To seventeen-year-old Stefano Rossetti

E I, 450

‘Yes, my dear friend, I love you with all my heart, and my love for you leads me to do everything I can to help you progress in your studies and piety and guide you on the path to heaven.’

Saint Ignatius (Lanzo Torinese), 25 July 1860

Beloved son,

I was really pleased to receive your letter. With it, you show that you understand how I feel about you.

Yes, my dear friend, I love you with all my heart, and my love for you leads me to do everything I can to help you progress in your studies and piety and guide you on the path to heaven.

Remember the many warnings I have given you on various occasions; be cheerful, but let your cheerfulness be genuine, like that of a conscience free from sin.

Make an effort to become very rich, but rich in virtue, and the greatest wealth is the holy fear of God. Flee from the wicked, befriend the good; put yourself back in the hands of your archpriest and follow his advice, and all will be well.

Say hello to your family for me; pray to the Lord for me, and while God keeps you far from me, I pray that he will always keep you safe until you are with us again. In the meantime, I am with you with paternal affection.

Yours most affectionately

Fr John Bosco