The Memoirs of the Oratory (= MO), one of Don Bosco’s most personal and vivid texts, has had huge importance in Salesian history. And not just because some of the details it contains, such as the dream at nine years of age and the description of the encounter with Bartholomew Garelli, have become symbolic events in the saint’s life and for the Salesian mission, and the subject of spiritual and pedagogical reflection. This document has educated us to an understanding of events involving Don Bosco and his preferred institution, the Oratory, in terms that are both epic and providential. It has fleshed out our imagination regarding the decisive role of Mamma Margaret and Fr Calosso, the figure of Fr Borel, the Marchioness Barolo and the Vicar of the City, Michael Cavour. It has introduced a touch of adventure into Don Bosco’s life with the tale of the race with the acrobat, the evocation of obscure attacks and the appearance of the mysterious dog “Grigio”.

And above all, the MO has contributed decisively to constructing and affirming an image of Don Bosco that continues to circulate. The stylisations that have been widespread in the last twenty years of the nineteenth century and in the first part of the twentieth century (founder of charitable institutions and Catholic societies, father of orphans, great educator of the nineteenth century, miracle worker and visionary, brilliant organiser of pastoral and educational initiatives according to the needs of the times¹) today have lost some or all of their charm. Even the most careful reconstruction that adheres to historical reality, on which serious and documented scholars have been working for fifty years, is struggling to find acceptance in common opinion. On the other hand, there is a sympathetic representation of the peasant, the lively leader of young country farming kids and students, the dreamer, the friend close to youthful yearnings, the affectionate father who reveals significant horizons to young people and opens up paths of formation, enhancing instances that are most agreeable and pertinent in their regard.

These, in fact, are the dominant features of Don Bosco’s identity which emerges in the evocative story of the MO, and which have been more tenaciously rooted in the collective imagination, inside and beyond the ambits of the Salesian Family. It is a representation drawn up and promoted by Don Bosco himself, first in the restricted setting of the community at Valdocco, through narratives and picturesque representations, then in the wider circle of friends and cooperators.