E IV, 2043

The formal proposal to send Salesian missionaries to Buenos Aires to establish a hospice – another house at San Nicolás de los Arroyos.

Turin, 22 December 1874

Very Reverend Monsignor Espinosa Vicar General Buenos Aires,¹

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

Commendatore Giovanni Battista Gazzolo, Consul of the Argentine Republic in Italy, has repeatedly spoken of Your Most Reverend Lordship’s zeal and of the tireless work that His Most Reverend Excellency, your Archbishop, carries out on behalf of this vast archdiocese.² At the same time, he mentioned to me the great shortage of evangelical workers, especially those who deliberately devote themselves to the Christian education and instruction of young people.

This distinguished gentleman, in order to support the spirit of the Salesian Congregation and do the greatest good he can for the Republic he represents here, decided to write to His Excellency to say that the Salesians would be happy to offer their humble services should they be needed and if this were to be acceptable. Your Most Reverend Lordship was kind enough to reply that the Archbishop appreciated the idea, would gladly receive the new missionaries and would protect them.

Having expressed my heartfelt thanks to both of you, I would like to inform you that I am willing to accept the project and, to this end, I intend to enter into formal negotiations with you as representative of the diocesan Ordinary.

This project would greatly benefit from the support of Dr Ceccarelli, provost of San Nicolás, who is willing to offer a house, a parish and his support to the Salesians if they were to settle there permanently to carry out the many tasks that remain unfulfilled due to a lack of workers.

That being said, we could arrive at this proposal, which I intend to submit to the enlightened wisdom of His Excellency:

1. I would send some priests to Buenos Aires to establish a central hospice there. It would be very helpful to have a church of any kind for sacred functions, especially for teaching catechism to the most neglected children in the city. The highly esteemed Commander Gazzolo informs me that the church of Madonna della Misericordia, which is expected to become vacant, would be most suitable. In the absence of a public church, we could also use some premises that are in some way suitable for gathering and accommodating poor children.

2. I would then soon send to San Nicolás the number of priests, clerics and lay people necessary for religious services, singing and also for teaching where necessary.

3. From these two sites, the Salesians could be sent elsewhere as the Ordinary sees fit.

If these thoughts seem to form the basis for realising our project, you could write to me and I will do my best to sort things out.

For your information, I will inform you that our Congregation has been definitively approved by the Holy See, and although its primary purpose is the education of poor youth, it nevertheless extends to every branch of the sacred ministry. Furthermore, the Holy Father, having placed himself as our protector, wishes that the case be presented to him before a final decision is made. I also know that he greatly appreciates this decision, because he has a special affection for these distant countries, which were the object of his apostolic zeal when he was sent there as nuncio of the Holy See.

I am also writing to the vicar of San Nicolás in relation to his letter.

I have not written in Latin or Spanish because I see that you write Italian beautifully.

I commend myself and my people to the charity of your Lordship’s holy prayers and to those of His Excellency the Archbishop, and, paying humble homage to both, with profound veneration, I consider it the highest honour to be able to profess that I am

Your Lordship’s

most obliged and humble servant

Fr John Bosco