YOUTH HOLINESS

by Pascual Chávez Villanueva

May 2004

THE FRUITS OF

THE PREVENTIVE SYSTEM

DOMINIC, MICHAEL and FRANCIS

These are the very first fruits of the Preventive System, those cultivated by Don Bosco himself. They turned out so well that he wanted to write their lives in order to present them to his sons and to all the young people of the world.

Dominic Don Bosco met him on 2 October 1854 in the yard in front of his house at Becchi. He was astonished by him: I recognised in that boy a soul full of the Spirit of the Lord, and I was not a little surprised to see what the grace of God had achieved in one so young. Open and determined, Dominic told him: “I am the cloth you be the tailor … make a fine suit for the Lord...”. Twenty days later Dominic was at the Oratory, and he quickly took the path that Don Bosco pointed out to him to become a saint: cheerfulness, faithfulness to prayer and study, helping the others, devotion to Mary. On 8 December that year 1854, when the Pope was defining the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Dominic consecrated himself to her, reading a few lines he had written on a piece of paper: “O Mary, I give you my heart. Make it always yours. Jesus and Mary, may you always be my friends, and please, make me die rather than have the misfortune to commit a single sin.” For almost a hundred years these words would become the prayer of salesian aspirants. His highest achievement would be on 8 June 1856 when he gathered together Rua, Cagliero, Cerruti, Bongioanni and another dozen fine young men and with them founded the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception. They promised to become apostles among their companions, to help those who were lonely and to spread joy and cheerfulness.. Until 1967 the Sodality would be the group of committed youngsters in every salesian house, the nursery of future salesian vocations. Nine months later, while he was at home on account of his health, Dominic went to meet the Lord. It was 9 March 1857.

Michael, on the other hand, Don Bosco met in the mists of Carmagnola. While he was waiting for the Turin train, he heard the happy shouts of a group of boys who were playing about: One voice stood out among the others. It was a leader’s voice. At the risk of missing the train he went looking for this leader, found him, and through a few joking questions (a real test!) came to know that he was 13 years old, that his father was dead and that he had been put out of school because he was a general nuisance, and spent his time idling about.. A splendid youngster on the way to ruin. He arranged for him to go to the Oratory. In the playground he seemed to be shot from the barrel of a gun: he ran in all directions, kept everything going … Shouting, running, jumping, making a noise became his way of life. But after a month when the trees began to droop, Michael too began to pine. He didn’t play any more; his face betrayed his low spirits. I noticed what was happening, Don Bosco writes, and he wasn’t someone just collecting boys but a wise Christian educator, and I had a word with him. After a short period of silence, and then the relief of bursting into tears, Michael said: “My conscience is all mixed up,” and he willingly agreed to the suggestion that he make a good confession. With peace in his heart, he became cheerful again … But God had other designs. An illness that he had suffered before, returned with a vengeance at the beginning of January 1859 (perhaps appendicitis). Michael went to God after telling Don Bosco who stayed up with him: “Ask my mother to forgive me for all the trouble I’ve given her. I do love her.”

Francis grew up in the dazzling brightness of the high mountains between the snow and the sun. He was surrounded by the warmth of a family that was deeply Christian and very poor. Five children. The parish priest of the district (Argentera, at 1684m above sea level) adopted him as a God-son, providing him with food, clothing and the love of God. He also taught him for a couple of years after he had completed the basic elementary school courses available locally so that he reached the level necessary to continue his studies. He was head of the altar boys and prayed like an angel. Among the books Fr Joseph gave him to read was The Life of Young Dominic Savio written by Don Bosco, and Francis began to dream about the Oratory. On 2 August 1863 he was able to go there. Don Bosco wrote: I saw a boy dressed in mountain clothes, medium build, rough looking, with a freckled face. His eyes were wide open as he watched his companions enjoying themselves. Francis told him at once why he had come: to become holy like Savio and to become a priest. Don Bosco discovered a sensitive soul full of gratitude for the one who had been good to him. And he noted: Gratitude in youngsters is a good sign for their future happiness. Francis who thought his companions all better than himself told Don Bosco: “I want to be good like them. Help me.” And Don Bosco gave him the simplest formula for holiness: “Cheerfulness, Study, Piety”. By piety Don Bosco meant prayer, confession and communion. For the youngster it was a revelation. But in the bitterly cold winter 1863‑64, the dormitory assistant didn’t notice that Francis wasn’t using heavy blankets. He got pneumonia and in seven days it took him to his grave. He died with Don Bosco beside him, to whom he whispered: “Help me. Jesus and Mary, I give my soul to you.”