COMING TO KNOW DON BOSCO

PASCUAL CHÁVEZ VILLANUEVA

From being a boy John Bosco had the gift of being able to communicate effectively. A personal gift: fascination with words, the art of story-telling inherited from a rich ancient oral tradition, put at the service of the mission for an educative and pastoral purpose. Writing about himself as a boy surrounded by companions he says: « But it was to hear my stories that they flocked round me. They loved them to the point of folly. I drew on many sources for my anecdotes-sermons, catechism lessons, and stories I had read in The Kings of France, in Wretched Guerino, and in Bertolo and Bertoldino. When I appeared, my companions and even grown-ups would run to me in a crowd and clamour for a story from a fellow who scarcely understood what he had read. At times, along the road to Castelnuovo or in some field I would be surrounded by hundreds of people, anxious to hear what a poor child had to say. Apart from a good memory, I lacked any knowledge; but they seemed to think I was a great scholar in their midst. "In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.» (MO ed. 2011, p. 65-66).

Having become a priest he was inundated by requests: «I am invited to go now here now there to preach triduums, novenas or days of recollection, but I don’t dare to move from here not knowing who to leave to look after the house. How much good we could do » he wrote to Fr Alasonatti in the early days of the Oratory.

Having so much to do with boys and young people, Don Bosco was a great story-teller.

His way of teaching was through stories, his spirituality was through stories, the training of his co-workers was through stories, the public information he gives about his plans and what he is doing is through stories. The subject matter of the stories is the Christian life as it is lived, the Word of God and the practical example of the saints, people’s virtuous actions and their good deeds, the positive results obtained through the efforts in education and formation at the Oratory, the works achieved, his dreams and his ideals.

A TALENTED STRATEGIST

His pastoral activity consisted above all in speaking about the marvels worked by the Lord: DB speaks about the Bible as sacred “history”, the story of God’s saving work and his marvels among men, the story of the acts of fidelity and infidelity of his children. For him the Word of God is not simply a book but a word to be proclaimed, addressed to particular hearers, applied to life situations, “a guide on the road to heaven” (Life of Dominic Savio, ed. 1859, p. 30).

DB wrote a great deal. Not for the learned, but for the boys and the people, for the members of the Salesian Family. He wrote as a shepherd and Christian educator. He wanted to touch the hearts and minds in order to form and to inform, to sensitise and gather together. He wanted to convert, to encourage to be good, to open up wide horizons for the young, to arouse vocations and collaboration. He spreads ideas in relation to living a Christian life, with a view to social regeneration, the cultural and spiritual development of the young, through the press and by word of mouth (from little talks to the boys and the Salesians, to Good Nights, to Saint Francis of Sales conferences, to charity sermons in the churches of Italy, France and Spain …). His published writings have been collected in an anastatic edition of 38 volumes (distributed by the LAS Publishers). He was a skilful educational communicator, an effective preacher and lecturer.

He was also gifted in the organisation and in the strategies of communication. In an historical context of extremely rapid expansion of popular publishing and the spreading of ideas and styles of life alternative to the Christian ones, Don Bosco understood the importance of communication and of mobilising public opinion. He was not satisfied with being a writer of books to educate the young: he became a publisher (beginning with the successful series Letture Cattoliche), founder of a printing press and of publishing houses. He spurred on and encouraged Salesians, FMA, Cooperators and friends to become writers, authors of school books, journalists, playwrights and music composers. There was a time when Salesians became specialists in communication, well prepared culturally, competent in their own field on a par with any professional (intellectual skills and technical skills). They taught the Catholic world through their publishing houses: in their footsteps other Congregations followed dedicated to the good press. The Salesian Bulletin was the model for hundreds of similar publications.

How much of this enormous and intelligent commitment remains? There is a danger of losing a passion, a skill, a practice and a culture. It is a tradition to be recovered and refreshed ; a series of skills to be reacquired, through suitable training courses and more prudent choices, by profiting from lay professionals and past pupils.

TO SALESIANS ON THE SPREADING OF GOOD BOOKS

I want to see you grow in zeal and in merit before God, every Day, and so I will not hesitate to suggest to you from time to time various means which I believe to be an improvement, so that your ministry will be more fruitful. Amongst these, one that I want to warmly recommend to you, for the glory of God and the good of souls, is the spreading of good books.

Good books, spread amongst the people, are one of the active ways to preserve the kingdom of the Saviour in so many souls.

You can add that the book, even if on the one hand it does not have the power of the living word, on the other hand offers even greater advantages in certain circumstances. The good book can enter a house where the priest cannot, it is even tolerated by bad people as a gift or remembrance. No need to blush, offering it, no need to worry if it is neglected; when read it teaches truths calmly, if you don’t like it it doesn’t have to leave you bored, yet it leaves feelings of misgiving that sometimes spark a desire to know the truth. Meanwhile it is always ready to teach

How many the souls saved by good books, how many preserved from error, how many encouraged in doing good. The one who gives a good book might have no other merit than to awaken some thought of God, but has already gained an incomparable merit before God. And yet how much more is gained. A book in a family, if not read by the one to whom it was given or intended, is read by a son or daughter, by a friend or neighbour. A book in a village then passes into the hands of a hundred people. God alone knows the good that a book produces in a city, in a travelling library, in a worker’s club, in a hospital, given as a mark of friendship.

I ask and beseech you then not to neglect this most important part of our mission.

SAINT JOHN BOSCO

(Circular letter to Salesians on the spreading of good books, 19.03.1885