austraLasia #3378
The
Becchi, Valdocco
Work and temperance
had its beginnings here
TURIN: 23
February 2014 -- It's
all been happening, either at Colle Don Bosco or back in Rome.
The
Chapter members go to Colle to be reminded of where 'Work and
Temperance' had its beginnings for Don Bosco - in the hard
work and
thriftiness he learned from his mother. And this is how things
began
too at Valdocco once the oratory had a permanent location
there. And
what does Don Bosco do? He invites his mother to join him,
giving us a
4 point plan (according to Fr Giraudo) for Salesian work and
holiness
still today: readiness to do God's will, complete trust in
Providence,
deatchment from human affections, poverty of spirit.
Meanwhile back in Rome ... Pope Francis gives the red biretta
and gold
ring of office to his new cardinals, amongst whom (pictured
below) is
Cardinal Riccardo Ezzatti, archbishop of Santiago, Chile. We
can recall
that this appointment reminds us of two other well-known
figures in
Salesian history who served in Chile: Don Bosco's Pope, Pius
IX, had
been Nuncio there - and DB collected stories about that.
and Cardinal
Raul Silva Henriquez, an outstanding figure in the Latin
American
Church's struggle for the poor, (he died in 1999), was a
former
Cardinal-archbishop of Santiago.
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It wasn't all happening yesterday,
apparently:
The
bus arrived late from Rome yesterday, cutting short the time
at
Valsalice, and due to a transport hitch, 20 people, including
3 General
Council members got left behind and didn't get there anyway!
Oh well,
as Robbie Burns once said, and Fr Cereda probably reflected
afterwards
(there's bound to be a Milanese version of Robbie Burns):
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley, [
often go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
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---------------
The
Beccchi where it all began
The
Giraudo Presentations
"Work and Temperance:
its origins at the Becchi and the incipient oratory"
"Work and Temperance: the radical, apostolic life style of
the first Salesians"
Fr Giraudo based today's talks largely on the Memoirs
of the Oratory.
He drew especially on Don Bosco's description of life at home
after his
father's death and his mother's response of "hard work and
thrift" (as
well as seeing God's will and providence at work)
suggesting that this
is where the origins of 'work and temperance' really lie. From
here he
learned the basics of being an educator to faith, too, as she
prepared
him for the sacraments.
By the time he establishes a permanent home at Valdocco for
the
Oratory, Don Bosco is again looking to his mother to come and
join him.
She sings a little ditty wondering what people would say if
they really
knew they were penniless. At Valdocco, Don Bosco's charity,
apostolic
energy translates into detachment, sacrificial availability,
hard work,
fervour - all summed up in what eventually becomes known as
the Da Mihi Animas Cetera
Tolle.
If we are to learn something from all this, it is especially
to Mama
Margaret that we can look for an answer: her readiness to do
God's
will, her unconditional trust in Providence, her detachment
from human
affections, and her poverty of spirit.
Moving to Valdocco, Giraudo again draws on the Memoirs of the Oratory,
but adds in additional material - positive reports on the
Oratory at
the time, likening it to a hive of busy bees, ordered,
organised and
purposeful. He refers to the Lives of Savio, Besucco and
Magone (but we
could also throw in others - together,
the 'mixed bag' of Lives
which Don Bosco wrote make interesting reading). A
little-known
document which readers might like to peruse, and the origins
of our
Mortuary letters, are the
original mortuary letters written by Don Bosco
- they illustrate precisely the sort of thing Fr Giraudo
expands on in
his talk: the typical features of Salesian 'work' which, like
the
'busyness' referred to earlier at the Oratory is orderly,
organised,
suitable, useful, and above all sanctified. He concludes
with
reference to the dream
of the Pergola of Roses.
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Cardinal
Poletto urges Salesian Family to face the challenges
In his homily to assembled GC27 members in the Basilica of Don
Bosco at
Colle Don Bosco, Cardinal Ugo Poletto, emeritus Archbishop of
Turin,
put two pertinent questions to the congregation (also the
Congregation!): (1) What is the Lord saying, or what would Don
Bosco
think of the pastoral and spiritual life of today's Salesians?
and (2)
What are the Church and the world expecting of the great
Salesian
Family today?
He urged the Chapter members to look to Don Bosco the
educator,
spiritual director of young people especially in the light of
the
diversified youth culture today. He saif that Salesians need
to be "men
of God" and "avoid the idol of activism". His prayer was
that:
- the sense of belonging to this great Salesian family in the
world may grow in you
- the world is your field; may you leave your enclaves and get
out into the midst of it
- may the Holy Spirit enlighten you in the choice of the next
Rector Major.
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Reminder
of timetable for these days.
23 February Sunday
8.15 a.m. Morning Prayer in the St
Francis de
Sales Church, the first church DB built for his incipient
permanent
oratory after adapting the Pinardi 'shed' for the purpose
originally.
There simply had not been room for increasing numbers of boys.
9.00 a.m. departure for Colle
Don Bosco
about 30 kms away.
10.00 a.m. second major reflection by
Giraudo:
Work and temperance: its origins in Becchi and later at the
beginnings
of the Oratory. Break into 3 groups once more as above.
12.00 noon Mass in the now minor
basilica of
Don Bosco at Colle. Main celebrant and homilist is the
emeritus
Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Poletto.
1.30 p.m. Lunch
2.45 p.m. Back to
Valdocco
4.30 p.m. Personal time
to reflect
in Pinardi chapel, Francis de Sales Church, the 'Camerette'
(DB's rooms
which he himself built and later extended), today's weekend
(festive)
oratory, the vault below the Basilica of MHC where the graves
of the
Rectors Major are.
6.00 p.m. 3rd
key talk
by Giraudo: Work and temperance: the lifestyle, radical
dedication and
apostolic zeal of the original Salesians. Again following
this, 3
groups.
7.00 p.m.
Evening
prayer in the Basilica
24 February Monday
8.30 a.m. Off to St
John the
Evangelist's in Turin, the church built by Don Bosco close to
his
second oratory of 'San Luigi' (St Aloysius).
10.00 a.m. 4th and final
talk by
Giraudo: Work and Temperance: Don Bosco's motto as seen by his
Successors. And again, 3 groups.
11.00 .a.m. back down
towards
Valdocco again, but this time to the Church of the Consolata
where the
Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia, will be main celebrant
and
homilist at the Mass to be celebrated at 12 noon. Our Lady of
Consolation (the 'Consolata') is the Patroness of Turin. It is
a
fascinating history as to how this came about - check it
out on the
Internet
1.30 p.m. Lunch at
Valdocco
and by 2.30 p.m. departure by coach(es) to Rome.
PS: The North
American Provinces are
running a Facebook
page which will also help with information and
background.
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Terminology
If there is any
terminology used
that you are unsure of, and you don't have the app, look it up
in the Salesians
A-Z
web page
