early fifteenth-century structure built

to replace an earlier church on the site of an ancient pagan shrine. Outstanding among

its twenty-two artistic chapels is the chapel-shrine of Our Lady [Dispenser] of Graces

established by vow of the city fathers during the bubonic plague of 1630 and rebuilt

in splendid baroque style in 1780. Our Lady under this title was the co-patroness of

the city, and her chapel, with the lovely statue sculpted in 1636, was a center of

popular devotion [cf. Caselle-SDStud, 65f.; Giraudo-B, 105ff.].

65 So Giraudo and Caselle (Ibid.). I cannot confirm this from the sources.

But an inscribed plaque in the chapel recalls the event.

66 EBM I, 201.

4 Pages 31-40

▲back to top

4.1 Page 31

▲back to top

...

Don Bosco's First Mass

and communion with this incomparable friend. I attended one

Mass and served another at the altar of Our Lady of Graces in

the duomo [cathedral]. Then we went home and found a letter

from Fr. Comollo [...].67

Thus, the fourth Mass appears to have been another stage in Don

Bosco's Marian pilgrimage.

5 . Fifth and Solemn Mass, Castelnuovo, Corpus Christi Thursday,

June 10, 1841.

On Thursday, the solemnity of Corpus Christi, I gratified the

wishes of the people of Castelnuovo and sang Mass in my

home town. I also officiated in the traditional procession of the

Blessed Sacrament. The parish priest invited to dinner my

relatives, the clergy, and the people of standing in the town. It

was a happy celebration, and everyone was glad to be part of

it, because the townspeople all loved me very much and

everyone was happy for anything that might turn out to my

advantage.68

It was natural, but a great honor nonetheless, that the parish priest of

Castelnuovo, Fr. Anthony Cinzano, should defer to the newly-ordained priest on

the solemnity of Corpus Christi for both the 'sung' Mass and the solemn

procession.69 It testifies to the esteem which John Bosco enjoyed, as does the

dinner reception which Fr. Cinzano gave for relatives and dignitaries in his

honor.

67 MO -daSilva, 85; MO-En, 111.

68 MO-daSilva, 111; MO-En, 167.

69 Fr. Dr. Peter Anthony Cinzano (1804-1870) had been administrator of

the parish of Castelnuovo since 1834, and its pastor since 1840. He had helped Don

Bosco financially [cf. EBM I, 228], and from him John had received the clerical habit

[cf. MO -daSilva, 87; MO-En, 121] . A warm father-son relationship had developed

between the two [cf. EBM 1, 247, 274f., 314) which matured into a close life-long

friendship [cf. Sussidi 2, 249f.] .

4.2 Page 32

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

Margaret Bosco's Presence

Nowhere in the sources do we find any indication that Mamma Margaret

was present at any of her son's first priestly functions-whether ordination or

first Masses in Turin, Chieri or Castelnuovo. Lemoyne is silent on the subject

in both Documenti and Biographical Memoirs; but in his biography of Margaret

Bosco he does mention her presence at the festivities in Castelnuovo on Corpus

Christi Thursday.70

A bronze bas-relief with a dedicatory inscription was set up in the

church of St. Francis of Assisi to commemorate Don Bosco's first Mass.

Among the figures represented in the panel one notices also Mamma

Margaret.71 If she was present at the first Mass, she might have been also

present at the ordination service and at the Masses that followed. She may or

may not have been present But it should be pointed out that in those days it was

the first solemn mass that stole the limelight. The ordination ceremony was

where the candidate simply 'took Mass'. It seems more likely, therefore, that

Margaret stayed back to await and to prepare for her son's return as a priest for

the solemn celebration. One can only imagine the emotion, the crowding of

memories, and the pride she must have experienced when she finally beheld her

son at the altar, in her home town, among all the folks she knew and loved so

well.

Don Bosco in his Memoirs brings the narrative of those memorable

events to a close with simple and touching words:

I went home that evening to be with my family. As I drew

near the house and saw the place of the dream I had when I was

about nine, I could not hold back the tears. I said: "How

wonderful are the ways of Divine Providence! God has truly

70 G. B. Lemoyne, Scene morali difamiglia esposte nella vita di Margherita

Bosco. Racconto edijicanJe ed ameno. Torino: Scuola Tip. Salesiana, 1886, p. 101:

''The parish priest invited to dinner Margaret, the immediate family, the clergy and

people of standing in the town."

Lemoyne collected the biographical episodes on Margaret between 1883

and 1885 chiefly through conversations with Don Bosco. The material was first

organized in Documenti (1885). It was then edited for publication in the Catholic

Readings, and offered to Don Bosco on his 'name day' (1886). It was published in its

final form in the Biographical Memoirs (1898...).

71 This bas-relief was dedicated by the Salesian Past Pupils on June 6,

1930. Cf. Molineris-DB!n, 257f.

4.3 Page 33

▲back to top

Don Bosco's First Mass

raised a poor child from the earth to place him among the

princes of his people."72

Home for Don Bosco, as for Margaret, at Becchi now was the house

that Joseph had built for his growing family after his stint as share cropper at the

Sussarnbrino farm-no longer the 'little house•.73 We may be sure that she and

Joseph's wife, Mary, had prepared a goodly feast and a reception worthy of the

occasion. Nothing of this is recorded in the sources. But the profound and

prophetic words that Margaret spoke to her son once she had him for herself that

day are recorded by Lemoyne, probably as Don Bosco had recalled them in one of

their evening rete-a-tetes:

You are now a priest and say Mass. From now on, therefore,

you will be in closer contact with Christ. But remember that

to begin to say Mass is to begin to suffer. You will not realize

this immediately, but after a while you will find that your

mother was right. I am sure that you will pray for me every

day, whether I be living or dead; that's enough for me. From

now on give your whole attention to saving souls, and don't

worry about me.74

Conclusion

In the foregoing pages we have examined the records of the beginnings

of Don Bosco' s priesthood, with particular attention to what he himself has left

written in recalling those experiences. Now a concluding comment is in order.

As we observe Don Bosco's life in action through his forty-seven and a half

years of priesthood, we can only stand in awe at the intensity with which those

early experiences were lived, deepened and perfected. The unambiguous fidelity,

72 MO -daSilva, 11; MO-En, 167. The allusion is to Ps. 113, 7-8.

73 Joseph had returned to Becchi in 1839 after working the Matta farm at

Sussambrino with a partner since 1830, and had built his house across the way from

the 'little house', which was beginning to fall into disrepair. Margaret had been

living with Joseph. Anthony had likewise built himself a tiny one-room house in the

immediate vicinity; but he was still using a bedroom in the 'little house'.

74 Documenti II, 7 in ASC 110: Cronachette, Lemoyne-Doc; Micro 969

Dll. Cf. also Lemoyne-Margherita, lOlf.; EBM I, 388.

4.4 Page 34

▲back to top

Journal of Salesian Studies

the dedication, and above all the burning love for souls which motivated his

priestly life are nothing if not absolutely amazing.

It is related that in December 1866, in a context of bitter confrontation

between the Holy See and the Italian Government over the matter of the

appointment of bishops to vacant sees, Don Bosco was invited to an interview

by Prime Minister Bettino Ricasoli in Florence. This gentleman hoped that Don

Bosco might act unofficially as a go-between. Lemoyne writes that as soon as

Don Bosco was ushered into the Prime Minister's office,

halting in the middle of the room, [he] firmly declared, "Your

Excellency, I want you to know that Don Bosco is a priest at

the altar, a priest in the confessional, a priest among his boys.

He is a priest in Florence no less than in Turin. He is a priest

in a poor person's house, a priest in the king's palace, and a

priest in a Minister's office! "75

Developing the ideas expressed in this familiar text, Fr. Eugene Ceria

in an address to a congress of Salesian Cooperators, draws a striking portrait of

Don Bosco the priest: a priest at the altar, a priest in the confessional, a priest

among young people, a priest everywhere, in Florence no less that in Turin, a

priest among the poor, a priest with the rich and powerful, a priest in

everything, even in the way he wrote, a priest with his Salesian confreres, a

priest with the Pope, bishops and other brother priests, a priest through and

through.76

Upon reflection we might conclude that this entire extraordinary life of

priestly love and service grew out of that original mighty pledge: 'I will not

shrink from suffering, from striving, nor even from humiliations, whenever it is

a question of saving souls:·77

75 IBM VIII, 533; cf. EBM VIII, 239.

76 Cf. E. Ceria, Don Bosco Prete (Appunti per un convegno di Direttori dei

Cooperatori Salesiani laziali a Roma). Roma: Scuola Tipografica Salesiana, 1928, 20

pages.

77 Cf. Note 35 above, and text relating thereto.

4.5 Page 35

▲back to top

.AWl.lr£0 l'ilIOl!LE

PlfL

i854

TORINO , 18:>3

nP<>Guru. Diii. DJ. P. Dlf-J.,OiTINI

Via della 7Ac:ca , H, sJ, n11 Biraco.

Actual size (5 ~ x 3 ~ inches) of the first issue of Don Bosco's fl

Galantuomo (The Gentleman'sAlmanac).Itfirst appearedon New Year's

Day, 1854, when 16,000copies weredistributed free to subscribers of the

Catholic Readings.