Blessed PHILIP RINALDI (1856 - 1931)

The living image of Don Bosco

The vocation of a future Rector Major

In the countryside around Lu Monferrato, a place well-known not only for its wine but also because its families have been a veritable “Lord’s Vineyard” on account of the number of vocations it has produced, the most well-known example is that of the Rinaldi family. The Lord called seven children from this family: two daughters entered among the Salesian Sisters, and having been sent to Santo Domingo, were courageous pioneers and missionaries; of the sons five became Salesian priests. The most well-known of the five brothers, Philip Rinaldi, the third successor of Don Bosco, stands out on account of his extraordinary vocation story and at the same time as a great promoter and supporter of vocations. Philip loved to recall the faith of the families of Lu: “A faith that made our parents say: the Lord has given us children and if He calls them we cannot possibly say no!”

At Mirabello, where Don Bosco had opened his first house outside Turin, Philip had the opportunity to meet the saint of youth and to go to confession to him, seeing “his face light up unexpectedly in a mysterious way.” This gaze and the fascination accompanied him, and in a certain way pursued him even when at the end of the first year in College Philip returned home where for ten years or so he went back to working in the fields. Don Bosco did not lose sight of him and encouraged him to make a decision.

At twenty years of age during a conversation with Don Bosco, the same thing that he had seen at Mirabello happened again: “Then his face lit up and a bright light shone out, brighter than the sun, until after a moment or two his face resumed its normal appearance.” Philip is now sure of his vocation: “Saying a final farewell to my relatives I turned my back on that world which had robbed me of the best years of my life.” Having become a Salesian he remained under the direct and personal care of Don Bosco, who gave him various tasks and the goals to pursue and to whom Philip showed a docile and unreserved obedience.

Given the maturity of his years, in 1883, just one year after his ordination as a priest, Don Bosco, who had recognised his strengths and apostolic outlook, appointed him as director of the “Sons of Mary”, that is the one responsible for that nursery of late vocations which would produce so many fruits for the Church, by creating a really joyful family atmosphere. Don Bosco kept his eye on him during the five years he lived in Turin where he enjoyed the privilege of going to him for confession every week and of receiving from him signs of his spiritual trust which sowed the seeds of his deepening maturity as a priest and as a Salesian.

Sent to Spain he spread the Salesian presence throughout the peninsula, thanks also to the support of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, opening twenty one houses in nine years, so that it could be said that Don Rinaldi was the “Founder” of Salesian work in Spain. Having returned to Turin as Prefect (= Vicar) General of the Congregation, every morning in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians he devoted more than two hours to the ministry of hearing confessions, to spiritual direction and to the discernment and accompaniment of vocations: a fruitful and precious apostolate which he will also continue when on 4 April 1922 he is elected Rector Major of the Salesian Society. The third successor of Don Bosco, called to adapt the spirit of the founder to new times, he showed his gifts as father and his great imagination: cultivating vocations, opening spiritual and social assistance centres for young workers, guiding and supporting the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, promoting the Association of Salesian Cooperators, setting up the World Federation of the Past Pupils.

Working with the “Zelatrici” of Mary Help of Christians, he recognised and pursued a path that would lead to the setting up of a new form of consecrated life in the world, which later would come to fruition in the Secular Institute of the “Volunteers of Don Bosco”. The impetus he gave to the Salesian missions is enormous: he founded missionary institutes, magazines and associations, and while he was Rector Major over one thousand eight hundred Salesians left for the missions around the whole world.

For the Confreres and for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians he is the master of Salesianity: through the witness of his life and his simple and practical teaching of Salesian pedagogy he gave an extraordinary boost to the whole life of the Congregations. The increase he witnessed in the number of vocations is extraordinary: from 4,000 the Salesians increased to 8,000 and the houses from 400 to 650.

The Beatification of Don Bosco in 1929 crowned his Salesian life, and gave him the opportunity to give fresh life to the charism of the founder in all its authenticity as he appeared to everyone as “the living image of Don Bosco” and as Fr Francesia, a Salesian of the early years used to say: “All that is missing in Don Rinaldi is Don Bosco’s voice.”