Acts_1976_284.ASC


Acts_1976_284.ASC

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Year LVII
OCTOBER-DECEMBER 1976
No. 284
ACTS DJ TU( SUPIRIDR COUNCll
OF THE SALESIAN SOCIETY
SUMMARY
I. Letter of the Rector Major (p. 3)
THE SALESIANS AND POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY
1. Why this subject.
2. A new vision of politics - The snare of ambiguity - What is meant
today by politics · The limits of political activity.
3. Religion remains indispensable - The mystery of evil in history -
The liberating function of the Church - Culture needs religion.
4. Don Bosco and polttlcs - The century that changed the face of
the world - Characteristics of Don Bosco's times - Don Bosco's
political initiatives - Clear understanding of his vocation and clever
adaptability - Some conclusions for our guidance.
5. Our commitment In society - The pressing needs of today - The
Salesian commitment is a religious commitment - Some unaccept­
able deviations - Six criteria for guiding ,Salesian activity - The most
urgent areas of educative action.
Conclusion.
II. Instructions and norms (none in this Issue)
Ill. The 21st General Chapter (p. 62)
IV. Communications: New Provincials (p. 64)
V. Salesian Missions Centennial (.p. 65)
l<he 106th missionary expedition - 2. Appeals and prospects for the
future - 3. A Book on our missions - 4. The celebration of the
Centennial: Argentina and Poland - 5. Some news items from the
missions - 6. Solidarity fund (20th report) .
VI. Activities of the Superior Council (p. 71)
VII. Documents (p. 72)
1. Criteria for determining to which Province a confrere belongs -
2. Criteria for reckoning the number of confreres in a Provl,nce.
VIII. From the Provincial Newsletters (none in this Issue)
IX. Ecclesiastical Maglsterlum (p. 76)
X. Necrology and 2nd Elenco for 1976 (p. 85)

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S, G, S, • ROMA

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I. LETTER OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
THE SALESIANS AND POLITICAL RESPONSIBILITY
Rome, October 1976
Dear Confreres,
I have desired for a long time to converse with you on the
topic of this Circular Letter; but I wanted first to make a deeper
research on the witness and orientation left us in this regard by
our beloved Father, Don Bosco.
After having prayed and meditated, after having gathered on
this topic the thought of persons who for years have researched
with a great sense of scientific responsibility as well as ecclesial,
religious and Salesian sensibility, I believe the Good Lord wishes
me to invite you to reflect on the delicate subject of our "political
responsibility" as Salesians faithful to Don Bosco.
You realize at once the timeliness, complexity and implica­
tions of this topic. Maybe you will find some difficulty in grasping
some points at first reading: this is due to the nature of the
subject, and it has not always been possible to avoid it. However,
it seems to me that the interest in this burning issue and the
practical conclusions that we will be able to draw from it con­
cerning our vocation, deserve the effort of an attentive an thought­
ful reading: for we are dealing with a topic which is basic to a
full understanding of our very identity.

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1. WHY THIS SUBJECT
There is certainly no lack of urgent reasons why we should
face this topic. Let us see some of them.
• The cultural transformation and the social changes which
are being experienced in various nations give rise to problems
that cannot be overlooked by the Church and, in it, by us precisely
as Salesians.
The manifold changes that are taking pla�e are becoming a
kind of entrance exam to the future: a substantial questionnaire
on the validity of our vocation. It could be said that we will
come out from this historic hour either "passing" or "failing".
We should not therefore be unaware of them and make no effort
to set forth some answer of basic value and importance.
• Don Bosco lived intensely and with full awareness the
problems, uncharted for him too, of the great cultural and social
changes of his century, particularly in their political overtones;
and he made, in this regard, a careful choice in full accordance
with his conscience as Founder, adopting a specific behavior
pattern that he wished should become part of his spirit and should
characterize his mission.
Certainly the cultural sensibilities as well as the social con­
junctures and outlooks of his time appear to be quite different
from the present ones. It follows therefore that to be today
objectively faithful to the apostolic project of our Father, we
have to reconsider the identity of our Salesian vocation and
know how to fulfill it in the environment of the new times.
• Today's newness is characterized by the "signs of the times"
with their values as well as the ambivalences and deviations which
accompany them in practice.
Among these "signs of the times" we must undoubtedly
mention the process of socialization as a growth of the political

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consciousness of the citizens and of their active part1c1pation in
the responsibilities of the search for and administration of the
temporal commonweal. And, in varying degrees, this is true of all
countries.
Such a process touches upon and concerns also our
Salesian life which is actively inserted in the world with its mis­
sion of integral education to youth and the working-class people.
• Youth and the working-class people, to whom the Salesian
is de facto dedicated, usually live in the most teeming zones of
society; and they seem to be, today more than yesterday, the
privileged object of attention on the part of the so-called "educa­
tive city". They are sought after, cared for, indoctrinated, and
even flattered and manipulated by ideologists and activists, by
the mass media and political parties which consider them as
the most significant "exodus groups" towards the "new society".
Thus it becomes impossible for a son of Don Bosco to dedicate
himself to his mission without coming across the perspectives
of politics.
• The "new society", about which so much is being said,
is to a large extent still to be built. We certainly live in a social
and cultural era of transition in which liberalism and socialism,
with their varied ideological outlooks and practical achievements,
are a proof of the fact that there are situations to be overcome
because what has been devised up to now is no longer or not
yet in accordance with the true standard for man.
• I think it is because of this state of transition and moment
of search that the importance of this subject has received more
and more emphasis in numerous documents of the official Ma­
gisterium, from the Popes to the Council, from the Episcopal
Conferences to the Synod of Bishops, from the diocesan clergy
to those responsible for religious Orders. From among the most
significant of these documents I will point out a few in the

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Appendix,1 as a useful means for your personal and communal
reflection.
For us Salesians the Magisterium of the Church constitutes
a privileged instrument in determining our position vis-a-vis the
most complex and vital problems.
• Today, at any rate, there is for everyone a pressing need
to commit oneself to a profound renewal of human community
life: everybody feels called to contribute in the elaboration of
a new society, institutionally and culturally more in accordance
with human nature. Such an urgent need, however, has given
rise to the present social and political climate with its dangerous
unbalances of ideological trends.
• The SGC has faced also this aspect of our Salesian voca­
tion, and its directives have already given us very concrete guide­
lines. But the experience of these last years shows that there are
some who prefer to go their own way without listening to the
voice of the SGC, and there are some who interpret the texts
unilaterally and use them improperly.
These are the very two temptations of which I spoke to you
in my "Letter of Presentation" of the Acts of the SGC, under
the titles « Preconceptions of distrust - disillusionment" and
"Harmonizing the documents." 2
2. A NEW VISION OF POLITICS
For a little more than half a century a shifting of accent has
been taking place in the term "politics" which has revived its
fortunes and has made it a fashionable word. This, in reality, has
also given to the term a multiplicity of meanings, which is un­
fortunately accompanied by ambiguities of no slight consequence.
I See pg. 61: Select Bibliography of Magisterium Documents.
2 Cf. Acts of the Special General Chapter, pp. IX-XI.

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It is certainly a very positive factor that the conscience of
citizens concerning as never before, and that there is continuous
growth in the will of the citizens to participate in the search
for a more human model of society. "Political choices", wrote
the French bishops, "acquire an immense amplitude: how can
one imagine new forms of life in society? What types of society
do men and wometn want for the end of the twentieth century
or for the following century? A highly developed consumer
society taken up with illusory goods, or a society based on
justice and fullness of human development? Politics, in short, is
today situated close to the level of ultimate ends".3
But it must also be remembered that the wider the scope
given to politics, the greater must be the clarity of ideas in this
regard. As a matter of fact, if everything were to become politics,
then Faith would lose its function, the Church would lose its
mission, and all of us woul have to change our vocation.
It is therefore necessary to specify in some way the meaning
in which we are here taking the concept of politics, in order to
avoid exposing ourselves to today's recurrent fashion of a gen­
eralized and often irrational political demagoguery. This must
be done even though it is not an easy task and it does not belong
to me to delve into such a complex field.
The snare of ambiguity
Fortunately we now have some experience in the use of
ambivalent terms, and we are accustomed to discern between
values and non-values, to distinguish, for instance, between sec­
ularization and secularism, between the advancement of women
and feminism, between what properly belongs to the laity and
laicism, and so forth. It is therefore possible, and for us here
' BISHOPS OF FRANCE, Politica, Chiesa e Fede [Politics, Church and Faith],
Ed. LDC, 44.

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it is even indispensable, to establish a clear distinction between
"politics" and "politicizing":
- politics is a good, and it is a basic dimension of human
life in the civil community;
- politicizing, instead, is intrusiveness and adulteration,
a confusion that corrodes from within and alters the nature of
society and the manifold civil services of society.
It is true that when a term has caught on, we cannot
prescind from its nuances and we should not be afraid to use it.
We will do it, however, with an effort not to cause misunder­
standings or erroneous interpretations. We should know how to
speak the present language of youth and of the people, while
keeping in mind that, unfortunately, popular language is not only
the vehicle for truths but also for errors. This is true especially
when certain terms enter into common usage through the filter
of ideologies, which reject transcendent values, oppose religious
perspectives, and deny the specific mission of the Church in
society.
What then is politics at the level of Christian reflections?
What does "political concern" mean for a member of that Church
whose mission was defined by the Council as being "not of the
political order" but "of a religious one?".4 And what is today
the "political responsibility" of a Salesian who heard his father
and founder Don Bosco counsel him, a hundred years ago, to
keep away from "things political?".
What is meant today by politics
Scholars today generally use the term politics in two mean­
ings, in accordance with the two axes arouiid which the entire
social concern revolves:
4 Cf. Gaudium et Spes, No. 42.

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good-in
the axis
a global
of oalues and
vision of civil
ends which
society";
define
the
"common
must-guiadnedthtbee
axis of the meafi;, methods and
effectiveness of political power
priorities which
in the practical
attainment of an adequate "living together" in society.
The axis ol aalues and, ends
The first meaning considers politics in the widest sense
of the word as a carefully thought-out discourse on the social
dimension of man historically situated in the city, which in
Greek is precisely called "polis". In the city, as a matter of
fact, human "living together" in society is organized, culture is
developed, work is planned, manifold activities are promoted,
social struggles take place and, in the final analysis, the history
of a people unfolds to its fullness.
To be a citizen one has to be interested and participate
in the dynamics of such a life in community, and devote oneself
with various endeavors and services to its right organization
and just functioning.s A good citizen cannot be neuttal in this
field, but must know how to give his collaboration generously
and with all the competence of which he is capable.
At this leuel, all undoubtedy baue a political responsibility.
And we think rightaway of. a realistic aspect of our Salesian
mission: we have often heard it repeated by Don Bosco that we
must be engaged in the education of youth and of the adults
of the working class, "helping them to become honest citizens." 6
Cetainly, the expression "honest citizen" can have a different
resonance depending on its cultural context; however, u/e are
really moving in the orbit of this widely accepted meaning. In
this sense, for all practical pufposes, the term "politics" refers
5 Cf. Gaadium et Spes, Nos. 73-76
' Cf. Constitutions, Art. 77.

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to the social dimension of man: its substantial reality is consti-
tuted ditectly by the sociocultural values and activities, while
the political aspect appears as a qualifying consequence.
Tbe axis ol the means and priorities
The second meaning considers politics in the stricter and
more proper sense of the word, as an intelligent and calculated
series of initiatives of proven effectiveness, as the sum total
of those practical activities which, through movements, political
parties, historical projects and so forth, intend to direct the
exercise of supreme political power in favor of the people.
At this level, politics is an activity ordained, no doubt,
to the Common Good of all citizens as the goal to which it tends;
but it has, as the moving energy that specifies it, the use and
the seeking of the use of political power, for the purpose of
oryarlzng the entire society, bringing about the converging of
various sectors and diverse energies towards the ordering of the
whole, and guiding and orienting in concrete u/ays the behavior
patterns of community life. Now this is exactly the most signi-
ficant angle from which we can survey political activity, the
light by which ril/e must ultimately appraise and catalog all the
initiatives to which it gives life.
In tbe second meaning not all can dedicate themselaes to
political actiuity, both because many other activities are needed
and also because it requires uncommon talents and competencies.
lVell, then, here when I speak of "political activity", I intend
to refer to this second, stricter, and more proper meaning inas-
much as it implies as a substancial reality "the direct relationship
with the search, use and distribution of power as the unifying
factor of the social community".T
And yet the shifting of accent to which we have alluded
' Cf. Crrer,r, Chiesa e Politica lChurch and Politics), Ed. LDC, Nos. 6-7

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above, stresses the first meaning rather than the second, gives
priority to politics understood more as a quqlifying dimension
rather than a specifying activity. 'U7ill we take this into account?
Of course! It is precisely for this reason that we are reflecting
on our political responsibility. But what we must clarify now
is that a different emphasis does not change the nature of a
concept, unless one wishes to fall into relativism.
Wben politics pretends to iudge euerytbing
In our case, we cannot allow ourselves to be conned by the
Marxist theory of the equ,alization of social and political. In
effect, in a secularized sociery of the atheistic type, politics takes
the place of philosophy and religion in describing the meaning
of man and of society: it considers as its primary and funda-
mental task that of defining the purpose of the world and of
making itself the ultimate criterion of human ethics.' In that
way, politics goes on to receive a supreme value that judges
everything, even culture and religious faith.
This is the logical consequence of an ideology in which tem-
poral goals are looked upon as absolutes, and in which politics
is identified not only with the social order but with the very
"making of history".e
This shifting of accent, then, should not lead us to distort
the real meaning of things, but to underline and give a privi
leged position in our concerns to the profound changes in socio-
cultural contexts, the adequate revision of the scales of values,
the planning of a different priority of concerns, the urgency of
assuming new attitudes, the courage to come to grips rvith un-
charted problems, and every person's capacity to make one's
oril/n vocation truly efficacious for the good of society.
Cf. R. Garaudy, Parola d'uomo lMan's Wordl, Ed. Cittadella 1975, 725
Op. cit., 125.

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The linnits of political activity
Even if it is true that man in his totality has political &men-
sions, nevertheless political activity is not the whole man. Today,
also among believers, there is too much talk about the totalizing
value of the political dimension, thus opening the door to grave
confusions.
"The political sphere", wrote a scholar in this regard, "does
not encompass all the collective and personal dimensions of
human existence, though in one way or another it may reach out
to all. If it does so, it is only from a certain viewpoint and
within definite limits... Men and women can render the greatest
services to humanity without making politics the pivotal concern
of their lives. To favor politics exclusively would make us run
the risk of forgetting essential dimensions of human existence,
without which politics would lose every authentic significance".ro
In other words, family life, economics, culture, religion,
and so forth, are as relevant from the viewpoint of civil society
as they certainly are from the perspective of political activity.
I believe that one of today's tasks is that of deflating tbe
myth ol 'politicizatioru.', which threatens to contaminate the other
indispensable dimensions of human existence and to change the
nature of many different vocations.
However, to demythologize'politicization' does not mean to
ignore or not to appreciate the values of the present process
of gowth in political responsibility. On the contrary, this new
sensibiliry is precisely what makes it imperative for the good
of sociery that we come up with other initiatives distinct from
political activtty.
"Political activity", u/rote Pope Paul VI, "should be the
projection of a plan of society which is consistent in its concrete
'o R. Cosrn, Dimensioni politicbe della fede lPolitical Diruensions of Faithl,
Ed. Cittadella 1973, 13 and )6.

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means and in its inspiration, and which springs from a complete
conception of man's vocation and of its differing social expres-
sions. It is not for the State or even for political parties, which
would be closed unto themselves, to try to impose an ideology...
It is for culrural and religious groupings, in the freedom of
acceptance which they presume, to develop in the social body,
disinterestedly and in their own ways, those ultimate convictions
on the nature, origin and end of man and society".rr
Hence, the all too evident importance of hauing among tbe
people and lor the people rilany aocations whicb do not deuote
tberzselaes to politics as such, tbough tbey actually haae a pro-
lourud inlluence on political life.
In an epoch of radical changes politics needs, more than ever,
smong cultural foundations, secure religious enlightening, and
true life-giving grace from Chtist. Bergson, by no means a
suspect of clericalism, made a bold statement that provoked not
a few discussions: "Democracy will either be Christian or it will
not exist". And he was not referring to any specific party, but
to that something extra which politics needs to be truly rational.
3. REIIGION REMAINS INDISPENSABLE
'We must ponder very seriously the historical function of
the Christian faith in the present democratic evolution of peoples.
For a Christian, to truly liue tbe religious dinzension of bis lile
becones, in practice, a graae responsibility also in the line of
politics.
The Second Vatican Council has stigmatized as a distressing
error the separation of faith from temporal concerns: "The split
between the faith which many profess and their daily lives
deserves to be counted among the more serious errors of our age.,.
tt Octogesima Ad.oeniens, No. 25

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Let there be no false opposition between professional and social
activities on the one part, and religious life on the other... Th.y
are mistaken who... think that they may shirk their earthly respons-
ibilities. For they are forgetting that by faith itself they are
more than ever obliged to measure up to these duties, each
according to this proper vocation. Nor, on the contrary, are they
any less wide of the mark who...imagine that they can plunge
themselves into earthly affaks in such a way as to imply that
these are altogether divorced from the religious life...
In the exercise of all their earthly activities, let Christians
gather their humane, domestic, professional, social, and technic-
al enterprises into one vital synthesis with religious values, under
whose supreme direction all things are harmonized unto God's
glory".t'
Who can help people to make this synthesis? Is there not
a need for a special vocation, for an appropriate ministry, for a
full-time and lifelong dedication? Yes, indeed: tbere can be a
political responsibility ushicb, to be truly genuine, should not
cofl.cern itsell uitb politics, but with laying the religious founda-
tions lor ciail life in community and ransformig into liturgy the
whole human dynamism of history.
The mystery of evil in history
One could say that the process of democratization in civil
life is just beginning. A great modern thinker, Maritain, srated
that we are still "in a prehistoric epoch" as far as this is
concerned.
On the ofier hand, experience teaches us that the art of
government is too often and too easily accompanied by abuses
and injustices: power, wealth and sex seem to be climatic zones
'2 Gaadiun et Spes, No. 43,

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that arc very favorable to sin and to the growth of evil. Let
us think for a moment of the various States which exist at this
moment on earth, and of the kinds of governments of past cen-
turies: who can promise messianically to a people that there is
a science which finally resolves this problem, and that there has
appeared an effective method for engaging in politics with full
justice? It would be demagoguery and irresponsibility to show
oneself naively confident of a political system as having magical
powers to resolve problems.
Instead, it is no exaggeration to affirm that human history
without Christ could have been defined as the "catastrophe of
politics". In history there is evidence of a special place for the
Evil one that Scripture calls explicitly "the Prince of this world".
Only Jesus Christ defeated him, healing also the political values
through his redemptive work (which, it is good to notice, 'was not
of a political nature).
Faith assures us that the "mystery of iniquity" is at work
in history; the scene described in chapter thirteen of the Apoca-
Iypse is not mythology: there, temporal political power is pre-
sented as permeated by a demonic spirit which uses it on behalf
of the Enemy of Christ.
St. Paul, too, counsels the Christians to put on "the armor
of God so as to be able to stand firm against the wiles of the
devil: for our v/restling is not against flesh and blood, but against
the principalities and the powers, against the world-rulers of
this darkness". '\\)7e must therefore meditate on the presence
in history of a deviating force that can be overcome only by
Christ and with Christ.
It is not our task to make exegetical considerations; but
we are certainly facing the problems of a special presence of
evil in the netve centers of human activily.t4
'' Eph., 6, 11-12.
'4 Cf. E. Schlier, Principati e Potesti nel Nuoao Testamento lPrincipalitiet
and Pouers in tbe Neu Testamentl, Morcelliana 1967.

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The liberating function of the Ghurch
Here, then, we see an indispensable aspect of the Church's
mission in the world: to free it from evil and to leaven it in
the good. "The Church is the ambit in which the dominion of
Chtist is affirmed".E
The church is not the world, even though it exists in the
wotld and lives to save it. It cannot loosen itself from the
political sphere because it lives in the nations and helps to lay
the foundations of their right human dimensions; but its mission
does not consist in build.ing the State, but rather in bringing the
good neus ol tbe Kingdom ol God ubich inspires tbe people
already liaing in tbis uorld to lioe uprightly.
There is no dualism in all this; there is, indeed, a distinction
and a dualiry: God is not an alternative to man, but neither is
He man. Thus, the gospel saying "Give to Caesar what is
Caesar's, and to God what is God's"'u appears as a fundamental
non-dualistic principle. The Second Vatican Council affirms that
"Christ gave his Church no proper mission in the political order:
the purpose which He set before her is a religious one".r7 The
statement is plain: I would say that it could not be clearer, even
though it may appear disconcerting.
\\Ve hear at once the resounding counterattack of Marx's
accusation: "Religion is the opium of the people"! \\7ou1d, there-
fore, the mission of Christ and of the Church be an alienation of
history, a social disqualification, a political uselessness? Yet,
Christ became the "Lord of history" precisely by fulfilling his
religious mission, and thus opening the gates of liberry to all
human values, even those of the political sphere. The Council,
'f3t
Ibid.,
\\llk.,
,0.
L2,
t7.
'7 Gaudium et Spes, No. 42

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in the text iust quoted, goes on to affirm: "But out of this
religious mission itsel{ came a funcrion, a light,_ and an energy
whict serves to stfucture and consolidate the human cotrlmu-
nity according to the divine law".lE
Gulture needs religion
It is natural to latch on here to the fascinating problems
of culture.
we know that faith does not belong of itself to the cultural
order: ,,The Gospel is certainly not identical with culture, and
is independent i; regards to all cultures"'" Btt between laith
aod cuitop tbere exiits an bistorical necessity, detived from their
very essence , of. intimate cornmunion and of a mutually enriching
continuous intercbange.n
The council reminded us of
from the contemporary world,,l
the help that the church
and the help which it
receives
intends
to bestow on soc-iety.' Now, all this must once more be medi-
tated upon, in order to understand and deepen the sense of the
indispensability of religion'
Today more than ever, due to the process of democratization
in our .po.h, it is urgent "to insist that culturc be not diverted
from its own pufpose and made to serve political or eco_nomic
interests,,.a Soch-an urgency underlines even more sttongly the
importance of a dynamii
ception and de\\eloprrent
prrtrnrc of re.ligious
of a neu order for
faitb
rna.n
ainnd-thseociceotny-.
llhe Gospel, as the Council assured us, helps to stimulate
't8e
Ibid.
Eoangelii
Nuntiand.i,
No.
20.
^2'
2
2
Cf. Gaudian et SPes, No.
Ibid., No. 44.
Ibid., Nos. 42, 41,57, 58.
Ibid., No. 59.
58'
a

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culture, to remove from it dangerous errors, to elevate its me-
diation, to strengthen it, to complete it and make it fruitful.2o
"Faith throws a new light on everything, manifesrc God's design
for man's total vocation, and thus directs the mind to solutions
which are fully human".a
The trouble is that, between faith and culture, serious
HdioffliycuFltaiethserhaPvoeperisPeanultoVIsutcoheaxnclaeimxrewnirththaant gituisphro: m,,lpbteedsopulitr
between the Gospel and culture is utithoat a doubt the dranza
of our ti?fle".%
In view of the emerging values, its is imperative for us to
reflect once more on our faith and to elabora6 a theology that
can dialogue with the new anthropological sciences so as to avoid
the unbalance of sociologism and psychologism., Evangehzation
should sffive to penetrate the evolving strata of hurnanity; it
should baptizs the world of labor, purify the social srruggle,
enlighten politics, give a new dimension to the sense of hisiory.
Pope Paul VI tells us: "For the Church it is a question not only
of preaching the Gospel in ever wider geographic areas or ro
ever greater numbers of people, but also of affecting and, as it
were, upsetting, through the power of the Gospel, mankind,s
criteria of judgement, determining values, points of interest,
lines of thought, sources of inspiration and models of life, which
are in contrast with the \\)7ord of God and the plan of salvarion,,.a
Thus, through the workings of the Spirit of the Lord, there
arose and still arise in the church apostolic vocations especially
oriented to face these problems and to devote themselves to
resolve them with intelligence and dedication. Among these we
2o
B
Cf. Gaadium et Spes, No.
Gaudiun et Spes, No. 11.
58
n'zo
Eaangelli Nuntiandi, No. 20.
Cf. Gaudium et Spes, No. 62
'z8 Euangelii Nuntiandi, No. 19.

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_L9_
must number
Don Bosco.
also
our
vocation
-
that of the Salesians of
It is a full-tirne and. lilelong religious commitment, an all-
ernbracing and creatiae undertaking rilore urgent tban any otber,
lor a neu projection ol man and society. For, the mammoth
crisis that we are undergoing is not primarily political, but reli'
gious and cultural. lJ[e need Christian vocations specialized in
healing the divorce between the Gospel and culture.
Don Bosco was raised by God in the last century with a
clear mission. Our vocation as Salesians entails a religiocultural
mission especially among poor youth and the working-class people,
precisely in view of the new society. Don Bosco himself, in the
for"*oid to his first draft of the Constitutions, wrote with keen
perceptiveness: "On the good or bad ttaining of youth depends
th" huppy or sad future of the mores of society".D
In an age ot transition like ours, we should know how to
rethink our vocation without betraying it. The building of a
new society certainly needs politics; but to be genuinely demo-
cratic, politics needs culture; and if culture does not wish to
betray man, it needs religion.
4. DON BOSCO AND POLITICS
It is at least ambiguous to speak of Don Bosco as if he had
nothing to do with politics. The mistake would consist in
making him a tranquil, disembodied, uncreative, non-prophetic
rype of priest, with no battling spirit, no untiring drive, no
decision, no definite social and historical choice.
It would follow likewise that the mission of the Congrega-
tion he founded in direct answer to so many sociocultural needs
of his time would lose its very nature.
2' Foreword., 1858; Biograpbical Menoirs, 5, 9)l

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-20-
Iflhat is undoubtedly clear is that Don Bosco chose with
frrll deliberation not to engage in politics; as a matrer of. fact,
he handed down this same injunction to his Congregation as parr
of his spiritual heritage. But this does not mean thar he was a
stranger to the great human problems of his epoch, or that he
was neutral as regards the sociocultural innovations of his era,
or that he was ignorant of the needs of the new society which
was taking shape, or that he was an armchair idealist in his
educational work on behalf youth and working classes, or that
he was a somewhat sentimentalistic utopian in his international
and missionary enterprises.
No; the very opposite is true! Don Bosco devoted himself
creatively to the reform of society, with full cognizance of his
responsibility for the corrmon good. rBut he did it with a new pas-
toral dedication which followed completely from his priestly heat.
\\Ve therefore ask ourselves in what sense Don Bosco's
counsel "not to embroil ourselves in things political" is not a
sign of unhealthy lack of inrerest in politics, but implies rather
a political responsibility for rhe common good. Keep in mind,
among other things, rhat what he called "rhings political" had a
svceireyntsi{picecriaelsoevaercrtho.ne'!7ien
the
will
past century. Ours will not
simply try with a panoramic
be a
syn-
thesis to shed some light on the original meaning and native
identity of our vocation in the Church.
To this end, it is relevant for us to understand his choice
in this field. \\7e will search not so much for his mentality
Iinked with the culture of his dme, or for his possible subjective
tastes in the sociopolitical climate of Piedmont and Italy, but
rather for those elements that could help us appreciate the spirit
with which he lived and the type of mission he wished to accom-
plish. For we wish to be faithful ro our Founder as to a grace
from God.
To enlighten such a fidelity, we will gather some observations
concerning the difference in sociopolitical contexr between the

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-2t
past century and the present time; we will also ask whidr were,
in practice, Don Bosco's most significant specific activities, and
how the pastoral aspect of his vocarion gave clear witness in
his daily life.
The century that changed the face of the world
Today we in the \\West perhaps look upon the last century with
a certain superiority complex, which prevents us from seeing its
iiymtepiaoorrotcafonncDesoidnaenrBdtohfseacctou'nsnodbtiwtiyritthihn)s,ttahaneldl istnohgceiaVlleiaeannvdennapi'nsoglirteifcosartcolerfsai-etiaoldnn.d(Si*nusfigftihcnees
of th" times" contained in the explosion of the French revolution
continued to grow. "!7e know", wrote Father Cavieilia, "that
the nineteenth century changed the face of the world in every
sense, good
It is a
or bad,
century
and religion was no exception"'$
,,that aspires to the liberation and
elevation
of the lower classes, and seeks to achieve democratically a just
mstrhnoeiconniragtl,l,i,owtrcriadeivnseitrlsw,: epaitdohculiectininaccrtaurioelr,nay,sstionshccgaileatf,nel ccrsevap,olhlpirenrrgtoeogsirt,eestsdeusulrfcnfatoshteretotahalgeltehapeonedfoppeeilnneolpigTelhevteeffrnroy"--r
national vindiiations , and adapts to rhe people the spirit and the
geffes of the new literature and the new art".3l
No doubt, all this took place in a cultural climate which
was different from our own. It could be summed up politically
as the search for independence and constirutional democracy in
the new nations, and ecclesiologically in the trends of the First
Vatican Council.
* A. C.lvrcrre , Don Bosco - Profito storico lDon Bosco - Historical Prolilef ,
sEt L%4, 5-7.
3' Ibid., +r.

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.,,
Gharacteristics of Don Bosco's times
!7e Iist some characteristics of the time in which Don Bosco
lived.
' In the first place, there was a general reauakening of
annadtioonfaltihsernw-arswohf iicnhdeinpeIntadelyncteo.oktWthheenfoDrmon
of the
Bosco
Risorgimento
was oidained
a priest, there were in the Italian peninsula as many as six State
Capitals (Turin, Milan, Parma, Florence, Rome, Naples); the
empires of Spain and Portugal had broken asunder; the in-
dependent States of Latin America were being born; forces were
akeady at work that would tear apafi the Austro-Hungarian
empire,
t Tbe system ol goaernment aas changing. Foundations were
being layed for a new civil life along demomatic lines; forms of
absolute monarchy were disappearing; a constitutional govern-
nient was established also in the Papal States; voting was begin-
ning to take place; political parries were making their appearance.
' It is in the last century that the trauail ol socioeconomic
- t r an sI or m at i o n s b e gan indus tri altzation, urbani s m, demographic
explosion (Europe went from 180 to 400 milion inhabitants), and
the important phenomenon of emigration to America.
' Neu ideologies appeared which would exert an evef greater
sway over the masses through the growing power of the press
on public opinion: besides the neo-Guelfs, neo-Ghibellines, and
utopian socialists, the movements of Liberalism and Marxism
were asserting themselves.
In Italy there was a particular intensity in the clash
betueen state and cburcb, which saw the vehemence of sectarian
forces, a widespread anticlericalism (with the response of a strong
clericalism), the confiscation of ecclesiastical goods, the invasion

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_23_
of the Papal States, the conquest of Rome, abstention from voting
and from holding public office on the part of Catholics, and their
consequent conflict of conscience.
Let us reflect on what it meant, then, at a time of constitu'
tional euphoria, to have the boys shout, "Long live the !9P.!"'
instead of "Lotg live Pius IX!" or, during Mazziri's republic in
Rome, to make among the boys a collection on behalf of the
Pope in exile at Gaeta.
' To speak ol
negligible difference
politics irt sucb a
of emphasis when
context implies a not so
compared to the meaning
given to politics ai the presenre time. Don Bosco used
",ro"u.1*plyt.'rt in different terms what we have mken to the wide
meaning of politics at the sociocultural level of the common good.
,,The rieaning which we give to the expression 'Political 'World',
writes Peter Stella, "must be found to a gteat extent in the area
of other expressions, such as 'civil society', 'fatherland', 'nation',
'society','morality"'.
In this area it is possible to discover a basic convergence
between the goals set by Don Bosco and by the most disparate
supporters of the education of youth and of the people, such as
Ferrante Aporti, Ilarione Petiti of Ro, Achilles Mauri and Giu-
seppe Mazzini himself.3' We can say that, in this field, Don Bo-
,.1'i., practice focuses the goals to be obtained by an integral
education in the formula "good christians and upright citizens".
Instead, when Don Boico uses the term "politics" or "things
political" or "party principle" (cf' letter to Minister T' Mamia-
,ri), h" refe* to whui it directly linked with an intervention by
the local govefnment, to one's view of the exercise of power in
the State, to the ideological postula.tes which guide tfie leanings
of certain newspapers, of pressure groups which are more or less
sectarian, of movements that parted company over the question
,, p. Srrrr,e, Don Bosco e la Politica lDon Bosco and Politicsl, Rome
1971, Duplicate, 3.

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24
of the rype of government to be organized and the kind of in-
dependence and national unity to be brought about. This was
the meaning of the term at rhe more specialized level of politics.
"To look for nuances in the texture of Don Bosco's ex-
perience it proves advantageous to underscore the points of ten-
sion, and at dmes also of divergence, between Don Bosco and
others. Iflhere we find the term 'politics', it is possible to fathom
the motivations of some of his choices, the criteria which instinct-
ively or consciously guided the line of conduct he had taken".33
Don Bosco's political initiatives
Never did Don Bosco show eit}er a temperament or an at-
titude that was neutral or, as people say today, uncommitted to
any position whatsoever. He was unmistakably and totalTy a
priest with a genial and self-sacrificing pastoral dedication.
He possesed a notewothy practical acumen; he obviously
had psychological balance; he was, as it is popularly said, very
shrewd, realistic and supple; he had the leadership needed to
build and rule communities; he faced difficulties with skill; he
was gentle and tactful in his dealing with people, knowing how
to reach key-persons; he cultivated his inclination and taste for
history; he followed the course of world events, appraising them
with an objective critical sense; in a word, he had (if we may
say so) the qualifications and the making of a "politician", nor
as some politicos, armchair critics, who in practice are unable to
otganize a work, to govern a group, to find a solution or to
analyze the components of a concrete difficutty.
He instinctively felt he was Italian and Piedmontese (that
is, a citizen of the Kingdom of Sardinia); but, as a believer, he
nourished a strong sense of catholicity, which he saw nor in con-
n Ibid.

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-25-
trast to but naturally linked with his being Italian. As a priest
and as a citizen, be uas intirnately conainced tbat "religion uas
always regarded as tbe rnainspring ol hurnan society and ol
farnilies, and that where religion is lacking there is nothing but
immorality and disorder; tbat ue ought therefore to do our best
to promote it,loue it and make it loaed also by otbers, and guard
ourselves carefully from those who do not honor it or who
despise it".Y
He was totally and continually
spurred on by "zeal for the Christian
taken up with his task,
renewal of society" ts and
by "u suprapolitical concept of the Papacy",% so much so that in
in an encyclical written toward the end of L929 (the year of the
Concordat between the Holy See and Italy) Pius XI disclosed
his admiration "for God's mercy who providentially and for such
a long time, in opposition to sectarian and wicked men, all bent
on uprooting the Christian religion and downgrading with accusa-
tions and insults the supreme authority of the Supreme Pontiff,
raised Don Bosco who, strongly deploring the violated rights of
the Apostolic See, time and agarn had toiled to have those rights
restoted and to heal on a friendly basis a division which had
torn Italy from the fatherly embrace of the Pontiff"'v
But to assures ourselves of Don Bosco's indefatigable dedica-
tion and clearness of choice in this matter, let us rccal1' his main
initiatiues which have some reference to the political dimension'
' Don Bosco dealt personally with politicians and nzen ol
culture, such as Pellico, Giobeti, Rosmini, Manzoni, Cavour,
Balbo, Rattazzi, Farini, Crispi, ZanardelTt,Lanza and many others,
and he continually endeavored to keep up friendly relationships
'n G. Bosco, Storia d'Italia (in Opere e s*itti editi e inediti, Vol. III,
SEI) LHistory ol Italy (in Vorks and edited and unedited vritings)1, 472471.
3'
s
A.
A.
Cnvrcr.te,
Cevrcue,
Profilo Storico lHistorical Protilel,
Discorso inlroduttiuo alla storia
l)5.
d'Italia
llnttodactory
Discourse to the History ol Italyf
'7 Encyclical Quinquagesimo
, pg.
aflte
XXIII.
anno
of
l2/D/29.

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-26
with cabinet ministers in the successive capitals (Turin, Florence,
and Rome).
' He participated uitb interest in sorue signilicant euents
of the new political currenr. The Constitutions of Charles Al-
bert in L848 ushered in the election of deputies and senators and
the inauguration of Parliament. "Don Bosco, who studied care-
fully the events of the day, wenr a few dmes to assist at the
parliamentary discussions in the first months of its opening; and
he understood right away the direction that things political rvould
have taken with regard to the Church".38
In the month of Novernber, 1875, the government convoked
the general elections. Bishop Fransoni reminded the people of
the christian meaning of voting Don Bosco took all the nec-essary
steps to obtain the documents required to fulfill this duty, and he
prudently mied to further the election of competent catholics.3e
The majority of the catholic deputies who were elected were his
personal friends, and they often had recourse to him for counsel
on certain difficult problems.4
' Just when the Rattazzi lau on tbe conf:iscation ol tbe
property of conaents was about to pass, Don Bosco published
in the "Catholic Readings" the famous pamphlet on "The goods
of the Church, how they are srolen and what are the consequences,
with a short appendix on the chain of evenrs in Piedmonr",
which brought about strong reactions in Parliamenr 4r and was
followed by letters to the king with the prophetic warning: "great
funerals at court".4z
' Vhen Rome uas occupied by the Piedrnontese forces, and
Pius IX felt he might have to abandon it (with rl're consequenr
38 Biograpbical Menoirs,
$
*
q
Ib;d.,
Ibid.
lbid.,
5, 762-764.
5,2r, 84.
),
305.
" Ibid., 5, 219-244.

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-zt-
possible intervention by other military powers), Don Bosco saw
to it that the Pope received the historic counsel: "Let the sentinel
of Israel remain firm at his post".a3
o In the entbusiasrn of the first rnissionary expedition to
Latin America, we find an important aspect of his creative par-
ticipation in the problems of the Nation, and it was accompanied
by a curious proposal. The expansion of the migratory movement'
which did not disturb the politicians too much, was instead of
grave concern to Don Bosco, who wanted missionaries to care
also for their fellow countrymen abroad.
But the curious incident is that on March 16, 1876, Don
Bosco wfote a memorandum to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
ovinefgrIyttaobloytl,hdMeinesdloeeugetadh,ri,oanifndR,wiaohs iNachemghareott,estiungogfPefasattcaetdg,outnhtioeap, uiaannuks-inuadloofprfeoscjteoaclbotlnis-iha-l
state for the emigrants.4 "It is interesting to note that, fwenty
years later, the celebrated Zionist, Theodote Hetzl, proposed in
his turn that the great powers assign to the Israeli people the
sovereignty either of Palestine or of Atgentinian Patagonia".as
In tbe conllicts between State and Cburcb
t In the grave conflicts between State and Church, Don
Bosco carried out very high and delicate tasks.
In 1865, and four years later in 1869, he intervened in the
problem of the several vacant episcopal sees.*
In 1873 he was entrusted with the problem of the "tem-
potality of Bishops", which had only partial success because of
the opposition of the press and of Bismarck.aT
4 lbid., 10, 10-66.
no Cf. Biographical Menoirs, 12, Lll; 72, 621-624.
o5 G. Sperle, Don Bosco e il suo anbiente sociopolitico lDon Bosco and
His
SuocCiofp.oBlitiiocgarlapEhnicuairlonMnezennoti)r,sL, D10C,
1975, 19.
62 fr..; 10,
453.
o' Biographical Memoirs, L0, 528 and 10, 550.

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-28
In 1878, at the death of Piux IX, Don Bosco was given
charge to explore the dispositions of the Crispi government as
to the guaranteeing of the safety of the conclave.4
The new Pope Leo XIII, soon after his elecdon, commis-
sioned Card Manning to consult Don Bosco on the possibility of
a new effort to reach some understanding with the government.ae
It was a moving scene when, some time later, Leo XIII,
upon receiving Don Bosco in audience, told him: ,,Your life be-
longs to the Church. At this moment, Don Bosco, you are neces-
sary. Take care of your health. It is the Pope who commands
you to do it".s
\\U7e know that Don Bosco wanted to disenrangle the dif-
ficulty of the Exequatur as well as rhe one concerning the partipa-
tion of Catholics as deputies and senators to the clambers of the
new Italian State. It was a thorny and intricate question, not
only on account of the prohibition, "Neirher elected nor electors",
but also because he, as a Piedmontese, v/as regarded with certain
diffidence in some influential circles. On that delicate problem,
Don Bosco consulted many important persons and obtained from
Father Sanguinetti, professor at the Gregorian University, an in-
teresting study which in due time would bear fruit.st
'Vriter tor youth and tbe people
' But one of the particularly enlightened sectors in this
regard is that of Don Bosco as a writer, at the service of the
cultural uplifting of youth and the people.
"In *ris sector", wrote Peter Braido, "one can easily pin-
point the central preoccupation of all his works and favorite
methodologies: the focusing on the Christian religious morive,
I
I
e
lbid.,
lbid.,
lbid.,
D,
l),
18,
481482.
501.
98.
5t Ibid., 10, 469-475.

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-29-
held to be also the source of moral and civil prosperity; a lively
awafeness of otherwordly realities...; but, conjointly, the apprecia-
tion of work and study, industriousness in the earthly city and
in one's profession; and the will to bring into one's life, which
is something serious, a note of joy. It is, in a sense, Don Bosco's
synthetic fotmula for action, and it finds one of its typical ex-
pressions in the popular theatre to which he gave life".s2
\\U7e must mention, among the most significant writings in
this field, the History ol tbe Cburcb, Bible History, the History
ol Italy, the plan for a"fJniaersal Historl", the original Dialogues
on the Decirual Metric System, the pamphlet ltalian Oenologist
written to counteract a vine-growers' society founded by anti-
Catholic sects, and so fomh.
Don Bosco, moreover, had a keen sense of public opinion,
and he carried on an intense promotion activity "on behalf of
good morals and civil sociery"; he issued a famous circular, on
t-h. f"u.t of St. Joseph, in 1885, on the spreading of the printed
word:
me by
"This
Divine
wParsovoidneenocfe"t,hheepwrinrocitpea, l"aunnddeyrotaukiknngoswentthruast tIedhatod
tp shoulder it u/ith untiring energy, in spite of my other count-
less occupations... I beg you and I plead with you not to over-
look this most important part of our mission".s3
I believe it opportune now to center our attention for a
moment on the Hiitory of ltaly and on the initiative of the
Salesian Balletin.
Tbe History ol ltaly
of
' The
cues fot
History ol ltaly offers an extraordinary abundance
our reflection: "It is not only a book: it is a deed
of his life and a ttait of his character and thought; and in this
"2 Scritti sul Sisterna Preuentitto nell'educazione della giooenti IVritings
on tbe Preoentioe Systen in tbe Education ol YoutbT, Ed. La Scuola 1965, 553.
" Biographical Memoirs, ), 479489.

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-r0-
sense, more than a historiographic event, it has an enormous
value".s
I invite you to read it again, together with the documented
and keen "Introductory Discourse" of the unforgettable Father
Albert Cavigha, who began by staring: "It is commonly agreed
that, among Don Bosco's wrirings, the History ol Italy is the
masterpiece... It is his most mature and most powerful work;
vhen it was first published (1865), it was said that it had no
equal in Italy; it still remains so, because the Author infused
into it a vitahty which is higher and lasting in that it is not
only cultural".ss
Don Bosco's preoccupation was that of geming the people
and youth to know the history of their counry at a time of
rising national consciousness. The one who was speaking well
of Italy, in spite of the passions and anticlericalism of the Rl-
sorgiruento, was a priest; and he was speaking of Italy as the
fatherland of all, when national unity was only a distant future
which not even all Italians looked forward to, and much less
believed in.
It would seem impossible that a writer could have faced
such a topic at such a crucial hour without some political artitude,
without polemics against sectarians and theorists, without a certaif,
political clericalism proper to the local Chrisrian community;
and yet, it is a book that avoided engaging in politics as such.
Even when utilizing the works of Guelf or Ghibelline historio-
graphers, Don Bosco knew how to distinguish and prescind:
"Just as with the Ghibelline aurhors whom he follows, his
sympathy is not adherence to certain forms of action (secret
conspiracies), or to certain political views (like those of Mazzini
and Gioberti), and it stops where Ghibellinism begins (anticleric-
alism and antipapacy); likewise, his Guelf sense of Italianism
s A. Cevrcrre, Discorso Introduttiao llntroductory Discoursef, p. XLVII.
s3 lbid., p. IX.

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-rt-
is tempered by his suprapolitical concept of the Papacy, and by
his faith in Divine Providence".t6
A proof of this superior value of the book is a somewhat
emblematic chapter that deals with "The temporal goods of the
Church and the power of the Supreme Pontiff". Father Caviglia
called it "most important" because of its subject matter and the
way it presented it: "lTritten in L885, it is still valid and can
even become much truer and sounder for those rvho understand
it well, after the Concordat (t929)" .s7 For he v/rote on con-
temporary events and personages without betraying his high
pedagogical, cultural and religious goal.
The Salesian Bulletin
' The beginning of the Salesian Bulletin (1877), linked to
the ptevailing lay Catholic environment of the Cooperators and
to the dimension of the Salesian mission which was already
worldwide, has a characteristic socioreligious significance on
account of the factors that determined it and the goals which it
was meant to achieve.
Don Bosco was fully aware of the factors determining his
choice. In the first years of his priesthood, he had dedicated him-
self to some journalistic activity. In 1848, faced with the flood
of party and liberal press, he had engrossed himself, with other
priests and laymen, in the foundation of the nesrspaper L'Armo-
nia (Harmony).s8 Later, realtz,ing that the newspaper was not
popular, he conceived the idea of a periodical that would be
L.it.t suited to the simple and less educated people, and he
launched L'Amico della giouentil. (The Friend of Youth); it
reached only its sixry-first issue and it was combined, after eight
months of life, with L'Istrattore del Popolo (The People's fn-
* Ibid., p. XXIIL
e lbid., 549, Note 89.
" Biographical Mernoirs, ), 409.

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structor), another newspaper on which Don Bosco collaborated
for twenty months, but which he later abandoned.
In the years of the foundation of the Bulletin, there was an
interesting political ferment ,morig Catholic orgaruzations, labor
societies, and youth associations; there were even people who
advocated a Catholic pafty of. conciliative tendencies.
"lUflhat was going to be the waf", writes Peter Stella , "that
Don Bosco would show to his Cooperators? Vould they, too,
be an association prepadng to descend some day to join ranks
with other legions in the political struggle against the liberal
and anticlerical government? rUfould their organ, the Salesian
Bulletin, be patterned after the style of the Ciailtd Cattolica,
the Unitl Cattolica, or Father Albertario's Osseruatore Catto-
lico, the uibune of the most immoderate intransigence? There
\\rere, to be sure, various models, but Don Bosco chose the model
of the rocisleligrous periodicals: "Far from being useless, religion
is the very soul of well-being, of true progress and of civilization.
'Civilization and religion are synonimous', we read in the lead
article of March, 1885. The very title of the periodical was
meant to be programmatic, and it was the result of careful
study".s
Thus, the policy chosen for the Bulletin helps us to gtasp
even better the vocational choice made by Don Bosco for his
Congregation. He himself used to say: "I would hope that the
Bulletin, which is printed specifically to spread the knowledge
of out goals, will be of great help to this effect and will present
in their true perspective the main events as they take place in
the Congegation".@
" P. Srua, Don Bosco e la Politica fDon Bosco and Politicsf, Rome 1971,
Duplicate, L2-13.
60 Biograpbical Mernoirs, It, 288.

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-33-
Glear understanding of his vocation and clever adaptability
From Don Bosco's initiatives and attitudes, it does not seem
difficult to draw some conclusions that can shed light on our
problem. Never was he "uncommitted" to his mission. He
wanted his Salesians to be truly "committed" to their vocation,
but without putting on airs and in a simple style, with clarity
of vocational position and with self-saoificing dedication to the
fulfilment of their chosen mission.
The qualifications for such a commitment are balance and
work, without instability and without falling into a soft and
easy life, wit'hout fanaticism and without feat
formism that always favors one's government,
-nornaeitrheevrolautcioonn--
ary alignment.
The awareness of a definite pastotal choice was called by
Father Cavigha Don Bosco's "bigber oocation".6t He felt him-
self strongly called by God to carry out this mission beyond his
possible personal tastes and his eventual plans; he had to dedicate
himself to it, by passing evety obstacle and leaving behind all
things, even good ones, that could in any way hinder its
accomplishment. In order to be able to dedicate himself daily
to his teligious and civil objective, Don Bosco prescinded from
many other things. His decision not to engage in politics as
such, is to be interpteted in this line of thought. It was not a
pragmatic strategy suited for the last century, as the provisional
non expedi, was; it was not a u/aiting for better times. It was
a consequence of his vocation; it was a choice that was deeply
rooted in a typical spirituality; and it was also an attitude of
realistic efficiency, which led him to consider his pastotal task
as absolutely indispensable for the new society, no matter what
6t Profilo storico lHistorical Prcf.lel, p. 99-100; Discorso introduttiao
llntroductory Discoursel, p. XL[X.

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its de facto form of govemment would be. "Instead of filling
the air with whining lamentations", he would say, "we should
work to the very best of our powers so that things may proceed
well".62
"Don Bosco lived for an idea and, if v/e may say so, lived
the idea; the conquest of souls, the fulfillment of his motto,
Here we see a true ideal synthesis, the focal point that brings
together all the rays of that activity prodigiously extended in
so many directions".6
Don Bosco lived his "higher vocation" in an intelligent
flexibility according to the sociopolitical situations: "He was not
an obstinate man who refused to accept the reality of facts".4
Tbe politics of tbe Our Fatber
This capacity for adaptation, or holy shrewdness for the
purpose of being able to do good in accordance with the scope
of his mission, constitutes his well-known "politics ol the Our
Fatber".
Writing in July of 1863 to the school Superintendent of
Turin, he made his "profession of political f.aith" in this sense.ut
But the expression was born in a conversation with Pius IX,
when the trend of the negotiations over the vacant episcopal
sees was hardening on both sides. The Pope asked Don Bosco
what kind of politics would enable him to disentangle himself
from such an intricate problem, and he answered: "My politics
is that of Your Holiness. It is the politics of the Our Father.
In the Our Father, we pray every day that the Kingdom of our
heavenly Father may come on earth and expand ever more, that
its presence be ever more felt, in an ever more living manner,
u' Biograpbical Memoirs, D, 288.
6r
s
A.
A.
C.rvrcrre,Profilo Storico lHistorical Profilel,
Cevrcr,re, Discorso introduttiao flnlroductory
p. 19.
Discoursel,
p.
)OfiIL
6s Cf . Epistolario lConespondence), I, 27), 274,

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always more powerful and glorious". And he insisted that
priority be given above all to the good of the dioceses, and that
there should be a study of the way in which it could be ensured.*
In summaty, Don Bosco knew what his vocational commit-
ment consisted of. He knew what his specific contribution to
youth for the building of society should have been. He knew
that Christ posseses an original role in history, that the Church
has te only true religion, and that this religion is an indispensable
ferment of progress. His politics of the Our Father consisted
in having as the supreme ctiterion of his decisions and activities
the Da rnibi anima.s above and beyond any economic, social,
cultural and political oiterion, yielding his own personal tastes
and even his rights if the situation were to require it, for the
sole purpose of being able to stay with youth and announce to
them the good news of the Kingdom of God.
Tbe article that toas lelt out ol the Constitutions
\\Tithin this vocational framework we can understand why
Don Bosco insisted on having an article on politics inserted in
the Constitutions.
One of the unique features that was very dear to him and
that he pondered very carefully regarding the religious form of
our Society was that of safeguarding the civil rights of the
members. And yet, three times he tried to introduce an article
that would prohibit Salesians from getting involved in political
activities.
The article is found in the margin, written in Don Bosco's
own handwriting, of a sample copy of the Constitutions drawn
up between L863 and 1864: "It is an adopted principle, to be
unalterably applied, that all. members of this Society are to
tigorously keep clear of all matters concerning politics. Therefore,
66 Biograpbical Memoirs, 8, 59)

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neither by spoken word nor by writings or books are they ever
to take part in matters which even only indirectly involve them
politically".
Two things are to be noted here. First, the article is in-
semed in the parugraph dealing with the "ends" and not in the
one dealing with the "form" of the Congregation; as though
to emphasize that it concerns a vocational attitude derived from
the very object itself of the Salesian mission. Second, it was
taken for granted at that time that, in the Church, even priests
could enter politics: it was an offshoot of the sacred outlook
of Christianity and of the weight that clericalism camied in the
social environment.
Now, all three times, the Roman Curia squelched the article
and wanted it to be deleted.
Don Bosco would comment later: "I even wanted an article
in our Constitutions that would prohibit any kind of involvement
in political matters, and there was one in the hand-written copies;
but when our Rules were submitted to Rome and the Society
was appfoved for the first time, this article u/as removed by
the Congregation appointed to examine our Rules.
"Then, in L870, when it was a matter of definitively ap-
proving the Society and we had to submit the Rules once more
finosreertxeadmtihniastioanrt,icIle,a1wahtnic-h
as if nothing had happened
said that the members were
bfoerfboirdede- n
to enter into political matters. They cancelled it again. I, who
was persuaded of the importance of this article, in 1874, the
year in which it was a matter of approving the individual articles
of the Constitutions, i.e., it was a matter of the very final ap-
proval, presenting the Rules to the Sacred Congregation of Bishops
and Regulats, I introduced it again; and again it was cancelled.
This time, reasons were given for the cancellation, and they
wrote to me: 'The article is being canceled for the thitd time.
Although it might generally appear to be admissible, in these
days it sometimes happens that a person's conscience motivates
him to enter into politics, for political matters are often in-

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separable from rcligious matters. Therefore, an exclusion among
good Catholics is not to be approved'.
"And so this article was definitively removed. And we may
deal with political matters when it is useful or truly approptiate
to do so; but, outside of these cases, let us always abide by
the general principles of not meddling in political matters, and
this will do us a world of good".u'
"The greatest problen"
Also in the first General Chapter (September 5 - October 5,
1877) Don Bosco returned to the subject of politics, considering
it to be an important problem, and perhaps even "the most im-
portant problem".
In view of the historical significance and importance which
Don Bosco attached to the holding of the first General Chapter
("My desire is for this Chapter to mark a turning point in the
Congregation"), we see once again how he wanted to insist on
an aspect which he considered to be essential to his spirit and
to his style of apostolate and which was to chaructefize his Con-
gregation.
In the 24th conference, our Founder said the following:
"Our purpose is to make known that one can give to Caesar
what is Caesar's, without ever compromising anyone; and this
does not prevent us at all from giving to God what is God's.
In our day, they say that this is a problem; and, if you will,
I would add that it is probably the greatest of all problems,
but it has already been solved by our Divine Savior Jesus Christ.
"fn practice, there are serious difficulties, it is true. Let
us try to overcome them, not only by leaving the principle intact,
but by furnishing reasons and proofs and testimonies that are
n lbid., 1),265.

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dependent on the principle and that explain the principle itself.
My main concern is this; try to find a practical way of giving
to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, while giving to God what
belongs to God...
By the grace of God and rvithout saying a lot of words
direcdy, we are going to give priority to this principle, and it is
going to be the source of enormous good, both for civil as well
as for ecclesiastical society".68
It seems quite certain, therefore, that Don Bosco was aware
of the importance and extent of political activity, that he made
a definite choice with regard to it, and u,anred his Congregation
to have a spirit of its own in this field.
Some conclusions for our guidance
'!7'e can end this brief overview of "Don Bosco and politics"
by pointing out a few summary conclusions which are not dif-
ficult to draw from his life, from his attitudes, and from his
directives.
t Don Bosco's fand,arnental option, the basic explanation
fot the positions he took, the focal point of all the rays of his
dynamism, is the pastoral charity expressed in the motto Da
mibi animas. At the center of his entire personality is a priestly
heart. The absolute value, for him, is the coming of the King-
dom of God. The values of politics, of the economic order, and
of conjugal love are purely contingent: one can live a full life
while in some way renouncing to them, not to depreciate them
but to defend them from distortions and exaggerations.
He exetcised an option, accompanied by a kind of asceticism
and renunciation, that aimed at removing those elements that
might slow him down and hold him back from his mission.
" Ibid., 73, 288

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-39-
" Don Bosco's characteristic aspect, his historic personal
trait, the convergence of his choices and his activities is what
Father Albera called " tbe gilt ol predilection lor youtb" , especially
the poorest and most in need. "He did not take a step, he did
not speak a word, he did not set his hand to any task that did
not have for a goal the salvation of youth".ue Even though he
had talents and capacities for political involvement, he gave
them up so as not to be impeded in his work for youth.
To Father Vespignani, who was all enthused over a certain
Catholic activity linked to politics, he saids: "That is not our
spirit. Al1 we want is for them to let us work among youth;
therefore, let us keep out of politics. lWherever we are not busy
working for youth, we are going to be out of place".'o
For this reason, he will remain throughout the ages as the
"Father and teacher of youth".
' Tbe historic insight of Don Bosco, his vision of human
unfoldment, his capacity for perceiving the overall course of
events, is the long-range outlook of the Christian believer: he
does not let himself be tossed about by the winds of the short-
lived fads of the day, nor does he fail to recognize the future
perspective of deeds accomplished'
Don Bosco's personal bent and great rcgatd for history
helped him to shed light on two great orbits of his social
r..riitirrityr the necessity of religion for true progress, and the
importance of youth and people in the building up of a new
democratic sociery.
' The ecclesial consciousness ot' Don Bosco, his practical
conception of religion, his pastoral criterion of action, is a supra-
political and supracultural vision of Christianity, made concrete
in the Church, which he loved to view as founded on Peter and
u' M. Rue, Lettere Circolari lCircular Letters), letter of I/2911896.
7o Biograpbical Atemoirc, L), 684.

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the Aposdes and their successors, rhe Pope and the Bishops:
"'Whatever work we do is little", he used to say, "when it is a
question of the Church and the papacy".Tl
IIis was a vision rooted in the cemainry of the living pres-
ence of the Holy Spirit in the Church, in the conviction tlat
the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth, and in rhe awareness
(and devotion) that Mary is the Help of Christians. In keeping
with this conviction, he ventured into vast projects, framed clear
decisions, took on difficult tasks, and even suffered minsunder-
standings and injustices.
t The realisrn ol Don Bosco's actiuity, the sphere of his
social contribution, his type of action, focuses on the cultural
level of human advancement in terms of the education of youth
and the working classes, and in rerms of molding public opinion
on great religious and social values. To this end, he would make
use of all the classical means (the press, theatre, school, associa-
tions, and the like) under the impulse and with the yardstick of
the burning pastoral charity that animated him.
He was an evangehzer who did not just teach Catechism
or celebrate the liturgy, but who became embodied in the reality
of youth and the working classes, by means of all those cultural
avenues that served his purpose. His realism was one of socio-
cultural preference, not of political activiry.
' The pastoral rule of Don Bosco, his educative artistry,
his genuine orthopraxy (if we may use the word), is that of the
pastoral wisdom of the Prevenrive System: "not with blows,
nor with violence, but with goodness".
The very name "Salesian" was c-hosen to underscore a spirit,
a lifestyle, that is founded on the balance of common sense
and not keyed to any party f.anaticism, that is made up of human
relations and dialogue and not of subversions and resistance, that
7t lbid,, 5, 577

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is dedicated in a positive way ro whatever is possible, and not
to shout or denounce with sterile negative criticisms.
Following in the footsreps of St. Francis de Sales, Don
Bosco devoted himself to emphasizing all the values of doing
good, awakening a sense of optimism and of gratitude to God
as Father, rather than waxing eloquent and harping against doing
evil, thus appealing to the instincts of hatred and forgetfulness
of God: "Do good and let people say what they will".72
Don Bosco was courageous, decisive, and even controversial,
but never subversive, let alone violent. He was even a bit
foolhardy, but according to charity and within the framework
of his vocational choice: "Regarding those things that are to
the advantage of endangered youth or that serve to win souls
to God, I rush ahead even to the point of making a fool of
myself".R
5. OUR COMMITMENT IN SOGIETY
I7e have now stored up a goodly amount of food for
thought. The topic itself demanded somewhat of a panoramic
view of the vastness and complexity of its contents. At this
gpeonienrTta,hlIedyitrhepicrnotikcveeIesdc-, aansssyopomeuellpgoruouibdtae-blilnyeakstnfoolewrasSatabileenasdirayen,rmbneoshtaosvfoiogrm.ivuinchg
from a disciplinary concern, but from the desire to clarify, deepen,
and defend the spirit and mission left us by Don Bosco as our
spiritual legacy.
In the Congregation, utre now need to decisively commit
ourselves to our vocation and to give a new and vigorous impulse
to our pastoral creativity. Unfortunately, certain deviations spring
72 Ibid. ), 286
71 Ibid. .4, 662.

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from a loss of identity, from a cooling off of enthusiasm, and
from a lack of vision concerning the relevance and necessity of
the Salesian vocation. The problem of poiitics comes on as a
challenge and a critical yardstick for our genuine fidelity to the
apostolic plan of Don Bosco and to his unflagging commitment
to the betterment of society.
The pressing needs of today
A formidable social, economic, cultural, and political ctisis
has exploded throughout the world, thus paving the way to a
new sociery. Certainly there will be differences from country
to country, but there are forewarnings in the air regarding the
inevitable end of an entire socioeconomic system with its culture
and its structures. Now, to build a new society, we need politics;
but, as we have seen, politics is not an absolute and foundational
value, but a derived value that needs, in turn, a groundwork.
Politics urgently needs culture and culture needs, in turn,
religion and faith. Thus, to build the new society, other commit-
ments
assure
-sounndonapnodlietifcfaiclie-nt
are needed
politics.
in
order
to
prop
up
and
The Salesian commitment is above and beyond political
activity and resides in the sector of its religious and sociocultural
foundations. In this area, there is a vacuum or a superficiality
or an anachronism that is really tragic. The Council made it
clear when it condemned the break between faith and daily life;
and Paul VI reminded us of it when he spoke of the clash between
the Gospel and culture. If we then reflect on the urgency of
a commitment on the part of Christians to justice, as the Synod
of Bishops desmibed for us in 1971, we will find that many
serious needs today are knocking on the door of our vocation.
'We cannot be strangers to them. Nor can we rest on the laurels
of the past, or they will turn into funeral wreaths'
Many are the needs inviting us to a newness of religious

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presence on the cultural level, with new inner attitudes, with a
professionalism adapted to the times, with a rereading in depth
of the Gospel in the light of the signs of the times.
How many demands for renewal on the part of the Christian
are comprised in our embodying the Faith in everyday reality,
in developing social sensitivity, in contributing to the advance-
ment of the common good!
How many demands for renewal are comprised in cultivating
our conscience and that of others in terms of the social function
of economic goods and of their being destined for all men!
How many demands are comprised either in training people
regarding civil rights and duties (i.e., being a good citizen today),
or actively promoting justice and peace, or appreciating and
rcalizing the necessity for politics, or democratically growing in
the capacity to work together in a pluralistic climatel
There is, therefore, particularly for us Salesians, a need to
be present with ever better qualifications to meet the needs of
the times.
The Salesian comrnitment is a renigious cornmitment
Let us talk about commitment. This word, too, has a
changing fate of its own. Today, when we speak of a "com-
mitted" priest, unfortunately we are not talking about the quality
of his ministerial priesthood, but about his political leaning and
class preference. By the same token, the adjective "uncommitted"
denotes the middle-class individual who has "sold out to the
system" and accommodated to the status quo.
A similar use of language denotes the climate of 'politiciza-
tion' which we have criticized above: a climate in which every-
thing is judged from the standpoint of political choice considered
as the key value. Now, the word "commitment" is not clear in
itself, but must be qualified.

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44
To commit oneself means to take a definite stand, to choose
a certain perspective, to accept a task with seriousness and sincer-
ity, udth a firm intention, that is, ro carry it through to its
ultimate consequences. That which qualifies a commitment will
be the stand or the task chosen. In this way we can speak of
various commitments and even of a religious commitment.
Indeed, it is this very commitment that we are interested
in. !fle have a magnificent example of it in our Father Don
Bosco.
Now, it is urgent for us Salesians to make the word "com-
mitment" signify again our religious profession. If we rcad ar-
ticles 7l and 14 of the Constitutions, we will find its meaning.
Described therein is a fundamental option for a perspective of
faith: evangelical radicalism in following Christ. There is the
taking on of a task that requires all one's energies and all one's
time: the mission among youth and the working classes. There
is the choosing of a plan of life by which we gauge all our at-
titudes and activities: the Constitutions of the Society of St.
Francis de Sales.
!7e have seen how Father Caviglia, in giving the historical
sketch of our Founder, spoke of his religious commitment as of
a "higher vocation", whose focal point is the pastoral charity of
Da mihi aninoas. Our religious profession commits us to do like-
wise. It is the most personal and mature act of our baptismal
freedom. rVith it, the Salesian makes "one of the noblest choices
open to the conscience of a believer".Ta If we should empty such
a choice of its meaning, we would be opening the door to the
possibiliry of other commitments, substitutes for the religious
commitment. The decline of religious commitment is the root of
our evils. Just take a look at those confreres who have apparently
substituted their religious profession with a political, or a scientific,
or an affective commitment!
7' Constitutions, Art, 73

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But what good is a religious commitment? Marxists perhaps
might say that we are "high on drugs", because of the notorious
"opium of the people". And yet, our religious vocation is a right
which belongs to our charges. It is a grft, a charism, which the
lord has given to the Church for the good of all. Religion, rather
than being an opium, is a basic rcaliry and an indispensable value
for social and political life; and the Salesian vocation is not a
private privilege of each one of us, but a service which youth
and the working class urgently need. To alter the nature of such
a vocation would be to contribute in some way to aggravating
tohfeocuurrrCenotngcrreisgisa,tiboencatuosethtehehucomnatrnibauntidonCh-rishtisaqn/gbvgu1ildminogdeuspt -of
society would be diminished or would be lacking.
Wbat did the Special General Chapter say?
The Special General Chapter has helped us to fathom the
meaning of the Salesian commitment in the present world; we
are striving to assimilate its depth and to implement its guide-
lines. The forthcoming 21st General Chapter will give us an
assessment of and an encouragement in the path we have already
underAtamkoenng-thea
path of fidelity
topics examined
to Don Bosco and the times.
thoroughly by the Special Gen'
eral Chapter, we find also the one about our contributing to
justice in the world.Tt It is an aspect of our religious com-
mitment.
The Chapter has clearly distinguished in this regard the
above-mentioned two leveis of political conception,'u to point
out that the Salesian "works principally through education... in
a new cultural context: he is aroused not by contingent motives
of political factions and of ideologies of the moment, but by the
needs that the integral formation of the 'perfect Christian and
73 Ct. Acts of tbe Special General Chapter, Nos. 67-77
" lbid., No. 67.

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46
honest citizen' places before the educaror. The Church and the
world ask us to form men capable of bringing justice into our
world laden with grave problems".T
It is a question of a "religious commitment" welling up
from "charity", in view of "a mofe profound communion among
men".78 "It is an element of our mission, which is accomplished
by people consecrated to God with permanent reference to the
Gospel", with the intention to "evangelize people, keeping in
mind the collective evangelization of their environment".Te
Therefore, it is not a political acrivity, but it is the practical
manifestation of pastord, chatity that symbiotically unite evan-
gelu,ation and human advancement. For Don Bosco, separating
evangelization from the sociocultural demands of human advance-
ment is the same as lacking practicality on the religious level and
usefulness on the social level; but, for him, uniting human ad-
vancement to the perspectives of a political project leaves the
way open to renouncing the primacy of f.aith and falsifying the
spirit and mission of one's specific vocation.
It is worth reflecting in this regard on what the Acts of
the Special General Chapter have to say: "Our commitment to
justice:
has for its source the charity of Christ;
has for its motivation the demands of the Gospel;
has for its putpose cooperating with the mission of the
Chutch;
has for its immediate effect cooperating in the manifestation
of a particular aspect of Christ's work of salvation;
has for its style that of Don Bosco".e
" Ibid.
'" Ibid., No. 70
"*
lbid.,
Ibid.
No.
77

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Some unacceptable deviations
I have abeady told you that, unfortunately, the decline of
a genuine religious commitment on our part gives rise to some
deviations. Then, too, the atmosphere which surrounds us brings
with it dangers and emors (It is common today to breathe pollut-
ed air...). But we have to react.
It is not right to take refuge in an irenic relativism that
would try to house fidelity and infidelity under the same roof,
nor is it right to lump things together under the label of an
open-ended pluralism.
Every country has it own characteristics; hence, it is on the
local level that we should size up situations and attitudes in a
concrete way. But I do not think it is out of place for me to
enumerate here some deviations that tend to be widespread, a
criticism of which might serve as a guiding light for all.
There are two signs, in opposition to each other, on which
are hinged unacceptable attitudes, unbalanced postures, and errors.
They are an irresponsible apolitical frame of mind and political
radicalism. Let's take a look at each.
An irresponsible apolitical frame ot' mind
Under an irresponsible apolitical frame of mind, we find a
plethora of attitudes, which are perhaps not all formidable in
essence but which are certainly all very dangerous.
' Superliciality and apathy concerning the demands of tbe
signs of the tirnes. This is an attitude which kills imagination
and apostolic creativity. It stands aside from the emerging cul-
ture and from its intense process of socialization. It makes a
kind of ghetto out of local communities and their works, with
a cultural mentality alien to the surtounding world. It does not
stimulate one's spirit to make a valid effort at bringing the
Gospel into a context of situations which has already become

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rtoaodicloIafnllgyDodagnifofeB-roesncoot ffhroaondme'hsatohdwastnuocfhoframthnaetaiotttinmit.uede-,
even though not
he would not have
been a historic leader, nor would he have gotten under way the
vocation of our Congregation.
This static attitude is found at rhe very opposite end of
the creative dynamism of Don Bosco: it was something unthought
of in the newborn Congregation, and it is a mortal disease in
the Congregation which has to be renewed. It is the beginning
of that smug complacency which eats away at the pattern of
a vocation.
t The facile refuge of "anti-itis", whether expressed in a
gutJevel anticommunism or a neurotic antifascism. This is the
attitude of the person who is looking for a substitute for his com-
mitment to the difficult and thorny pursuit of growth in religious
and cultural values; of the person who prefers to abdicate his
responsibility by shifting the solution of difficulties to easy ideo-
logical schemes, without having to be committed any more to
the hard job of educating people's consciences.
There are both likes and dislikes in the social and political
field which are the fruit of iresponsibility, ignorance, and mental
laziness. The same holds true for a certain belligerent self-right-
eousness worthy of a better cause. Such is the case of those
who, instead of being constructively committed to announcing
the Gospel, rail emotionally against cettain positions they dislike.
Twsohecisiaolplroeowalidteiycrassl tahpidero-ljeecvteCsl,hobrifsutotiantnera'istnysrceiselingndioosut serevvedourcycaiibtdioleeno,tolboegtchyae.usoSerud-cehr
as
of
an
attitude, then, promotes a lack of discernment and nurses a veri-
table mass of myths and prejudices, when instead we know that
faith is a leaven that ferments human reality all along its con-
tinual historical changes.
' Finally, a pseudomystical spiritaalisn, suspicious of the
temporal order and heedless of its values, anchored to an in-

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dividualistic conception of virtue, inclined to utopian interpreta-
tions, that escapes the reality of life and throws out of balance
the wholesome formation of one's conscience'
Political radicalisn
Under political radicalism we find another plethora of at-
dtudes, very violent and quite contagious, because they are
dynamic and fashionable, and nurtured in some cases by a thick
ctowd of ideologues and architects of culture with easy access to
the mass media.
t Tbe primacy of reuolution. The first imperative, for
some people, is a class option which involves adopting the Marxist
,oun r.t o1 operating and actively collaborating for the triumph
of the sociopolitical scheme which inspires it.
According to this drastic choice, it is customary to speak
not so much about the poor in the Gospel sense but, rathef,
.about the "oppressed"', the "exploited", inasmuch as they make
up a class struggling against a given socioeconomic system. Class
consciousnerr, thur, turns out to be an essential dimension and
a prime value for judging everything, even the Chuch and the
sense of faith.
Those who are most committed along these lines have
made an ideologic justification for themselves out of this explicitly
political choice. They affirm the primacy of the temporal order
as a qualitative jump which upsets the traditional view of society;
the-yevseertytuhpinghistotical materialism
of
(even Revelation),
as an interpretative criterion
and practically leave neither
pisaprnaacc-teicneooftrhttheimeseHpeofcolyirficSthcpehiarisirtap.cirStaeutrciohonfa. -fvaiiethiwn,deiwsnpidteshnsurapebalbedyilfyeoxrdciaslucdCeirnhngriibsilten-
consequences.
It is not my intention to analyze here the docrinal sig-
nificance of a system that is so extremist. But I see clearly that
the conclusions lead to a concrete choice of political activity, in
4

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-50-
radical disharmony with everything that Don Bosco has left us
for spiritual legacy.
That is
forced to say
why
that
a-ny
though
confrere
wishgoripeevressistms einrtohisnakyinsgoa-nd
I am
acting
this way should, in all fairness, leave a Congregation which no
one is obliged to belong to, but in which there is a different
fundamental option and a commirment that is decidedly not
political but religious, In fact, to take on such a revolutionary
attitude would signify as a logical consequence that such a con-
frere is no longer living the spirit or rhe mission of Don Bosco.
t A pseudo-pastoral methodology ol denunciation is the at-
titude of those whose first element in forming consciences in-
volves a criticism o{ the Marxist view of society and of the world,
and who put off proclaiming Christ and the mystery of faith to
a latet stage, or who present Him as a messiah who subverted the
established sociopolitical order.
Even supposing that the criticism leveled ar sociery is basic-
ally just (which, of course, is quite problematic and hard ro estab-
lish), the fact remains that, instead of fostering goodwill in a
climate of love, the only thing one succeeds in is arousing a
growing desire for subversion and actually fomenting the tempta-
tion to hate,
Such a methodology, which I do not hesitate to call pseudo-
pastoral, often originates in a concealed political choice which gets
the upper hand on a genuinely apostolic commitment. One ends
up in this way confusing evangelization with the socioeconomic
aspect of social liberation.
Here too, we are a long way off from the Preventive System
of Don Bosco and from the concrete guidelines of the Magisterium
of the Church.
' A practical ecclesial dissent is the attitude of some people
who prescind from the guidelines of the Magisterium, even with
occasional and varied manifestations of public contestation. Their

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-rt-
behavior, in effect, disregards the "gift of enlightenment of the
Ministry" of the Pope and the Bishops.
atiocnomoApftletththeeesmtrroayosnttgseerroy f-otfhiwtsheeautCtsithuuuadrleclyh-fiwnhdtiocahwsshoacifceiohglouDgairocdansl
Bosco was
interpreta-
neither its
divine institution nor its distinction from the world, nor its
specific mission of evangelization. According to this perspective,
the "people of God" become simply the people, and the com-
munity assembly substitutes for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,
rendering meaningless any institutional mediation.
Also this attitude seems to be in outright contradiction
to Don Bosco's method of operating and completely alien to
the clearest Salesian tradition.
Six criteria for guiding Salesian activity
After making painful allusion to these very dangerous devia-
tions, it would be good, before concluding, for me to point out
to you some criteriathat may keep our activity on a steady course.
I will my to do so in a sort of concise way, which will leave
room for your o\\vn reflections.
L. Being realistic about our ruissioru
We are apostles of youth and of the working classes, who
rthepereesxeondtu-s
toasthweenesawidsioncitehtey.bTeghienn"igntge-at
the avant-garde of
personage" in Don
Bosco's dream, whom the Lord sends us to serve, is the wodd
of our charges. They claim our attention with their problems,
with their sensitivity to the signs of the times, with the mentality
of the culture emerging today. lWe have to build a bridge leading
to that world. The boys, of course, will not preach the Gospel
to us; they are the one to whom we must carry the message
of salvation which Jesus Christ gives to us through His Church.

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-52-
A first uiterion for guiding the renewal of the Salesian
commitment should, therefore, be that of our having a living and
intelligent presence in the sociocultural world of today, particular-
ly in the portion assigned to us, namely, the "little ones and the
poor". No aloofness, no naive subservience, but a ministering
bpreeliseevnecres,-to
in order to
heal among
cooperate
youth the
with the mighty
tragic breakdown
effort of
between
Gospel and culture.
2. Being ol one accord witb tbe Church's option
Another guideline for our action is: to be sincerely of one
accord with the option made by the Church.
First of all, the Church has opted decisively and invariably
for Christ, her Lord, as a bride for her bridegroom. Here is
the absolute primacy of love and of truth that illumines her entire
mission and guides her activities.
But, against the background of this basic option, there are
pastoral choices which the Church makes in different historical
situations.
Coming to grips with the crucial times in which the world
lives, the Church has made her concrete choice in the Second
Vatican Ecumenical Council. In that choice, she has turned toward,
not away from the man of today; sl're has looked upon him with
the eyes of God, after having considered herself as a sacrament
that must be of service in his salvation. The Council wanted
her to have a presence that is useful and liberating in the cause
of human advancement; a presence, howevet, that is made con-
crete in a commitment of a religious nature.
To be of one accord with such a choice, one must be deeply
convinced that religion is not a superstructure, but a substantial
driving force of human life. \\7e must therefore rediscover the
true significance of religion; we must acknowledge its significance
to be ruly basic and humanizing. Situated along the same lines,
of course, is the dynamic and omnipresent concept which Don

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5r-
Bosco had of religion. Therefore, instead of letting oumelves be
overwhelmed by a secularism that attempts to give politics an
all-embracing and supreme significance, we too will commit our-
selves with the Church and in the Church to reappraise the
basic value and social usefulness of the Christian faith.
3. Accepting tbe denands arising lrom conaersion
If uncharted problems have cropped up today and if certain
sensitivities and human values have developed, we will have to
study them and adapt ourselves to their needs.
"It is not enough", says Paul VI, "to remember principles,
to affirm intentions, to point out blatant injustices, and to utter
prophetic denunciations. These words will lack real weight un-
less they are accompanied in each individual by a deep awareness
of one's responsibility in the face of injustices, unless one is con-
vinced at the same time that each person shares in it, and that a
personal conversion is needed first. This basic humility will rid
action of. any harshness and sectarianism; it will also prevent
discoutagement in the face of a task that seems enormous".'r
lVhat we need, then, is the personal and community witness
of a rcal participation in the building of a new Society.s2
4. Aluays starting out lrom the Salesian aocation
Our activity, therefore, must always start out from the
perspective of the Salesian vocation. Religious profession is the
act that characterizes our type of sharing in the Church's option.
The Salesian commitment has, drerefore, a true primacy in
all our activities: we cannot lose our identity, we cannot take
on a type of activity that, even though it be Christian, is char-
acteristic of other vocations. In particular, we must not take on
8t Octogesima Adaeniens, No. 48.
E' Ct. Acts ot' the Special General Cbapter, No. 70.

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the commitment which is proper of the lay person dedicated to
political activity.
There may even be among the confreres a distinct mentality,
a different way of looking at events; but the crirerion that guides
our pastoral decisions and our particular postures, community
ones above all, will be the pastoral perspective of Don Bosco's
apostolic plan; "To be, in a Salesian way, the signs and bearers
of God's love to young people, especially the poorest".s
5. Taking direction lrom tbe Shepherds
\\ilfle must remember, then, that a pastoral commitment in
a Salesian way takes its direction from the Shepherds.
In the plurality of sociopolitical situations, "it is up to the
Christian communities to analyze objectively the situation proper
to their country, to shed on it the light of the changeless words
of the Gospel, to draw principles for reflection, criteria for judg-
ment, and directives for action from the social teacl-ring of the
Church. It is up to the Christian communities, with the help
of the Holy Spirit, in communion with the Bishops in charge,
and in dialogue with other Christians and with all men of good-
will, to determine the choices and commitments called for, to
bring about the social, political, and economic changes that appear
urgent and necessary in many cases".e
Therefore, all the confreres should see that they get in tune
wreictehivtehedirloeccativl ecshufrrcohm-
national, regional,
the Bishops and, in
paanrdticduiolacre,sfarnom-
to
the
Pope.
Our Constitutions time and again emphasize adherence, so
characteristic of Salesian tradition, to the Magisterium of the
Church.s
"u
Constitutions, Art. 2.
Oclogesirna Adueniens,
No.
4.
E5 Cf. Constitutions, Arts. 44 and 128; cf. also Art. 6, )3,55.

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6. Becoruing intensely dedicated to education
"Our first responsibility", sa1,s the Special General Chapter,
"concerns the mass of young people who need an open and com-
plete education: understanding of social activiry, knowledge of
the Church's doctrine, formation in civic, social and political
responsibility, initiation into a progressive commitment of con-
cfete service".&
Since educative action must be grafted onto the surrounding
reality, the Province or the respective Provincial Conference in
each country would do well to promote a program of action and
give concrete directives in order to spell out the Salesian educative
action in this field, in imitation of the creativity, boldness and
tirelessness of Don Bosco.e
The most urgent areas of educative action
In this perspective, let us consider briefly what the most
urgent areas of our educative action are, i.e.: the field of culture,
the world of work, the activity of Christian liberation.
' Tbe lield ol culture. It is principally in this area that
the future of man is prepared and the recognition of man is
guaranteed by man himself. We witness today a true democratiz4-
tion of culture, not in the pejorative sense of its cheapening,
but in the positive sense of building up in people an awareness
of it and of the roles to be played by it. To be left out today
of a cultural refining process would be to betray the future.
The chief concern of the Christian for the betterment of
social life lies basically in the cultural work of synthesis between
values of faith and values of temporal order.
*
n
Acts ol tbe Special General
Cf. ibid., No. 68, 69.
Chapter,
No.
68.

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-56-
Culture is so very basic that there cannot be any good
politics without it. Here, then, is a privileged area for a renewed
presence of the Salesian commitment.
' Tbe uoild ol uork. We must recognize that work, con-
sidered in the overall historical meaning it has assumed in the
current period of industrializarion, has become a kind of lever
of the entire social life: it is changing rhe complexion of society,
its cultural garments, its balances of coexistence, and its prospects
for the future. We have entered an era of technology. At last,
as Father Chenu has remarked, "we are coming out of the neolithic
age". \\U7e have to be aware of this and to rcalizg that work
lies at the origins of a new civilization, mainly in tetms of the
working classes and so many young people.
born
This
and
new world
brought up,
ounf fworoturkna-telyi,t
aislmwoestllrtootarlelymaepmabret rfr-om
vras
the
religious sphere; and this is having an enormous influence also
on political life.
The pastoral originality of Don Bosco and the essenrial part
played by the Salesian Coadjutor Brother in the mission of the
Congregation call for, today more than ever, a special educative
commitment particularly in this difficult field.
'
timely
The actiuity of a Cbristian liberation. This
aspect in the formation of the good citizen.
is an especially
'We know that
"liberation" is a rather well-worn subject today, but we are con-
fronting it in the light of the secure guidelines of the Special
General Chapter.s
The capacity for criticism of social injustices and the cour-
age to smuggle in the cause of justice have now become in-
dispensable elements for a Christian education in politics; and this
requires a lucid faith and a knowledge of the Church's social
Es Cf. ibid., No. 61

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-57-
docttine in order for a person not to be taken in by class-conflict
views and violence-inspired solutions.
It is a fact that conflict is always present in social life.
Daily experience and faith itself tell us that personal and col-
lective existence is interlaced in a context of struggle, to such a
point that courage and patience are necessary virtues of a good
citizen, and the supreme expression of religious witness is martyr-
dom. Who could imagine the life of Jesus Christ without struggle,
without courage, and without patience?
If in the present time of transition and heavy social in-
justice, society were not to analyze its situation and engage in
a struggle to overcome hjustice, it would appear dismal and
short-sighted. On the other hand, if it were marked by whole-
some criticism and righteous conflict, it could not remain apathetic
about its ills.
\\7e will have to educate people, therefore, to be able to
struggle for justice in a Christian way.
But social struggle is not to be exalted to the point of
identifying it with the radical conflict between good and evil.
It is proper of a materialistic outlook to secularize and politicize
the basic disagreement between grace and sin. Social struggle is
not the conflict between Christ and Satan.
Every citizen, in f.act, is a person and, as such, should not
be reduced to his political choice only and to his class standing.
Even if he were a political opponent or a beneficiary of unjust
structures or even actually guilty of wrongdoing, a citizen should
never be equated with the devil and attacked as such.
Education in politics, therefore, must take into account the
social fact of conflict; it requires formation in the awareness of
the objective analysis of situations, in clear principles, in real
possibilities, in the knowledge of projects, and in means and
ends; and it requires patient exercise to build up one's capacity
for competent participation, and to build up solidarity, constancy,
courage and sacrifice.
Salesian educative activity "must be liberating not only in

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-58-
its objectives but also in its methods, with continual appeal to
the responsibility and personal pa*icipation of the person being
educated".s
Gonclusion
Dear sons, we have taken up the issue of politics as some-
thing that today concerns and challenges our Salesian vocation.
It is a delicate subject. !7e have felt the necessity to give the
exact meaning of a term that now has too many connotations
and is therefore, to say the least, ambiguous. \\7e then made
a brief overview of the entire life of Don Bosco, and were no
doubt amazed by the intensity and broad scope of his initiatives
on behalf of society, and by his clear choice of vocation. At the
end, we too found ourselves confronted with a vast and precise
responsibiliry: if politics is in need of cultural and religious
underpinnings, then the vocation of the Salesians of Don Bosco
will be a generous, though limited, pastoral commitment pro-
grammed to help meet that need.
'We were born in the Church to work together for the
renewal of society at a time that ushered in democratic values.
\\We have on that account and precisely as a Congregation, a
political responsibility! But this adjective which we use to qualify
our responsibility as shepherds of youth and of the rvorking
classes denotes an aspect derived from the religious commitment
that is at the root of our all-embracing choice.
It is indeed a political responsibility, but understood accord-
ing to the broad meaning we have described above and therefote
not reducible only to what is commonly called "political activity".
On the contrary, engaging in political activity would mar the
sense of this responsibility of ours. We can paraphrase the
8' Ibid., No. 61.

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-59
clear-cut expression of Paul VI speaking at the end of the Council:
"\\7e turn to, but do not stray into" political reality.
"He who observes well this prevailing interest of the Council
for temporal human values", said the Pope, "cannot deny that
such interest is due to the pastoral character that the Council
has chosen almost as its program, and must recognize that this
same interest is never detached from the most authentic religious
interest. Let no one, therefore, use the word 'useless' to describe
a religion like Catholicism, which, in its most perceptive and
effective form such as its conciliar form, declares itself to be
wholly in favor and at the service of man.
"The Catholic religion and human life thus reaffirm their
convergence into one sole human reality: the Catholic religion
is for humanity; in a cefiain sense, it is the life of humanity".s
The entire Salesian commitment is directed to this "alliance"
and "convergence" between religion and human life, between
faith and politics. To better the chances for a more equitable
human life, we are working to bring faith into it more and
more and to inject the life-giving Gospel into its social and
cultural activities.
Dear sons, I think I have furnished you with abundant
material for reflection, so that you may also examine thoroughly
that part of the subject proposed for study at the next General
Chapter: "To witness and proclaim the Gospel: two needs of
Salesian life among youth". May our Father illumine us and
bless us all.
Let us call upon our Mother the Help of Christians to help
us be faithful to our precious vocation, in the birth of which she
cooperated maternally. Don Bosco, after 1860, chose to honor
the Virgin and to spread her devotion under the title of "Help
of Christians", precisely in order to emphasize her social media-
e0 Paur Yl, Omelia alla cbiusura della 9' Sessione Conciliare lHornily at
the Closing ol the 9tb Conciliar Sessionf , l2/7/65.

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60
tion on behalf of the pilgrim Church, its Shepherds and people.
"Our times are so trying", he said to would-be Cardinal Ca-
glieto, "that we really need the Blessed Mother to help us keep
and defend the Christian faith".er How much relevance for us
too, in such a choice!
Let us be enthusiastic and tireless bearers of a religious
inheritance that is so useful for today's society.
Cordially yours in Don Bosco,
Fr. Lours Rrccrnr
Rector Maior
't Biographical Memoirs, T, Y4,

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-61 -
SETECT BIBLIOGRAPHY OF MAGISIERIUM DOGUMENTS
Second Vatlcan Councll
Gaudium et Spes,1965 (especially Pan I, Ch. 4; Part II, Chs. 2 and 4).
John XXlll
Encyclical Mater et Magistra, 196l
Encyclical Pacem in Tetis, L96L,
Paul VI
Encyclical Papuloran Progressio, 7967.
Apostolic l-ettet Octogesima Ad.ueniens, 1971.
Apostolic Exhortation Eaangelica Testificatio, 1971, Nos, 1624.
Apostolic Exhortation Euangelii Nantiandi, 1975, Nos. )019 and 57-58
Synod of Blshops
'Vorld lustice, 1.971
General Conference of the Blshops ln Latln Amerlca
Tbe Churcb in the Present Transforruation ol Latin Arnerica, in tbe Ligbt
ot' the Council, Medellin |sc,mgn15, lp$$.
Crrervr (Study Team), Cburch and Politics, 197).
Eposcopal Gonferences
Brsnops or FneNcr, Politics, Cbarcb and Faith, 1972.
Brsnops or Fnencr, Letter to Christian Crilics, 1973.
Brsnops oF FRANcE, Liberation ol Man anil Saloation ix lesus Cbrist, L974,
Brsnops oF CHTLE, Gospel, Politics and Socialisms, L971.
Brsnops oF CHrm, Cbristian Faitb and Political Action, 197).
Brsnops or Cnrrc, Gospel and Peace, 1975.
Brssops or SrAlN, Responsibility ol tbe kity in the Cburcb and in Society,
1972.
Brsnops or SnerN, Church ard Political Comnanity, 1973.
Brsnops oE MeorcescA*, Cbristians and Political Commitment, 1973.
Brssops oE MexIco, Christian Conmitrtent uisl-uis Social Options and
Politics, 197).

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lll. THE 21st GENERAL CHAPTER
Vith this isswe ol tbe Acts ol tbe Superior Council
we begin tbis new section whicb will d.eal witb
the 2lst Gerteral Chapter (CG 2I). It will bring to
tbe conlreres notice uhatea,e.r cobderfts tbis important
euent ol tbe Congregation, heginnirug uitb the oelebru.-
tion ol tbe prepgratory Proaincial Chapters.
Reports from the Provinces on the first steps being taken in
preparation for Provincial Chapters are beginning to arrive at tftre
Secretariat of the Moderator of ff 21. Several Provinciarls have
already held meetings and gatrherings with their Councils and Rectors
in order to study how to plan and otganize their work. In some
Provinces the Provincial Chapter Moderator and the Preparatory
Commissions have akeady been nmninated, and the deadlines for t'he
various stages of development have ibeen set.
Moreover, at the Secretariat some letters requesting explanaDions
or su,bmitting particular problems have likewise been received. On
this matter, the same Secretariat wishes to remind all Provincials
and confreres that it is always at their service for consu,ltation on
anything regarding the C{ 21.
During this period of preparation we are confident that each
confrere will take it on himself to once again read most attentively
wtthhoeeullSedpttleeikcriea-ltoIs(sq(u4ueoptqselsfbotrnhieaefllyAlec,tftrteosrm"of-itthtooefbSteuht,tepeerRriueoncrdtCoerrosuMcnoacre1i,l',ohpri.saHrtthiecouruelagrwhlyte.
"'We need courage first of all," Father Ricceri wrote, "the courage
to tackle our work with that typically Salesian 6lan which is in-
dispensaLble if we are to move in the right direction with the process
of renewal in our Congregation."
"Then we need strengtb - if we are honestly to recognize what-

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_63
ever mistakes may have been made, and if we are to come up with
the right corective measures for any deviations or false and harrn-
ful interptetations we may have fallen into."
"It is therefore necessary for all of us to h,ave recourse to
pfiayer. All together we should create in every community an at-
mosphere
and deep
of prayer
faith, with
-humthiliatyt
genuine prayer in which with simple
and love we talk with God and listen
to his \\7ord as he manifests his Vill when we are well disposed
as individuals and communities" (ASC 28), pp. 8-9).
A few weeks after the Rector Major's letter the Vatican daily
L'Osseruatore Romano published an article by Card. Eduardo Pironio
on the significance and irnrportance of a General Chapter. The author's
acknowledged competence in this field and the high sense of respon-
sibility that moved him to write make his article particularly interest-
ing for our Congregation at this juncture. This issue of the Acts
reports it in full in Secrion 9, Ecclesiastical Magisterium, for individual
and com,rnunal reflection.

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lV. COMMUNICATIONS: NEW PROVINCIALS
New Provincials
The Rector Major nominated to the Office of Provincial the
following confreres:
Fr. Rodolf BonsrNx for Ljubljana (Yugoslavia),
Fr. Tony D'Souze for Bombay (India),
Fr. Mieczyslaw KeczueRczyK for Krakow (Poland),
Fr. Femando Lpclt, for 56o Paulo (Brazil),
Fr. Georges Lrxrl for Lyon (France),
Fr. Milan Lrrnrc for Zagtab (Yugoslavia),
Fr. Alfredo Roce for Barcelona (Spain),
Fr. Santiago SINcHnz for Seville (Spain),
Fr. Stanislaw Srvnu.l for lidz (Poland).
Besides, the Rector Major reconfirmed in the Office of Provincial
Fr. Karl Ornprn for Cologne (Germany).

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V. SALESIAN MISSIONS CENTENNIAL
1. The 106th missionary expedition
T,he Missions Department is completing the list of the mission-
aries who will make up the 1975
Speciat Training course for the
expedition. It is also orgonsztng a
new missionaries, ttrat will begin
on thu 10rh of October at the Generalate and will conclude on the
5rh of November at Avigliana (Turin). T,he Farewell cenemony wi,ll
be held on the 7th of November at Valdocco'
Acmrding to the latest data, the 106th rnissionary expedition
is made rrp oi +: confreres (17 priests, 10 Coadjutor Brothers and
18 clerics), coming ftom 11 countries and going to L7'
2. Appeals and prospects for the future
Even though a Lairly good nurnber of confreres is ,being sent on
the missionr tf,ir y.ur,- n1u*theless some mission Provinces and
Dioceses keep reminding us of their severe shottage of personnel.
In particular:
- the carnpo Grande (Brazil) Province is sending out persistent
calls for ,helpers in parish work, for teaohers at universiry level and
for missionaries among the Bororos and Chavantes;
- the Manaus (Brazil) Province needs confreres who could work
on the missions among the natives, in patisches, in ffaining 'trouses
and in teohnical schools;
_ the Parugaay Province wants personnel ffained in catechetics,
mass media, t..hoi."l schools, and mission work in the Chaco'
Persisrent heart-rending appeals for help are being received by
the Rector Major from ,.u.rul- African bishops. Unforfunately, to
their requests for any kind of help and to the many others from out
bishops and Provincials the only possible answer at the present time
is: We are somy, operarii pauci, the workers are few!
5

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-66-
\\7ittrr regard to the 1977 expedition, the confreres wftro vorunteer
for the missions are kindly requested to leave it to the superiors,
a1 le_a9t in
should ,be
the majority
asigned to.
of cases, to determine whioh
It &ras happened all too often
missions they
that p.rronul
preferences have not coincided with the more pressing needs of the
Church or C-ongregation.
3. A book on our missions
The Missions Department has recently distributed several copies
of_ Fr. Eugenio Valentini's book, k misstprui salesisrae oggi (The
Salesian Missions Today) to all the houses in Italy, to all the prov-
incials and also to the salesian sisters. This small book contains
a wealth of information on the mission districts entrusred by the
Holy See to the Salesians. !7e hope to soon get ready a second
edition trhat will also cover our missions .outside the districts already
considered.
4. The celebration of the Centennial
A steady flow of consoling reports on Missions centennial cer-
ebrations either already held or programmed for the near future is
pouring into the Missions Department. In order to get a complete
picture of these special events, the Provincials will soon be inv,ited
to su,bmit to the same Department a full report of all the centennial
activities and celebration held in their provinces.
The closing of the Centennial is, of course, a splendid opportunity
to make boyr
and concerned
-aboaunt,dogurrowSanluepsisanasmwisesilol n-arymaoctrievitdye. eply
i*urc
oi,
wil_l
For the closing ceromony of the Centennial
travel to Argentina. There ,he rvill be the
the Rector Major
special guest at a
series of cdebrations that will involve not only our Congregation,
but also the local C,hurch and the civil authorities.
T,he Missions Department Council.lor, Fr. Bernard Tohill,
close the centennial in Poland with similar celebrarions ani
will
wi,ll

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later preside at the Farewell Ceremony of the departing ,missionaries
in Valdocco, Turin.
5. Some news items from the missions
On July L5, 1976 Fr. Rudolf Lunkenbein, Rector of the Meruri
mission in Mato Grosso (Brazil), was murdered in the same mission
house by some individuals who were opposing the return of illegal-
lyoccupied'lands to the Bororos. One of the Indians who had rushed
to the Fathet's defence, was killed with him. The 37-years old
Getman,born priest had been working on the Meruri mission since
1959. May the Lord grant rest to his soul, comfort to his family,
and new men, as capable and self-sacrificing as he was, to the Mato
Gtosso Province. (For additional information see uhe Necrology
section in this issue.)
Our work in Beirut, Lebamon, has been temporarily suspended
on acrount of the present situation and of another ttagic event.
\\fith deep sorrow we learned of the death of Fr. Aldo Paolini, victim
of an explosion during one of the many bomhings of the city, on .the
school ,playground while he was tatrking to some students and past
pupils. Another confrere, Fr. James Amateis, was wounded.
In mid-July the last of t'he ten foreign.born confreres was expelled
f.rom Vietman. Now it is entirely up to the 120 young Vietnamese
confreres to carry on Don Bosco's work in their country.
For over 18 months we have had no cotrespondence contacts with
the ten confreres in Timor. \\fle know, however, that they are in
good health and are allowed to carry on their work. T[re Missions
Department Councillor hopes to be able to get in touch with them
very soon. In fact he will try to visit them by the end of this year
during a visitation ,to Salesian missions in Asia.
The rnissionary work in Moambique is meeting with severe
hardships. It is feared that more confreres will be expelled in the
coming ,months.

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68-
6. Solidarity Fund (20th report)
a) Corlrnrruuruc Pnovrucrs (March 15 - September 10, 1976)
Aur,nrce
Bolivia
Brazil, C"*po Grande
Btazil, Sao Pau,lo
United States, New Roohelle
United States, San Francisco
Lit.
1,700,000
500,000
1,000,000
77),750
8,g5o,ooo
Asn
India, Calcutta
India, Madras
Japan
Middle East
Thailand, Province
Thailand, Surat Thani
1,000,000
1,5oo,oo0
3,57o,ooo
450,000
200,000
500,000
EunopB
Italy, Generalate
Italy, Motherhouse
Italy, Central (San Tarcisio)
Italy, Lombard-Emilian
Italy, Venetian-St. Mark
Italy, Venetian-St. Zeno
Spain, Leon
T'otal
Casb on bond
Toaal amt. for dis*ibutlon
150,000
500,000
50,000
510,000
400,000
500,000
3,0L3,725
25,267,475
5,719
25,273,194

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b) DrsnunsEMENr (March 15 - Septenrber 10, I976)
Arnrc.n
Central A6icat for 5 ur-ini-projects
Gabon: for native vocations
Madagascar: for catechetical aids to a Sister
ANrEnrce
Argentina, Buenos Aires: for mass media
equipment
Argentina, Bahia Blanca: f.or catechetical aids
Bolivia, La Paz: for the trade school in El
Alto
Brazil, Manaus: for the aspirantate in Ana-
nindeua
Brazil, Belem-Sacramenta: for a handicraft
center
Brazil, 56o Paulo: for the Theologate library
Central America: for the earthquake victims
in Guatemala from Japan
Central America: for the eartlr,quake victims
in Guatemala from Verona
Chile: for the < Milk for Chi,ldren )> ,program
Ecuador, Cuenca: for the Youth Center
Ecuador, Paute: a vehicle for the pupils of
the agricultural sclool
Ecuador, Mendez, Sevilla Don Bosco: for a
vehicle
Mexico, Guadalajara: for the Youth Center
supplies
Asre
India, Calcutta; for the poor 'boys at Azim-
guni
India, Gauhati: to buy a piece of land for a
poor family at Imphal
1,000,000
600,000
76,807
950,000
47 5,000
600,000
1,000,000
600,000
237,000
3,570,000
500,000
700,000
1,000,000
1,000,000
1,ooo,o00
1,000,000
600,000
,60,000

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India, Gauhati: to buy a vehicle for Doomni
India, Gauhati: to irrigate fietrds at ,Doom
Doma
India, Madras: for a conrmunal kitchen
Korea, Seou,l: for ,poor boys at the Youth
Centet
Philippines, Tondo: for the slum-dwellers
Thailand, Surat Thani: to buy boats for poor
fishetmen
Eunopp
Italy, Lombard-Enlilian: for a pastoral need
at C,odigoro
ftaly, Venetian-St. Mark: for the earthquake
victims in Friuli
Yugoslavia, Zagtabt for the vocation aposto-
late
Total
Casb on hand
1,500,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
1,000,000
1,000,000
800,000
500,000
1,000,000
500,000
25,268,807
4)87
FUND as of September 10, 1976
Income
Disburternent
Cash on hand
471,230,907
471,226,5L4
4,387

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VI. ACTIVITIES OF THE SUPERIOR COUNCIL
With all the members of the Superior Council present, the
months of July and August were spent preparing for the 2lst
General Chapter, both with regard to the choice of a study topic,
and the consideration of the nature and modalities of tle revision
of the Constitutions and Regulations, and finally the organization of
the general program (Italian: Iter generale) of the preparation itsel{.
The conclusions of this lengthy work were pu,blished in the Special
Issue of the Acts of the Superior Council (No. 283), which Fr. Ric-
ceri made available to every confrere.
Moreover, during the same period of time tfie Superior Council
heard the reprts of the Regional Councillors on the Provinces 'they
had recently visited, namely the reports of:
( Italy----SwFFFitzrrr.e..rGAlGainoniotvdove)n;anianolneMi DR6hlaiodinafeoorrintohtenheLtohLmeeb6Nanordv(-SaErpmeasiilenia-)HnPerPlovrevoitnviacinnec;eP(roItvainlyc)e;
Provin-ce;Fr. Josd Vincente Henriquez A. fot the Quito (Ecuador)
-
-
-
-
-
Fr. Juan Edmundo Vecchi for the 56o Paulo (Brazil) Province;
Fr. Luigi Fiora for the Motherhouse in Valdocco-Turin;
Fr. Luigi Fiora for the Central Province (Italy);
Fr. John Ter Sohure for the Central African Province;
Fr. Bernard Tohill for the Roman-Sardinian Province (Italy)'

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VII. DOCUI\\4ENTS
During the ruonth ol August tbe GC 2l Moderator,
Fr. Rapbwl Fariraa, lorwarded to all the Prcoincfuls
tbe follouing docurnents datd luly 20, 1976:
1. Griteria for determining to which Province a confrere belongs:
t. The original rnembersbip ol'a conlrere in a certain Proaince
is tbe one tbat uas cloarly and delinitiuely establisbed at tbe time
ol bis lirst religious professlon.
In practice, sucb ruenobersbip deriaes lrom one ol the lollowing
situationsz
1.1. when the confrere made the aspirantate and the novitiate,
and was adrnitted to trhe first profession in rJrat Province;
1.2. when the confrere made t'he aspirantate and was admitted
to the novitiate in that Province, even though for legitimate reasons
he was sent to another Province to complete the novitiate;
1.3. w[r,en, even if he spent his first period of formation in
inter-provincial aspirantates, his membership in a certain Province
was clearly and definitely expressed from the start;
1.4. when prior to his first professi,on the confrere was assigned
to a cettain Province ottler the one where he made his aspirantate
and novitiate.
2. A confrerg's original naembersbip in a oerlain Proaince is not
l,ost in tbe follaw,ing dasesl
2.1. when the confrere ,is sent elsewhere to complete his studies;
2.2. when he is << loaned >> to another Province on a temporary
basis, following an agresment between the two Provincials, accord-
ing to art. 140 o{ the Regulations. (It is strongly recommended that
suah agreement between the two Provincials be clearly spelled out

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73
in all its terms and conditions in a written document to be kept in
the archives of the two Provinces concerned);
2.3. when the confrere is sent to anotiher Province for a period
of convalescence or rest, even if the period were ext€nded beyond
the original limits;
2.4. when the confrere is sent to another Province subsequently
to a nomination, or the approval or a nomination, made by the
Rector Major.
In all these cases, the confrere's continued membership in his
original Province means that, upon the cessation of the reasons which
justi,fied his absence from it, he ,has the right as well as the duty to
retufn to his Province, unless the Rector Major intervenes once again
wittr a conmary decision. It is obvious that, as long as the con{rere
resides in another Province, he juridically and religiously depends on
the Provincial of his residential Province, save particular agreements
between the two Provincials in special and exceptional casos.
3. A donfretu"s o'rigirlal rnernlwrsbip in a aerilain Pnouince is
lost in tbe loll,ouing Msesi
3.1. when the con,frere definitively changes Province with the
written authorization of the Rector Major according to att. 14 af
the Regulations;
3.2. when a new Province is,etected or a "Visitator'iat'or Special
Delegation is set up, or when a house with its personnel ,passes to
another Province, according to what is stated in the documents
governing such juridical acts;
3.3. when a confrere is sent on the,missions through the Central
Mission Office, not t€rn{porarily as a volunteer, but permanently as
a missionary. In this case he in practice is definitively changing
Province on the authorization of the Rector Major in accordance
with art. l4O of the Regulations.
4. Norms lor speclal dases
4.1. The rnissionaties who permanently return to their nativ€
countries because of sickness or advanced age - who are therefore

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-74-
unable to ca,rry on Eheir regular work or are able to do so to a limited
- degree
he deems
are assigned by
more suited for
the Rector Major to the Province
their conditions. The Province to
whicl-r
which
they are assigned wi,l'l surround tihem care and affection (Const. 121),
while the Province from which they come will feel obligated to
discfirarge those duties that charity and justice impose on it even
from the economic point of view.
4.2, A transfer from one Province ro another, which has taken
place without the prescribed form or of which there is no dear
documentary evidence, is to be considered definitive (and therefore
accornpanied by the consequent loss of mernbership in the original
Province) after ten fulI consecutive years of residence in trhe other
Province.
4.3. Cases contested by either the confrere or the Provincials
concerned will ,be referred to the Rector Major for a solution.
2. Griteria for reckoning the number of confreres in a Province
both with regard to the number of the Delegates of the con.
freres to the Provincial Ghapter (Reg. 151,3) and the number
of Provincial Delegates to the General Chapter (Const. l56, Z)
l. Tbe lollawing conlteres milst be reckor,ed anbng the mierru-
bers of a cerlain Ptouince:
1.1. the confreres belonging to that Province since their first
profession and residing in it at the time of the counting;
1.2. *Ie confreres belonging to that Province subsequently to
a definitive transfer from another Province and residing in it at the
time of the counting;
1.3. the confreres belonging to that Province subsequently to a
temporary trans,fer and residing in it at the time of rhe counting;
1.4. ttre confreres belonging to that Province for anyone of the
reasons mentioned above at Nos. 1.1, 1.2 1.3, and temporarily absent
for reasons of studies or health care or special work assignment ex-

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-75-
pressly mandated by their original Provincials and previously agreed
upon by the Provincials of the places where the work is to be
carried on. (This is the official interpretation rendercd by the Rector
Maior with his Council of the words of Reg. 15L.2 referring to the
"confreres temporarily and legitimately absent from the Province".
Paragraphs I and 2 of this artiole of the Regulations must therefore
be applied in the light of this interptetation);
1.5. the confreres who, having incured the crime of "apostasy
fro mteligion" (Can. 644, colTated with Can. 2)85) and having return-
ed to the community, live regular community li,fe, even though they
are deprived of both active and passive voice, are reckoned in the
number of confreres in the Province.
2. Tbe following conlleres must not he reckoned among the
rnerzzbers ol a oer$ain Pttotinae;
2.1. the confreres who do not belong to it either originally or
subsequently by reason of a definitive or temporary transfer;
2.2. those residing in it for reasons of study or health care or
a temporary work assignment expressly mandated by the Provincial
of the Province to which they belong (see 1.4 above);
2.3. those who obtained the Indu,lt of e:<claustration for its dura-
tion, or presented a formal request for it;
2.4. those who presented the request for reduction to the lay
stay (priests or deacons), for secularization or dispensation from tem-
porary or perpetual vows;
2.5. those who live outside their communities illegitirnately for
any reason whatsoever,
Such is the official interpretation of art. 15L3 of the Regulations
and, alt. 156.7 of the Constitutions rendered by the Rector Major
with his Council by virtue of both ,his ordinary faculties (Const. 199)
and the special ones grarlted him by the Special General Chapter
(SGC Acts, 765-766).

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IX. ECCLESIASTICAL IVIAGISTERIUM
Card. Eduardo Pironio: Reflections about General Chapters
The lollouing reflections on tbe rn,eanirug ol a General Cbaprer
celebrated by a religious Farruily appeared on tbe Osservatore Romano
of August 25,1976 (September 16, 1976 - English Ed..). Tbey were
written by Card Edourdo Pironio, Prelect ol tbe Sacted Congrega-
tian for Religioas and. Secular Institutes. Tbey sbould. proue to be
a ueritabl,e sotffce of serious reflections and ualuable gaidelines lor
tbe Salesians in tbeir pleparation lor tbe coming Prouincful Chapters
and GC 21.
A Chapter concerns also the "others"
"And they devoted themselves to the aposttres' teaching and
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42).
I began to think before God what the celebration of a Chapter
means in tlee Church today. And the first thing tl-rar mcurred ro
me
the
was iltat a Chapter
world. This means
concerns,
that it is
in 'the first place, the
,nor a ,question just of
Church and
a customary
act, mor€ or less important according to each case, but always within
the private life of a Congregation or an Institute.
The celebration of a Chapter concerns in the fi.rst place the whole
Church. It is an ecclesial event, even if the Congregation is a small
one and not extended all over the wolld. Consequently it concerns
all men. It is a sal,vific event event if most people do not actually
know what a Chapter is.
For this reason I decided to write this article. For f am sorry
to thinl( that a Chapter should concern only the Capitulars, or at most,

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-77
the members of an lnstitute. And I am sorry to s€e that most
Chapters are celebrated without
*o.trd
a new
-andedveeenpeinrqmuairninifgesatabtoiount
i,ta,nywohneere-as
in the
every
Church
Chapter
and in
should
the
ibe
o,f God to men in the Chutch. That
is, a "real event", a Vage of hoPe'
I do not claim to produce a "theology of the Chapter", far Less
to give norms or practical guidance. I wish only to offer these simple
pastoral reflections, born of deep love of the Church, which seek to
e,mphasize some of what seem to me ,to be the most essential aspects'
A Cbapaer is always a "paschal deleblation". For this purpose
it must be set in an essential Easter context, with everything Easter
contains in relation to the cross ,and hqpe, to death and resurrection'
A Chapter is not a mere study meeting, ,a superficial gathering or
a short-lived revision of life. A Chapter is essentially a paschal celebra-
tion. For this reason iit is above all a "penitential" celebtation which
ainns at living two things deeply: a sincere attitude of conversion
and a deep and painful search for the Lord's ways. God's ways must
be discoveted every day in pain and in hope' Because it is a "penitent-
ial" celebration, a Chapter is always carried out in the joy and sin-
cerity of brotherly chatity.
How irnportant it is to str€ss the penitential aspect of a Chapterl
It means a ser€ne and profound examination of conscience, vrith the
consequent
for God,s
change
witl in
of mentality
the present
and life; and it means a painfu,l
necessities of consecrated life.
searcl-r
How
can we deepen our integration in the christ of
baptismal ionfirmation of consecrated life?
Easter by means
$7hat can we
9dfothseo
thrt
God
"aon.drr.oraf ttehed
life may really
presence of his
be today
Kingdom?
a
sign
of
the
holiness
of
But, being a real paschal celebration, it is not just the penitential
aspects that interest us !n a Chapter. It is its whole dimension of
cpoumr"hmuitltendewhnoepses .-EveorfynC€hwapctreeramtiounstinleatvheeaSspeirnista-tion
and
of
o{ -firm,
freshness
in the Church, a good dose of ,paschal optimis'm. If the Chapter has
been celebrated well, in an attitude of poverty, prayet' and brotherly
charity, it is always a re{reation of the Institute which lets its spiritual
riches overflow upon the Church and upon the world.
Because of a,ll this, the Cbapaer is a saloific euent, an ecclesial
euent, a fanily tedent.

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A Ghapter is an ecclesial event
God operates unintemrptedly in history. Since Christ came to
the world, in the fullness of time, he has not ceased reconoiling ,men
and things with the Father. Christ, exalted on the right side of the
Father and constituted Lod of the universe, daily sends his Spirit
upon the whole universe and makes him dwell wirhin each man called
to participate in Christ's paschal mysrery (Gaudium et spes, 22).
But there are key-moments in the history of salvation: the voca-
tion o{ Abraham, the liberation of the People from Egypt and its
wanderings in the desert, the entrance into the promised la,nd, the
return from exile in Babylonia, the redeeming incamation of Jesus
with his Passover consrumnatd at Pentecost. I7hen, with the out-
pouring of the Holy Spirit, the stage of maturity, of hope begins,
key-events for the rich growth of the fruits of salvation stand out.
Such, {or example, are the celebration of a Council, the election o{
a Pope or a religious persecution. In this ,serlse, the Second Vatican
Council was a salvific event for our times. Regrettably, as always
happens, we have not yet drawn sufficient benefit from it.
atmosIpthiesreinoftheisxtrlianoerd-inartyhomuogdhe, soty{
a Chapter. It constitutes a moment
course, far-removed and in an
awnhdesnimthpelicli,toyrd-
that I place
is particularly
present and ,his Spirit outpoured, not only upon the community ,but
also upon the whole Church. And since the Church is essentially a
universal sacr,ament of salvation (Lumen gentium,48; G.S. 45), it is
the whole world that feels great ,benefit from a Chapter.
tshpeirditeupathll,tyVb. aiTtlhahnecthreeefaoidnretaeutrhdioearcwitryeonroeldfwtaehlxepoeSfrpiaeinnrict Ien-ssttihtthueerefCru-hitusr.ccharrisiedenoriucht eidn
The celebration of a Chapter is an outsranding.moment in the
history of salvation that an Institute must write "not in ink, but in
the Spirit of the l,iving God, on human hearts instead of stone
tablets" (2 Cor 3t )).
But for a Chapter to be really a salvific event, three elemenrs
must enter into it; the Iilflord, the Holy Spirit, conversion.

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70
a) Conuersion-
Salvation begins here. The Good News, proclai,med to the poor,
is for the salvation of all who believe (Rom 1: L6) and therefote
calls for conversion and faith (Mk 1: 15). A Chapter is always, by
the force of the Gos'pel, a call to conversion. The first to assume, in
representation of all their brothers, the responsibility of conversion
are th€ Capitulars themselves. For this reasons the first corulition
to elect a good CapituLlar is not his intelligence, but his elementary
capacity for conversion. A Chapter is measured not by the dopth
or beauty of its documents, but by its capacity to transform the in-
telligence and the heart of everyone.
Is this dificult? Humanly speaking, it is. So two more elements
are necessary: the \\)7ord and the Spirit.
b) Tbe'Vord
A Chapter is, in the first place, a way of "hearing the Word of
God and keeping it" (Luke Ll: 29). But we must hear it together,
in order to be able to keep it as a cornmunity. It is the \\flord of
God, that is Christ, that must alwayo preside over a Chapter. The
Chapter will then be irresistible. During the Council the book of
the Gospels was enthroned every day, before beginning the sessions.
It was a very solemn rite. Would it not be opportune to do the
same at Chapters? For it is God who must speak at a Chapter. He
does so, in the first place, through Holy ftripture, Lhe Magisterium
of the Church, the spirit and charism of the founders. But he also
does so through the exigencies of new times in the Church, the
events of history and sincere dialogue with brothers.
This presupposes that all, privately and together, should set
themselves to meditating God's Word with docility. The central
moments of a Chapter are, therefore, the strong moments of prayer.
Otherwise human wonds will be multiplied u,nnecessarily and tensions
wiltl increase, Marvellous decrees and guidelines will perhaps
but minds and hearts will remain the same.
^ppeat,
c) Tbe Holy Spirit
tion
The great salvific
which culminated
einvePnten-tectohset
mystery
- was
of redeeming fncarna-
carried out thanks to

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80-
the fruitful action of the Holy Spirit. So must it be now too. The
paschal newness of a Chapter doos not exist without the creating
pov/er of the Spirit. !7e must let ourselves be led by him. It is he
who reveals to us the passing of the Lord in history, who deciphers
the signs of the tirnes, who calls us to a real change in conversion.
A Cbapter is aluays a deep utork ol tbe Holy Spdrit.It is not the task
of geniuses, but od sim,ple ,men with capaaty of being animated by
the Spirit: the Spirit of Truth and the testimony of fortitude and
martyrdom, of conteunplative interior life and prophecy.
A Ghapter is a family event
A Chapter is not the private history of a Congregation or an
Institute. It is essentially an ecclesial act. In a double sense: the
w,lrole ecclesial community ,has something to say in a Chapter (it takes
part actively, even if not directly, in it), and the whole ecclesia,l
community benefits from the fruits of a Chapter. Therefore it is
absurd to celebrate a Chapter without taking into account the con-
crete rea'lity of the Church. The first question at a Chapter is always
the following: what does God wish of us at this moment of the
Chutch? This is the same as asking: what do men expect of us
today? All Institutes arose because of a concrete requirement of the
Church in a given petiod of history.
There was a period, immediately after the Council, during w,hich
all Congregations held special Chapters of "aggiornamento", tried to
interpret the Church ,and end,eavoured to ",bring themselves up to
date". They were pardy successful, partly unsuccessful: either be-
cause they advanced too fat or becau,se they vzere too much af.taid;
either because they stopped just at external "adaptation" of because
they touched the fundamental charism dangerously and changed it.
I7hen we say that a Chapter is an ecclesial event, we mean three
things: that a Chapter rnust look to Christ, that it must keop the
world in mind, that it must be integrated in the local Christian
community.

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-81 -
a) Keep Cbrist i.n rnind
The C[rurch is, in the first place, the sacrament of the Paschal
Christ, that is, the sign and instrument of Jesus' saving presence.
Therefore a Chaptet tries to renew the Institute by means of. a gradual
configuration with Christ, It is, fundamentally, an ans\\rrer to the
following question: to what extent do our communities or our per-
sons and institutirons manifest and communieate the Lord? For this
reason a Chapter always sets the Institutes before the expectation of
men: "we desire to see Jesus" (Jn 1.2, 2l). The first questioning
is done by Christ, sent by the Father "to save the world and not to
reject it" (In 3, l7). His funda,rnental question is the following:
"I7ho do you say that I am?" (Mt 16, 15).
b) Keep tbe world. i.n mind
Every Chapter takes its place in a given moment of histoty:
it tries to interptet it ,and to give an evangelical response to rnen who
are waiting for salvation. The Church offer,s herself to them as
a sign and instrument of the complete salvation that Christ the Lord
brought us.
in the desert
sets itself at
Therefore
by means
the same
aotimfCthehaebpetterfaornr-esfothrwmehiniwcghoaarclltwdioa.nyIstosfeetnehdkeseatSvhpoeuirnLitso-rtdo
discover in it the signs of the times, the growing exp,ectation of
peo,ples, the anguish and hope of men. And sinoe it is an ecclesial
event, the Chapter cannot limit itself to examining just the specific
problems of a Congregation. It must be essentially an evangelical
reflection on the necessities and the aspirations of the Church at
the present time. It must ask itself, for example, what evangelization
*urnr in the Church today, who the poor are today, what the
meaning of education, social work, hr.r,man promotion or full liberation is.
c) And don't forget tlJe l^adal Christlan qonzmunity
All religious life is inserted in a concrete Christian community.
It is nourished ,by it, it grows within it and animates it. For this
reason a Chapter is of great interest to the particular Church (or a
local cornmunity). Its aspirations and riches must reach the Chapter
somehow. As long as the Chapter rlasts, the whole particular Church
g

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82
is interested and prays. It is a privileged period for the life of that
Church: there is also a particular ourpouring of the Spirit upon rit
and a 'strong call to conversion. The life of an Institute does not
glow ",beside" the local community, but "within" it. It is nourished
by the same Word and the Eucharist, it is gathered by the Holy
Spirit in the same centre of u,nity which is the Bishop, ,,who is
assisted by the priests" (L.G. 2I). Therefore a Bishop, with his
dergy and his people, is not an outsider or a guest at rhe Chapter.
He is there,because something really great is h,appening in the Church.
For this reason, also the personal ,meeting with the Pope, when it
is possible, is not a mere act of devotion, but an expression of the
fact that a Chapter is, above alL, an act of ecclesial comrnu,nion.
Every Chapter is a fanily meeting: its centre is Jesus. ,,The
disciples came rogether again in the presence of Jesus" (Mk 6, 30).
So, once more, the STord and the action of the Holy Spirit are at
the centre of this family meeting. The mernbers of an Institute
gather to ptay, to recsive the Word of God as a corrununity, to
discern the activity .and exigencies of the Spirit, to renew the joy
of faithful,ness in consecrated life and rediscover their own charism,
to listen together to a new call to conversion, to commit themselves
more $trongly to the evangelization of the contomporary world. That
is, to think more deeply of the mystery of the Church and, in her,
o( the specific requirements of religious consecration, and the ever
new meaning of the I,nstitute's original chariym.
This family meeting has to take place in an aunosphere of ex-
traordinary poverty, continual prayer and great brotherly charity.
ln this way useless rensions, confusion and ambiguity, superficial im-
provisations will be avoided. The climate of a Chaptei is manifested
at once in "glad and generous hearts" (Acts 2, 47). The seriousness,
the balance and the dficacy of a Chapter depend on the depth of
prayeBru-t
that is,
this calls
if a Chapter is really a paschal celebration.
for a spirit of real ewngelical pouerty. Tihe
first
prerequisite of a Capitular is that he should ,be rea,lJy poor. In this
way he will be a "listener to God". In this way he will also ,be a
"man of dialogue". Anyone who goes into a Chapter certain that
he knows everything, and that his is precisely the complete truth,
will never be able ro open up to the fruitful action of the Spirit
that Jesus promised us (Jn 16, I3). He will never be able to open

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_83_
up with simplicity to others. And the others, on their side, will not
be able to open up freely to Jrim. Poverty opens us up to God in
pwrhaiycehr.isBencoautsheisth, esinCcaepiittuhlaarsfebeelesntheentrreusspteodnstiobilhityimofinhitshem,iIsnssiotintu-te
fannede, dAfuonmCd.haamOpeutentrtaoalflylwf,aaiitnyhsftuhplenreeCssuhspuptroocshret-hse^Shgepriefreaitet ltsahtatmhtoesspnpeehacekersessiniotyfhoeirafnap,nrageyev'leiincrgay.-l
one shouild be abl.e to €xpress his opinion simply and receive joy-
fully the opinion of others. The Chapter should real,ly be a fruitful
dialogue in the Spirit; after all, it arisos from the same experience
of poventy, of clear awar€ness of the same responsability and of the
same fundamental attitude of "listening to 'God's !7ord". No one
possesses the complete truth in the Church, For this reason, Bhe
poor who, emptied of themselves, open exclusively to the Holy
Spirit, have a great deal to say and to contribute at a Chapter.
Another essentidl element, in this fami,ly event, is pruyer. \\il7e
hure abeady pointed it out: the Chapter must be a meeting with
the Lord, a rcal paschal celebration rthe centre of which is the
Eucharist. The life of ,an Institute rnust be revised funda,rnentally
in the light of God's \\[ord. It is the latter that will ,make us see
things, clearly; it is the latter, above all, that calls us to conversion.
Finally the family rrneeting of a Chapter calls for an atmosphere
of joy and simplicity in brotberly cbarity. This facilitates freedom of
di.alogue. The experience of the Capitulars together in the Spirit
must be a testimony for the other members of the Institute. Not
that there is no difference of opinion (that is an indispensable treasure
of real communication, the fruit of the multiform action of the Holy
Spinit), but everything must take place in great mutual respect, in
the simplicirty of giving and in the i,rnmense joy of receiving. It is
necessary to spea,k out clearly at a Chapter; ,but alw.ays in the line
of transanitting something of God's !7ord and of ,the exigency of
the Spirirt. Consequendy, not with the aggressiveness or olation of
one who feels he is in absolute possession of tnIth, but with the
hr:rmility of one who has a great,deal to receive and feels he is an
instrument of the Holy Spirit.
This dimension of brotherly charity must not remain enclosed
in the rim,rnediate sphere of a Chapter. It is extended to all members
of the fnsdrtute, whom the Capitulars rnust interpret, keep in mind

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-84
and serve. For this rerlson, again, \\t is not necessary to have geniuses
for a Chapter. It is necessary to have poor men, capatble of being
possessed by the Holy Spirit, extremely docile to hinr and w,ith a
great spitit of understanding and seryice. That is, men who live
'laccording to the Spirit" and are ready rto die to themselves or to
renounce their own ideas, so that Christ may be formed in the
world and the Father glorified. What is necessary is sincere men,
vfio love God and Jisten to their brothers.
But there is something dse. Tlhis line of brotherJy charity leads
us rto think of the concrete situation of a particular Church (or the
universal Church) and of the general expectation of the world. For
a Charptet is a,lways a way of entering into saving communion with
the whole People of God and with the universality of people on a
pilgrimage towards tftre Father. !7e have come ,back to dhe fun-
damental idea with which we stanted: a Chapter is not a private
wolk of the Capitulars or members of an Institute. It is, above
a.11, a work of the Church which concerns all men and peoples.
For this reason a Chapter cannot be,improvised or held in secret.
It must ,be known by everyone, accompanied by everyone with prayer
and the cross, celebrated by everyone with the responsiibility of con-
version, welcomed by all witlh hope.
A Chapter is always a rr/ork of God's love "poured into our
hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been givento us" (Rom. 5,5).
Therefore it is a new and magni,ficent page of the history of salva-
tion.
Mary,
Let
the
us all celebrate
Lond's hu.mble
it with
servant,
gratitude
in whom
aGndodavwaoilrakbeilditywo-ndelitrrs<,e
and through whorn "the light from on hi$h" shone throughout the
world (Lu'ke L,78).

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X. NECROLOGY
f F* rB. eNloeHwolorinzodnete,ABnrbarzoils, i7o,2.L924; in a car accident at Betim, Belo Horizonte,
8.8.1976; 52 years old, 33 prof., 34 priest, 15 Rector.
Rector and Professor for many years, he used his priestly and intellec-
tual talents on behalf of youth in the best Salesian tradition. Having obtained
a degree in Canon Law, be became the legal counsellor of the Province,
rendering a valuable, though not so visible, service also in this field His
sudden death was a severe shock to his friends and relatives and a heavy
loss to the Province and Congregation.
t *FrR. aAnndqtoznzoin(uCsatAannaias)t,aIstialy, 53.1897; Palermo, Italy, 22.6.1976; 79 years old,
62 prof.,52 priest.
In his youth he attended the Oratory, the Elementary and High Schools
- - of Rall.daz.za the first Salesian foundation in Sicily and Iater he became
member of the Salesian community there. His three chief characteristics
were: exact religious observance, boundless dedication to youth work (espe-
cially through teaching) and serene aflability (the fruit of his self-control).
He was a humble and effective examplar of the religious ideal according to
Don Bosco's mind.
f Fr. Afired Bandiera
* Bentivoglio (Bologna),
Italy,
L9.12.7890;
Varese, Italy, 79.4.1976; 85 years old,
66 prof., 55 priest, 5 Rector.
An outstanding priest and educator, he left an indelible memory in the
houses where he worked'in Don Bosco's name, i.e. Bologna, Leghorn, Arezzo,
Brescia and, for over 30 years, Varese. An untiring and inspired preacher,
he gave and/or directed countless spiritual retreats. He was a kind and
understanding confessor, much sought after by boys, past pupils and priests.
He worked with a high sense of optimism and initiative especialy on behalf
of the Cooperators and the Past Pupils. The Lord caltred him to himself
suddenly on Easter Monday to celebrate the timeless Easter with himself.

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-86
*FrP. ioLveeoneBa(Vraictetonnzia), Italy,2l.l2.t911; t Turin, Italy, )1.7.1976; 64 years old,
37 prof.,41 priest.
After being ordained priest in his diocese, be'became a Salesian to fulfill
his missionary vocation. He was first sent to India and then to Mandalay
(Burma), where
\\tr7orld 'War, till
he remained, except
L966, when he was
for a shott
expelled by
interval during the Second
the government. He dedi-
cated his li{e to teaching. He wrote popular books in Burmese ("The Life
of Jesus Christ", the biographies
But his first and foremost field
o{
tf
Don Bosco
apostolate
and
was
St. Dominic Savio, etc.).
the parish, to which he
consecrated a1l his energies unstintingly. He followed each of his parishioners,
sharing sorrows and joys and receiving esteem and cooperation in return.
After a short stay in Italy, he was assigned to the Philippines. As a pastor,
he started our work in Tondo (Manila). During his visit there, Pope Paul VI,
as if to show his personal appreciation for his highly successful pastoral
activity, donated to him the stole he was wearing. A serious sickness obliged
him to rerurn to his native country, where he died.
Fr. John Bertolone
t *' Chieri (Turin), Italy,19.5.19)1; Bahia Blanca, Argentina,7.5.1976;44 years old
26 prof.,16 ptiest.
He was a kind-hearted, always smiling, deeply pious Sa,lesian. His
parishioners showed him sincere appreciation for his zealous dedication to
their well-being. They admired his chaste, humble and extremely simple
lifesryle, his Salesian love for work and temperance, and his boundless
concern for youth, especially the neediest.
*FrO. rLtsecohplaogld,
Birklbauer
Austria, 13.1930
f
Johnsdorf, Austria, 4.7.1976 46 years old,
22 prof..,13 priest.
He was ordained priest late in his li,fe. After years of teaching at the
Unterwaltensdorf High School and College, he gave his best energies to
directing spiritual retreats. He was a wise and prudent counsellor to the
young men who were feeling called to religious life. Involved in a cat
accident, he at first seemed to be on his way to recovery, and then was
suddenly called by the Lord to his reward.

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-87 -
Fr. Hugb Bisi
t 'x Faenza (Ravenna), ltaly,2.4.19O); Cerignola (Foggia), lta|y,8.5.7976;7) years
old, 54 prof., 47 priest.
A great Salesian with an outstanding record. Fr. Ricaldone called him
to Valdocco to be the co-organizer of the first, and for those days really
avant-guarde, experiments in Salesian film ma[<ing, and later enffusted to
him the difficult task of reorganizing the thenJanguishing Salesian Sodalities.
Under his strong and able leadership, the Sodalities' Center at Valdocco
gave a new spuft to these organizations, not anly in out Salesian houses,
but also in diocesan seminaries and schools of other teaching Congregations.
\\07hen he saur that the Center was solidly on its feet, he himself asked to be
assigned to other duties. He then left Valdocco where he had worked
tirelessly for almost 40 years, and joined the Southern Italian Province,
where he was once again highly esteemed for his readiness to serve, {or his
personal warmth and strong attachment to Don Bosco, for his spirit of
poverry and his precision in everything he was doing.
t *Fr. Cyprian Ca,nale
Concepci6n, Paraguay, 26.9,L934;
in a car accident at Santa Fe, Argentina,
9.2.1976; 41 years old, 22 ptof., 12 priest, 3 Rector.
At the time of his admission to the Holy Orders the following remarks
were written on his personal files: "He has many practical qualities, he is
good, generous, apostolic, dedicated to study, Ioyal to his superiors". That
was Fr. Canale, a young Salesian priest who died tragically and prematurely.
He was cheer'ful, gregarious, and untiring in bringing souls to Christ.
Guitar playing and singing were his favorite tools in the parish ,aposto-
7ate. He loved the poor with a 4eeling of predilection and they will long
remember him with gratirude.
* f Fr. Andreu Cauenago
Caponago (Milan), haly, 22.3.1898; Treviglio (Bergamo), kaly, 13.6.1.975
77 yearc old, 57 prof., 48 priest.
He spent his whole life in the Lombard-Emilian Province, carrying
every\\yhere his zeal for work and for the exact observance of the Rule. He
was particularly concerned with lirurgical celebrations, which he wanted
to be performed with dignity, precision and fervor. His constant trusr in
the Lord gave him that aura of serene optimism and cheerdulness for which
he is well remembered in his province.

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8B
t *FrF.oLnzoausios
Cerato
(Belluno),
Italy,
24.1L.t908;
Bombay, India, 24.5.L976; 67 years old,
49 prof., 42 priest.
and
He attended the Card.
completed his priestly
Cagliero Missionary Institute
and missionary training in
S^htilTlownega(A(Tsusarimn)).,
For 15 years he worked in the Brahmaputra Valley, in the North Lakhimpur
Dismict, where he founded a mission residence. The Ircrd blessed his work
with hundreds and hundteds of conversions. Always calm and smiling, it
was natural for him to make friends with everyone he met, from the hum-
blest peasants to the highest authorities. In 1969, when the government
decreed to banish foreigners from border areas, he had to leave his mission.
Transferred to Bombay, he continued to work with undiminished gener-
osiry in a new apostolate. Maty Help of Christians, in whose honor he had
his mission church, called him to his reward on her feastday, May 24.
* t Fr. Rapbael Conde
Cabua de Caballo (Salamanca), Spain, 15.1.1914;
Cddtz, Spain, 5.2.L976;
62 years old, 42 prof..,33 priest.
During his 42 years as a Salesian he trained hundreds of pupils with
his Salesian-style supervision and dedication to his priestly ministry. Hoping
to recover from a precatious health condition, he submitted to a surgical
intervention, which instead proved fatal. His last days spenr in the hospital
were a splendid witness of Christian faith and hope to all people around him.
t *F' rO. sJdofysaespsbzoCnzfae,nkHi ungary, 22.7.1915; Ttkdl, Hungary, 29.5.1976 60 years old,
19 prof..,32 ptiest.
For many years he worked 'with great dedication as a parish priest,
taking special care of the education of children. This caused him mtrch
suffering because of the suspicious and hostile government aritude. He
died a sudden death, away ftom his flock.
f F* rM. aLgorEuiVsicDeanltinSoog(lVioicenza), Italy, 5.8.1888; Cornaiano (Bolzano), Italy, 26.12.
1975 87 years old, 53 prol.,48 priest, 6 Rector.
A remarkable figu,re of Salesian missionary. He got himself ready for
the apostolate by undergoing the harsh vicissitudes o{ military life during

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89-
the First World Sflar (he served among the Alpini and u,as taken prisoner
of war). He did missionary work in Argentina and Chile. He rode on
horseback the entire Iength and breadth and height of the Pampas and the
Andes. In 1966 the old prioneer made the homecoming trip to his native
Italy. He was stationed in Bolzano till his death, and there he was looked
upon as the community's lovable and cheerful "grandfather".
Fr.
t * S.
Questor De
Lucia (Minas
Baros
Gerais),Brazil,5.8.1895;
I old, 59 prof., 51 priest, Rector.
Barbacena, Btazil,2l.5.1976; 80 years
From Don Bosco he inherited his dynamic spirit of apostolate. He
worked in many houses in Brazil. Youth Centets wete his favorite field
of activity. He also gave his generous assistance to parish priests by cele'
brating two or even more Sunday Masses for them. His characteristic vir-
tues were humility, simpliciry, and exactness in per{orming his religious
and priestly duties.
Fr. Ernest Delilippi
I * San Benigno Canavese (Turin), Italy, 17.5.1902; Lanzo (Turin), Italy, 11.7.1976;
74 yeas old,55 prof.,48 ptiest.
A priest of true fidelity to the Salesian spirit and educative mission.
A delicated and tireless teacher. An esteemed spiritual director for various
religious communities in the area. On Sundays and Holy Days he worked
as a pastor in a priestless parish for many years. As the Cooperators' Dele-
gate, he discharged his duties with examplary loyalry to Don Bosco and
the Pope.
Coad. Bro. Pacilicus Degano
t * Pasian di Prato (Udine), katy,15.9.L928; Venice, Italy, 15.5.1976; 47 years old,
26 prof.
He taught tailoring to many generations of young apprentices; and
rvhen his trade had to give way to other more popular and updated avoca-
tions, he showed a fine and courageous capacity for adaptation. He loved
his Salesian vocation and apostolate. This enabled him to work effectively
for the young, who loved his simple and cordial ways.

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* t Coad, Bro. Daniel De Geyter
Gentbrugge, Belgium, 5.10.1894; LieS., Belgium, 25.2.1976; 81 years old,
62 prof..
Manager of a machine shop for 46 years, he dedicated his entire life
to the ptofessional, human and Chdstian maining of his boys. lfith a great
deal of technical competence and enthusiasm he overcame all sorts of dif-
ficulties in his field over so many years. Invited in 1960 to leave his po5t,
he was humble enough to retire to doing the lowest domestic services in
the communiry. He was always faithful to his prayer life. The Holy Eucha-
rist and devotion to Mary helped him get ready to meer the Lord in death.
f *FrT. aJroqsueinpiba
Dini
(Viterbo),
Italy,
17.11.1881;
Santa Tecla, El Salvadot, 16.8.1976;
94 years old, 78 prof., 70 priest, 45 Rectot.
He entered Central America as a young cleric way back in 1902. There
he
of
spent with great enthusiasm and utter dedication tl-re first heroic years
Salesian work and witnessed its remarkably steady progress, He
sowed and reaped rich harvests of good, first as Rector for many years,
then as confessor. His personal characteristics were: deep {aith, simple
and filial piety, boundless availability and the heart of a child.
t C* oHauda..roBcroon.doCa(Aspnatar )FPaerlriun, 6.1.1928; Huancayo, Peru, 10.6.1976; 48 years old,
22 prof.
He fulfilled his Salesian call as a farmer among his dear Peruvian
cantpesinos, especially the young ones. He spent all his energies in tmining
them to live good Christian lives. He toiled in the fields and worked in
the youth centers of Chosica, Puno and Huancayo. His dedication was not
always appreciated by some, but he never desisted from his work, suffering
in silence. He was amply compensated with the boys' affection and
cooperation.
Fr. Henry Ferlini
f * Buenos Aires, Argentina,2.8.1899; Rosario, Argentina, 17.7.1976; 76 years old,
60 prof., 49 priest, 9 Rector.
The sickness that brought him to his gmve found him on the job as
pastor in Formosa, Argentina, where he had {ounded the Salesian work
in t949. He was highly esteemed for many talents and various enterprises.

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-91 -
He was an examplary priest, an austere and cheerful, big-hearted and
dynamic Salesian.
Coad. Bro. Cornelias Floriani
t * Lazana (Trento), Italy, 1.11.1914; Oneglia (Imperia), ltaly, 14.6.7976; 61 years
old, 40 prof.
Since his profession in L9)6, his lived his religious life in the service
of God and his brethren filling a great variety of posts. In particular, he
dedicated himself to spreading good Christian literature and to consoling
with his habitual cheerfulness all those who came in contact with him.
Forced to inactivity by his sickness, he carried on his apostolate first from
his private room and then from the hospital. FIis way to Calvary was a
long and weary one, but he climbed it with Christ-like fordrude and padence.
* f Fr. Jobn Floryn
Woloszcza, Poland, 14.10.1928; Lublin, Poland, 29.2.1976; 47 yearc old, 29
prof., 20 priest.
After his ordination he spent his youthful energies in the parish aposto-
late. He used his fine talents and education for the religious training of his
young parishioners. Forced by failing health to leave his teaching, he was
made chaplain in Lublin. He nevet complained about his disease (cancer);
on the conffary, he offered his confreres an admi.rable example of courageuos
submission to God's will.
t *FrL.inFwraonocdis(SFcloytnlannd()M, oGrgreaant) Britain, 10.1.1905; there, 253.1976;71 yeats old,
50 prof., 40 priest, 6 Rector.
His knowledge of Ianguages and music and above all his fine intellec-
tual qualities made him successful and wel liked as an educator. He spent
most of his life working with grcat diligence in the school apostolate. He
died a happy death adter a rather long sickness, during which he showed
edifying resignation to God's will. Since his ordination in the Basilica of
Mary Help of Christians in Turin, his life was characterized by a filial
devotion to Don Bosco and his Madonna.
Fr. Cbarles Frigo
t " C.ogollo del Cangio (Vicenza), Italy, 15.1.1889; Forlt, kaly, 15.4.1976; 87 years
old, 68 prof., 60 priest.
Of sturdy physique and strong character, he faced hardships with an
iton will and a ready spirit of saoifice. During the First \\florld Var he

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Eras military chaplain with the rank of captain, and was subsequently
awarded several decorations for his services. He then served under Don
BlaotsecroinasCahminiassaionnda,ryaf-ter aalwsahysortjopvaiarel nathnedsiesn. tihnustiahseticUn-itefdirsSttaitnesB, roanzcile,
again in China, fot a total of 26 years on the missions. After his return to
Italy, he continued to spend the rest of his time in the priestly aposrolate
like a worthy son o,f Don Bosco.
t Fr. Martin Friltb
* Adlersberg, Getmany, 7.10.18991
Porvenir, Chtle,24.3.1976;76 years old, 44
prof,, 35 priest.
A man of great apostolic spirit, he spent most of his missionary life
in South Chile helping the people in his care. His simple cordiality won
him the hearts of all. His favorite activities were assisting the needy, visi-
ting the sick, and preaching the word of God with conviction and zeal.
Coad. Bro. Cbarles Gallenca
t "" Foglizzo (Turin), ha[y,26.11.1917; Valdocco, Turin, 21.2.1976;58 years old,
38 prof.
He lived most of his live at Valdocco, first as a pupil, then as a con-
frere. He 'loved "his" boys, and in the true Salesian fashion he knew
how to instill into them both professional know-how and moral training.
All of this he achieved also in the rypically Salesian fashion, that is, with
kindness and patience and a constant spirit of self-sacrifice.
f *FrS. .AGnagveinloo
Garau
Monreale
(Cagliari),
kaly,
17.3.1910;
Oakland (California), U.S.A.,
D.7.L975; 65 years old, 48 prof., 40 priest, 7 Rector.
He first worked as a missionary in several houses in Haiti, Pueno Rico,
Cuba and Santo Domingo and from 796) onwards as a parish priest in
St. Andrew's Parish, Oakland, California, U.S.A. In the Iatter assignment
he dedicated all his time and energies to the ,apostolate among the Spanish-
speaking immigrants. He showed a special love for the needy and the sick
whose hearts he won with his cheerful, sincere and simple ways.
*FrP. eAnsnpareSn.uGsioGvaennntiilu(cMcai cerata), Italy, 18.8.1900; t Turin, Iraly, 10.6.L976; 75
years old, 59 prof.,51 priest, l0 Rector.
He spent the most memorable and succesful years of his life as a
teacher in several of our high schools in Italy, such as Frascati, Valsalice,

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Caserta and Mogliano Veneto. His pupils will long remember him for his
professionalism and his warmth. He enriched his active liJe with constant
prayer and the latter part of it with a patient preparation to death amidst
constant pain.
f *FrI.selaotn(Berses(cSiaa)n, tIitaaglyo,)
Giouanelli
26.7.7908;
Chiari, ltaty,72.7.1976;
68 years old, 23 prof.,
34 priest.
He went to Colombia with a group of pilgrims for the International
Eucharistic Congress in 1968, and then he asked the Superiors to assign
him to the leper colony of Agua de Dios. He was a ffue apostle and son
of Don Bosco. His characteristics were cheerfulness, brotherly spirit and
total availability.
t *CoSaadla.mBinrao.(CJaulldita,ss),GCioraloldmobia, 2.11..L909; Bogot6, Colombia, 3.7.1976; 66 years
old,21 prof.
He was in his 40's when he humbly and insistently begged to be
admitted to the Society. He lived his religious life in holy joy and enthu-
siasm, working in many houses of the Colombian Province. He was later
appointed saoistan of the National Shrine of our Lady of Mt. Carmel
and for 15 years'he discharged this assignment with wholehearted dedication,
Fr. Anthony Glorieux
t *- Marke Iflest (Vlaanderen), Belgium, 5.12.1905; Kortiik, Belgium, )0.4.1976;
TL years old, 45 prof., 38 priets, 21 Rectot.
He joined the Congregation at the age of 24. He was a well read man,
and this helped him make his conversations and conferences Pa'rticulady
interesting and formative. He loved life and learning, He had the gift
of storytelling and making friends. The atrocities of the Second \\7orld
'War, the sufferings of the many years when he was directly involved in
the training of young confreres, and especially the disease that at the end
forced him into total inactivity incided on his rich personality by somewhat
dampening his spirits in his last years; yet, all this never destroyed his
patience and trust in God.

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t *ClLeyroicn,GFirlabnecret,
Guigou
16.6.1906;
there, 14.4.1976; 69 years old, 40 prof.
A lawyer and a teacher (with a diploma in History and Geography)
before becoming a Salesian, he always kept alive his desire to acquire and
to impatt knowledge. Duting his last years, in spite of his failing health
he undertook giving evening classes to illiterate immigrants. A self-sacri-
fi6ing, forebeadng and kind-hearted man, he always did his best to help
all, especially the neediest.
f F* rL.ifVueil,liaBerulgiuJmeb,a9es.11.1894; there, D.6.1976; 81 years old, 59 prof., 54 priest,
4 Rector.
He was a hard-working assistant of the boys and a successful preacher
of the lford. His well prepared sermons u/ere eagerly anticipated and
attentively ,listened to by the boys and the grownups as well. He was the
pastor of St. Francis de Sales' Parish in LiBge for many years.
t F* rJ.aEchrn6wilekaK, aPcoblannbdz, 30.4.L904; Oswiecim, 153.1976; 71 years old, 55 prof.,
43 pdest.
He distinguished himself for his exact religious observance. He was
an incomparable secretary, and a tirelles minister of the Sacrament of Con-
fession to the young, to Sisters and to the faithful at large.
f *FrR. oVmicbtion,r
Kaczrnarek
Poland, 4.L0.1899;
Lipki, Poland, 10.3,1976; 76 years old, 40 prof.,
40 priest.
He entered the Congregation as a late vocation. After his priestly
ordination he did distinguished pastoral work in several parishes. Named
pastor of our parish in Kalawa, he spent thete 20 fruitful years supported
by the loving cooperation of his parishioners. He was also a regular con-
fessor in a nearby diocesan seminary.
t *CoCaudlr.naB,rPoo. laLnadd,.is2l5a.u7s0.LK8a8li7n;owsJakciiaz,ek, Poland, 173.1975;87 years oId, 63 prof.
Born of a highly educated Polish family, he personally felt but little
attraction to intellectual pursuits. A late vocation, he showed himself

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humble and easily compliant with his Superiors' wishes. He first vorked
as chef and then for many years as librarian in our school in Oswiecim.
He showed talent for drawing, painting, and writing satyrical poems, dra-
matic plays and comedies (the latter are sti,ll staged in our schools). He
himself was an actor and producer of plays. In his lqst years he also be-
came an expert calligrapher and a fine secretary. Thus he became all to all.
t C* oBaodu.s
Bro. Ernest Kasper
(Saarland), Germany,
1.6.1904;
Vienna, Austria, 8.1.L976; 71 years old,
47 prof..
He became a Salesian at the age of. 23. He used his uncommon talents
to fill many posts, includitrg that of secetary. In all he did he distinguished
himself for his exactness and reliabiliry. He fought hard for the coresponsi
biliry of the Coadjutor Brothers in our Congtegation. His contribution to
the communities was much appreciated and will be remembered fot long
time to come by confreres and past pupils alike,
Coad. Brot. Otto Katzenbeisser
f " Miinichschlag, Czechoslovakia, 1L.4.L920; Feldbach, Ausria, ).7.1976; 56 years
old, 25 prof.
He spent 22 years in the Novitiate house holding a variety of offices
and jobs. He was chef, farmer, economer, sacristan and leader of apostolic
groups. He discharged all his duties with great zeal. He played an im-
porrant role in the restoration of our church in Oberthalheim. He died
suddenly of a heart attack.
f *FrD. alokhornn
Korbas
Suche, Poland,
19.10.1891;
Valencia, Spun,7.1.1976; 82 years old,
62 prof..,54 priest.
Sent to Valencia in the immediate after-war, he adapted so well to the
ne$/ country that he was soon granted Spanish citizenship. An uncom-
monly talented educator, he worked hard and successfully among the day
students in the outskirts of Valencia. Because of his vast culture he was
deeply sensitive to all human values, friendship in particular. His pteach-
ing showed his solid and updated theological background and was much
appreciated by his parishioners, He loved Don Bosco, the Congregation and
the Church like a true son.

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Coad. Bro. Maurice Inrnbert
t * Gilly(Hainant), Belgium,2.7.1905 Tirlemont, Belgium, 1.2.1976l'70 years old,
50 prof.
After his perpetual profession he left for the missions in Central Africa.
He spent 4'/.. years in the prinring shop of our house in Kafubu (Zaire-Lubum-
bashi), workiag diligently for the professional training of hundreds of
young boys. For them he wrote a "Course in Technology" in their language.
They in turn not only became competent printers, but also good Christians,
following the example of his total self-donation and sincere piety.
t *FrV. eGrvuisetraso, eBeLlgeiculemr,c2).2.L911; Rome, ltaly, 5.6.1976; 6) yeas old, 29 prof.,
24 priest, J Rector.
As a young employee, he joined the Belgian JOC (Young Catholic
ltr7orkers' Association). His work in the labor unions' field led him to
Don Bosco and the Salesian Family, which in Belgium was (and is) closely
involved with the poor workingman's problems. After completing his sru-
dies with outstanding success, he taught Canon Iraw in our studentate in
Heverlee, where he also held the office of Rector for three years. Called to
teach at the Salesian Pontifical Universiry in Rome (UPS, formerly PAS),
he was much sought after as a professor and consultor. The Salesian Supe-
riors, the Roman Coogregations and Ecclesiastical Tribunals frequently made
recourse to his expertise in Canon Law. He lived an examplary Salesian
Iife, in total availability to all who sought his help. The universal grief
over his untimely death (of cancer) was a proof of the high regard in which
he was held by all, particulaily in Rome.
* t Fr. Cbarles Lewandouski
Warzymon, Poland, 14.12.1901; Kielce, Poland, 25.3.L976; 74 years old, 56
prof., 46 priest.
He taught music for many years in our organists' school in Przemysl.
He himself composed otgan music. He was also highly esteemed as a con-
fessor of various communities of Sisters and of our boys.
Fr. Mattbias Licb
" t Schlich (Rheinland), Germany, L2.2.L91,4; Klagenfutr, Austria, 23.1975; 61.
years old, 39 prof., 26 priest, 1.2 Rector.
Since his early Salesian life he showed outstanding talent in the field
of sports and music, and used it generously on behalf of his boys. It was

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only after several years spent in military service and imprisonment, that he
was able to complete his priestly srudies. As a chaplain at Linz and Amstet-
ten and ,later as Rector in Vienna and Klagenfurt, he trained his young
boys to become strong-willed men and dedicated Christians. Outwardly
seemingly harsh and severe, he was in reality very aPProachable and kind-
hearted.
Fr. Radolf Lunkenbein
f * Dtiringstadt (Bavatia), Germany, 1.4.1%9; Merui (Mato Grosso), Braztl, 15.7.
1976; )7 years old, 16 prof., 7 priest.
From his native country he went to Brazil to make his novitiate' After
completing his theological studies in Germany, he returned to Mato Grosso
as a-priesi to work among the Bororos. He had been Rector of our Meruri
Mission for barely theree years, when he was shot to death by some
lazendeiros, white settlers and ranchets, who had recently been dispossessed
by government dectee of their illegal land holdings within the Borotos' reser'
vation. lTrongly blaming the government action on Father, they oveman
the mission to vent their anget and frustration on him.
t *FrP. eMrcahxaim(Uipliapenr
Maier
Bavaria),
Germany.
9.5.L884;
Beromtinster, Switzerland, 14.3.
1976; 9l years old., 71 prof., 64 priest, 26 Rector, 17 Provincial Economet.
In 7902 he went to our houses of Lombriasco and Fog)tzzo (both near
Turin), and after a few years he made his religious profession in the hands
of Blessed Fr. Rua. He was then sent on the missions in Penr. After return-
ing to his native country, he served as military chaplaia during the First
I0Torld !Var, and then Rector in several houses in Germany and Switzerland
(the foundations in Munich and Beromtinster are principally due to his ini-
tiative). Difificult and delicate was his work as Provincial Economer during
the Nazi regime. Trust in God and devotion to the Sacred Heart were the
wellspring of his strength and total dedication to v'/ork.
*FrW. aLrasdaiws,laPuoslaMnadl,e1ic4z.6y.k1920; f there, 20.7.1975; 54 years old, 36 prof., 29 priest.
Intense was his commitment to pastoral activity first as a patish priest
and then as Catechist for many years. On the occasion of the celebration
of the Millenium of Christendom in Poland he promised to write 1,000 ser-
I

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mons. He started out with great zest, but finding himself hampered by
many daytime occupations, he stayed up late many a night to work on the
project. This eventually brought him to the threshold of physical exhaustion
and a nervous breakdown, and he had to undergo special medical ffeatment.
He spent the latter porrion of his life at home in his mother's loving care.
A martyr of sermons!
t F* rN. icAen, tFhroannyceL, 1o8u,i6s.1M88a3r;tin there, 17.1.1976;92 years old, 64 prof., 59 priest.
He spent his first 18 years of Salesian life on the missions: his novi-
tiate year in Smyrna (Turkey), some time in Palestine, 8 years in Shanghai
and the rest in Bangkok. Upon his rerurn to France, he worked actively
among the students in several houses of the Lyon Province and for ten years
he vas engaged in the preaching apostolate in the same region. Assigned
to Nice, his native city, in the early 60's, he \\r/as very active in the ministry
of confessions and remained so till late in life, as long as his health allowed
him. A martyr of confessions!
t C* oVaildla. rBinroo.dLeulcoisanAirMesar(tSinalamanca), Spain,8.1.1902; Sevilla, Spain, 1,6.7.1975;
7) years old, 51 prof.
He distinguished himself for the faithful observance of the Rule and
for his examplary punctuality to community practices. He taught the pooresr
boys until almost the end of his lifp. \\7hen he had ro quit teaching on
account of failing health, he edified his confreres with his calm and rrusrful
patience.
Fr. Francis Marzorati
f o Cessano Maderno (Milan), kaly, 2.9.1915; Santiago, Chile, 1.1.1976; 60 years
old, 42 prof., 33 priest.
He left for Chile at a very young age and there he worked for 45 years
with untiring energy and missionary zeal. He trained many generations of
youngsters in self-discipline, in prayer and in a profession. He enjoyed
sports, and organized boys'band groups and parades. He was a vigorous
educator, a wise economer, and a priest with an ardent devotion to the
Eucharist, Mary Help of Christians and Don Bosco.

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t C* oAatde.MBarcoh.i
Peter Matsuoka Isarnu
(Yamaguchi), Japan, 153.1908;
Nakatsu (Oita), Japan, 9.2.1976;
67 years old, )8 prof.
He was the first Japanese Salesian Coadjutor Brother. Diligent and
thoughtful, he was stationed almost all of his life in Nakatsu, where he
worked among the orphans and the disabled. He was the religious who
could not say ilo to anyone. Boys and confreres held him in high esteem
because of his simple and modest manners, and because of the sound 1'udge-
ment and common sense with which he was able to tackle difficult and
complicated situations. Out of his shoemaker's shop came many young men
fitted out to lead productive lives and to walk in the ways of ,the Lord.
The long and painful sickness that brought him to his grave also made the
depth of his interior life and Faith stand out more clearly.
Fr. Cbailes Mayer
" f Hartbatshofen (Schwaben), Germany, 27.1.L885; Penzberg (Upper Bavaria),
Germany, 26.7.1976;91 years old,71 prof.,62 priest,4 Rector.
He was one of the first German-born Salesians. He received his train-
ing at Lombriasco and Foglizzo (in northern ltaly) and made his first
consecration to God and Don Bosco in the hands of Blessed Fr. Rua. Most
of his Salesian life was spent in the raining and teaching of candidates to
the priesthood. All of them remember him as an open-minded person and
a brotherly counsellor. His constant inspiration was St. John the Baptist's
ideal (which, incidentatrly, he had printed on the holy card souvenir of
his 60th anniversary of ordination): "He must become more important,
while I become less important" (Jn. T 30).
t *Fr$.t,Lzzeso1aM(Melalintova), Italy, 63.1916; Bron (Rhone), France, 4.8.L976; 60 years
old, 41 prof., 30 priest, 15 Rector.
as
In
in all
ahlilshaisctoivfiftiiceessh-e
Rector, parish
showed himself
pkriniedsta, nmdilfirtiaernydlcyhatoplaainll.-Hisasdweeepl-l
seated love of Don Bosco was the wetrlspring of his ardent charity and
unshakeable attachment to the Salesian Congregation.
* f Fr. Louis Mdsziros
Muzsla (Esztergom), Hungary, 24.5.1902; Budapest, Hungary, 10.L2.1975i
73 years old, 55 prof., 47 priest, 9 Rector.
His special tools of apostolate for many years were the teaching of
music and of various school subject matters. Even after our foundations

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in Hungary were lost to the Comunist regime in power, he was able to keep
in touch with many of the pupils through his teaching. Much appreciated
by them, he thus continued to guide them like a spiritual father and friend.
f *FrB.uJeonsoespAbirMesig, uAerngsentina, T).7.L892; Ferrd, Argentina, 22.4.1974;81 years old,
65 prof., 57 priest, 1.7 Rector.
Throughout his long Salesian life he was fully dedicated to the taining
of youth on the example of Don Bosco. As Rector of technical and agri-
culrural schools for many years, he took great pains to promote both culture
and technology so as to put our schools in the van of progress. He distin-
guished hirnself as a professor of botany, mathematics and belles lettres.
He knew how to instill in his students the love of knowledge, nature and
God, and the zest for work. He sptead his apostolate on the air waves as a
radio amateur. His departure was serene.
t *FrF.oJsosabnno
Moncbiero
(Cuneo), haly,7.5.l9l5;
Manila, Philippines, 17.5.1976;51 year old,
45 prof., 36 priest.
In the immediate after-\\World \\flar II period he provided spiritual
assistance to the Italian Partigiani (anti-Fascist and anti-German volunteet
forces) as their chaplain. He was subsequently chosen member of the Pon-
tifical Commission for $Var Priscners, and worked rvith unf,lagging dedi-
cation assisting these sorely tried people to get reunitcd with their families.
In L947 he was sent on the missions in Kwantung (China), but after endur-
ing many sufferings and persecutions and finally expulsion he was reas-
signed to the Philippines. Here he was the founder of our work in Victorias
(Western Negros), and an esteemed and loved teacher and confessor. Later
he was nominated con{essor of the novices at Canlunbang, and there he
remained to the end of his life. Fr. John was a man happy with his work:
when he was not in the confessional he was in the garden which he tilled
with great care. He helped the unemployed to find jobs. He gave generously
to the needy who came to him for help.
t F* rC. aSldyolaniau,,so
Murara
(Trent),
Italy,
Ll.4.l9O9;
Trent, Italy, 1,9.4.7976; 67 years old,42
prof., 33 ptiest.
Those who knew him remember him as a gentle soul and a true minister
of God. He entered the Salesian house of Trent at the age of. 20, af.ter

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overcoming many difficulties with his family. His grateful response to Gods'
gracious call was a life totally consecrated to prayer and to the service od
his neighbor. He was a conscientious teacher, and a dynamic organizer of
the Cooperators and Past Pupils.
Coad. Bro. Hugb Nasuto
t * Castellana Grotte (Bari), kaly, 16.12.1898; Bari, kaly, 19.7.1976; 77 years old,
54 prof..
His vocation came about through a providential meeting with a Sale-
ssfriimaonmplCeLoa9an2dd2jumttooerthLBo9rdo3ict9haeilnr-icnhwaaargsceosnpocefenntthtrieantilooannulnycdatrwymJoipnh.eonHursioseosmS: a-alaetnsVidao-nimnlfeiifrremoa-(rNya,bpurluesnsy)-,
ning errands and helping out in the youth center; and in Bafi fuom 1,939
onwards in charge of administration. He was exacr and faithful in the
dischatge of his duties, exemplary and punctual at the pracrices of piery.
He nurtured a fniil devotion to the Blessed Mother. Like a true Salesian,
he was deeply involved with the Past Pupils.
t C* oCahde.mBillreo.(MRaeinnde-eNt-icIooilraes), France, 28.72.1902; Montpellier, France, 25.5.7976;
7) years old, 52 prof.
He left the Angiers Seminary to join the Congregarion, but he was
forced by his frail health to interrupt the study of philosophy and give up
the priestly ideal. As a Brother, he worked lor 35 year in a supervisory
capaciry in our houses in North Africa. He was also a gardener. In 1950
he returned to Montpellier, where he spent the rest of his life. lVork and
piety were the basis of his faithfulness to Don Bosco's spirit, A painful
infirmity, which he bore patiently, united him to the crucified Christ and,
when he passed away early ia the Easter Season, to the Risen Christ.
f F* rB.eJldonh(nCoOnrcteizpci6n), Pataguay, 24,6.1938; in a car accident at S. Justo, Argen-
tina, 3.2.1976; 37 yearc old, 17 prof., 7 priest.
His short-lived priesthood was spent filling with joy the hearts of the
boys the Lord entrusted to him. He brought Christ to the poor and aban-
doned youth. The remarks written by his Superiors in his personal files
at the time of his admission to the priesthood make his best eulogy: "On a

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natural level: irreproachable, well balanced, serious about his studies; espe-
cially careful not to force his opinions on others, but concerned instead
about being an integral part of the community. On a pastoral level: dyna-
mic and well equipped for the priesthood. Pious". These were also the
personal traits that won him the affection of his boys.
Fr. Josepb Parolini
t 'r I-anzada (Sondrio), Italy, 19.4.1905; Bahia Blanca, Atgentina,2.7.7976; 7l years
old, 51 prof., 40 priest, 6 Rector.
After the novitiate he was sent on the missions in Patagonia. His
lifestyle was a combination of clever simplicity with boundless charity. He
knew how to beg successfully in order to help the needy. Untiring preacher
of the Kingdom, he ran the length and breadth of the Patagonia arid
rvasteland to sow God's Good News. He was particularly knowledgeable
about the Holy Shround of Turin, and indefatigable in promoting the Cause
of Beatification of the Servant of God Zephyin Namuncurd.
t Coad. Bro.
o Navarons
Jordan Paoeglio
(Pordenone), Italy,14.1,190p;
S.Isidoro (Buenos Aires), Argentina,
15.4.1976; 67 years old, 48 prof.
From his native country he emigrated with his family to Rosario (Argen-
tina). He attended the Salesian Schools in that town, and there he dis-
covered his Salesian vocation to the Brotherhood. Among his many skills
three were outstanding: he was a master carpenter, a band director and an
organist. In later years he was also in charge of making the purchases for
the communiry. Pious, reserved, exmemely delicate in all circumstances,
trusrworthy, ready to serve his confreres
these were some of his personal qualities.
and
available
to
his
superiors
-
t F* rV. ePrgeallrear,inCoPlodmrebzia, 24.11.1898; Bogotri, Colombia, 12.5.1976; 77 years old,
55 prof.,43 pdest.
The last year of his life was marked by intense suffering: he was
bedridden most of the time, racked by excruciating pain. But he subli-
mated it with the love of the Eucharist in the Holy Saoifice of the Mass
(which he celebrated every day almost down to the end) and with the love
of the poor he received in his toom to listen to their tales of woe, to give
them instruction (he was an uncommonly capable teacher) and to hear their
confessions.

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* f Coad. Bro. Jahn Peroni
Gussago (Brescia), ltaly,26.6.1900; Rodeo del Medio, Argentina, 5.5,1976;
75 years old, 47 prof.
A humble, self-sacrificing and pious teligious. He put to the service
of the Congregation his exotic talent in aviculture, which he developed to
a rare degree in our school at Rodeo del Medio and four which he was
awarded 4,104 trophies and merit certificates at national and international
bird shows. Over and above that, he cultivated a tender devotion to the
Holy Eucharist and to Mary Help of Christians, and spent his last year
taking care of the Church as sacristan.
Fr. Peter Pescatore
t " S. Giorgio Canavese (Turin), Italy,29.7.1902; Moca. Dominican Republic, 26.4.
1976:. 73 years old, 51 prcf., 43 priest.
The field of his exceptionally successful pastoral work from 1940
to 1957 was Camagiiey (Cuba), where he left a lasting memory of himself.
Sent to Moca, for many years he rvorked simultaneously at Moca, La Yega
and Mao. He was a tireless,
bike or jeep or a burro, in
faoririgoinrabl aanddwaedavtehnetrurhoeuswmouanld-maonnagae
motor-
to get
whete he wanted to go. His favorite activities were hearing confessions,
assisting the dying, fixing up irregular marriages, teaching catechism and
promoting the Irgion of Mary. A born and self-taught musician, he com-
posed popular songs and taught them to the people. His life was a
wholehearted consecration to the Lord's service in the spirit of Don Bosco.
t F* rR. igJnoasDeopbGaPrigearunoicnote(sFeoggia), Italy, 10.3.1907; Rome, haly, 18.2.1976; 68 years
oid, 53 prof., 46 priest, 1, Rector.
Prompted by ardent love and lively faith, endowed with a sharp mind
and a generous heart, he dedicated all his talents and energies to the Salesian
priestly apostolate. The Oratories, the classrooms and the parishes of
Arborea and Rome were the beneficiaries of his zeal. He braved toils and
struggles for the Kingdom of God. He was a faithful son of the Church
and of Don Bosco.
f C* oSat.dJ. aBnrzoD. oLloenajis(DPrlaavza. rBanov.), Yugoslavia, 14.12.1908; Santiago, Chile, 29.1.
1976; 67 years old,41 prof.
He worked hard for youth, first in his native country, then (from
L947 on) in Southern Chile. For over 25 yeats he ran the cabinet-making

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shop of our school in Porvenir and taught the boys this art. In his spare
time you would Imve found him fingering the rosary beads. Last year fot
reasons of health he was nansferred to Santiago, where he prepared hi.mself
to meet the lord.
t *CoLaimd.osBarnoo.
Robert Pollice
(Campobasso), Italy,
18.9.1914;
Sangradouro (Mato Grosso), Brazil,
31.12,L915; 6l years old, 40 prof.
He lived forty years on the Brazilian mission, giving all of his energies
to the service of the natives. He was faithful to Don Bosco's program,
"!V'ork and temperance". He fearlessly denonuced any attitude contrasting
or compromising with it.
t *FrV. eBreolrennagrod.
Poazetto
(Turin), kaly,
D.2.7889;
Novara, Italy, )0.5.1976; 87 years old,
61 prof., 55 priest.
He was an untiting worker in every field of endeavor: in the classroom
and the confessional, in his apostolate on behalf of the workingmen and it
that on behalf of the oppressed and abandoned. His charity knew no
bounds. In the city of Novara and in large areas of Piemont he ,became a
key man in the solution of industry-labor relations issues and other social
problems. There are many interesting episodes in his life that show his
originaliry and oeativity in this special field. In reality all this uras the
result of his deep Salesian spirit and inexhaustible love of God.
t *FrE. sFpeinradridnoan{Md uRrcaibaa)d,.dSnpain, 13.9.1912; Cuenca, Spain, 1.5.1976; 43 years old,
22 ptof..,13 priest.
In 1968 he volunteered for the missions for five years and was sent
to Santa Cruz (Bolivia), where he worked hard and won the affection of
the Bolivian confreres and boys. After his return to Spain, he was appoint-
ed economer of our school in Cuenca, and kept in touch with his Bolivian
friends. His life, aheady fruitful, but even more promising, was cut short
in a car accident.
Coad. Bro. Emile Ragogna
t * Aviano (Pordenone), Italy, 17.10.1908; Venice, Italy,15.6.1976; 67 years old,
51 prof.
For neatly 35 years he worked on the missions in Tokyo and Miyazaki
as a chef, provider and handyman. He is remembered as a good-hearted

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Brother, full of enthusiasm for his vocation. Hard-working, simple, faithful,
he sptead sereniry and joy all around. He returned from Japan tired aad
sickly, and spent his last four years in Alberioni (near Venice), always
cherishing the happy memories of his apostolate on the missions.
Fr. Dauid Reedy
t *'Accrington, Great Britain, 123.1887; Bolton (Lancashire), Great Britain, 11.1.
1976; 89 years old, 62 prof.,55 priest, 3 Rector,
He was a late vocation. He distinguished himself for his love of the
pdesthood and Salesian life. He was a man of practical faith, deeply at-
tached to the Church and the Holy Fathet's teachings. Confreres, relatives
and past pupils remember his kindness, his zeal for work, and his human
wafmth.
Fr. Vincent Nca:Ldone
t * Mirabello (Alessandria), haty,27.2.1897; Turin, kaly, L4.L1.1975; 78 years old,
57 prof..,52 priest, 17 Rector.
He came from a family of Salesians: his uncle Fr. Peter was the late
Rector Major, two of his brothers joined the Salesians and one of his sisters
the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. He toiled for 28 years in China
and for 24 in the Philippines. As Rector and Master of novices, he trained
many generations of missionaries in a deep faith, solid piery, and practical
love of the Congregation. He distinguished himself for his kindness and
total dedication to the service of others.
f F* rV. aAlleusgtruetstat
Rinaldi
(Macerata),
Italy,26.9.1885;
Macerata,Italy, L03.1976;90 yeats
old,72 prof.,63 priest, 12 Rector.
After obtaining a degree in Natura,l Sciences and Agrriculture, he dedi-
mcaetemdbehrisoliffeth-e
ItaallioanngBoonteaninicdaeleSdo-cietyto,
studying and teaching. He was a
the Italian Entomological Society,
the Turin Agricultural Academy, the Rome Tiberina Academy and an honor-
ary member of the Macerata Mycological Group. In his enthusiastic study
of nature he always took the occasion to point out the beauty, goodness
and wisdom of God. In a little diary he wrote of himself: "A sin I never
committed: wasting time".

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Coad.. Bro. Gaston Robert
f * Cresserons (Calvados), France, 10.7.1887; La Crau (La Navarre), France, 17.5.
1976; 88 years old, )1 prof.
After he became a widower and his only daughter a nun, he joined
his brother Edmond, who was a Salesian Coadjutor Brother, and he himsel{
became a Coadjutor Brother. A hard wotker, he cultivated the commu'
nity's vegetable and flower garden with the same alactity he had cultivated
his family's. In spite of the physical weakening caused by his advanced
age, he made every effort to make himself useful by means of little services
to the confreres till the end. He was inquisitive by narure, and never lost
an oppornrnity to learn more. His favorite meditation was on the Passioo
and Death of Christ. He was affable, cheerful, humble and self-saoi,ficing.
t Fr. Josepb Antbony Rotnano
" Sdo Paulo Bradl, 75,5.192L;
n highway car accident at Queluz, Btazil, 21.4'
1976;54 years old,1) prof.,26 priest,5 Rector,4 Provincial.
If we u,anted to find a suitable definition of Fr. Romano, we would
- have to use a biblical image
reveal his constant willingness
that
and
of "bteaking
teadiness to
bread".
give of
This would in fact
himself generously
and ioyously. He had the religious sonse of things and €vents. He was a
- deeply religious man not only because he observed the Rule, but espe-
cially because he always sought to discover God in everything and every'
body and to live joyfuily in his presence. The firm kindness of his heart
served him in good stead to guide, organize and correct and, above all, help
his confreres to grow into mature religious. His fatherli,ness was energetic,
ftilI of wisdom and steeped in a rare understanding of a man's heart. When
the confreres' response to his leadership was somewhat slow in coming, he
knew how to wait, to understand difficulties and to pray with increased
fervor. His spirit of prayer was known to all. He never failed to mention
the Blessed Mother in any of his sermons or good-night talks. Even when
the car on which he and the other confreres were riding went out of conttol
and everybody sensed
last words - rang out
the imminent tragedy, Fr. Romano's
loud: "Mary Help of Christians, pray
fvooricues!-".
his
t F* rL.aFPralantcai,sARrgoeunatirninao, 9.7.1928 there, 53.1976; 29 prof.., 19 priest.
He distinguished himself for his love of work, which he used as a
means for personal asceticism and as a practical application of the spirit

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-107-
of poverty. Death caught him standing and working, fully conscious. Just
before falling to the cardiac infarct that had seized him, he asked for abso-
lution from one of the priests who was passing by. He is sorely missed by
all who knew him.
Fr. Cbailes Saini
f * Vespolate (Novara), Italy, L4.4.1907; Courgne (Turin), ltaly,22.8.1976; 69 years
old, 53 prof., 42 priest.
dsetrvoenlOgoprpaehdnadtnhdeoefSvohaluiestsfiwaanothmveoarcnaatt-ioantoa(nhndiseerxbaraomgtehp,elahrreyJaretmrcaeeisniviehndagdfrfaorolmrmeahdwiyshfmoicelhlolhwgin1ed-timit)e6.
For some years the Youth Center of San Paolo in Turin was his field of
apostolate, where he spent his energies especia,lly on behalf of the younger
boys, among whom he organized the "Amici Domenico Savio" (Dominic
Savio's Friends) Club. He carried the cross of many discomforrs and several
diseases for almost 40 years with admirable fortitude.
f F* rA. lcRaaldphlaaeRl eSadl n(cJhaeinz),ESscpraibina,n4o.4.1,902; Palma del Rio (C6rdoba), Spain, 25.5.
1976;74 years old, 56 prof., 41 priest, 12 Rector.
Dut*g the long years of Salesian life he filled posts of responsibility
as emnomer and Rector in several houses. An untiring worker, he never
retired till the very end, and then only by order of his physician. In a true
spirit of poverty he tried to avoid all unnecessary expenses, but he was
always prompt to make the necessary ones. Even though at times he was
quite vigorous in defending his views against those of some younger confreres,
he nevertheless made every effort to maintain cheerfulness and harmony in
his community.
t F* rBuCehnaorsleAsireSsc,anAdrrgoegnlitoina, 15.7.1889; there, L.7.1976 89 years old,69 prof.,
62 priest.
Almost his
boarding school
eanntdirepalriifseh-of
- a pretty long one indeed was spent in the
San Carlos as teacher, infirmarian and curate.
For 7 years he was chaplain of the Italian Hospital in Buenos Aires. As
curate, he used to make daily rounds of the parish to visit the sick and
cornfort them with the Saoaments and his uplifting words. For 40 vears

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he was confessor of ser.reral religious communities, both Salesian and of
other Congregations. His confessional was always crowded with penitents.
He vrote several booklets, Ieaflets and outlines of catechetical nature, and
gave them away free.
Fr. Francis Scbneiderbauer
t U*, "" St. Floriam am Inn, Austria,28.10.1908;
Austria, 29.6.1976;67 years old,
46 prof.,38 priest, 18 Rector,
He worked for many years in youth centers. He distinguished himself
as a writer and among other things he compiled a chronicle of the Austrian
Province. He had to bear many crosses, particularly in the form of physical
4ilmsnts, Among his various initiatives on behalf of youth, his constant
effort to help them appreciate the Sacrifice of the Mass is worthy of special
mention,
Fr. Joseph Tedeschi
t '" Ielsi (Campobasso), Italy, 53.\\934; Don Bosco, Buenos Aires, Argentina,2.2.
t975; 4l years old, 17 prof., 7 priest.
Sent to Argentina as missionary and ordained priest there in 1968, he
soon showed a predilection for social outcasts, so much so that he went
to share their lives and problems at Villa ltati, a ramshackle village neat
Don Bosco, Buenos Aires. In the strained atmosphere presendy prevailing
in that country, his gesture, inspired by Christian charity, brought him a
great deal of rouble at the hands of his enemies, who eventually one day
kidnapped him and assassinated kim. His tragic end was deeply grieved
by his friends, the poor, who had pinned their hopes on him.
Fr. Frederick Vhite
f * London, Enlgand, 1.6.1907; Engadine, Australia, 4.6.1976;69 years old, 53 prof.,
42 priest.
At the age of 11 he entered the house of Battersea, and after 4 years
he made his novitiate at Cowley. After his philosophical studies he taught
at Cherts€y and Bolton, while he was pursuing his theological studies. For
reasons of poor health he had to delay his ordination till L934. Afterwards
he cootinued teaching in our schools in England. He was appreciated fot
his ability in sports. For 7 years he alternated teaching with serving as
mi'litary chaplain, and later he served as such for 14 yeats. In L97l he was

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sent to the Australian Province, and there he worked as confessor and
curate at Brooklyn Park, and subsequently as confessor at Engadine. He is
remembered for his cheerfulness and for the encouraging and kind word
he would have fot every one who approached him.
Fr. George Zaacanaro
t " Mogliano Veneto, Italy, 1.7.1908; Verona, kaly, )0,3.L976; 67 years old,45
prof., 36 priest, 10 Rector.
There was nothing exceptional in this humble son of Don Bosco, except
his modesry in maintaining himself as an unobrrusive yet sure guide pointing
to Christ and to His Gospel. He gave everybody the gift of trust and
goodness, and in return God gave him the rare gift of maintaining his
youthful candor till the end.
f Fr. Vincent Zingali
x Randaz"o (Catania),
Saitta
Italy,
19.3.1885;
Palermo, Italy, 10.8.1976; 9l years old,
72 prof..,64 priest, 32 Rector.
Fr. Zngali was one of the first Salesians of the house of Randazzo,
which was founded by Don Bosco himself. From the elementary school on
he was with the Salesians for 85 years! He truly assimilated the Salesian
spirit, and showed it in his apostolate. He was an assistant, teacher, brother
and friend to countless generations of boys. These he 'was able to make
docile and cooperative by his mere presence among them, in particular by
his peneuatiag and persuasive look. The communities which had him as
Rector were always distinguishable for regular observance, for seriousness
of scholastic work and for a discipline that was serene and free of harsh
punishments,

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-110-
2nd Elenco for 1976
,9 f Sac. AMBROSIO Newton de a Betim (Belo Horizonte) 1976 a 52 a.
t 40 Sac. ANASTASI Antonino a Palermo (kalia) 1976 a 79 a.
4L Sac. BANDIERA Alfredo f a Varese [taha') 1976 a 85 a.
t 42 Sac. BARATTONI Leone a Torino (ltalta) 1976 a 64 a.
4, I Sac. BERTOLONE Giovanni a Bahla Blanca (Argenina) L976 a 44 a.
f 44 Sac. BIRICBAUER Leopoldo a Johnsdorf (Austria) 1976 a 46 a.
t 45 Sac. BISI Ugo a Cerignola (Foggia-Ialla) 1976 a73 a.
f 46 Sac. CANALE Gpriaao a Santa Fe (fugentina) L976 a 4l a.
f 47 Sac. CAVENAGO Andrea a Treviglio (Bergamo-ItoJta) 1975 a 77 a.
$ f Sac. CERATO L"id a Bombay (India) 1975 a 67 a.
t 49 Sac. CONDE Raffaele a CAda (Spagna) L976 a 62 a.
,0 t Sac. CZEI.{KI Giuseppe a Ttiktil (Uneheria) 1976 a 60 a.
f 5L Sac. DAL SOGLIO Luig a Cornaiano (Bolzano - ltaha) L975 a 87 a.
f 52 Sac. DE BARROE Questore a Barbacena (Brasile) L976 a 80 a.
5, f Sac. DEFILIPPI Ernesto a Lqn"o Torinese (Iralia) L976 a 74 a.
f 54 Coad. DEGANO Pacifico a Venezia (kalia\\ 1976 a 47 a.
5, Coad. DE GEYTER Danide f a LiBge (Belslo) 7976 a 8l a.
,6 Sac. DINI Giuseppe T a Santa Tecla (El Salvadot) 1976 a 94 a.
,7
,8
Coad. FARFAN Gaspare T a Huancayo (Peru) 1976 a 48 a.
Sac. FERLINI Enrico t a Rosado (Argentina) 1976 a 76 a.
t 59 Coad. FLORIANO Cornelio a Oneglia (Imperia - Italia) 1976 a 6l a.
60 Sac. FLORYN Giovanni f a Lublin (Polonia) L976 a 47 a.
f 6L Sac. FLYNN Morgan Francesco a Linwood (Scozia-G. Bret.) 1975 a7L a.
62 Sac. ERIGO Carlo f a Forll (Itaha'l 1976 a 87 a.
6, f Sac. FRUTH Maniao a Porvenir (Cile) 1976 a 76 a.
U t C,sad. GALLENCA Cdo a Torino-Valdocco (Italia) L976 a 58 a.
t 65 Sac. GARAU Angelo a Oakland (California-US[) L975 a 65 a.
66 Sac. GENTILUCCI Aspreno T a Torino (kalia) 1976 a 75 a.
t 67 Sac. GIOVANELTLI Giacomo (Santiago) a Chiari (ka\\a) 1976 a 68 a.
68 Coad. GIRALDO Giulio t a Bogotl Colombia) 7976 a 66 a.
69 Sac. GLORIELI( Antonio t a Kortrijk (Belgio) 1976 a 7l a.
f 70 Ch. GUIGOU Gilberto a Lyon (Francia) 1976 a 69 a.
7l
72
Sac.
Sac.
JEIIAES Guglielmo t
KACHNICZ Emilio t
a Uegi (Belgo) L976 a 8l a.
a Oswiecim (Polonia) 1976 a
7l
a.
T t Sac. KACZMAREK Vittorio a Lipki (Polonia) L976 a 76 a.
I 74 Coad. KALINOWSKI ladislao a Jaciazek (Polonia) 7975 a 87 a.
75 Coad. KASPER Ernesto f a !(ien (Austria) 1976 a 7l a.
f 76 Coad. KATZENBEISSER Ottone a Feldbach (Austria) 1976 a 56 a.
f 77 Sac. KORBAS Giovanai a Valencia (Spagoa) 1976 a 82 a.
f 78 Coad. LAMBERT Maurizio a Tirlemont (Belgio) 1976 a 7O a.
79 Sac. LECLERC Gustavo t a Roma (Italia) L976 a 61 a.
t 80 Sac. LEVANDO!7SKI Carlo a Kielce (Polonia) 1976 a 74 a.

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- 111 -
81 Sac. LICH Mattia t a Klagenfurt (Austria) L975 a 6l a.
82 Sac. LUNKEMEIN Rodolfo f a Meruri (Mato Grosso - Brasile) L976 a )7 a.
8' Sac. MAIER lJvla55imilias6 f a Bermtinster (Svizzera) L976 a 9l a.
84 Sac. MALEJCZYK Ladislao f a Warszawa (Polonia) 1975 a 54 a.
8' Sac. MARTTN lodovico Aatonio t a Nice (Francia) 1976 a 92 a.
86 Coad. MARTIN Luciano t a Sevilla (Spaena) 1976 a 73 a.
87 Sac. MARZORA'TI Fmncesco t a Santiago (Cile) 1976 a 60 a.
88 Coad. MATSUOKA Isamu Pietro f a Nakatsu (Oita - Giappone) 7976 a 67 a.
89 Sac. MAYER Carlo f a Penzberg (Oberbayern-Germania) 1976 a 9l a.
90 Sac. MELLI Leone t a Bron (Rhone-Francia') 1976 a 60 a.
9t Sac. MESZAROS Lodovico f a Bu&pest (Unghenia) L975 a 73 a.
92 Sac. MIGUENS Giuseppe f a Ferr6 (Argentina) 1974 a 8L a.
9) Sac. MONCHIERO Giovanni f a Manila (Filippine) 1976 a 6l a.
94 Sac. MLIRARA Silvio f a Trento (Ita\\a) 1976 a 67 a.
95 Coad. NASUTO Ugo f a Bari L976 a 77 a.
95 Coad. NICOLAS Renato f a Montpdlier (Frarrcia) L976 a 73 a.
97 Sac. O'RTIZ Giovanni f a S. Justo (fugentina) 1976 a )7 a.
98 Sac. PAROLINI Giuseppe f a Bahia Blanca (fugenrna) L976 a 7l a.
99 Coad. PAVEGLIO Giordano f a S. Isidro (fugentina) L976 a 67 a.
100 Sac. PEREZ Pellegrino f a Bogo0 (Colombia) 1976 a 77 a.
i01 Coad. PERONI Giovanni f a Rodeo del Medio (fugentina) 1976 a 75 a.
LOz
10,
Sac.
Sac.
PESCATORE Pietro f a
PIEMONTESE Giuseppe
Moca (Rep. Dominicanal
t a Roma (kzfia't 1976
L976
a 68
a^ .
7)
^.
104 Coad. PLAZAR Luigi f a Santiago (Cile) 1976 a 67 a.
105 Coad. POLLICE Roberto f a Saogradouro (Brasile) L975 a 6L a.
106 Sac. PONZTTO Bernardo t a Novara (Itaha) 1976 a 87 a.
107 Sac. RABADAN Fernando f a Cuenca (SpAua) 1976 a 43 a.
108 Coad. RAGOGNI [,mili6 f a Venezia (ha\\a) L975 a 67 a.
109 Sac. REEDY Davide f a Bolton (Gran Bret,g.a') 1976 a 89 a.
110 Sac. RICALDONE Viacenzo f a Torino (Itaha) 7975 a 78 a.
111 Sac. RINAJ-rDI Augusto f a Macerata (Italia) 1976 a 9r) a.
tt2 Crad. ROBERT Gastone I a La C,rau-La Navarre (Francia) L976 a 88 a.
LLl Sac. ROMANO Antonio Giuseppe t a Queluz (Brasile) t976 a 54 a.
tt,tt4 Sac. ROVARINO Francesco t a Ia Plata (Argentina) 1976 a 47 a.
Sac. SAINI Carlo t a CourgnE (Todno - Italia) 1976 a 69 a.
Lt5 Sac. SANCFIEZ ESCRIBANO Raffaele f a Palma dd Rio C6rdoba (Spagna)
1976 a 74 a.
tL7 Sac. SCANDROGLIO Carlo f a Buenos Aires (fugentina) L976 a g6 a.
118 Sac. SCHNEIDERBAUER Francesco f alinz (Austria; 1976 a 67 a.
Lt9 Sac. TEDESCHI Giuseppe f a Don Bosco (Buenos' Aires - Argentina)
1976 a 4L a.
120 Sac. WHITE Federico f a Engadine (Australia) L976 a 69 a.
L2l Sac. ZANCANARO Giorgio t a Verona (ItaJta) 1976 a 67 a.
122 Sac. ZINGALI SAITTA VINCEI{ZO f a Palermo (haba) 1976 a 9l a.

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