To the Salesians and pupils at the college in Lanzo Torinese

E IV, 2055

‘Oh! it was with great pleasure that I read your good wishes; with great pleasure that I read the name and surname of each pupil, each class, from the first to the last in the college. I felt as if I were standing among you, and in my heart I repeated over and over: ‘Long live my sons at Lanzo!’

Turin, vigil of the Epiphany 1875

To my dear sons, rector, teachers, assistants, prefect, catechist, pupils and others at the college in Lanzo

The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always. Amen.

Until now, my beloved sons, I have been unable to fulfil a deep desire of my heart, which was to visit you. A series of complicated occupations and some minor health problems have prevented me from doing so.

However, I want to tell you something that you will find hard to believe: I think of you several times a day, and every morning at Holy Mass I commend you all in a special way to the Lord. For your part, you also give clear signs that you remember me.

Oh! it was with great pleasure that I read your good wishes; with great pleasure that I read the name and surname of each pupil, each class, from the first to the last in the college. I felt as if I were standing among you, and in my heart I repeated over and over: Long live my sons at Lanzo!

I would therefore like to begin by thanking you all from the bottom of my heart for your Christian and filial wishes, and I pray to God that he may multiply them a hundredfold upon you and upon all your relatives and friends. Yes. May God grant you all long and happy lives.

If I may offer some special wishes, I wish you good health, study, and morality.

Health. This is a precious gift from heaven, take care of it. Beware of excesses, excessive sweating, overexertion, and sudden changes from hot to cold. These are the common sources of illnesses.

Study. You are at college to acquire knowledge that will enable you to earn your living in the future. Whatever your circumstances, vocation, or future state, you must ensure that if you were to lack all domestic and paternal resources, you will otherwise be able to earn an honest living. Let it never be said that we live off the sweat of others.

Morality. The link between health and study, the foundation upon which they are based, is morality. Believe me, my dear sons, I am telling you a great truth: if you maintain good moral conduct, you will progress in your studies and in your health; you will be loved by your superiors, your companions, your relatives, your friends, your fellows at home and, if you want me to tell you, you will be loved and respected even by the wicked. Everyone will compete to have you with them, praise you, and benefit you.

But give me some of those beings who have no morality: what a terrible thing. They will be lazy and will have no other name than donkey; they will speak badly and will be called scandalous, to be shunned. If they are known in the college, they are hated by everyone and the Te Deum is sung on the lucky day when they go home. And at their home? General contempt. Their families and their birthplace detest them, no one supports them, everyone shuns them from society. And what about their soul? If they live, they are unhappy; if they die, having sown only evil, they can reap only evil fruits.

Take courage, therefore, dear boys, and take care to seek, study, preserve and promote the three great treasures: health, study and morality.

One more thing. I hear a voice coming from afar, crying out: O children, O pupils at Lanzo, come and save us! These are the voices of many souls waiting for a helping hand to pull them back from the brink of perdition and set them on the path to salvation. I tell you this because many of you are called to a holy career, to winning souls.

Take heart; there are many who await you. Remember St Augustine’s words: Animam salvasti, animam tuam praedestinasti.

Finally, boys, I commend your rector to you. I know that he is not in good health; pray for him, console him with your good conduct, love him, and treat him with unlimited trust. These things will be of great comfort to him, and of great benefit to yourselves.

While I assure you that I pray for you every day during Holy Mass, I also commend myself to your kind prayers, so that I may not suffer the misfortune of preaching to save others and then lose my own poor soul. Ne cum aliis praedicaverim, ipse reprobus efficiar 1 Cor 9:27.

God bless you all, and believe me that in Jesus Christ I am

Your most affectionate friend

Fr John Bosco

N. B. Fr Rector is asked to explain any of these things just in case they were not well understood.