Circular

E I, 542

Appeal for a lottery on behalf of the Turin oratories

Turin, 30 January 1862

Charitas benigna est patiens est.

Charity is patient and kind. (St Paul)

Distinguished Sir

The charity of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is kind and patient in all things, gives me hope that Your Excellency will kindly forgive me for the inconvenience I am causing you.

The matters that Divine Providence has placed in my hands this year have made it necessary for me to resort to small-scale public charity through a lottery of items. This method, although true, has been practised quite often for some time now and has become less popular with some people, but I have been unable to find any other method more compatible with the times and more suited to the need.

In order to give you a clear idea of the kind of expenses involved, I will briefly outline them here. First of all, there are the three Oratories of St Francis de Sales in Valdocco, St Aloysius in Porta Nuova, and the Holy Guardian Angel in Vanchiglia. In these three churches, sacred services are held in the morning and evening, the Holy Sacraments are administered, and the most vulnerable young people, who attend in large numbers, are educated. These young people, who often need to be provided with food and clothing, are placed in apprenticeships to learn a trade, as far as possible.

However, the three churches do not have a fixed income to provide what is necessary for divine worship and lack the essential furnishings. Furthermore, the premises in Vanchiglia and Porta Nuova are rented, the former at £650 per annum and the latter at £500. In addition to the current rent, there are some arrears that should already have been paid. In these same premises, and for the day classes and evening classes, many essential repairs had to be carried out, most of which are still to be paid for.

We also took in a considerable number of young artisans and students who were housed in the house attached to the Valdocco Oratory, where they were provided with bread, education, clothing, lodging and training; the expense for these was quite considerable.

Finally, a considerable but indispensable expense had to be incurred in order to set up workshops in the house, because for serious reasons it was no longer possible to allow the young artisans to learn their trade in the city's workshops.

Having outlined the purpose of the lottery, I humbly invite Your Excellency to come to my aid:

1. To collect any items that charitable individuals may wish to donate, and then to distribute some tickets at the appropriate time.

2. If you know anyone who would be willing to take on the beneficial role of promoter of this lottery, I would be most grateful if you could kindly provide me with their name, surname and address; I will then send them a formal invitation myself.

3. If, for any special reason, you do not wish your name to appear in the list of promoters, I would respectfully ask you to let me know in whatever way is least inconvenient for you.

I hope to be able to send you the corresponding draft rules soon, together with other news concerning this lottery, which I particularly recommend to your well-known and proven charity. May the Lord God, who is infinitely rich in favours, reward you generously by granting you good health and abundant blessings. In the meantime, on behalf of myself and the young people who have benefited, I offer you my heartfelt thanks, while with the utmost esteem I have the honour of professing that I am

Your distinguished Sir’s

Most obliged servant

Fr John Bosco