To the King of Savoy, Victor Emmanuel II

E I, 42

Request for a subsidy to tackle the expenses of the oratories

Turin, November 1849

Your Royal Majesty,

Father John Bosco, residing in this capital city, humbly explains to Your Royal Majesty how, in his desire to provide for the needs of the most abandoned young people, he began to gather them on Sundays, sometimes in one place and sometimes in another in the city, always with the consent of the civil and ecclesiastical authorities.

With the Lord’s blessing this work succeeded in establishing an oratory in Valdocco between Porta Palazzo and Porta Susina under the title of St Francis de Sales. It was attended by over five hundred young people, most of whom had been released from prison or were in danger of ending up there.

The above location became too small for the large number of young people who gathered there in 1847, so another oratory was opened in Porta Nuova under the title of St Aloysius, between Viale dei Platani and Viale del R. Valentino.

The present times show that abandoned youth are in greater need of assistance, both in terms of education and religion. Therefore, the Vanchiglia oratory, which had been started and closed a year earlier by Fr Cocchi, assistant priest at the Church of the Annunciation, was reopened under the title of Guardian Angel.

In all these three places, through sermons, catechism and classes, love for work, respect for authority and for the laws according to the principles of our holy Catholic religion are constantly instilled.

There are also Sunday classes on the metric system for those who wish to participate. He also established a hospice with twenty-five beds to provide for the most urgent needs of these young people. The average number who come on weekends across all three oratories is close to one thousand.

So far, everything has gone ahead with the help of some charitable people and a good number of zealous clerics and lay people.

Now, since he is in charge of these three oratories, is burdened by the rent for all three premises, which amounts to two thousand four hundred francs, the maintenance costs of the three respective chapels, where all the sacred services are held on Sundays, and the daily expenses made necessary by the extreme poverty of a number of the children, the appellant finds himself, despite all his efforts, in the difficult position of being unable to continue.

He therefore implores Your Majesty to kindly consider a work that has already brought, and will hopefully continue to bring, well-being to so many abandoned individuals, a work that has already been benefited many times by your august father, and to grant the charitable subsidy which, in such cases, will be welcomed as a gift of paternal kindness.

Awaiting Your Majesty’s grace and favour etc.

Fr John Bosco