1-A.-Lenti-Don-Boscos-Missionary-Dreams-Part-II%281993%29


1-A.-Lenti-Don-Boscos-Missionary-Dreams-Part-II%281993%29

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DON BOSCO'S MISSIONARY DREAMS-
IMAGES OF A WORLDWIDE SALESIAN
APOSTOLATE [II]
Arthur J. Lenti, SOB
Prefatory Note
T
his is the second installment of a study of Don Bosco's five
missionary dreams . I The earlier installment, after a general
introduction (Part One), dealt with the context and text of the First
Missionary Dream (Part Two) and of the two "South American" dreams that
folJowed (Part Three). In Part One of the present installment (Part Four overall),
1 For the first installment of this essay (-<:ited as Installment I), cf.
"Don Bosco' s Missionary Dreams-Images of a Worldwide Salesian Apostolate,"
Journal of Salesian Studies 3:2 (1992) 23-92-cited as ]SS 11112.
Further:
The Archivio Salesiano Cenlrale (Via della Pisana 1111, Roma) - cited as
ASC.
The Don Bosco files (Fondo Don Bosco) of the ASC are av ailable in
microfiches - cited as FDBM.
The Italian Memorie Biografiche - cited as IBM.
The English Biographical Memoirs - cited as EBM.
Lemoyne's DocumenJi per scrivere la storia di D. Giovanni Bosco [...] -
cited as Documenti.
E. Ceria, Annali del/a Societa Salesiana, [Vol. I:] Daile origini al/a morte di
S. Giovanni Bosco (1841-1888). Torino: Societa Editrice Intemazionale, 1841, pp.
245-247, 423-434, 505-510, 551 -559 - cited as Annali I.
E. Ceria, Epistolario di San Giovanni Bosco, 4 vol. Torino: SEI, 1858 (Vol.
3), 1859 (Vol 4) - cited as Ceria, Ep .
F. Desramaut, "Etudes prealables a une biographie de saint Jean Bosco, Vill:
La vieillesse (1884-1888)," in Cahiers Salesiens / ...], No. 18 -19, Avril-Octobre
1988, p. 98-113 - cited as Desra m a ut, Etudes VIII (Cahiers).

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Journal of Salesian Studies
we shall discuss the last two dreams in a similar manner. Part Two (Five) will
deal with the significance of the missionary dreams, with interpretative
comments.
Introduction
As indicated in the earlier essay, Don Bosco's missionary dreams as a whole are
projections of his hopes and plans for a worldwide expansion of the Salesian
Society's work, of which the missions in partibus infidelium are an integral
part. Whereas the First Missionary Dream (1871/72) was of a general nature, and
the two that followed much later (1883 and 1885) related almost exclusively to
South America, the last two (1885 and 1886) had a truly worldwide orientation.
In the Second Missionary Dream a passing reference was made to Boston
(U.S.A.); in the Third Missionary Dream, Mesopotamia and southern Africa
received a passing mention. Likewise, in earlier dreams the global expansion of
the Society had already been foreseen in general terms.2 However, the hope for
far-flung missions in continents other than South America was first expressly
symbolized in the last two missionary dreams.
Part One: Don Bosco's Fourth and Fifth
Missionary Dreams
I. Context of the Fourth and Fifth Missionary Dreams
Don Bosco regarded the establishment of a Vicariate and a Prefecture and the
ordination of Fr. Cagliero as bishop (1883-1885) as the seal by which the Holy
See officially recognized the missionary vocation of the Salesian Society. The
resounding success of the Patagonian mission project served as a springboard for
higher hopes and bolder plans.3 In addition, the continuous, insistent requests
2 In the Dream of the Wheel of Fortune, heard by Fr. Rua around 1856, the
increasing sound of the five spins of the wheel are interpreted to represent the
progressive expansion of the Society in Turin, to Piedmont, to Italy, to Europe, and
Lo the world [cf. EBM V, p. 297]. In the third part of the Dream of the Bull of 1876,
Don Bosco, atop a boulder in the middle of a limitless plain, sees the expansion of
the Congregation: "People of every race, color and nation were gathered there" [EBM
XII, p. 337f.].
3 The beginnings of the mission of Patagonia have been described in
Installment I. For the beginnings of the mission in the Prefecture of Southern
Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, with Prefect Fr. Joseph Fagnano and such
missionaries as Fr. Angelo Savio (1835-1893) and Fr. Joseph Beauvoir (1885-1887),
cf. IBM XVIII, 386-409; Annali I, p. 539-41, 590-599.

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coming to Don Bosco from all parts of the globe must have served as a powerful
stimulus.
As far back as 1876, in an address to a large mixed group from various
communities at the Oratory on the theme, "The harvest is plentiful, the laborers
are few," Don Bosco said:
An extraordinary number of requests for new schools, houses and
missions reach us from different parts of Italy, France, and foreign
countries, such as Gibraltar, Algeria, Egypt, Sudan, Arabia, India,
China, Japan, Australia, Argentina, Paraguay, and practically all of
South America.4
In the decade that followed, the decade of the Patagonian missions, requests kept
pouring in from all parts of the world. Fr. Ceria writes:
On December 28, 1883, at a meeting of the Superior Chapter over
which Don Bosco presided, the suggestion was made that a statistical
table outlining requests for new foundations, some 150 since the
preceding January alone, be published in the Salesian Bulletin. That
was not done; but in his 1884 yearly letter, Don Bosco, taking into
account also earlier instances, spoke of over 200 requests for new
foundations. These had come not only from Italy, France and various
parts of Europe, but also from India, China, Japan, and from the most
distant islands of Oceania.5
These proposals for foundations and missions in various continents should be
regarded as the immediate context for Don Bosco's missionary dreams .
Furthermore, his intense interest in the geography and history of such places,
gathered from available sources, supplied both the structure of the dreams
(fantastic journeys) and many of the images those dreams contained.
In the Fourth Missionary Dream (as reconstructed by Lemoyne), Don
Bosco is taken on a fantastic, globe-circling journey, during which he is
presented with impressive angel scenes symbolizing Asia, Africa and Australia-
Oceania
In the Fifth Missionary Dream, Don Bosco, from a hill in the vicinity
of his birthplace (the scene of his first dream), sees a throng of children and is
addressed by a maiden leading a flock. She shows him numerous Salesian
4 EBM XII, 461.
5 IBM XVI, 399. ASC 0592 Verbali, Dec 28, 1883 (Lemoyne's minutes),
FDBM 1,880 B3. The 1884 Jetter referred to by Ceria could not be located.

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Journal of Salesian Studies
foundations and mission stations situated along a line stretching from Santiago,
through central Africa, to Peking-a journey of the mind.
II. Textual Tradition and Text of the Fourth Missionary Dream
(the Dream of the Angels of the Missions, narrated July 2, 1885)
The Fourth Missionary Dream, was related by Don Bosco on July 2, and took
place, according to a letter by Fr. Lemoyne to Bishop Cagliero (to be discussed
below) at Malhi on some unreported occasion.6 Hence, it is not known precisely
when the dream occurred. The Biographical Memoirs relate it "out of place"
when describing the development of the Missions.7 Furthermore, while they
record a stay of Don Bosco at Malhi from July 15 to August 20,8 they do not
speak of one prior to July 2, the date of the narration. If it took place at Malhi,
the dream must have occurred on some unrecorded visit-perhaps in 1883-4,
when the Salesian paper mill was being repaired after being damaged in an
explosion. Or it may have occurred when the residence was being readied for the
Sons of Mary.9 It could have taken place in the summer of 1884, when Don
Bosco, still convalescing from his illness, was the guest of the Bishop of
Pinerolo (a town located some 25 miles south-west of Turin) from July 19 to
August 22.10 It could also have taken place during one of his relatively frequent
visits to Lanzo, Malhi being then just a couple of miles away. Viglietti's
chronicle has but few entries for this whole period, and makes no reference to
this dream, nor for that matter to Malhi until we get to July 15, 1885.
As will be seen below, Don Bosco concluded his narration of the dream
with a reference to the Sons of Mary, who had a missionary orientation from the
start. If the Sons of Mary were in any way connected with Don Bosco's dream at
Mathi, then it is reasonable to suppose that the dream occurred while they were
still housed there. But by the autumn of 1884 the Sons of Mary were already
6 Mathi, a little town located in the hills near Lanzo, and some 20 miles
northwest of Turin, was a salubrious spot; and Don Bosco, whose health had been
declining steeply since 1884, occasionally stayed at the Salesian house there.
7 Cf. IBM XVII, p. 643-647.
8 Cf. IBM XVII, 484-497.
Prior to this date, after the near-fatal illness of February 1884, the
following trips of Don Bosco are recorded: France (March I-April 5); Rome (April 16-
May 14); Turin; San Benigno (May 20-22); Turin; Pinerolo (July 19-August 20);
Valsalice (August 23-September 1); San Benigno (September 2-3); Turin. In 1885 we
find Don Bosco in France (March 24-May 6); Turin; then Mathi (July 15-August 20).
9 Cf. EBM XV, 539f.; IBM XVII, 221.
10 Cf. IBM XVII, 208-210, 226-228.

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relocated at the Oratory of St. Aloysius, in Turin, in the new building which had
been erected with the church of St. John the Evangelist.11
1. Textual Tradition of the Fourth Missionary Dream
Don Bosco related the Mathi missionary dream to the members of the General
Council on the evening of July 2, 1885, in their dining room after supper.
Although the fact of the dream is substantiated by Don Bosco in letters to Count
Colle,l 2 the text of the dream, has come down to us sole!y on Lemoyne' s
authority. As general secretary, Fr. Lemoyne would have been with Don Bosco
and his Council at supper in the "superiors' dining room" and heard the
narration. If he did not take notes, given the circumstances, he must have
authored his report, as Ceria states, immediately thereafter.13
Four archival documents relating to this dream are arranged in a file
within Lemoyne's dream collection. They will now be described in that
sequence.
[l. Lemoyne Report]
A draft entitled "1885, July 2" (here designated as Lemoyne Report) is
demonstrably the earliest entry in the file. In it the dream is articulated in three
scenes, each presided over by an angel-the Angel of Arpachshad on the lofty
mountain, the Angel of Harn, and the unnamed Angel of Australia. Some
comments by Don Bosco conclude the account of the dream. 14
This report consists of four pages of neat script in Lernoyne's hand,
practically a good copy, but with two large marginal notes in the same hand.
The first of these (here designated as Note I) is connected with the first
Angel scene, and attempts to describe the people present ("dear Louis Colle"
11 Cf. IBM XVII, 345 & 545, and note 28 below.
12 Don Bosco spoke of Louis Colle's appearing to him in the missionary
dreams and in other contexts [cf. EBM XV, 59-70). Specifically, with reference to the
Second Missionary Dream, in a letter to Count Colle dated February 11, 1884, he
speaks of Louis as his guide: "The trip 1 took in our dear Louis' company is becoming
clearer day by day" [Ceria, Ep IV, p. 501). He does the same with reference to the
Fourth Missionary Dream, in letters to Count and Countess Colle dated August 10,
1885 and January 15, 1886 [Ceria, Ep IV, 516 and 521), where he mentions a "stroll"
he took with Louis to Central Africa and China (a reference to the present dream
certainly). It should be noted, however, that, as our documents stand, in the Fourth
Mission Dream Louis Colle merely appears in the Angel of Arpachshad's entourage
and among those who urge Don Bosco on, not as an interpreter-guide. For Count
Louis Antoine Fleury Colle and family, cf. EBM XV, 56-102.
13 Cf. IBM xvn, p. 643.
14 The Lemoyne Report is in ASC 111: Sogni, Lemoyne, " 1885", "II 2
Luglio," FDBM 1,120 E9-12.

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Journal of Salesian Studies
among them) and their activities. But the description is obscure and uncertain.
Hence, Lemoyne put a slash through from top to bottom, thus signifying his
intention of rewriting it.
The second, larger marginal addition, toward the end, completes the
description of the Australian scene, which is begun, then inexplicably left
suspended in the main text.
The Lemoyne Report is the earliest account of the dream in our
possession; but is it the original one? In this regard, one should take note of the
fact that the report clearly identifies Arpachshad with China. Now, Lemoyne (in
other drafts) assures us that Don Bosco did not know (at the time of the dream)
who Arpachshad was or what he represented and, therefore, he had ordered
"research" done (to be discussed below), which "established" that Arpachshad
stood for China. Hence, Lemoyne A originated after the research on Arpachshad
and China was completed. However, as proposed above, the dream may have
taken place considerably before the narration of July 2, and the research could
have been completed before July 2. Indeed, Don Bosco may have decided to tell
the dream precisely because of that fact Hence, the Lemoyne Report could well
be the first narrative account
[2. Appendix]
Later, as he himself states in the Letter to Cagliero (to be discussed
below), Fr. Lemoyne sought further explanations from Don Bosco. He obtained
what he regarded as the true structure of the dream. It was in the form of a
fantastic journey around the globe, during which (in a rapid sequence of
irretrievable images) the three Angel scenes stood out as high points.
Lemoyne embodied this new information in a draft entitled "Appendices
to the Dream of July 2, 1885" (here designated as Appendix). In it Lemoyne, (1)
described the round-the-globe structure of the dream by way of introduction and
setting; (2) gave an itinerary consisting of eighteen geographical locations; and
(3) transcribed and reworked the Arpachshad scene from the Lemoyne Report.
With regard to this last point, it appears that Lemoyne was chiefly concerned
with producing a better description of the Arpachshad scene; and to achieve this
aim he revised and incorporated Note I (mentioned above) and clarified the role of
Louis Colle. Thus he divided the material of Note I so that Louis Colle appears
first among those who encourage Don Bosco (and the Salesians) on their
journey, and then reappears a little later on the mountain, standing among the
blessed in the Angel's entourage, and leading other young people.15
The Appendix concludes with the editor's note that Don Bosco at first
did not know who Arpachshad was and that, therefore, had his identity researched.
15 The Appendix is in ASC 111: Sogni, Lemoyne, "Alcune appendici al
sogno dcl 2 Luglio 1885," FDBM 1321 Al-4.

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The result of this inquiry is given in a document which follows immediately in
the file.
[3. Research]
The research on Arpachshad (chronologically antedating all reports and,
as conjectured above, even Don Bosco's narration) is a four-page rough draft,
heavy with interlinear corrections and marginal notes. It is designated here as
Research. The handwriting is not Lemoyne's, but most likely the researcher's
own. Beginning with the Bible, and quoting various histories and authorities, the
researcher concluded that the Chinese people were the descendants of
Arpachshad.16
[4. Letter to Cagliero]
In the above-mentioned letter to Bishop Cagliero, dated July 8, 1885
(here designated as Letter to Cagliero), Lemoyne states that, after further
inquiries, he has been able to piece together the dream, in spite of Don Bosco's
faulty recollection. Thus, starting with the material of the Appendix, he sets
down the round-the-globe journey structure, including an itinerary of fifteen
geographical locations; l 7 then he describes the three angel scenes, but this time
in "geographical order," west to east (Africa, Asia, Australia); finally he
transcribes Don Bosco's concluding comments from the Lemoyne Report. The
letter also refers to the research leading to the identification of Arpachshad with
China. 18
16 The Research is in ASC 111: Sogni, Lemoyne, [untitled], FDBM 1,321
A5 -8.
Arpachshad is first mentioned in the "Table of Nations" in Gen 10:22: "The
sons of Shem were Elam, Assyria, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram." The name recurs in
Gen 10:4, 11:10-13; in lChr 1:17f.,24; and in Lk 3:36 in Jesus ' genealogy. Yet,
Don Bosco did not know who Arpachshad was, and needed to enlist help to discover
his identity. However, the very fact that the name appeared in the dream shows that it
was in Don Bosco's "Biblical subconscious." His failing health, especially his
mental strain and lapses of memory [cf. Leu er lo Cagliero, below], prevented him
from making the connection.
17 In spite of the fact that the itinerary here has three entries less than the
itinerary in the earlier Appendix, the chronological sequence of the documents must
stand on the basis of progressive elaboration. Furthermore, the three extra "stations"
in the earlier itinerary appear geographically anomalous, and that may be the reason
why Lemoyne omitted them in the Leller lo Cagliero [cf. notes 29 and 37 and related
text, below].
18 The Leiter lo Cagliero is in ASC 111: Sogni, Lemoyne, "Torino 8
Luglio," FDBM 1,321 A9-12.
This document, in Lemoyne's hand, appears to be either a good rough copy
or a copy of the actual letter sent to bishop. There are no folds or creases.

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[5. Documenti and Biographical Memoirs]
In the file, Lemoyne arranged the four documents in the order that
would best serve him in the compilation of the final text of the dream. However,
when it came to its actual compilation in Documenti, Lemoyne refrained from
using the fairly coherent reconstruction of the dream he had achieved in the
Letter. Instead, he preferred to structure the narrative on the basis of the Lemoyne
Report followed by the Appendix, with the usual editing. Then, using the
material of the Research, he gives a detailed account of Arpachshad and his
connection with China, stating that the Salesian seminarian, Festa, had been
responsible for the research project.19
In the Biographical Memoirs, Fr. Ceria reproduces the text of
Documenti with superficial editing; but mercifull6' abridges the "erudite" research
relating to Arpachshad and the Chinese people.2
The Lemoyne Report, then, is our best witness of Don Bosco's original
narration. It is given here in translation with the two notes integrated into the
main text, but italicized. The Lemoyne Appendix and the Letter to Cagliero are
also given in immediate succession. We have a feeling that our readers will not
be interested in the research on the origins of the Chinese people and their
descent from Arpachshad.
2. Text of the Fourth Missionary Dream
[i] Text According to the Lemoyne Report
[Reporter's Introduction]
1885. On the evening of July 2, after supper, Don Bosco related [a
dream] to his General Council.
[Scene I: The Mountain and the Angel of Arpachshad]
I dreamt that I was standing before a very high mountain, on top of
which stood a most resplendent Angel, whose light illumined the country round
about to its most remote reaches. The country around the mountain was a vast
kingdom inhabited by a people unknown [to me]. The Angel held aloft in his
right hand a sword which shone like a very bright flame; with his left hand he
pointed to the region round about. He said to me: "Angelus Arfaxad (China)
19 Docum e nti XXX [c. 51], p. 38 1-385, in ASC 110: Cronachette,
Lemoyne-Doc, FDBM 1,112 B12-C4. The chapter is entitled, "Sogno: gli Angeli
della Cina, dell'Africa e dell'Australia."
Angelo Festa (1867 -1905) was apparently highly regarded by Don Bosco
who chose him as a "second secretary," in association with C. M. Viglietti. He was
one of the first two Salesian theological students who enrolled in the Gregorian
University in 1888 [cf. IBM XVIII, p. 182, 471, 480).
20 IBM XVII, p. 643-647.

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Y.QgU .Y.Q.S. fill proelianda ~Domini~ fill congregandos populos in~
Domini."21 His words, however, were not, as they had been at other times, a
command, but rather a proposal.22
In the surrounding country, right up to the mountain, and on its very
slopes, dwelt a great number of people. They were conversing, but in a
language which I did not understand. I understood only what the Angel said. I
cannot begin to describe what I saw, for such things are seen and grasped, but are
indescribable. Different objects appeared before me in rapid succession, and the
view which confronted me changed all the time. At one time it appeared to be
the plain of Mesopotamia; at another, a very high mountain. The very mountain
on which the Angel stood was continuously transforming itself, and the people
that dwelt on it seemed to be flitting about like shadows.
'
[Note I]
While involved in such varied scenes, I found myself in the company of
many [people] who were encouraging me and my Salesians not to falter along
the way. Among those who were leading me by the hand, so to speak, and
helping me forward, was dear Louis Colle. With many others [added above the
line] he stood around the Angel of Arpachshad and other angels whose name I
either never learned or did not retain. They were leading the many youngsters that
surrounded him in the singing of hymns.23
[Scene 2: The Angel of Ham-Africa]
Next, I seemed to be standing in the middle of a vast desert in central
Africa. Written on the ground in large, translucent letters, was the word
"Blacks." In the middle stood the Angel of Ham, who was saying: "Cessabit
maledictum,24 and the Creator's blessing will be upon his rejected children;
honey and balm will heal the serpents' bites. After that the shame of the children
of Ham will be covered over." Those people were all naked.25
21 "The Angel of Arpachshad (China) calls you to fight the battles of the
Lord and to gather the peoples into the Lord's storehouses."
Note the identification of Arpachshad with China.
For Arpachshad, cf. note 16 above.
22 At what other times did the Angel of Arpachshad speak to Don Bosco?
The reference here must be simply to other dreams understood as conveying God's
commands.
23 Note I of the Lemoyne Report, is unclear at a couple of points. The
present translation renders its meaning as faithfully as the text allows. In any case, as
has already been noted above, in the successive drafts Lemoyne re-wrote this
paragraph expanding it and relocating the material.
24 "The curse will cease."
25 The words attributed to the Angel of Ham reflect a "traditional"
interpretation of Gen 9:20-27, and the belief that Blacks were the object of a curse

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[Scene 3: The Nameless Angel of Australia]
Finally, I seemed to be in Australia. An Angel was present there too,
but he had no name. He was walking with the people, urging them and guiding
them in a southerly direction. Australia did not appear as a continent, but as an
archipelago ofmany islands, inhabited by people ofdifferent characteristics and
features. 26 A great number of children lived in those islands. They were trying
to cross over to us, but were prevented from reaching us by the great distances
and the [stretches of] water that lay between us. Yet they were holding their
hands out toward us and crying: "Come and help us! Why do you not finish the
work which your fathers began?" Many of the children gave up. But some of
them, making their way with great effort through the midst offerocious wild
beasts, joined the Salesians (none of whom I recognized) and began to sing:
"Benedictus {Jfil l!il1iJ. ill ~ /2ami.ni.." 27
Large clusters of islands could be seen at some distance, but I could not
pick out any details. However, it seems to me that, globally speaking, this
indicated God's intention of entrusting in the coming future a portion of that
evangelical mission field to the Salesians. Their labors will bear fruit because
the Lord will stand by them always-provided they will not prove unworthy.
[Narrator's Conclusion and Comments]
Don Bosco added:
"If I could embalm and preserve about fifty of our present Salesians,
they would see, 500 years hence, the stupendous future which Divine Providence
has in store for us-if we are faithful. Within 150 or 200 years the Salesians
would be masters of the whole world.
"We shall always find favor even in the eyes of evil people, because our
special apostolate is such that it calls forth everyone's good will, of good and
bad people alike. There may be fanatics who will want to destroy us; but these
will be isolated attempts which will not win support from others.
"The important thing is that the Salesians do not yield to love of ease
and shrink from work. Even only by maintaining the present works, if they do
not surrender to the vice of gluttony, the Salesians will have a long future
assured.
(even though in Genesis the curse is against Canaan!). The "serpents' bites" may be
an allusion to Africa as the land of poisonous snakes, or perhaps to the serpents that
attacked the Israelites in the desert in Num 21:6-9. Likewise, "the shame covered
over" may be an allusion to the dressing custom of certain African tribes, or again to
the Noah story in Gen 9:1 8-29.
26 This description indicates either Australasia or Polynesia, rather than
Australia proper.
27 "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

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"The Salesian Society will prosper materially if the Salesians endeavor
to support and spread the Salesian Bulletin; it will prosper morally if they
continue and extend the Work Qf ~ ~ Qf Mary lkll! Qf Christians [sic].
There are so many good men among these dear sons! This institution of theirs
will produce for us able confreres, committed to their vocation."28
[ii] The Dream According to the Appendix (New Introduction and
a Rewritten Arpachshad Scene)
Appendices to the Dream of July 2, 1885.
[Introduction, Dream Setting and Itinerary]
He saw all the countries in which the Salesians are called [to work] in
times to come. This was in the form of a very swift journey starting from, and
returning to the same point. It was a lightning-quick journey. And while
traveling those immense distances, he could make out at a glance regions and
cities with their inhabitants and customs; seas, rivers, mountains, and islands.
At the same time, events and scenes by the thousands came together
simultaneously and combined in a manner that defie description. All Don Bosco
can do is to give a general idea.
[People Giving Encouragement-Part ofNote /]
At various stages of the journey numerous people accompanied Don
Bosco, and encouraged him and his Salesians not to falter along the way. Among
them, our dear Louis Colle was most ardent in urging Don Bosco on. You
might say that he led him along by the hand.
[Itinerary]
The journey ranged over many degrees [of latitude]. Don Bosco spoke of
[traveling from] Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires; then on to Sao Paulo, Brazil,
Rio de Janeiro, the Cape of Good Hope, Madagascar, the Persian Gulf, the
shores of the Caspian Sea, Shinar, Mt. Ararat, Senegal, Ceylon, Hong Kong,
28 The Work of Mary Help of Christians was established by Don Bosco in
1875 to foster the priestly vocation of young adults and adults who would otherwise
have had no opportunity to pursue their vocation. The men who entered this
accelerated program of studies and formation were called Sons of Mary. They were
first housed at Sampierdarena, under Fr. Philip Rinaldi's care, and at the Oratory. In
Autumn 1883 they were transferred to Mathi, and the following year to their
permanent home at the Salesian house and church St. John the Evangelist in Turin. It
is understandable that, having had the dream at Mathi, Don Bosco should comment on
this institution, which had a missionary purpose from its inception [cf. EBM XV, p.
3lf.], even if the dream occurred after their relocation [cf. note 11 and related text,
above].

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Macao (lying at the entrance of a limitless sea), China, Australia; then, by way
of the Diego Islands, back to Santiago, Chile.29
The globe-circling tour had included islands and countries scattered over
many degrees [of latitude], many of them sparsely inhabited and even unknown.
[The Arpachsbad Scene]
[At one point of the dream journey] Don Bosco found himself in the
vicinity of Macao, before a very lofty mountain. Throughout the journey he
seemed to be traveling at an enormous altitude, floating above the clouds in
limitless space, in an ocean of most vivid light. Who could describe such
heights, such space, such light, such brightness, such panoramas. One can
experience them, but not describe them.
Standing on top of that lofty mountain was an Angel, so resplendent
that his light illumined the remotest regions. The country round about the
mountain was a vast kingdom inhabited by a people unknown [to Don Bosco].
The Angel held aloft in his right hand a sword which shone like a very bright
flame. Pointing with his left hand he drew Don Bosco's attention to the
surrounding region. He said to him: "Angelus Arphaxad vocat vos ad proelianda
bella Domini et ad congregandos populos in horrea Domini." "The Angel of
Arpachshad is calling you to fight the Lord's battles and to gather the peoples
into lhe Lord's storehouses." His words, however, were not, as they had been at
olher times, a command, but rather a proposal.
[Part ofNote/]
A wonderful throng of blessed spirits, whose names Don Bosco either
did not learn or was unable to retain, surrounded that Angel. Among them was
Louis Colle, in the company of a large group of youngsters. They were singing
along with him, as he sung God's praises.
[Reporter-Editor's Comment on the Research]
Up to the time of the dream Don Bosco did not know who Arpachshad
was. After the dream he talked of nothing else. He had someone search through
biblical dictionaries, histories of nations, works on geography, periodicals; and
he finally learned that the Chinese are really the descendants of Arpachshad.
29 As mentioned above [cf. note 17], the three italicized entries of this
itinerary no longer appear in the itinerary of the later Letter to Cagliero. Shinar [cf.
Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1,9, etc.] , is a Biblical name for Babylonia (modem central and
southern Iraq). Mt. Ararat is a mountain in southeastern Armenia (where, according to
Gen 8:4, Noah's ark made landfall after the flood). Senegal is a country on the north-
western coast of Africa.
In all probability, as Ceria also believes [cf. IBM XVII, 646], by the "Diego
Islands" Don Bosco meant the Diego Ramirez Islands (small Chilean islands south of
Tierra del Fuego, near the 572 of lat. S.)-not the Diego Garcia Islands in the Indian
Ocean, nor the Diego de Almagro Island off the coast of southern Chile.

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[iii] Reconstruction of the Fourth Missionary Dream According
to the Letter to Cagliero
Turin, July 8, 1885
Dear Bishop,
[Copies of] the earlier dreams concerning [South] America have already
been forwarded to Fr. Costamagna. The account of the one [Don Bosco] had at
Malhi is enclosed herewith. It was a confused dream; and only yesterday was I
able to obtain final explanations from Don Bosco. Plainly, this is what caused
the delay: Don Bosco could no longer recall the details, because his mind tires
quickly and lacks the strength to remember things.
[Introduction-Setting, Structure and Itinerary of the Dream]
Now then-the night of July 2, he had a dream.30 All the countries to
which the Salesians are called [to work] in times to come filed before him, for
the dream was in the form of a journey- a lightning-quick journey starting
from, and returning to the same point. And while traveling over immense
distances, he could make out at a glance regions and cities with their inhabitants
and customs; seas, rivers and islands. At the same time, events and scenes by the
thousand came together simultaneously, and combined in a manner which defies
description. All Don Bosco can do is to give a general idea.
[People Giving Encouragement]
At various stages of the journey, numerous people accompanied Don
Bosco, and encouraged him and his Salesians not to falter along the way. Among
them, our dear Louis Colle was most ardent in urging Don Bosco on. You could
almost say that he led along by the hand.
[Itinerary]
The journey ranged over many degrees [of latitude], and it followed this
itinerary: From Santiago, Chile, to Buenos Aires; then on to Sao Paulo, Brazil,
Rio de Janeiro, the Cape of Good Hope, Madagascar, the Persian Gulf, the
shores of the Caspian Sea, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Macao (a city lying at the
entrance of a limitless sea), China, Australia; then, by way of the Diego
[Ramirez] Islands, back to Santiago, Chile.
The globe-circling tour had included islands and countries scattered over
many degrees [of latitude], many of them sparsely inhabited and even unknown.
For Macao, cf. interpretative comments, p. 44 below.
30 On July 2 (1885) Don Bosco related the dream to his council in their
dining room at the Oratory. The dream itself had occurred at Mathi on a earlier date [cf.
note 6 and related text, above].

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Journal of Salesian Studies
Out of all this, Don Bosco has a clear recollection of three scenes in
particular.
[Scene 1: the Angel of Ham]
I. He seemed to be in the middle of a vast desert in central Africa.
Written on the ground in large, translucent letters was the word, Blacks. In the
middle stood the Angel of Ham, who proclaimed: "Cessabit maledictum ,31 and
the Creator's blessing will be upon his rejected children; honey and balm will
heal the wounds inflicted by the serpents' bites. After that the shame of the
children of Ham will be covered over."
[Scene 2: The Angel of Arpachshad]
2. Beyond Macao rose a very lofty mountain from which all of China
could be viewed. When Don Bosco came up to it, he saw, standing atop the
mountain, a most resplendent angel whose light illumined the remotest regions.
The country round about the mountain was a vast kingdom inhabited by a people
unknown [to him]. The Angel held aloft in his right hand a sword which shone
like a very bright flame; with his left hand he pointed to the surrounding region.
He said to Don Bosco: "Angelus Arphaxad vocat vos ad proelianda be/la Domini
et ad congregandos populos in horrea Domini."32 His words, however, were not,
as they had been at other times, a command, but rather a proposal.
A wonderful throng of angels, whose names Don Bosco did not learn or
was unable to retain, stood around him. Among them was Louis Colle, in the
company of a large group of youngsters. They were singing along with him, as
he sung God's praises.
All around the mountain, up to its foot and on its slopes, lived a great
number of people. They were conversing among themselves in a language Don
Bosco could not understand. He understood only what the angel was telling him.
Don Bosco said to [the members of] his Council: "I cannot begin to describe
what I saw. Such things may be seen and grasped, but they defy explanation. I
saw different spectacles at once, and these continuously transformed the view
which confronted me. At one time it looked like the plain of Mesopotamia; at
another, a very high mountain. The very mountain on which the angel stood
took on continuously changing forms, and the people that dwelt on it seemed to
be flitting about like shadows."
[Lemoyne' s Comment on Arpachshad and China]
(Note that up to the time of the dream Don Bosco did not know who
Arpachshad was. After the dream he talked of nothing else. He had someone
search through biblical dictionaries, histories of nations, works on geography,
31 "The curse will cease." Cf. also note 25 above.
32 ''The Angel of Arpachshad calls you to fight the Lord's battles and to
gather peoples into the Lord' s storehouses."

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and periodicals, and finally discovered that the Chinese are really descendants of
Arpachshad. Now he talks of nothing else. He even seems to think that soon we
shall be invited to China. In this belief, he is now wholly occupied with
learning all he can about the origin of those peoples.)
[Scene 3: The Nameless Angel of Australia]
3. Finally Don Bosco seemed to find himself in Australia. An Angel
was present there too, but he had no name. He was walking with the people,
urging them and guiding them in a southerly direction. Australia did not appear
as a continent, but as an archipelago of many islands, inhabited by people of
different characteristics and features. A great number of children lived in those
islands. They were trying to cross over to Don Bosco and to the Salesians with
him, but were prevented by the great distances and the [stretches of] water that
lay between us. Yet they were holding their hands out toward us and crying:
"Come and help us! Why do you not finish the work which your fathers began?"
Many of the youngsters after walking some distance gave up. But some of them,
making their way with great effort through the midst of ferocious wild beasts,
joined the Salesians. (Don Bosco did not recognize any of those sons of his.)
Then the youngsters began to sing: "Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini."33
Large clusters of islands could be seen at various distances, but Don
Bosco could not pick out any details. He felt, however, that globally speaking,
this indicated God's intention of entrusting a portion of that evangelical
[mission] field to the Salesians, though in future times. Their labors will bear
fruit, because the Lord will stand by them always-provided they will not prove
unworthy.
[Narrator's Closing Comments]
Don Bosco exclaimed: "If I could embalm and preserve about fifty of
the Salesians that are now active among you, they would see, 500 years hence,
what a stupendous future Divine Providence has in store for us-if we are
faithful. Within 150 or 200 years the Salesians would be masters of the whole
world.
"We shall always find favor in the eyes even of evil people, because our
special apostolate is such that it calls forth everyone' s good will, of good and
bad people alike. There may be fanatics who will want to destroy us, but these
will be isolated attempts which will not win support from others.
"The important thing is that the Salesians do not yield to love of ease
and do not shrink from work. Even if only the present works be maintained, [the
Salesians] will have a long future assured, provided they do not give in to the
vice of gluttony.
33 "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

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Journal of Salesian Studies
"The Salesian Society will prosper materially, if we endeavor to
support and spread the [Sa/esian] Bulletin; it will prosper morally, if we
continue and extend the Work of the Sons of Mary Help of Christians. This
institution will produce for us able confreres, committed to their vocation."
My dear Bishop, this is all I have been able to learn from Don Bosco in
several painful attempts. The latest explanations, gotten from him only a few
days ago, are those with which I began this letter; they are the most important.
Don Bosco believes this dream to be a confirmation of those that went before.
He never stops thinking and talking about it. [...]
[iv] Comments on the Arpachshad Scene and on the Itinerary.
The Arpachshad scene figures as the most important of the three related
in the dream. It is the one that captured the limelight in the original narration. It
is the most extended, and it underwent the greatest development in the tradition
of the text, while the other two shorter scenes remained practically identical
throughout. Further, after the research and the identification of Arpachshad with
China, that country (not Africa, nor Australia) became the focus of Don Rosco's
missionary interest, practically an obsession. As shown above, in the Letter to
Cagliero Lemoyne writes: "He talks of nothing else. He even seems to think
that we shall soon be called to [undertake a mission in] China. In this belief, he
is now wholly occupied in learning all he can about the origin of those peoples."
In Documenti Lemoyne adds: "[Don Bosco] expressed his conviction that, if he
had 20 missionaries to send [to China], they would be triumphantly received, in
spite of the persecution."34
The identification of Arpachshad with China affected the development
and shaping of the whole scene, especially with regard to the location of the
mountain. In the Lemoyne Report , which presumably represents the original
narration, there is no attempt to locate the mountain, though Arpachshad is
already identified with China.35 In the light of this identification, with the
introduction of the journey structure and its itinerary (which included the stations
of Hong Kong, Macao and China) it must have seemed appropriate that the
mountain of Arpachshad should be located in that area. Hence, the scene now
opens with the words: "Don Bosco found himself in the vicinity of Macao,
before a very lofty mountain" (Appendix); "Beyond Macao rose a very lofty
mountain from which all of China could be descried" (Letter to Cagliero). It
would seem, then, that the geographical location of the mountain on which the
34 Documenti XXX, p. 383; FDBM 1,112 C2. Cf. note 19 above.
35 Cf. note 21 above.

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angel stood, and the geographical details given with it, are consequent upon the
identification of Arpachshad with China.3
The itinerary associated with the dream' s journey structure is first given
in the Appendix, where, as has been pointed out, it comprises eighteen
geographical locations or "stations." It appears next in the letter to Cagliero,
where three of these locations (Shinar, Mt. Ararat, and Senegal) are omitled.37
Their omission might be explained from the fact that Shinar and Mt. Ararat,
having a purely Biblical significance, would have seemed anomalous; and
Senegal would have had Don Bosco backtracking from the Caspian Sea to the
west coast of Africa. However, these three stations reappear both in Documenti
and in the Biographical Memoirs, since these versions are not based on the
reconstruction of the letter to Cagliero but on the earlier Lemoyne Report
supplemented by the material of the Appendix.38
The itinerary contains other anomalies. For example, it is hard to see a
reason why the Diego Ramirez Islands (barren, ice-bound little pieces of real
estate, situated near the Antarctic circle, and hence quite a bit off course) should
figure in the itinerary. Further, and this is even more remarkable, central Africa
is not mentioned among the "stations" of the itinerary; and yet one of the main
scenes (the Angel of Ham) is set "in the middle of Africa".
The fantastic journey, although apparently "a blur in Don Bosco's
mind," may well have been the authentic structure of the dream. But the spelled-
out itinerary might be mere geographical lore recalled, perhaps under Lemoyne's
prodding. In any case, the names should not be understood as locating
prophetically future Salesian works.
F. Desramaut has rightly remarked that the dream (that is, its
reconstruction) as it has come down to us, entirely on Lemoyne's authority, is
problematic.39 The foregoing discussion would tend Lo bear this out.
III. Textual Tradition and Text of the Fifth Missionary Dream
(the Barcelona Dream of April 9-10, 1886)
This is the last of the great missionary dreams, in fact, the last important dream,
according to Ceria.40 In it Don Bosco, standing on a hill near Becchi, is
addressed by a maiden leading a flock and a throng of children. She reminds him
36 Cf. also interpretative comments, p. 43-45 below.
37 Cf. note 29 and related text, above.
38 Cf. notes 19 and 20 and related text, above.
39 "An important dream, but also a 'problematic' one, at least in the shape
in which we now know it" [Desramaut, Eludes vm (Cahiers) , p. 120, note 68).
40 cf. IBM xvm. p. 16.

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Journal of Salesian Studies
of his first vocation dream, and shows him the Salesian works of the future
along the Santiago-Central Africa-Peking axis.
The dream took place on the night of April 9 - 10 at Sarria (hence the
designation, "Barcelona Dream") at the start of Don Bosco's month-long visit to
Spain (April 7-May 7, 1886). On this, his last long trip, Don Bosco was
accompanied by Fr. Rua and by his secretary, Carlo Maria Viglietti. The party
was met at the frontier by Fr. Giovanni Branda, who then acted as their
companion and guide throughout most of their stay. Viglietti kept a careful
record of Don Bosco's acts and words. This portion of Viglietti's Chronicle is
often referred to as the "Barcelona Diary."41
1. Textual Tradition of the Fifth Missionary Dream
[I. Viglietti Report]
It was to these three Salesians that Don Bosco related the dream the
following day. The faithful Viglielti recorded it in his original chronicle under
the date of April 11, 1886. This account (here designated as Viglietti Report) is
our chief source for the dream narrative. It consists of four pages of small script
(in Viglieui's hand) in a note book, with occasional interlinear additions.42
(2. Viglietti Letter]
Immediately Viglielti by letter (here designated as Viglietti Letter) sent
an account of the dream to Fr. Lemoyne-a letter which Fr. Desramaut finds
41 Seminarian Carlo Maria Viglietti entered Don Bosco's "service" as his
secretary in 1884, and remained almost constantly at his side to the end. His
chronicle, begun on May 20, 1884 and continued until Don Bosco's death is an
important biographical source for the Saint's last years. His Barcelona Diary
chronicles Don Bosco's visit to Spain (April 7-May 7, 1886), and Ceria makes
abundant use of it in IBM XVIII, p. 66-117. It was studied critically by Ram6n
Alberdi, Una ciudad para un Santo. Barcelona: Tibidabo, 1966. Although love of, and
enthusiasm for his subject led Viglietti into some exaggeration in presenting events
surrounding Don Bosco's visit, Viglietti's fidelity in reporting Don Bosco's words
(dreams in particular) is beyond doubt [cf. Desramaut, Etudes VIII (Cahiers), p. 99f.].
Fr. Giovanni Battista Branda (1842-1927) served as director of the school at
Sarria (Barcelona) from its founding in 1883 until 1889. Two months prior to Don
Bosco' s visit, he had been the protagonist in a famous episode which is usually
referred to as the "Barcelona Bilocation" [cf. IBM XVIII, 34-39].
42 The Viglietti Report is in ASC 110: Cronachette, Viglietti: [Original
Chronicle], 11 Aprile 1886, Note Book 3, p. 84-87; FDBM 1,224 D6f. (each frame
contains 2 pages of the note book).
As Desramaut explains, the first draft chronicle is contained in eight small
note books, reproduced in FDBM 1,222 D2 to 1,227 D8 (Original Chronicle). This
chronicle was later edited in five or six (larger) composition books (Transcribed
Chronicle); etc. [cf. Desramaut, Etudes VIII (Cahiers), p. 80].

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"problematic. "43. The original of this letter is not to be found in the Lemoyne
files of the Fondo Don Bosco. There we have only two undated calligraphic
copies, differing in format, but identical in text.44 These copies appear to have
been made for the purpose of public reading, in compliance with Don Bosco's
request.45
[3 Documenti]
Lemoyne would obviously have had the original of the Letter in his
possession. And it is the Letter (in its letter format), not the Report from
Viglietti's chronicle, that became the source of the dream narrative edited in
Documenti.46
The calligraphic copies and the Documenti copy of the Letter differ in
some respects: (1) In Documenti the letter is dated and its introduction has one
additional paragraph describing the emotion of both the narrator and the hearers.
In this respect, it would seem that the Documenti form is to be preferred, for it
is likely that the date and the additional paragraph were removed in the
calligraphic copies for public reading. (2) The Letter text of the dream itself has
been subjected to some editing in Documenti, as was to be expected. This
consists of stylistic variations and some changes. The text of the dream of the
calligraphic copies, on the contrary, is much closer to that of the Viglietti
Report and probably represents the dream text of the original letter. (3) The
conclusion of the letter in the two versions is very close. (4) In Documenti
Lemoyne adds further interesting comments.
[4. Biographical memoirs]
In the Biographical Memoirs Ceria, dispensing with the letter format,
used the Documenti text both for the dream narrative itself (again with stylistic
variations and some changes) and for the additional information that surrounds
the dream narrative.47
43 Cf. Etudes vrn (Cahiers), p. 122f., note 79.
44 ASC 111: Sogni, Lemoyne, FDBM 1,321 E6f. and 8-10.
45 Cf. Letter' s introduction, p. 24, below.
46 The Letter is edited in Documenti XXXI [c. 31), p. 213-215, ASC 110,
Cronachette, Lemoyne-Doc, "Sogno: II Bricco del Pino," FDBM 1,120 04-6, with
the date of April 11, 1886. It appears that Viglietti wrote to Lemoyne the very same
day on which Don Bosco related the dream, and on which he made the entry in his
chronicle.
47 Ceria writes that the text of the Biographical Memoirs [IBM XVIlI, p.
71-74) is "that of [the) Viglietti [Letter], slightly edited by Lemoyne [in Documenti]
as to style" [Ibid., p. 72). There is, however, additional editing.
Lemoyne sent an account of the dream (that is, a copy of the Viglietti Letter)
Lo Bishop Cagliero, with a cover letter of his own [cf. IBM XVIIl, p. 74), in which he
makes some interesting comments to be noted below [cf. note 62).

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Journal of Salesian Studies
2. The Text of the Fifth Missionary Dream
Our text will that of the Viglietti Report, which is to be regarded as the primary
and best representative of the dream narration. (The few interlinear additions and
corrections are underscored: and the chief changes or variants introduced in
versions subsequent to the original Viglietti Report are given in notes.)
Further, for a better understanding of the thinking of the people
involved, also the introduction and the conclusion of the Viglietti letter will be
given in a table showing the calligraphic copy and Documenti in parallel. This
will be followed by Lemoyne's comments.
[i] Text According to the Viglietti Report
April 11, 1886
[Reporter's Introduction]
This morning Don Bosco summoned me, Fr. Rua, and Fr. Branda.
With great emotion and copious tears he described for us the future of our
Society. He saw it in a dream which he had last night, that is [rather], the night
of April 9-10.48 He wept [as he spoke]; all of us wept with him. He would
exclaim, "Mary! Mary!" Emotion and tears forced him to discontinue the
narration several times.
The dream then is as follows:
[Dream Setting: the Becchi Hills]
Don Bosco [dreamt that he] was near Castelnuovo, [and was standing]
on the Bricco del Pino [Pine Knoll], near the Sbarnau Valley. He looked round
in every direction, but could see nothing except a thickly wooded forest, .aruLa
great number of little mushrooms.
[Preliminary Scene: Brother Joseph Rossi and Fr. Rua]
"This," Don Bosco was thinking, "is Joseph Rossi's fe udal estate;
therefore he should be in the area somewhere!"49 Sure enough, a little later he
spotted [Brother] Rossi on a faraway knoll. He was gazing down on the valleys
below, and appeared to be wrapped in serious thought. Don Bosco called out to
him , but Rossi merely nodded back with what seemed a very worried look on his
48 This chronicle is dated April 11. Viglietti states that on the morning of
April 11 Don Bosco related the dream he had "last night (la notte scorsa)" which
would be the night of April 10-11. But the dream occurred the night of April 9-10, as
Viglieui assures us. I suggest, therefore, that when he adds, "that is, the night of
April 9-10 (cioe dal 9 al JO Aprile)," he meant: "rather, the night of April 9-10."
49 Don Bosco had facetiously bestowed titles of nobility and fictitious
feudal domains on Joseph Rossi and other Salesian brothers [cf. EBM VIIl, lOlf.].

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~. Turning in the opposite direction Don Bosco caught sight of Fr. Rua in the
distance. Like [Brother] Rossi, he was seated quietly [on a knoll] absorbed in
serious thought. Don Bosco kept calling out to them, but got no reply.
[Act I: The Children, the Maiden and the Flock]
Then Don Bosco walked down the hillock he was on and climbed up
another. As before, from the top he could see a forest, but this one was under
cultivation and lined with streets and roads. From that observation point he
scanned the far horizon.
[Scene 1: The Children]
But before anything came into view, he heard the noisy cries of a great
throng of children. He tried to discover the source of the din, but was unable to
do so, as he didn ' t see anybody. Of a sudden, the noisy voices were drowned out
by alarming shouts, as though some serious mishap had befallen them. He
finally caught sight of a large group of youngsters. They ran up to him and
gathered around him. They kept saying: "We waited such a long time for you.
Finally you are with us, and we will not let you go away."
[Scene 2: The Maiden50 and the Flock]
Don Bosco.... [sic] As he was standing with the children, a very large
flock of lambs led by a maiden appeared.51 She separated the youngsters from
the sheep, placing them on opposite sides. Then, standing by Don Bosco, she
asked: " Do you see what lies before you?"
"I do indeed," he replied.
"Well then," [she continued.] "Do you remember the dream you had at
the age of 10?"
"Not really," answered Don Bosco; "my mind is prelty tired, and I can' t
remember much at the moment."
"Well," rejoined the rrutideH young shepherdess, "Think about it, and it
will come back to you."
50 The female apparition in the dream is referred to by the following names:
donzella (maiden); pastorella (young shepherdess); maestra (teacher). Toward the end
she is identified as Maria (Mary) (though awkwardly only in a third-person reference
by the maiden herself), and Vergine SS. (Most Holy Virgin). These terms are not
carried forward with consistency in subsequent editions of the text.
51 The Viglietti letter has instead: "Don Bosco understood nothing of this;
but as he stood there in utter amazement looking at the children, a very large flock of
lambs Jed by a young shepherdess appeared."
Documenti and the Biographical Memoirs have instead: "Don Bosco
understood nothing of this, and was wondering what those children wanted from him;
but as he stood there in utter amazement looking al the children, a very large flock of
Jambs led by a young shepherdess appeared."

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Journal of Salesian Studies
[Act II: Salesian Works on the Line Santiago-Central Africa-
Pekin g]
[Scene 1: Plotting the Line]
She called the children over, and then said to Don Bosco: "Look in this
direction, as far as you can;" [and to the children:] "You, too, all of you, look
and read what's written;" [Again to Don Bosco:] "So, what do you see?"
"I see mountains," Don Bosco replied; "and further on, the sea; then
beyond [I see] hills, more mountains and seas."
"And I," cried one of the children, "can read, 'Valparaiso'."
Another child said: "I can read, 'Santiago'."
"And I can read both," said a third.
"Very well, then," the maiden52 added [turning to Don Bosco], "Take
that as a starting point, and you will have a measure of what the Salesians are
called to do in the future. Now turn in this other direction. Plot a second line,
and look closely."
"I see [more] mountains, hills and seas."
"And at the very end," a group of children (the youngsters were
straining to see) shouted together, "We can read, 'Peking'...53
"Fine," the teacher54.£fild [to Don Bosco], "now trace one line from one
end to the other, from Peking to Santiago; fix a mid-point in the center of
Africa, and you will have a good idea of what the Salesians are called to do."
[Scene 2: The Salesian Works]
"But how?" Don Bosco wanted to know, "how are we to do all this?
Distances are enormous; places, difficult; the Salesians, few."
"Do not fret. This is for your sons Lo accomplish, for your sons' sons,
and for their sons after them. Only, hold the line firmly."55
"But," Don Bosco objected, "where will all the personnel we need come
from?"
52 The Viglietti Letter, Documenti, and the Biographical Memoirs have
instead: "young shepherdess."
53 Documenti and the Biographical Memoirs add: "At that moment Don
Bosco caught sight of a great city. A wide river spanned by a number of large bridges
flowed through it."
54 Documenti and the Biographical Memoirs have instead: "the maiden,
who seemed to be their teacher."
55 The Biographical Memoirs add: "in the observance of the rules and of the
spirit of the Society."

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"Come up here and look. Do you see those 300 missionaries at the
ready?56 There are others behind them , and yet others. Draw a line from
Santiago to the center of Africa. What do you see?"
"I see 10 mission centers (centri di stazioni)," replied Don Bosco.
"Right," [she explained]. "The centers you see will include novitiates
and seminaries, and will produce missionaries in abundance, so that those
regions will be properly cared for. Now turn to that other side [and look]. What
you see are 10 more mission centers (centri di stazioni) [on a line] from the
center of Africa to Peking. These centers will provide missionaries for all those
areas. There is Hong Kong; there is Calcutta; as far as (sino al) Madagascar.
These and many other centers will have houses, seminaries, novitiates."
[Dialogue: Preparation for the Mission]
Don Bosco, who had been listening [to these words] and was carefully
weighing [their significance], finally said: "Where will I get so many
missionaries from? And how can I send them into those areas? Savages live in
those areas, and they feed on our flesh [sic]t51 Heretics live there too, as well as
persecutorst58 How are we to deal with this?"
"Listen then," replied the maiden.59 "Start working at it with a will.
One thing above all must be observed and recommended-that my children
practice Mary's [characteristic] virtue always."
"Yes, I think I understand, and I agree! I will explain, inculcate, and
preach your words for all [Salesians to hear]."
" And be on your guard," continued the Most Holy Virgin,60 "against
the error that is so common today-the free mingling by those who cultivate
human knowledge with those who pursue divine knowledge. Heavenly wisdom
must avoid contact (vuol essere separata) with earthly wisdom."
Don Bosco wanted to respond; but everything61 vanished from view.
The dream was over.
56 Do c umenti have instead: "500 missionaries." The Biographical
Memoirs: "50 missionaries."
57 The Viglietti l etter, Documenti and the Biographical Memoirs have
instead: "human flesh."
58 Documenti have instead: " Heathen persecutors."
59 The Viglietti leuer, Documenli and the Biographical Memoirs have
instead: "young shepherdess."
60 Documenti have: " continued the Most Holy Virgin, for that is what the
young shepherdess really was." The Biographical Memoirs inexplicably omit the
whole phrase.
61 Documenti have: "the whole vision before him." The Biographical
Memoirs have: " the vision."

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[Chronicler's Concluding Comment]
The above is a mere sketch of the dream. Don Bosco, moreover, will
have to clear up many points-the mushrooms, the woods, the cities, etc. These
are all things that demand much more development.
[ii] Viglietti Letter-Introduction and Conclusion According to
both Calligraphic Copy and Documenti
The dream text of the Viglietti Letter, at all points where it differs from
the Viglietti Report, has already been given above, in footnotes to the latter. But
the introduction and conclusion of the Letter deserve separate attention and will
be given here according both the calligraphic copy and Documenti, in parallel for
the purpose of comparison.
Letter in Calligraphic Copy
Letter in Documenti
[no date]
Barcelona, April 11, 1886
[Introduction]
[Introduction]
Dear Fr. Lemoyne,
Reverend and Dear Fr.
Lemoyne,
I am keeping my promise,
I am keeping my promise,
and I am sending you a copy of the and I am sending you a copy of the
dream that Papa had on the night of dream which Don Bosco has had just
April 9-10. This, however, is only a recently . This, however, is only a
sketch of a magnificent and protracted sketch of a magnificent and protracted
vision depicting the history and vision depicting the history and
splendid future which God has in store splendid future which God has in store
for the Salesians. Don Bosco wishes for the Salesians. Don Bosco wishes
that [the dream] be read to [a gathering that [the dream] be read to [a gathering
of] all the Oratory superiors. He hopes of] all the Oratory superiors. He hopes
it will be an encouragement [to all it will be an encouragement [to all
concerned] to make a good start in the concerned] to make a good start in the
great work [that lies ahead].
great work [that lies ahead].
This morning Don Bosco
summoned me, Fr. Rua, and Fr.
Branda and, with great emotion and
copious tears, told us a beautiful
dream he had last night, that is [rather]
the night of April 9-10. The narration
was punctuated with frequent sobs, his
and ours. The dream is a description of
the future of our Society. It follows:

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[Text of the Dream follows]
So-Don Bosco [dreamt that
he] was near Castelnuovo [...]
[Conclusion of Letter]
Sobs and tears forced Papa to
break off his narration several times.
At the end he exclaimed: "Oh! How
Mary loves us!"
I cannot think of a better
way to bring my writing to a close.
Therefore I go no further. Best regards
from Don Bosco and Fr. Rua; and
please accept my respectful good
wishes. Now and always,
[Text of the dream follows]
Don Bosco [dreamt that he]
was near Castelnuovo [...].
[Conclusion of Letter]
While Don Bosco was
speaking, those who were listening to
his narration of the dream, were at
several points moved to exclaim,
"Mary! Mary!"
Fr. Viglietti closed his letter
with the words: "Sobs and tears forced
Papa to break off his narration several
times. At the end he exclaimed: "Ohl
How Mary loves us!"
I can't think of a better way
of bringing my writing to a close.
Therefore I go no further. Best regards
from Don Bosco, and Fr. Rua; and
please accept my respectful good
wishes. Now and always,
Your affectionate son, C. V.
Affectionately yours, Carlo
M. Viglietti.
[iii) Lemoyne's Additional Comments in Documenti
In Documenti Lemoyne adds:
NB: What has been set down here is a mere sketch of the dream. Don
Bosco (so he himself avers) would want to clarify many points in it:
Rossi (material concerns?); Rua (spiritual concerns?); the untilled forest
and the mushroo ms (a non-evangelized s ituation?); the forest
crisscrossed by streets, the cities (an evangelized situation?); the lambs
(those called to the priesthood?). All these matters call for an
explanation. Fr. Lemoyne.62
62 In the Report (and possibly also in a postscript of the original L ett er)
Viglietti had already asked similar questions: "The above is a mere sketch of the
dream. Don Bosco, moreover, will have to clear up many points-the mushrooms,
the woods, the cities, etc. These are all things that demand much more development."

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Back in Turin [from Spain], in discussing this dream with Fr.
Lemoyne, Don Bosco exclaimed in calm but earnest tones: "Oh, the
time will come when the Salesians will be established in China, and
will assemble on the banks of the river that flows by Peking! From
various regions of the Great [Celestial] Empire they will gather together
on the left bank; and likewise on the right bank, from various parts of
Tatary. How glorious a day that will be for our Congregation when
[Salesians] from one side and [Salesians] from the other will meet and
shake hands! But time is in God's power!"
[iv] Concluding Comment
The foregoing presentation indicates that the text of the dream itself can
be none other than that of the Viglietti Report as recorded in the original draft
chronicle. The subsequent documents add but little to it that is of any value.
Lemoyne's additional material ascribed to Don Bosco (namely, the vision of the
city and of the river in the dream,63 and the comment on the Salesians in
China64) is of special interest and will be discussed below.
Part Two: Significance of Don Bosco's Missionary
Dreams
In the first installment of our study and in the foregoing pages we have sought
to place Don Bosco's five missionary dreams in an historical context, that is,
within the framework of Don Bosco's option for the missions and of his
evolving missionary goals for the Salesian Society. We have also sought to
clarify the textual tradition on the basis of archival documents, and to establish a
reliable text for each of the five dream narratives.
Such work already points up the general significance of these dreams for
Don Bosco's and the Salesian Society's apostolate.
Here Lemoyne expands the inquiry. Such questions reveal the belief and the
expectation that everything in Don Bosco's dreams should be revelatory or
prophetic-that is, that each element in the dream's manisfest content should be the
symbol or allegory of a present or future reality or event.
In the above mentioned letter to Bishop Cagliero, Lemoyne wrote: "As an
[authorized?] interpreter I would say that Fr. Rua represents the worrisome spiritual
condition [of the Society], and Joseph Rossi, the no less entangled material
situation. The [envisioned] future offers encouragement to both" [IBM XVIII, p. 74;
cf. note 46 above]. But he went no further.
63 Cf. note 53 above.
64 Cf. text immediately above.

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At the same time, by identifying at least generally the situations that
may have provided the external and internal stimuli for the dreams in question,
we have also in some respects indicated their psychological and religious
significance.
It is now time to address more specifically the question of the meaning
and significance of these dreams. To this end, it would be helpful to recall what
has been outlined in Part One of the first installment of this essay, especially the
comments on Don Bosco's dreams as real dreams, and on their revelatory
character.65 The distinction made between the dream experience itself and the
dream narrative, which may already have developed into a narrative interpretation,
is especially important. At the same time we have also stressed the great value
of these narratives in as much as they illuminate Don Bosco's projects (or
hopes) for a worldwide expansion of the Salesian work and articulate the
possibilities which he foresaw for this mission.
I. Initial Questions
Much has been made of the revelatory character of Don Bosco's missionary
dreams. Specifically, it has been claimed that, beyond the general hope or
projection of a worldwide expansion of the Salesian work, in them Don Bosco
was gifted with "knowledge of hidden things" and with foreknowledge of the
establishment of Salesian works in particular regions or cities. Hence, Salesians
everywhere have taken great pride in the claim that a certain foundation or work
fulfilled Don Bosco's prediction. Let us first comment on these two claims.
1. Knowledge of Hidden Things
It is claimed that Don Bosco in these dreams evinces knowledge that he could
not have obtained by human means. The claim refers especially to the
geographical and physical characteristics of the regions seen and the populations
observed.
[i] Dream images of South America
In Dream I Don Bosco found himself in an immense plain which "at its
farthest boundary [...] was wholly encircled by jagged mountains [...]."66 This
plain was later identified as Patagonia. The image of the plain occurs also in
Dream III, where Don Bosco finds himself "on a vast plain situated between
Chile and the Argentine Republic," which a little later is described as "the plain
65 /nstallmenl I in JSS IIl/2, p. 28-35.
66 Barberis Report [/nstallmenl I, p. 48] .

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Journal of Salesian Studies
of Chile, Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina."67 In Dream II Don Bosco speaks of
various features of the Andean Cordilleras, of virgin forests, of rivers, of the
narrowness of lower Patagonia, etc. This is geographical lore, whether accurate
or inaccurate, derived from maps and books, surfacing in the dream as fantastic
images. It would be a mistake to take these images as describing real places from
revealed knowledge. In any case, the editor of the first dream narrative in the
Biographical Memoirs saw the need of revising the description of Patagonia: "At
its farthest boundary one could distinguish the outline of jagged mountains."68
The same should be said of the idea repeatedly expressed by Don Bosco
in the first three dreams as well as in writings of the same period-that
Patagonia was a completely unknown land, a no man's land (that is, a land of
"savages"), and not subject to the Argentine Republic. This was a view derived
from current European literature.69
Don Bosco's "knowledge of hidden things" communicated through
dreams is claimed especially in connection with Dream II. On this subject, and
with particular reference to what this dream says about Patagonia and Tierra del
Fuego, Ceria writes: "Don Bosco presents us with a body of positive data which
he could have learnt neither from explorers nor from geographers. There had in
fact been no exploration of any sort in those southernmost latitudes, whether for
tourist or for scientific purposes."70
Then, referring to explorations of the Salesian Fr. Albert De Agostini
in Southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, Ceria lists four areas in which Don
Bosco's shows such mysterious knowledge. (1) The structure of the Andean
Cordilleras: Don Bosco states that these mountains do not rise as a single, sheer
mountain range (as commonly believed), but as a complex system of ranges
intersected and divided by great "inlets" or valleys. As an example of this latter
feature, Ceria cites the "Baker Inlet," in southern Chile, "the most extensive of
the Patagonian fjords, which winds for over 400 km. through the mountains,
between the 462 and 522 of latitude south." (2) The system of railway lines: Don
Bosco speaks of railways where none were in existence at the time--railways
67 Lemoyne A [Installment /, p. 85 and 86).
68 EBM X, 46.
69 It was in this conviction that Don Bosco had proposed to the Italian
Government the establishment of a "colony" of Italian immigrants in the region.
Ceria states that Don Bosco "had been led into this error by several badly informed
Italian authors and unreliable encyclopedias and maps" [EBM XII, 87f.; Ceria, Ep III,
44f.].
For a more detailed discussion, cf. Jesus Borrego, "Primer proyecto
patag6nico de Don Bosco," Ricerche Storiche Salesiane 5 (1986) 21-72, esp. p. 28-
33. [Cited as Borrego, Proyecto]
70 IBM XVI, 395.

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which at the time of Ceria's writing were either already in operation or in
planning. (This would be an instance of foreknowledge and prophetic
fulfillment). (3) The mineral riches yet to be discovered, such as petroleum and
coal: Don Bosco speaks of the great mineral resources [in the Cordilleras]; and
Ceria cites petroleum strikes at Comodoro Rivadavia71 and in other parts of
South America. (4) The geophysical character of the Fuegin archipelago and the
distribution of the native population on those islands: Don Bosco accurately
describes those islands and their populations.72
[ii] Geophysical Features and Mineral Resources
Here is what Don Bosco says about these matters. With reference to the
Cordilleras as a whole (not to the Patagonian or Darwin range, pace Ceria and De
Agostini), in the long autograph note reporting the conversation heard in the hall
at the equator, Don Bosco writes:
People think (and geographers make the same mistake) that the [South]
American Cordilleras are like a wall that divides that part of the world
in two. But it is not so. Those long and high mountain ranges form
numerous "inlets" (janno rrwlti seni, are crossed by numerous valleys?)
that are more than one thousand kilometers long. Within them are
forests as yet unexplored [...]. Coal, petroleum, lead, copper, iron,
silver, and gold lie buried in those mountains, where the Creator's
almighty hand placed them for people's benefit. Oh cordillera,
Cordilleras [sic], how rich are your eastern slopes! "73
Further, according to a marginal note in Lemoyne's hand, "between the 15th and
20th degree [oflat. south] there lay a very long and wide 'inlet' (seno) that began
at a point forming a lake." The region is not otherwise pinpointed, but is
apparently connected with that northern segment of the Cordilleras. As reported,
Don Bosco has this to say about the region:
I saw numerous mines of precious metals, inexhaustible coal pits,
petroleum deposits more abundant than any discovered anywhere. And
this is not all. To my amazement I saw that at many points the
Cordilleras opened up and formed valleys, the existence of which is
totally unknown to our geographers. They [mistakenly] imagine that in
south.
71 A city on the Argentine coast (not in the Andean range) at about 46Q lat.
72 IBM XVI, 395-398.
73 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment / , p. 69].

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Journal of Salesian Studies
those regions mountain ranges form a kind of sheer wall. In those
"inlets" (seni), in those valleys, which may be as long as one thousand
kilometers, live dense populations which have had as yet no contact
with Europeans-whole nations which are as yet completely unknown
[to the civilized world).74
Thus far in the dream nothing is said about Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego
specifically. When he finally got to the Straits of Magellan, Don Bosco did
indeed see that "the ground for miles around was strewn with stores of coal, as
well as planks, beams and other kinds of lumber." And a marginal note in
Lemoyne's hand adds that there were also "huge heaps of metal partly in ore
form and partly refined."75 But, to begin with, there is no mention of petroleum
(so much for Ceria's petroleum strikes). And secondly, with regard to lumber,
although forest abounds in those southern regions, it is mostly to be found on
the Pacific slopes and islands. Stony steppe and desert shrub are the main
features of the Santa Cruz Province on the Argentine side. Coal, on the other
hand, is noted.76
For an assessment, we should bear in mind that, for historical reasons,
a fair amount of reliable information was available to Don Bosco regarding the
old Spanish colonies in the upper Andean regions.
Now we also know that by 1876 Don Bosco had gathered quite a bit of
information on Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. In 1876, over his signature
(though authored by Fr. Barberis) he had sent to Rome a very substantial study
entitled, Patagonia and the Southernmost Regions ofthe American Continent.77
In his chronicle Fr. Barberis documents the feverish research, on his and Don
Rosco's part, that led to the production of this essay of 164 large pages. At one
point he quotes Don Bosco as saying: "I have reached the age of 60 and more
74 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 75].
We shall return to this passage under a different heading, below.
75 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 76].
76 Cf. Hammond Citation World Atlas. Maplewood, NJ: Hammond Inc.,
1977, p. 141.
77 First discovered and studied by the Salesian Fr. Ernesto Zsanto in 1984,
then published in 1986, this work has now been critically edited, with extensive
introduction, notes and appendices: Giovanni (s.) Bosco, La Patagonia e le Terre
Australi de/ Continente Americana. lnLToducci6n y texto crftico por Jesus Borrego
(Piccola Biblioteca dell'Istituto Storico Salesiano, 11). Roma: LAS, 1988. [Cited as
Borrego, Patagonia]
Borrego points out that Ceria knew that Barberis had prepared some kind of
report [cf. EBM XII, 220]; but was not acquainted with the report itself [Borrego
Patagonia, pp. 3f.].

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[1876) without practically even having heard of Patagonia. Who would have
thought that the day would come when I should have to research it in its every
aspect and in all its detail." (In the essay on Patagonia, by way of introduction,
the author lists his sources-ten titles.) Then Barberis continues: "I had provided
two maps, one of Patagonia and the other of So[uth] America. We began to
study the geography [of Patagonia] in detail [...]. We spent much time in
studying such features as g ulfs, the straits of Magellan, and the islands
roundabout."78 Don Bosco continued to research what had quickly become his
mission field with unrelenting determination; so that by the time of Dream II in
1883, beyond his general geographical, historical and cultural background, he
must have built up quite a store of specific information, complete or defective,
correct or incorrect.79
A point made by Ceria concerns the description of the islands in the
Tierra del Fuego archipelago. The essay on Patagonia, in the section dealing
with the physical geography of the area, describes the islands in the archipelago
pretty much as they are described in the dream narrative.80
And if it is nonetheless true that the essay on Patagonia gives no
information on the mineral resources of the region,81 one should bear in mind,
as noted above, that such information was available for the area of the old
Spanish colonies. After all the Spaniards had been exploiting the mineral and
human resources of those Andean regions since the sixteenth century. On that
basis, Don Bosco could easily extrapolate and make deductions applicable, or
inapplicable, to other areas. But, even so, Dream II shows that, while he can
confidently describe the tremendous resources of the northern Andean regions, he
is not quite as explicit when speaking of Patagonia and Tierra de! Fuego. As
mentioned above, the only mineral mentioned for this area is coal. And it is
mentioned in connection with the cultural and economic development of the area.
On the other hand he mentions petroleum among the resources of the
Cordilleras, where none is found.
78 ASC 110 Cronachette.-Barberis, in Borrego, Patagonia, p. 8.
We also know Lhat before 1876, that is, from the time of the Argentine offer
in 1874 to the writing of the essay on Patagonia in 1876, Don Bosco had already
accumulated considerable information about the southern regions of Argentina and
Chile, whether correct or incorrect [cf. Borrego, Proyecto, p. 42-50].
79 Cf. Borrego, Patagonia, p. 40-42.
80 Cf. Borrego, Patagonia, p. 46f. For the description of the islands in the
dream, cf. /nstallmenJ /, p. 72.
8 l In a six-line paragraph on "Mineral Resources," the author merely
writes: "The high mountains of the Andean Cordillera [in Patagonia] consist wholly
of hard rock. The plain, on the other hand, is a patchwork of limestone, with large
portions covered with sand and saline deposits [...] [Borrego, Patagonia, p. 51).

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For the Andean countries of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia some
petroleum is noted on Pacific coastal areas and on a couple of lower inland
valleys. But all such considerations should not blind us to the fact that it is far
more likely that all such ideas about mineral resources stemmed from Don
Bosco's own cultural experience.82
[iii] The Natives
With regard to the demographic situation, that is, the number and
distribution of the native populations, in both the second and the third dream
Don Bosco speaks of very large numbers. In Dream II, in his own autograph
note dealing with the conversation heard in the hall, he writes: "A great number
of savages in Australia, in India, in China, in Africa, and particularly in [South]
America are still shrouded in the shadow of d eath. [...] Few [European
missionaries] have the courage to brave long voyages [...] to save those millions
of souls."83 Again in the passage already quoted above (though not referring
directly to Pata1,onia) he speaks of "dense populations" inhabiting the great
Andean valleys. 4 And concluding the allegory of the rope in the same Dream II,
the Interpreter tells Don Bosco: "These mountains [the Cordilleras] constitute a
bank, a boundary. From these mountains to the ocean lies the harvest entrusted
to the Salesians. These thousands and millions of people are waiting for your
help, waiting for the faith."85 Again in the second dream, with reference to the
southern islands, Don Bosco says: "Some of these [islands] were inhabited by
natives in fairly large numbers; other islands appeared sterile, stark, rocky and
uninhabited; yet others were entirely capped with ice. To the west [were]
numerous clusters of islands inhabited by savages in large numbers."86 In
8 2 Mining, of coal in particular, was part of Don Bosco's cultural
experience. Coal, in its various forms, had been used for power before Don Bosco's
times. By the middle of the nineteenth century, the need for increased production of
coke and gas for heating and illumination gave new impetus to the coal industry.
Likewise, by the middle of the nineteenth century, the introduction of dynamite
(replacing gun powder in blasting) and of various rotary drills greatly expanded the
production of hard coal.
The same may be said for petroleum. The firs t well was drilled at Titusville,
Pennsylvania (USA) in 1859. Within a few decades, oil drilling was widespread not
only in the United States, but also in Europe, the Middle East and in East Asia [cf.
Encyclopedia Britannica, Micropedia (15th ed., 1987), 3, p. 408; 8, p. 158; 9, p .
344). For petroleum in the Andean countries, cf. Hammond Citation World Atlas, p.
127 & 130.
83 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 68).
84 Cf. note 74 and related text above.
85 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 72f.).
86 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 72).

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Dream Ill, speaking (somewhat anomalously) of the native peoples of the
archipelago, he says: "I also observed a great number of savages scattered
throughout the Pacific [region] down to the Gulf of Ancud, on the Straits of
Magellan, at Cape Hom, in the Diego [Ramirez] and the Falkland Islands."87
The author of the essay on Patagonia (hence, Don Bosco) supports such
high estimate. In fact, after various calculations, he fixes the minimum number
of the native population of Patagonia and Tierra de! Fuego at a cool four
million.88 This he does in spite of information to the contrary received from the
missionaries in South America.89
Don Bosco's ideas and descriptions of the natives seen in his dreams
also require a comment. The "savages" seen in Dream I are described as "nearly
naked, of extraordinary height and built [...], bronzed and dark-complexioned," a
description which is more suited to natives of Romantic literature and of
nineteenth-century encyclopedias than to any real Patagonian type.90
This passage is cited by Ceria (on Fr. De Agostini's testimony) as proof of
the accuracy of Don Bosco's mysterious knowledge [cf. IBM XVI, 397f.; cf. note 80
and related text, above].
87 Lemoyne A [Installment I, p. 86].
88 Borrego, Patagonia, p. 22 and 159.
89 Borrego cites various estimates of the number of natives, available to
Don Bosco in 1876: (1) Fr. Cagliero: 30,000 in the Pampa, and in Patagonia 40,000
in all. [Cagliero to Fr. Chiala, April 4, 1876, ASC 273.3.1, in Borrego, Patagonia,
p. 22, note 80] (2) A. D'Orbigny: Araucanoans, 30,000; Fuegins, 4,000;
Patagonians, Puelches, etc., 32,500. (3) F. Lacroix and N. Dally: from the Rfo Negro
to Cape Horn, 8,000-10,000. (4) G. Moroni: From the Pampas to Cape Horn:
319,600, the highest estimate of any source. [Borrego, Patagonia, p. 22, note 81] (5)
R. Napp, V. Martin de Moussy and S. Kurzmanich, about 30,000 in all [Borrego,
Patagonia, p. 159, note to line 38].
The Salesian L. Carbajal gives the following estimates of the natives (in the
"savage" state, that is, not yet "civilized"): At the beginning of the 19th century,
from the Rfo Colorado to Cape Hom: 50,000. In 1880, Patagonia, 23,000; Tierra de!
Fuego, 8,000. In 1900 (time of writing): Patagonia, 5,500; Tierra del Fuego: 4,200
(cf. Lino Carbajal, La Patagonia. Studi Generali, 4 vol. San Benigno Canavese:
Scuola Tipografica Salesiana, 1899- 1900. (I: History, Physical Geography,
Ethnography; II: Climate, Natural History; ill: Economy; IV: Politics, Education.), I,
p. 204-205].
Don Bosco 's ideas about the number of natives, especially about his
fixation that there were large populations yet to be discovered, were ridiculed in Rome
[cf. Installment I , p. 55, note 70).
In this respect, Ceria quotes rather modest figures [cf. IBM XVill, p. 388;
Annali I, p. 587f.].
90 Barberis Report; and cf. J. Belza's comment in Borrego, Proyecto, p. 47,
note 157 [cf. Installment I, p. 55, note 70].

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Other anthropological and ethnographic data referring to the native
populations (such as their character, culture, etc.) are largely inaccurate and are
derived from Don Bosco's general and special cultural matrix. For example, in
Dream I the "savages" are characterized as "brutal people" who "slaughtered and
hacked [the missionaries] to pieces."91 In Dream V, Don Bosco speaks of the
native populations of the places shown (with specific mention of Hong Kong,
Calcutta and Madagascar) as "savages who feed on human flesh .''92
Apart from the dreams, Don Bosco writes of the Patagonian natives:
This large population still lies in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and lives in a completely savage state. [...] Up till now the voice of the
missionary could not be heard in that whole immense region, in spite
of the many attempts at evangelization over the centuries. This failure
is due to the ferocity with which the natives have frustrated every effort
on their behalf. For they savagely slaughtered all the missionaries who
tried to approach them , and they even ate their flesh.93
Such ideas were part of Don Bosco's culture.94
[iv] Railways
The same should be said of the question which Ceria raises concerning
the railways in Don Bosco's dream. In the first place, Don Bosco's immediate
cultural experience amply accounts for fact that the means of conveyance chosen
for the journey in Dream II was the train. Then, if the journey had to cover the
length of the continent, from north to south, the route that would logically have
been suggested to a person standing before a map of South America, had to run
along the Andean Cordilleras, on the lower slopes. Likewise, if the train (as
would be expected) was to stop to let passengers off, the well known centers of
La Paz (Bolivia) and of Mendoza (Argentina) would be logical stopover stations.
Looking at a map, one can easily see how from these two locations access may
be had to important Pacific cities in Peru and Chile respectively95-that is, if
one does not consider too closely those mighty mountain peaks and other
redoubtable natural barriers.
91 Barberis Report, [cf. /n.stallmenJ I, p. 48).
92 Viglietti Report, p.23, above.
93 Borrego, Patagonia, p. 159. Cf. also note 166, below.
94 Cf. Borrego, Patagonia, p. 20f.
95 These are Don Bosco's suggestions in Lemoyne B, according Lo
comments by the reporter [cf. Installment /, p. 75 and 76).

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It appears therefore that recourse to a theory of infused knowledge
through dreams is not necessary to account for all such elements of the manifest
content of Don Bosco's dreams. These elements are derived from the dreamer's
cultural experience. Some may be right and applicable, others may be quite
inaccurate, as we have noted above.
What J. Belza has written on this very subject may serve as a general
conclusion:
From a psychological point of view, it is certain that dream images,
always blurred, may only be interpreted from contents in the dreamer's
inner world. [...] And furthermore, it can be shown that Don Bosco's
geographical [missionary] dreams, like so many of his dreams, even as
to their origin, are rooted in daily life-experiences, heightened by the
missionary fervor that possessed him."96
2. Foreknowledge, Premonition, Prediction
As will be noted below, Don Bosco's missionary dreams are revelatory or
prophetic in the sense that they are an expression of his hopes and projects for
the worldwide expansion of the Salesian work. At this point, however, we wish
to address the question of the precognitive or predictive character of these dreams
in particular instances, much as above we discussed the question of Don Bosco's
mysterious knowledge.
We have already noted an instance of foreknowledge, as claimed, with
respect to the location of a future railway system in South America. It has
further been claimed that Don Bosco prophetically foresaw the establishment of
the Salesian work in particular places, when such places are either named or in
some way indicated in these dreams. Thus one often hears Salesians claim, with
understandable pride, that this or that other foundation constitutes the fulfillment
of one Don Bosco's predictions. As a matter of fact most of the geographical
locations mentioned in these dreams have had, or could conceivably have in the
future, a Salesian foundation, and are therefore eligible for such an interpretation.
In footnotes to the dream texts given in our first installment and here
above, the reader has already been alerted to some of these claimed instances of
prophetic foreknowledge. We shall now review these claims, briefly or in some
detail, as the case may be.
96 Juan Belza, Sue fl os Patag 6 nicos. Buenos Aires: Instituto de
lnvestigaci6n Hist6rica Tierra de! Fuego, 1982, p. 24-26, in Borrego, Proyecto, p.
47, note 157.

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Journal of Salesian Studies
[i] A Salesian Center in Patagonia at the 472 of Latitude South
In the allegory of the rope in Dream II the numbers 47, 50 and 55
(degrees of latitude south) have been taken to refer to Salesian foundations at
those locations. At point 47, the rope divided into many strands connecting
places to the south. No city is mentioned at this point; but a marginal note in
Lemoyne's hand expressly interprets the number 47 as representing "the Salesian
center from which to reach out to the Falkland Islands, to the Tierra del Fuego
and to other islands, [to the] farthest lands of [South] America."97
No Salesian center historically fulfilling those requirements, in fact no
Salesian center of any kind, is located at the 47'"· in Patagonia. Santa Cruz, on
the other hand, situated at about the 502, though never an important Salesian
center, historically served as a point of approach to the missions in Tierra del
Fuego. Ushuaia, located at about the 552 on the southern shore of Isla Grande, is
the southernmost Salesian foundation, as well as the southernmost city in the
world.
[ii] At 102 Latitude North: San Jose (Costa Rica)?
In the same allegory of the rope in Dream II, the number 10 represents
the 102 of latitude north; but again no city is mentioned. In a footnote Lemoyne
writes: "The Bishop of San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, by letter dated
September 15, 1883 asked Don Bosco for a few Salesian missionaries. This city
is located at the 102, as indicated in Don Bosco's dream."98
But so, for instance, are Valencia (Venezuela) located at the 102, and
Caracas (Venezuela) somewhat to the north. These cities have Salesian
foundations, and fulfill the requirement of being on "the sea of the Antilles" (the
Caribbean). Cartagena (Colombia), expressly mentioned in the same dream, is at
the same position farther west, but it has not Salesian (S.D.B.) foundation.99
[iii] Boston, MA (USA)
A little later in Dream II, as Don Bosco was about to begin the train
journey southward, he inquired of his Guide: "And when shall we go to Boston?
They are awaiting us there." The reply which was also a dismissal was: "In its
own good time."100
97 Lemoyne B [cf. lnstallmenJ I, p. 71f.].
98 Lemoyne B (cf. lnstal/menJ I, p. 72 and 78].
99 Lemoyne B (cf. lnstallmenJ I, p. 72).
This request was made two weeks after the dream. Salesian foundations were
first established in San Jose (Costa Rica) in 1907; in Valencia (Venezuela), in 1895;
in Caracas (Venezuela), in 1894.
100 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 74].

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The stimulus for this dream image must be sought in the fact that, as
archival documents show, in 1882/1883 a proposal to open a "school for
missionary priests" under the title of "Confrerie de Notre-Dame des victoires et
de St. Pierre" (attached to the French church of the same name, in Boston) had
been made to Don Bosco through an intermediary, the Abbe J. Moigno, S.S., a
canon of St. Denis (Paris). After having received several letters from Canon
Moigno, Don Bosco directed Fr. Bonetti (through his French secretary, Fr.
Camille de Barruel) to decline the offer: " the pressing and numberless
commitments [...] in Europe and America make it impossible for me at the
moment to accept the work in Boston which you have been so good to propose
to us." According to Fr. Bonetti's note carrying Don Bosco's instructions, Don
Bosco was also asking for a time of grace-three or four years. All this was in
reply to a letter from Canon Moigno dated July 13, 1883. But the
correspondence continued into August. Thus practically up to the time of the
dream (August 31, 1883) Don Bosco had been busy with the Boston offer, and
he had not ruled out the possibility of a future commitrnent.101
This would explain why the matter surfaced in the dream. As it turned
out, the Salesian work was established in Boston only in 1945, with the
opening of the Don Bosco Technical High School.
[iv] Between the 15l! and 202 Latitude South: Brasilia?
Considerable attention has been given to the passage in Dream JI where
Don Bosco in his fantastic train journey southward along the Cordilleras, with
his heightened seeing power, peers into the mountains and over the farthest
plains and descries the hidden mineral resources of the region. Now, in the
Lemoyne B text, within brackets, the plains are conjectured to be "Brazil?." And
in a marginal note in Lemoyne's hand, the place is described as an "inlet"
(valley?) beginning at a lake and located between 152 and 202 latitude south.
Although there is again no mention of a city, and no longitudinal position is
101 The cure of the French church of Notre Dame des Victoires in Boston,
Fr. A. Bouland, had proposed to Archbishop I. J. Williams, the establishment of a
school/junior seminary at that church [cf. Letters Bouland to Williams, Boston, Nov.
23 and Dec. 1, 1882, in ASC 38 1 Fondazioni-Richieste, FDBM 135 B 10-C 3 and
C4f.]. The proposal was submitted to Don Bosco through Canon Moigno. A number
of letters from Abbe Moigno, presumably to Fr. Barruel (together with the Bouland-
Williams letters) are held in ASC 38 1 Fondazioni-Richieste. They are as follows:
undated, but written late in 1882 [FDBM 135 D 4-9]; undated, but marked Jan. 28,
1883 [FDBM 135 D 12-E 3]; April 25, 1883 [FDBM 135 D lOf.]; July 13, 1883
[FDBM 135 E5f.]. It is for a reply to this letter, and to decline the offer that Don
Bosco gave Fr. Bonetti (and Fr. Barruel) his instructions [FDBM 135 D lf.]. Further
letters are: July 29, 1883 [FDBM 135 D 1lf.]; undated, but marked Aug. 5, 1883
[FDBM 135 D 7-10]. For the story of this proposal, cf. IBM XVI, 408-410.

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Journal of Salesian Studies
given, the text has been interpreted as referring to Brasilia, the modem capital of
Brazil, which is located on a large artificial lake at about the 16° of latitude.
(I) Text according to Lenwyne B
Following are Don Bosco's words as reported in Lenwyne B.
We traveled along the edge of a virgin forest, as yet
unexplored, for over a thousand miles. My power to see was intensified
in such a marvelous manner, that my sight seemed able to penetrate
those regions at will. It could not only peer into the Cordilleras, but it
could also discern the isolated mountain ranges rising above those
interminable plains (Brazil?).
[Marginal Note]
Between the 15th and the 20th
degree there lay a very long
"inlet" (seno, valley?) which
began at a point forming a
lake. Then a voice spoke and
said repeatedly: "When mines
will be dug in the depths of
these mountains (of that
valley), then the promised land
flowing with milk and honey
will be revealed here , and
inconceivable wealth will be
found.
The incomparable [mineral]
riches of the soil still awaiting
discovery were revealed to my gaze. I
saw numerous mines of precious
metals, inexhaustible coal pits,
petroleum deposits more abundant than
any discovered anywhere. And this is
not all. To my amazement I saw that at
many points the Cordilleras opened up
and formed valleys, the existence of
which is totally unknown to our
geographers. They [mistakenly] imagine
that in those regions mountain ranges
form a kind of sheer wall. In those
"inlets" (seni), in those valleys, which
may be as long as one thousand
kilometers, live dense populations
which have had as yet no contact with
Europeans-whole nations which are as
yet completely unknown [to the
civilized worldl.102
This is the passage that has been construed as predicting the future
location of the Brazilian capital.103 In spite of the fact that the Salesians have
102 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment /, p. 74f.].
103 In the 1988 edition of Don Bosco nel Mondo we read: "Don Bosco came
to Brazil long before any of his Salesians; and he did so in the amazing manner of the
prophets. If today he is invoked as the holy Patron of Brazil's capital, Brasilia, it is
because he 'dreamed' it and prophesied it a century before it became a reality. [...] He

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encouraged such an interpretation by every means in their power, and that
Brasilia and the authorities in that capital have taken Don Bosco to their heart,
this interpretation is highly speculative.
Before any comment, we should look at how Lemoyne, presumably
reflecting Don Bosco's view, recast this passage in subsequent revisions. This
may be seen in Lemoyne C and (identically) in Documenti-which represents
Lemoyne's final re-elaboration of the text, and which is also, with secondary
editing by Ceria, the text of the Biographical Memoirs.
[Lemoyne's Re-Elaboration of the Text in Documenti-all editing
given in italics, with added titles]
In editing the new text, besides inserting the marginal note, Lemoyne
made two sizable additions. He also rearranged the material somewhat-as
follows:
We traveled along the edge of a virgin forest, as yet unexplored, for over
a thousand miles. My power to see was intensified in such a marvelous
manner, that my sight seemed able to penetrate those regions at will.
[Editorial Addition I] Words cannot describe or explain such
amazing visual experience. It was as though I were standing on top ofa
hill with an unimpeded view of an immense region stretching out
below. Imagine that from that vantage point one placed a strip ofpaper,
had seen the very spot as far back as 1883; and when it became a reality, the builders
were greatly surprised to find that they had fulfilled a saint's prophecy. In 1883 Don
Bosco related to his close associates how in his dream he had seen himself hovering
high over the forests of the Amazon. He told of seeing there the natives' villages, and
of witnessing the killing of two Salesian missionaries. (This actually took place in
1934, when Fr. P. Sacilotti and Fr. G. Fuchs were murdered by the Chavantes.)
Moreover, between the 15v and the zov degree of latitude he detected rich mines of
[precious] metals and petroleum deposits more abundant than any discovered
anywhere. And at a place which was located at about the 50° of longitude and where
there was lake, he saw a promised land of incomparable beauty, lo be revealed two
generations hence (60 and 60 years... Cf. IBM XVI, 385-398)" [Marco Bongioanni
[ed.], Don Bosco nel Mondo, 2 vol. Roma: Direzione Generale Opere Don Bosco,
1988, vol. II, p. 244f.].
This is an obviously garbled journalistic version of Don Bosco's Second
Missionary Dream. Don Bosco never said that he had dreamed of flying over the
forests of the Amazon, and of seeing villages and witnessing the killing of two
Salesian missionaries; nor did he indicate any longitude for the place and the lake
lying between the 15° and the 20° lat. south. And he spoke of generations (two 60-
year generations, not counting the present one) not in connection with the promised
land to be revealed, but in connection with the conversion of the natives (in the
allegory of the figs, in the hall) [cf. Dream II, Installment / , p. 74f. and 73, and here].
But the "Brasilia interpretation" is still popular.

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Journal of Salesian Studies
no matter how thin, in front of one's eyes: one would then see very
little, if anything at all. Imagine next that one removed, or raised or
lowered even only slightly, that strip ofpaper: one would then be able
to look even to the farthest horizon. Such was my experience, due to
my newly acquired extraordinary seeing power. But there was a
difference: as I focused my eyes on any point, that scene would zoom
into view and then pass on. It was as though stage curtains were being
raised one after another, and I could see an endless succession ofscenes
to the farthest limits.
I could not only look into the Cordilleras even when still at a
distance, but I could also see in all detail the isolated mountain ranges
rising above those interminable plains [Editorial expansion of the
conjecture "Brazil?"] (the mountains ofNew Granada, 104 ofVenezuela,
of the three Guyanas; those of Brazil, of Bolivia-to the remotest
boundaries).
[Editorial Addition II] I was thus able to verify the truth of the
words which I had heard at the beginning of my dream in the great hall
at the equator. For I could now peer into the very bowels ofmountains
and into the deepest recesses ofplains.
The incomparable [mineral] riches of the soil still awaiting
discovery were revealed to my gaze. I saw numerous mines of precious
metals, inexhaustible coal pits, petroleum deposits more abundant than
any discovered anywhere. And this was not all.
[Editorial insertion of the Marginal Note of Lemoyne B]
Between the 15th and the 20th degree there lay a very long inlet (seno,
valley?) that began at a point forming a lake. Then a voice spoke and
said repeatedly: "When mines will be dug in the depths of these
mountains (of that valley), then the promised land flowing with milk
and honey will be revealed here, and there will be inconceivable
wealth."
And that was not all. What surprised me most was to see that
at many points the Cordilleras opened up on regions the existence of
which is totally unknown to our geographers. They [mistakenly]
imagine that in those regions mountain ranges form a kind of sheer
104 The old Spanish territory of Colombia, a republic since 1819, was
divided, in 1830, into three republics: New Granada (now Colombia in the narrower
sense), Venezuela and Ecuador. Colombia retained the name of New Granada until
1858. It was then called Confederaci6n Granadina (1858-1963); Estados Unidos de
Colombia (1863-1886); finally simply Colombia [cf. New Catholic Encyclopedia III,
p. 1020).

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wall. In those inlets, in those valleys, which may be as long as one
thousand kilometers, live dense populations which have had as yet no
contact with Europeans, nations which are as yet completely
unknown.105
(2) Comments on the Texts of Lemoyne B and of Documenti
[On the Reworking of the Documenti Text] In the dream Don Bosco is traveling
south along the Cordilleras, and is able to see not only the mountains to his
right, but also those rising "over those interminable plains (Brazil?)." Does this
mean that he is actually looking across the great rain forest and focusing on the
spot in the Brazilian Plateau where Brasilia is located? The expansion of the
conjecture "Brazil?" to include all the nations of the northern half of South
America shows that in the editor's (and perhaps also in Don Bosco's) view the
focus is not on Brazil, nor on any particular region.
Moreover, as we read on in the Documenti version, we perceive that the
focus is actually on the Cordilleras. For he says that he was thus able to verify
the truth of the words he had heard in the great hall about their great mineral
resources: "Oh Cordilleras, Cordilleras, how rich are your eastern slopes!"106
The focus is still on the Cordilleras in the paragraph that follows,
where the marginal note of Lemoyne B is inserted after the remark on the
incomparable riches of the Andes, and between the repeated phrase, "And this
was not all." Don Bosco was amazed not only at the riches of the Cordilleras,
but also at their immense "inlets" (seni) or valleys, and at the large, as yet
undiscovered populations that Iived there.107
[On the Content of the Marginal Note] The (inserted) marginal note
deals with the astronomical-geographical position of the place, and with its great
mineral riches.
This feature is an "inlet" (seno, valley?) beginning at a point forming a
" lake" and lying "between the 15° and 2011• No longitude is given, nor is there
mention of any city.
Now, it is true that Brasilia is located at that latitude, some 1,500 miles
to the east of the Cordilleras, on Lake Brasilia. And it is also true that Brazil is
105 Documenii XXVI [ch. 37], p. 529s., FDBM 1090 A3s.
106 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment /, p. 69].
107 In Italian the word for "inlet," seno, as a geographical term, usually
means a body of ocean wending deeply inland [cf. Rigutini and Fanfani, Vocabolario
della Lingua Italiana. Firenze, G. Barbera, 1893, p. 1114]. Don Bosco uses the word
several times in connection with the mountains, perhaps (as here) not in the sense of
"ocean inlet" or "fjord," but in the sense of "valley."

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Journal of Salesian Studies
very rich in mineral resources. But, first of all, there is no feature in the area that
could be described as "a very wide 'inlet' (seno)." And secondly, such resources
are prevalently found outside the Federal District, and outside the State of Goyas
itself, in which the capital is Iocated.108
Moreover, in the light of what has been said above, it is far more
probable that Don Bosco was referring to some place situated at that latitude in
the Andean Cordilleras. Thus there was no need to specify its longitude. The
great Lake Titicaca, lying among the mighty Cordilleras astride the 162 latitude
south, and between Peru and Bolivia (with the city of La Paz immediately to the
southeast), is a feature which readily comes to mind. This lake is also situated at
the northernmost end of that immense valley (Altiplano) which extends some
500 miles between high mountain ranges, southward as far as Argentina.109 The
region is quite rich in mineral resources, though coal and petroleum are not to be
found. 110
Such considerations, however, are not intended to set up a rival claim
(since any claim would be inappropriate), but only to suggest that such
geographical dream images may have a quite natural explanation. What has been
said earlier should still be borne in mind-namely that information available to
Don Bosco about this area of the ancient Spanish domains explains the dream
images satisfactorily enough. The mention of coal and petroleum (where actually
there may be none) is also satisfactorily explained from the dreamer's culture.111
There is no need to resort to prophetic prediction and fulfillment.
[v] The Road out of Chile and Other Fantastic Highways
In Dream l/J, standing "on a vast plain situated between Chile and the
Argentine Republic," Don Bosco saw numerous fantastic highways, each
connecting with a Salesian foundation. One of these highways began in Chile
108 Brasilia is located at 15.472 latirude south and 47.55Rlongirude west.
As lo the location of significant mineral resources in Brazil-petroleum and
natural gas, for example, are principally lo be found in Recocavo (Bahia) and
Ologoas-Sergipe; coal deposits (generally low-grade) are found in Rio Grande do Sul
and Santa Catarina; iron is mined primarily in Minas Gerais and to a lesser degree in
Mato Grosso do Sul; manganese is abundant in Mato Grosso and less so in Amapa and
Minas Gerais. Precious metals, diamonds and other precious stones abound in Brazil,
but not significantly in the region of Bras ilia [cf. Encyclopedia Britannica-
Macropedia (15. ed., 1987), XV, p. 192 and 197f.].
109 Cf. Britannica Atlas (1986), p. 242f.
110 Hammond Citation World Atlas (1977), p. 137. The minerals indicated
for this region are: tin, tungsten, silver, gold, copper, lead, sulfur, antimony and
zinc. but not coal. And again petroleum is not found at this altirude.
111 Cf. note 82 and related text, above.

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and ended at "a house in which many Salesians confreres were engaged in study
and prayer, and in various trades and agriculture."112 It was inevitable that this
statement should be taken to refer to a house of formation; and that a specific
house should be regarded as fulfilling Don Bosco's "prophecy." Several
formation houses (such as those in Buenos Aires, Bahia Blanca, Fortin
Mercedes) would fulfill such requirements, especially that of being located at the
end of a dreamland road out of Chile. However, Fortin Mercedes is preferred
because of its position, for Don Bosco adds that "to the south lay Patagonia."
But one should note that Don Bosco saw all the Salesian houses and
missions, present and future, connected by the extraordinary network of roads.
He continues: "To the south lay Patagonia. In the opposite direction, I could see
all our houses in the Argentine Republic; and further in Uruguay, [...] in Brazil
[...]. With the eye I traveled those endless roads and had the clearest view of our
mission centers present and future. [...] I saw each one of our schools. 113
Among all these houses there would surely be found also a house of
formation!
In the same Dream Ill, "another very long road ran westward, crossed
rivers, seas and lakes, and ended in an unknown country," where only a couple of
Salesians could be seen. The Interpreter identifies this land as Mesopotamia, and
assures Don Bosco that there would be a future for the Salesian work even
there. 114 The northeastern Argentine province of Entre Rfos y Corrientes, in
spite of the name, lacks the prerequisites. The image is surely a vagary of the
dreamer's subconscious. Mesopotamia is mentioned also in Dream JV, in which
the mountain of the Angel of Arpachshad "at one time appeared to be the plain
of Mesopotamia, at another a very high mountain."115
In any case, there is no Salesian presence in "Mesopotamia" (Iraq).
[vi] Macao, the Lofty Mountain, and China
In discussing the text of Dream JV we noted Don Bosco's great interest
with regard to China. Lemoyne writes:
Note that up to the time of the dream, Don Bosco did not know who
Arpachshad was. After the dream he talked of nothing else. He had
someone search through biblical dictionaries, histories of nations,
works on geography, and periodicals, and finally discovered that the
Chinese are really the descendants of Arpachshad. Now he talks of
112 Lemoyne A [cf. Installment I, p. 85].
11 3 Lemoyne A [cf. Installment I, p. 85f.).
114 Lemoyne A [cf. Installment / , p. 86].
115 Lemoyne Report [cf. p. 9, above).

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Journal of Salesian Studies
nothing else. He even seems to think that soon we shall be invited to
China. In this belief, he is now wholly occupied with learning all he
can about the origin of those peoples.116
Indeed China and a couple of its cities form the chief interest of Dream IV. The
itinerary as itinerary may be overlooked, for, as mentioned above, these eighteen
(or fifteen) locations, which Lemoyne elicited from Don Bosco through
inquiry,ll 7 are most likely impromptu suggestions derived from the dreamer's
geographical lore. But China and Macao are named independently of the itinerary,
and are important for their association (after the fact) with the location of the
mountain of Arpachshad.
The geographical description of Macao and of the lofty mountain is
puzzling, to say the least. Macao is described as "lying at the entrance of a
limitless sea" (Appendix, Letter to Cagliero and Documenti, in the itinerary).
The lofty mountain is described as being "in the vicinity of' or "beyond Macao"
(Appendix and Letter to Cagliero), and "from which all of China could be
descried." (Letter to Cagliero).
Further, regarding Macao, Lemoyne also writes in Documenti (but not
in any of the earlier versions): "Don Bosco had heard in the dream the names of
the various regions; but could not recall them exactly. He referred to 'Macao' as
'Meaco'." Ceria repeats the comment in the Biographical Memoirs.118 It is
unlikely that Don Bosco, even in his debilitated state, would mispronounce the
name of a well-known city. What city then did Don Bosco have in mind, if he
realiy said "Meaco"?
In this regard, Ceria refers to an interpretation suggested by Mgr.
Vincent Cimatti. According to the late venerable and renowned missionary to
Japan, Meaco, or more accurately Myako, in Japanese designates "the imperial
city". In ancient times this was Kyoto, which, however, does not suit the
geographical description. In modern times (1869) the residence of the mikado
was transferred from Kyoto to Jedo (Tokyo), which, even though located at the
innermost end of a long bay, might be said to lie at the entrance of a limitless
sea (the Pacific Ocean). Mt. Fuji rises some 60 miles to the southwest and may
be thought of as the lofty mountain on which the angel stood, and from which
(with the mind's, if not with bodily eyes) one could espy China.119
116 Leiter to Cagliero [cf. p. 14, above]. Cf. also note 16 and related text,
above.
117 Cf. Leiter to Cagliero, p. 13, above.
11 8 Cf. IBM XVII, 646., from Documenti [vol.] XXX [ch. 51], p. 385, in
ASC 110, FDBM 1,112 C4.
119 Ceria, Annali I, p. 554.

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This is all very speculative. One should perhaps refrain from all such
interpretations, evidently sought for the purpose of showing prophetic
fulfillment. And one should bear in mind also that in real dreams images seen, as
well as words heard, can take on shifting, even absurd aspects. For instance,
Lemoyne reports Don Bosco as saying: "I saw different spectacles all at once,
and these continuously transformed the view which confronted me. At one time
it appeared to be the plain of Mesopotamia, at another a very high mountain.
The very mountain on which the angel stood took on continuously changing
forms."120
[vii] Peking and China
Don Bosco's interest in China surfaces again in Dream V-
understandable, for China had been very much on Don Bosco's mind since
Dream IV. Peking (Beijing) appears as the last station of the mission line that
extends from Santiago, through central Africa, to the Chinese capital. Now, at
the point where the children in the dream discern the word "Peking" written at
the far horizon, the Documenti text adds: "At that moment Don Bosco caught
sight of a great city. A wide river, spanned by a number of large bridges, flowed
through it."121
Don Bosco was serious about the C hina missions, and about Peking in
particular. In the last paragraph of his Spiritual Testament (dating from about the
same time as the dream) he writes:
In God's good time, our missions will be established in China, in
Peking to be exact. Let us not forget then that our purpose for going
there is [to care] for poor and abandoned children. There, among a
120 Lemoyne Report and Letter to Cagliero [cf. p. 9 and 14, above].
121 Cf. note 53, above. The Biographical Memoirs follow Documenti [cf.
IBM XVIII, 73).
This detail, lacking in the original Viglietti Report, as well as in the
Viglietti Letter as we know it, and lacking also in succeeding transcriptions of the
Viglietti chronicle, appears to be of doubtful inspiration. Desramaut remarks that this
was the way Beijing was described in the literature since Marco Polo [cf. Desramaut,
Etudes VIII (Cahiers), 122, note 81). And one may also add that Beijing "is not placed
on any navigable river" [Encyclopedia Britannica (1953), XVII, p. 445). The Yong
ding He which flows through Beijing, and on which the Marco Polo Bridge is built,
is a minor river [cf. Encyclopedia Britannica (15th ed., 1987) XVI, p. 42; XXV, p.
46 1) .

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people as yet unknown and ignorant of the true God, God will work
marvels beyond belief for all the world to see.122
According to a comment by Lemoyne in Documenti, Don Bosco in Dream V
predicted a great triumph for the Congregation in China. The scene is set in the
Chinese capital:
Oh, the time will come when the Salesians will be established in
China, and will assemble on the banks of the river that flows by
Peking! From various regions of the Great [Celestial] Empire they will
gather together on the left bank; and likewise on the right bank, from
various parts of Tatary. How glorious a day that will be for our
Congregation, when [Salesians] from one side and [Salesians] from the
other will meet and shake hands! But time is in God's powert123
One cannot say whether Don Bosco's dream vision of Salesians meeting at the
Yong ding He, which flows by Beijing, from various parts of the Celestial
Empire (south) and of Tatary (north) will ever be fulfilled. In his "Letter from
Peking," the Salesian Rector Major, Fr. E. Vigano, in the small Salesian
presence in mainland China today sees a token that Don Bosco's dream shall be
fulfilled. 124 Certainly the kind of Salesian presence envisioned in these texts
was not realized in the establishment of the Salesian work in Macao (1906), or
in Shangai (1924 and again 1933), or in Hong Kong (1927), or in Taiwan
(1936); nor was it realized with the missions of Heung Shan (1911) and Shan
(1917). As is well known, the Salesian work in mainland China was totally
obliterated in 1951, when the Communists gained full control of the country.
122 Francesco Motto, Memorie dal 1841 al 1884-5-6 pel Sac. Gio. Bosco a'
suoi figlioli salesiani (Testamenlo spirituale) (Piccola Biblioteca dell'Istituto Storico
Sa!esiano, 4). Roma: LAS, 1985, p. 59 (paragraph "L'avvenire"). [Cited as Motto,
TestamentoJ
123 Documenti [cf. p. 26, above].
124 E. Vigano, "From Peking towards 88," in Acts of the General Council
1987: #323, p. 3-23, especially p. 8-10.
Fr. Vigano quotes the passage in question from the Biographical Memoirs
with his accustomed critical accuracy. One wonders why the English translation is not
equally accurate: "When the Salesians get to China, they will find themselves on both
banks of the Peking River. One group will come to the left bank through the heart of
the country. The other group will come to the right bank from the coastlands [...]"
[Ibid., p. 9). But Don Bosco said (according to Lemoyne): "the river that flows by
Peking;" "from parts of the Great Empire;" "from parts of Tatary." Why make him say
something different?

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But words such as these are evidence of Don Bosco's indomitable
missionary heart and wilt.125
II . Central Significance of Don Bosco's Missionary Dreams
1. "The Harvest Entrusted to the Salesians:" Hopes and
Possibilities for the Mission
As noted above, the missionary dreams may truly be said to be precognitive or
revelatory, in the sense that they project Don Bosco missionary hopes and
desires. They open up vistas of possibilities and opportunities for the Salesian
work in the near or distant future. Don Bosco understood them to be revelatory
in this sense; and his narrative interpretations as well as his reported comments
on the various dreams are proof of this understanding. Certain added remarks on
the part of the Salesians to whom the narration was addressed also bear this out.
Although all these interpretative elements have already been given with
the text of the dream narratives, they deserve to be recalled; and we will do so
without comment.
[Don Bosco on Dream /] The impression the dream had made on me,
and the intimations it had left with me, were such that it could not be
disregarded; especially since, as past experience had taught me, what I
had seen might well come to pass. Meanwhile, we began to talk about
the Argentine Republic. [...] I gathered data, made inquiries, sought
information, and soon reached the certain conclusion that the people I
had seen were the Patagonian natives dwelling in the southern regions
of that republic. From then on I entertained no further doubt as to where
my concern and my efforts should be directed.126
[Lemoyne of Don Bosco, Dream /] In the wake of this dream,
Don Bosco felt the old yearning of his heart stirring back to life. The
missions have now become a priority in his thinking.127
125 In the same Dream V, on the mission line from central Africa to Peking,
specific mention is made also of Hong Kong, Calcutta and Madagascar. Again
"prophetic fulfillment" was claimed when Salesian foundations were established in
Hong Kong in 1927 (as already noted), Calcutta in 1933 and Madagascar in 1981.
This, in spite of the fact that (as Don Bosco objected) these places were inhabited by
"savages who feed on human flesh, [...] heretics, [...] persecutors" [cf. p. 23, above].
126 Barberis Report [cf. Installment I, p. 49).
127 Lemoyne Report [cf. Installment I, p. 51].

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[Don Bosco on Dream I] True, [the dream's) specific meaning
eluded me, but I understood that it had to do with the foreign missions,
a project which all along had been my fondest wish.128
[Interpreter to Don Bosco, Dream II] From the mountains to
the ocean lies the harvest entrusted to the Salesians. These thousands
and millions of people are waiting for your help, waiting for the
faith. 129
[Interpreter to Don Bosco, Dream II] All this will be
accomplished before the end of the second generation. [...] Not counting
the present generation-two generations [of 60 years each] from
now.130
[Interpreter to Don Bosco, Dream II] We are going to travel
along the Cordilleras. But the road to the east also is open to you, as far
as the [Atlantic] ocean. It is another gift from the Lord.131
[Don Bosco, Dream II] I was amazed at the progress made by
the Catholic Church, by our Congregation, and by civilization in those
[southernmost] regions. I thanked divine Providence for deigning to
make use of me as an instrument for God's greater glory and for the
salvation of souls.132
[Interpreter to Don Bosco, Dream II] At intervals large tribes
of savages appeared on the river banks; and at each appearance the
young man would point out: "There's the harvest, there's the harvest
entrusted to the Salesians." Then we came to a region which was full of
wild beasts and poisonous reptiles. Here also my guide turned to me
and, pointing to those beasts, explained: "The Salesians will tame
them." 133
[Don Bosco on Dream III] All this was destined to be the
harvest reserved for the Salesians. I realized that the Salesians are now
just sowing the seed. Those who will come after us will gather in the
harvest. Men and women will join our ranks and will become preachers
themselves[...] .134
[Priest-Interpreter to Don Bosco, Dream III] All those people
were now assembled on that vast plain which lay between Chile and
128 Documenti [cf. Installment I, p. 54] .
129 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 72f.].
130 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 73].
l3l Ibid.
132 Lemoyne B-Appendix X [cf. Installment I, p. 78].
133 Lemoyne B-Appendix X [cf. Installment I, p. 79 and 80].
134 Lemoyne A [cf. Installment I, p. 86f.].

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Argentina. [...] He approached me, and with an amiable and courteous
gesture said: "These are the souls and these are the lands assigned to the
sons of St. Francis de Sales."135
[Hall of Glory, Dream III] The number and variety of the
people assembled in the hall project the future possibilities and the
success of the Salesian mission.136
[Don Bosco's comment on the islands of "Australia," Dream
IV] It seems to me that, globaIJy speaking, this indicated God's
intention of entrusting a portion of the evangelical mission field to the
Salesians, some time in the future.137
[Don Bosco's comment on Dream IV] If I could embalm and
preserve about fifty of our present Salesians, they would see, 500 years
hence, the stupendous future which divine Providence has in store for
us-if we are faithful. Within 150 or 200 years the Salesians could
become the masters of the whole world.138
[Lemoyne of Don Bosco, Dream IV] [Don Bosco] saw all the
countries in which the Salesians are called [to work] in times to come.
This was in the form of a lightning-quick journey [.. .].139
[Viglietti of Don Bosco, Dream V] This morning Don Bosco
summoned me, Fr. Rua, and Fr. Branda, and with great emotion and
copious tears described for us the future of the Society. He saw it in a
dream [...].140
[Maiden to Don Bosco, on the mission line, Dream V] "Trace
one line [...] from Peking to Santiago; fix a midpoint in the center of
Africa, and you will have a good idea of what the Salesians are called to
do.'•141
[The two mission lines, Dream V] The lines, Santiago-Central
Africa and Central Africa-Peking, of ten mission centers each, reinforce
the projection of a worldwide expansion of the Salesian work.142
135 Lemoyne A [cf. Installment /, p. 87).
136 Cf. Lemoyne A [cf. /nstallmenl I, p. 89f.].
137 Lemoyne Report and Letter to Cagliero [cf. p. 10 & p. 15, above].
138 Lemoyne Report and Letter to Cagliero [cf. p. 10 & p. 15, above].
139 Appendix and Letter to Cagliero [cf. p. 11 & p. 13 above]
140 Viglietti Report [cf. p. 20, above].
141 Viglietti Report [cf. p. 22, above)
142 Viglietti Report [cf. p. 23, above].

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Journal of Salesian Studies
[Viglietti, comment on Dream V] This, however is only a
sketch of a magnificent and protracted vision depicting the history and
splendid future which God has in store for the Salesians.143
The persistent refrain sounded in these passages on the theme of the Salesian
mission clearly underscores the basic meaning of the missionary dreams.
2. Symbolizing the Vocation-Mission of the Salesian Society on
a Global Scale
It appears, therefore, that the true significance of Don Bosco's missionary dreams
is to be found in the fact that, through a marvelous array of special images, they
symbolize the vocation-mission of the Salesian Society, which is a continuation
on a global scale of Don Bosco's own vocation-mission. By expressing the
hopes and possibilities of this mission, these dreams delineate a "project" taking
shape in Don Bosco's deepest self, aimed at developing and evangelizing all
peoples, potentially, through the specific apostolate of the Salesian Society.
What was this project like? P. Braido, in describing Don Bosco's
"project" for the building of a Christian society, discusses its essential
coordinates: the primacy of the "spiritual" and of a religion-based salvation; the
option for the young at risk and for the poor which inspires the mission and
dictates its strategies; a work of collaboration involving many and diverse forces.
These approaches to the mission operate within even larger frameworks:
evangelization and civilization working in concert; valuation and role of young
people-all aiming at the total development of society.144
Perhaps even more germane to our point is J. Borrego's study of the
Keepsakes (Ricardi) given by Don Bosco to the first missionaries. The author
notes of how th e same themes reappear in Don Bosco' s missionary
correspondence. As to basic motivation or inspiration of the mission, the main
themes are: seeking souls; inter-relation of religion and civilization; heaven, the
ultimate reward. With respect to ascetic practice and the spiritual life, the stress
is on: disregarding personal interests; fraternal charity; work and temperance,
religious observance. Elements of a special pastoral methodology are also
143 Viglielli Leller [cf. p. 24, above].
144 Pietro Braido, ll progello operativo di Don Bosco e l' utopia della
sociela crisliana. (Quademi di Salesianum, 6). Roma: LAS, 1982, esp. p. 7-12, 18-
28. [Cited as Braido, Progetto]

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found-in particular: preferential option for the young and the needy; a
"Salesian" attitude towards authorities; points of missionary strategy.145
F. Desramaut, in an essay on Don Bosco's missionary thought as
expressed in his writings and discourses, finds a number of important
components-in particular: a theology of the Reign of God; an ecclesiology; a
soteriology; a conception of the complementary relationship between religion
and civilization; a pastoral methodology for the mission. With particular
reference to Don Bosco's missionary dreams he writes: "One may find in them
not only predictions of the future (as is usually done), but also some of the
saint's most deeply rooted convictions."146
True, the ideas and convictions do not appear in the missionary dreams
in a systematic fashion, for after all, in spite of their more or less developed
narrative interpretation and of the many interpretative comments connected with
it, we are dealing with dreams. Yet we have here a very special expression,
through image and word, of Don Bosco's deepest apostolic concerns and of his
missionary vocation-which is also the vocation-mission of the Salesian
Society. I believe that therein lies the true significance of these dreams.
Four themes in particular appear to be worthy of attention: (1) "Give
me souls"-the absolute priority of the mission; (2) preferential option for the
young and the poor and the missionary strategy arising therefrom; (3) total
human development through complementary union of religion and civilization-
the aim of the mission; (4) points for a Salesian missionary spirituality.
[i] Salvation of Souls through Evangelization:
Absolute Priority of the Mission14 7
The salvation of souls, signified in the motto, "Da mihi animas,
coetera tolle," was the prime mover of Don Bosco's whole life and action. It was
also the great charge given to the Salesian Society for its mission, as well as the
stated absolute priority for its missionary activity. It was also the first of the
twenty keepsakes given to the first departing missionaries: "Seek souls-not
money, honors or preferment."148
145 Jesus Borrego, Recuerdos de San Juan Bosco a los primeros
missioneros (Piccola Biblioteca dell'Istituto Storico Salesiano, 2). Roma: LAS,
1984, esp. p. 16-40. [Cited as Borrego, Recuerdos]
146 Francis Desramaut, "II Pensiero missionario di Don Bosco (Dagli scritti
e discorsi del 1870-1885)," in Missioni Sa/esiane 1875-1975, a cura di Pietro Scotti.
Roma: LAS, 1977, p. 49-61; quote, p. 51. [Cited as Desramaut, Pensiero]
147 Cf. Braido, Progello, p. 7f.. 25f.; Borrego, Recuerdos, p.17f., 32f.,
35ff.
148 J. Borrego, Recuerdos , p.43; cf. EBM XI, 364.

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In the great reception hall at the equator, in Dream JI, Don Bosco (as he
wrote in his own hand) heard the shocking account of the spiritual abandonment
of so many souls, and of the apathy of Christian Europe-a conversation that
obviously verbalized his own deepest feelings:
A great number of savages in Australia, in India, in Africa, and
particularly in America, still lie buried in the shadows of death. [...]
Christian Europe, the great teacher of civilized living and of the
Catholic faith, seems to have grown apathetic with regard to the foreign
missions. Few have the courage to brave long voyages to unknown
[lands] to save the souls of those millions of souls [sic] that were
nonetheless redeemed by the Son of God, Jesus Christ.149
The allegory of the figs, played out in the same hall in Dream JI, symbolized the
purpose and the priorities of the mission: "You should know that for these figs
to ripen you have to reattach them to the tree. [...] By sweat and by blood will
the savages be returned to the tree and be made pleasing to the Lord of life."150
The evangelizing activity of the Salesian missionaries will bring in a
great harvest for God. The great gathering of the saved in the hall of glory of
Dream III stands as a unique and impressive image of the Salesian missionary
harvest. That numberless throng, people of every race and tongue, are gathered
for the celebration of a grand heavenly liturgy. Shouting and hymning as one,
they voice Don Bosco's own deepest conviction: that the Christian salvation of
people through evangelization, the hastening of the blessed reign of God, and
heaven as the ultimate reward, are the true reason and the first aim of all
missionary activity.
First choir: "The Kingdom of God is upon us: let heaven be glad and let
the earth rejoice, for the Lord has reigned over us, alleluia!" Second
choir: "They conquered, and the Lord himself shall give them to eat of
the tree of life, and they shall never again be hungry, alleluia!" Third
choir: "Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol him, all peoples!"
etc. 151
149 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 69].
150 Ibid., p. 73.
151 Lemoyne A [cf. Installment I, p. 90].
Commenting on this passage (and on Dream Ill) Desramaut writes: 'This is
Fr. Lemoyne's reconstruction of the narration he had heard from Don Bosco [...]. Fr.
Lemoyne was not above descanting on Don Bosco's words, but never would he create
a scene such as this on his own authority. One may therefore be confident that Don

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[ii] Don Bosco's Option for the Young and the Mission
Don Bosco's vocational option was from the start for "poor and
abandoned" young people, and for the poor generally. The "savages" (Don
Bosco's usual tenn for natives to be evangelized), and their children in particular,
certainly belong to that category. This option "finds its most perfect realization
in the missions, since, in Don Bosco's thinking, the indigence of the 'savages'
is infinitely greater than that of young people who are poor and at risk."152
In his Spiritual Testament, Don Bosco wrote: "People of the world will
be happy to welcome us as long as our concern and care are for the savages, for
the children who are poorest and most at risk in society."153
For Don Bosco, then, the missions are first and foremost his heart's
response to the cry of young people in need and at risk. And that is what they
ought to be for his Salesians. This is given touching expression in Dream IV:
A great number of children lived on those islands. They were trying to
cross over to us, but were prevented from reaching us by the great
distances and by the [stretches of] water that lay between. Yet they were
holding their hands out toward us and crying: "Come and help us! Why
do you not finish the work which your fathers began?" Many of the
children gave up. But some of them, making their way with great effort
through the midst of ferocious wild beasts, joined the Salesians (none
of whom I recognized) and began to sing: "Benedictus qui venit in
nomine Domini."154
Similarly, reporting Don Bosco's narration of Dream V, Viglietti writes:
He heard the noisy uproar of a great throng of children. [...] Of a
sudden , the noisy voices were drowned out by alarming shouts, as
though some serious mishap had befallen them. He finally caught sight
of a large group of youngsters. They ran up and gathered around him.
They kept saying: "We waited such a long time for you. Finally you
are with us, and we will not let you go away."155
Bosco did indeed speak those Jines, even if, in all likelihood, in a Latin less correct.
[Desramaut, Pensiero, p. 5lf., note 9)
152 Braido, Progello, p. 25 .
153 Motto, Teslamenlo, p. 59 (paragraph "L'avvenire").
154 Lemoyne Report [cf. p. 10, above) .
155 Viglielli Report [cf. p. 21, above].

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To his departing missionaries Don Bosco had recommended: "Take special care
of the sick, the children, the aged and the poor [...].156
To parallel Don Bosco's preferential option for young people there is a
new pastoral methodology and a new missionary strategy which enlists young
people as partners in the mission, that is, as mediators of the faith to their
families, to their tribes. This strategy proceeds from an entirely original and
creative insight-namely, that the young are to be evangelized and educated, not
merely to safeguard the moral order of society, nor merely to restore them in
recognition of their personal worth, but also to enable and empower them for
their God-given role in society. Thus the young, once evangelized and educated,
become the agents through whom Christian society is built up anew or
restored. 157 An aspect of this role, in a missionary setting, is their mediation of
the faith to their people. ·
In Don Bosco's memorandum to Card. Alexander Franchi of May 10,
1876, the strategy is clearly, if idealistically, set forth:
The course of action (progetto) that seemed best to adopt was to
establish shelters, schools, hostels, and [other] educational institutes on
the borderlands of the savages. Once the children are brought into an
educational setting, contact with the parents would be facilitated, and
gradually the way to their savage tribes would be opened. [...] Seven
from among our older native pupils have already asked to study for the
priesthood. It is their desire (so they say) to return [to their tribe] and
convert their families still in the savage state.158
The concept occurs in Dream III at several points. After being shown the "great
number of savages" inhabiting the southern regions, "the harvest reserved for the
Salesians," Don Bosco comments: "Men and women will join our ranks and will
become preachers themselves. Their very children, whom it now seems
impossible Lo convert to the faith, will become the evangelizers of their families
and friends." A little later, in the hall of glory, the Interpreter explains to Don
Bosco that "People from foreign lands, savages, who drank the milk of divine
teaching from their educators have themselves become proclaimers of the Word
of God." Again in the hall, when Don Bosco asks about a group of strange-
looking children, he is told: "These are the reinforcements who will guarantee
156 Fifth keepsake: Borrego, Recuerdos, p. 43; cf. EBM XI, 364.
157 Braido, Progetto, p. 22-24.
158 Ceria, Ep III, p. 59.
The strategy is also set forth in nearly identical terms in the essay on
Patagonia under the heading of Nuovo Progetto [cf. Borrego, Patagonia, p. 161f.].

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the continuance of the reign of God which has been established also among
us." 159
Don Bosco had already seen the children in that role in Dream I. As he
was wondering how those "brutal people" could be converted, he relates: "At that
moment I saw a small group of missionaries, different from the former,
advancing with cheerful mien toward [the savages], preceded by a band of
youngsters. [...] I realized that their arrival was causing widespread joy among
that throng of barbarians."160
Thus it is that young people play an important role in all but the
second of the five missionary dreams.
[iii] Complementary Relationship between Civilization
and Religion: Total Human Development
By civilization Don Bosco meant an evolved condition of society in
which education, science, the arts, agriculture, industry, commerce, etc. flourish
together in an harmonious manner-obviously, for him, in the European
manner. He believed that such a desirable development could not be obtained
except through the Christian religion and the Christian way of life.
Consequently, missionary activity had to aim at implanting the Christian faith
together with the civilized way of life in complementary fashion-at developing
a "Christian civilization." What he had in mind, in spite of his "European bias,"
was the total human development of the natives, or (in modern terms) human
promotion and evangelization jointly.161
In the "Conclusion" of his essay on Patagonia, to stress the urgency of
the mission among those natives, Don Bosco writes:
Who would not weep at the thought that several million human beings
are still totally ignorant of the Christian faith, and lack in fact any idea
of religion and of the moral law, and lie buried in the shadow of death?
[...] They have neither civilization, nor government, nor industry, nor
agriculture, nor commerce. Among them brute force decides all
questions [...].They allow their children to die. They refuse to educate
them. They have no concept of marriage [...].They are continuously at
war, killing and slaughtering each other. In many instances they feed on
human flesh. [...] Now God in his goodness wills to free from Satan's
cruel slavery these poor people who from the depth of their misfortune
159 Lemoyne A [cf. Installment I, p. 87 and 89).
160 Barberis Report [cf. Installment I, p. 48).
161 Cf. texts cited in: Desrarnaut, Pensiero, p. 55-57; Braido, Progetto, p.
26; Borrego, Recuerdos, p. 19-21.

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are crying out to the Lord: "O God of love and mercy, free us from the
evils that enslave us; send also to us that gospel light with which other
peoples have for many centuries been blessed."162
It is in this frame of mind that Don Bosco concluded his narrative of Dream II
with the comment:
At first the task of converting the savages to Christian morals will be a
most difficult one; but their children will most willingly accept the
teachings of the missionaries. Through them colonies [settlements] will
be founded; civilization will replace barbarism; and a great number of
savages will enter the fold of Jesus Christ.163
Earlier in the same Dream II, when Don Bosco inquired about the building and
other materials he saw heaped up at the Straits of Magellan, the Interpreter
replied: "This is all at the planning stage. But these savages will one day become
so docile that they will freely come to be taught religion, civilized living, and
commerce." 164
The close relationship between religion and social-economic life is
expressed in Dream ll/, in an interesting comment on the migration of
Europeans to America. Don Bosco says: "From the moment that churches began
to be plundered in Europe in 1854? [sic], from that moment commerce began to
decline----and it will continue to decline." 165
We referred, above, to Don Bosco's "European bias." Obviously, as a
man of his times, Don Bosco suffered from common missiological prejudices,
two of which are very serious indeed.
The first of these may be called, for lack of a better term, the "European
bias." This was the deeply-rooted conviction (unquestioned at the time) that
"civilization" was Europe's exclusive prerogative; and that consequently, if
native people were to be civilized as well as evangelized, they would also have to
be "Europeanized." This is acculturation in one direction; and it is a kind of
colonial ideology, generally accepted then, and not quite dead even now (if the
designation "European" is replaced by "Western"). The remark overheard in the
hall in Dream II, and reported by Don Bosco in his own hand, immediately
comes to mind: "Europe, Christian Europe, the great teacher of civilized living
162 Borrego, Patagonia, p. 165.
163 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 78).
164 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 76f.].
165 Lemoyne A, marginal note [cf. Installment I, p. 87).

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and of the Catholic faith, seems to have grown apathetic with regard to the
foreign missions."l 66
The second handicap, which was typical of conservative Catholic
thinking at the time, and which P. Braido describes as "the most dated and
impermanent aspect of Don Rosco's 'project'," was the outmoded model of
Christian society hoped for-one which, practically speaking, involved a return
to the ancien regime.167
True, Don Bosco was not one to be guided inflexibly by theoretical
models. He would be supple enough to recognize the signs of the times.
Nonetheless, of itself, such thinking could ultimately defeat the effort at that
total human development which was the supreme desire of his missionary heart.
But even with these drawbacks, the missionary dreams reveal a Don
Bosco aflame with the most intense moral and religious inspiration for the
mission. Not only do they evidence a burning zeal on his part to hasten the
coming of God's reign; they also affirm his total commitment to making a more
richly human life, as well as Christian salvation, available to all of God's
children.
[iv] A Salesian Missionary Spirituality 168
Don Bosco's missionary spirituality comes to the fore in the dream
narratives we have been considering more through the spirit which pervades them
than through worded spiritual teaching or advice. But even this latter element is
not lacking, though it appears only incidentally and in an unsystematic way.
Yet, when these reflective lines and comments are taken together, they add up to
what may be regarded as a little directory for a Salesian missionary spirituality.
I shall transcribe them here without comment.
166 Lemoyne B, Don Bosco's aulograph marginal note [cf. Installment /, p.
68].
P. Braido [Progello, p. 26f.), in discussing the matter, remarks lhat Don
Bosco's ideas would nol have differed greally from lhose expressed (with involuntary
irony) in a report on the third Salesian missionary sending which was published in
the newspaper L' Unita callolica. As quoted in the Salesian Bulletin it reads in part: "It
is a matter of bringing to the natives there our mild customs, our knowledge, our
gentle way of living; of going among people who have no moral standards (costume) ,
live without law, and are ignorant even of the things most needed for a human life"
[Bollellino Salesiano 1 (1877:2) p. 7, in ASC 73 Bollettino, FDBM 106 Ell).
167 Braido, Progello, p. lOf.
168 For a descriplion of Don Bosco's missionary spirituality, applicable
also to the missionary dream narralives, cf. Borrego, Recuerdos, p. 23-3 1.

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Journal of Salesian Studies
By sweat and by blood will the savages be returned to the tree and be
made pleasing to the Lord of life. [Dream IT] 169
With the gentleness of St. Francis de Sales will the Salesians
succeed in drawing the peoples of [South] America to Jesus Christ.
[Dream ll]170
Not with worldly wisdom, not with good health (sanita), not
with wealth, but with zeal and prayer, will you be able to do much
good and to further the glory of God and the salvation of souls. [Dream
///] 171
I realized that the Salesians are now just sowing the seed.
Those who will come after us will gather in the harvest. [...] The
Salesians will succeed in bringing this about through humility, work
and temperance. [Dreaml/1]172
The important thing is that the Salesians do not yield to love
of ease and shrink from work. [...] If they do not surrender to the vice of
gluttony, they will have a long future assured. [Dream IV] 173
Their labors will bear fruit, because the Lord will stand by
them always-provided they will not prove unworthy. [Dream!V]174
Do not fret. This is for your sons to accomplish, for your
sons' sons, and for their sons after them. Only, hold the line firmly.
[Dream V]175
Be on your guard against the error that is so common today-
the free mingling by those who cultivate human knowledge with those
who pursue divine knowledge. Heavenly wisdom must avoid contact
with earthly wisdom. [Dream V]176
[This is a] very important piece of advice affecting the future
of our missions: let the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of
169 Lemoyne B [cf. Installment I, p. 73).
170 Don Bosco's concluding comment, Lemoyne B [cf. Installment / , p.
78) .
171 Don Bosco's dream advice to his departing missionaries, Lemoyne A
[cf. Installment /, p. 85).
In later drafts this passage was rephrased: "Not with worldly wisdom, but
with holiness (santita); not with wealth, but with zeal and prayer [...].
172 Lemoyne A [cf. Installment/, p. 87).
173 Lemoyne Report [cf. p. 10, above].
174 Lemoyne Report [cf. p. 10, above].
175 Viglietti Report [cf. p. 22, above].
176 Viglietti Report [cf. p. 23, above].

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Don Bosco's Mission Dreams II
59
Christians make evert effort to promote priestly and religious
vocations. [DreamJII]l 7
One thing above all must be observed and recommended-that
my children practice Mary's [characteristic] virtue always. [Dream
V]l78
I realized that they were reciting the rosary, missionaries and
savages, peaceably together. After a while one of the missionaries
intoned the [hymn], "Praise Mary, Ye Faithful Tongues;" then everyone
with one voice joined in the song. [Dream !]179
Fidelity even to the sacrifice of one's life; Salesian gentleness; zeal and prayer;
asceticism of work and temperance; religious observance;fuga mundi; vocations;
Mary's virtue; devotion to Mary-this is a compendium of missionary
spirituality.
Conclusion
In the foregoing discussion of Don Bosco's five missionary dreams, I have
sought to delineate the historical and cultural context out of which Don Bosco's
missionary vocation was shaped and out of which the dreams subsequently arose.
It has been my special concern, with the help of archival sources, to trace the
editorial process, and to present a reliable text, for each dream narrative. In the
interpretative comments that close the present essay, harking back to the
principles outlined in the general introduction (Installment !), I have tried to
describe what might, or what might not be, the true significance of these dreams.
To this end the dreams were seen as expressions of Don Bosco's and the Salesian
Society's vocation-mission.
I should like to emphasize in conclusion that these dreams do not
merely project Don Bosco's hopes for an enduring worldwide Salesian
apostolate, but also articulate (albeit under prophetic caution) his certainty about
the success of his great life's project. It is because of such certainty on the
Founder's part that these, perhaps more than other dreams, have served as
encouragement and reassurance to his spiritual children. Generations of Salesians
the world over have referred back to these dreams and have rightly seen in them a
confirmation of their own apostolate.
After all, they have Don Bosco's word: "We shall always find favor,
even in the eyes of evil people, because our special apostolate is such that it
177 Closing comment, Lemoyne A [cf. Installment /, p. 9 1] .
178 Viglietti Report [cf. p. 23, above].
179 Barberis Report [cf. Installment I, p. 49].

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caJls forlh everyone's good will, of good and bad people alike."180 And they
have his promise (delivered with a note of triumph?) that "they will see the
stupendous future which divine Providence has in store for us-if we are faithful.
Within 150 or 200 years the Salesians could be masters of the whole world."181
Salesians may rest assured that this certainty arose neither from human
calculation, nor from clever deduction, nor from perceiving and seizing the
opportunity in given historical moments. Rather, it sprang for Don Bosco's very
vocation and from the illumination that accompanied it, because of his fidelity.
These dreams are instances of such illumination, and the light which they shed
on the Salesian Society for its mission is the light that emanates from the very
mission of the Founder.
180 Dream N, Concluding comment, Lemoyne Report [cf. p. 10, above].
181 /bid.