3-A.-Lenti-Don-Boscos-Vocation-Mission-Dreams%281991%29


3-A.-Lenti-Don-Boscos-Vocation-Mission-Dreams%281991%29

1 Pages 1-10

▲back to top

1.1 Page 1

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission
Dream-Its Recurrence And
Significance
Arthur J . Lentl, SOB
Introduction
Don Bosco's vocation dreams hold an important place in Don Bosco's
vocational development and in the process by which his lifework was determined
and specified. Beginning with the original vocation dream (the Becchi or
Morialdo Dream of 1824/5) these dreams appear to punctuate the development of
his vocation and apostolate up to the settling in of his work of the oratory at
Valdocco. In his autobiographical Memoirs , 1 Don Bosco confesses that, at the
l Mss. held at the Archivio Saluiano Ctntrale, Via dclla Pisana, Rome, Italy [cited as ASC], the
Don Bosco files of which (Fondo Don Bosco) arc reproduced in microfiches [cited IS FDBMicro]:
Mtmcrit ckll'OraJorio di S. Francuco di Salu dal 1815 al 1855, writtcn in the mid-seventies. Don
Bosco's original manuscript: ASC 132: Autografi-Oratorio, "Memorie[a] dell'Oratorio...," FDBMicro 51-60
[cited as MO-DB]; Father Joachim Berto's copy, with Don Bosco's correction and additions: Ibid., FDBMicro 60-
63 [cited IS MO-B er].
This worl< was written by Don Bosco following a suggestion, and lalet a command, from Pius IX. It
describes the origin and establishment of the worl< of the oratory up to 1855, beginning with Don Bosco'•
childhood. Its chief purpose (so Don Bosco states) was to acquaint the Salesians with "how God himself has
always been our guide." Internal evidence would indicate that the bulk of Don Bosco's rough copy WIS set down
in writing between 1873 and 1875; and the rest perhaps in the few yeazs that followed. Berto'• copy, most of it
revised by Don Bosco, WIS produced not Jong after that, since it can be shown that Fr. John Bonetti made use of
parts of it for his serial History of the Oratory, published in the Sa ltsian Bulletill, beginning with January 1879.
Italian edition: San Giovanni Bosco, Mtmcrit ckll'Oratorio di S. Francesco di Sa lts dal 1815 al
1855, ed. Eugene Ceria. Torino: SEI, 1946 [cited as MO-Ce].

1.2 Page 2

▲back to top
46
Journal of Salesian Studies
time of the occurrences of his dreams, he was reluctant to put any faith in them.
Eventually, however, he was led to believe that through them God was calling
him to a special kind of apostolate on behalf of youth. 2
English edition: M•moirs of tlu Oratory of Saint Francis lk Sales from 1815 to 1855: Th•
Autobiography of Saint John Bosco, tr. by Daniel Lyons, with notes and commentary by Eugenio Ceria,
Lawrence Castelvecchi and Michael Mendl. New Rochelle, New Yorlc: Don Bosco Publications, 1989 [cited as
MO-En] .
Other sources cited:
Diocesan Process of Beatification: Proassus ordinarius curiae tauriMnsis [cited as POCT], in ASC
161: Deposizioni dei Testi, FDBMicro 2,IOOff. (to be specified).
Summary of Diocesan Process: Processus Ordinarius, Positio supu introductioM causa•,
Summarium ti Litt•ra• Postulatoria. [cited as POS], in ASC 163: Processo... Documenti ufficiali stampati,
FDBMicro 2,212ff. (to be specified).
[G. B. Lemoyne], Docwn<nti per scriver• la storia di D. Giovanni Bosco, lkll' Oratorio di San
Francesco di Sales• lklla CongregazioM Salesiana, 45 volumes [1885ff.] [cited as Doc], in ASC 110:
Cronachette-Lemoyne-Documenti, FDBMicro 966ff. (to be specified).
A note of explanation as to the nature of this much-cited worlc may be of help to the reader. When
Fr. John Baptist Lemoyne was recalled to Turin as secretary in 1883, he began to bring together source material
on Don Bosco and his work (collected by him and others over many years) and to edit it in view of a large
biognphy. The collection began to take printed shape in 1885, and eventually reached forty-five large volumes.
The Documenti were printed for private use in single copy. The first 40 volumes of the Docwn<nti contain
material distributed chronologically over the years 1815-1890. To these were added 4 volumes collecting
additional material covering the same period. (A forty-fifth and last volume contains material pertaining to the
Bosco-Gastaldi controversy.) New material was entered at different times, for each page contains only one
column, printed on separate paper and glued on the blank page of the folio register. This column is only 60 mm.
wide, set off center to the right on the page, thus leaving ample room for further entries. Lemoyne continued to
affix in their proper place additional items from various sources: handwritten notes, newspaper clippings,
magazine articles, etc. In time each volume took on the form of a scrap book. The work is the forerunner of the
Biographical Memoirs and served as their immediate basic source.
Giovanni Battista Lemoyne, Angelo Amadei and Eugenio Ceria, Memorie Biograjiche di Don
Giovanni Bosco, 19 volumes. San Benigno Canavese: Scuola Tipografica Llbraria Salesiana; Torino: Tipognfia
S.A.I.D., S.E.I., 1898-1938 [cited as IBM]. Lemoyne is the author of the first nine volumes, of which the first
two (1898 and 1901) cover the period of the vocation dreams.
The first fifteen volumes have been translated into English as, Th• Biographical M•moirs of St. John
Bosco, vol. I-XV, Diego Borgatello, Editor-in-Chief. New Rochelle, New York: Salesiana Publishers, 1965-1988
[cited as EBM].
Other worlcs cited: P. Stella, Don Bosco Mila storia lklla r•ligiositd cattolica, vol. I: Vita• Op•r•, 2.
ed.; vol. ill: La CanonizzazioM (1888-1934). Roma: LAS, 1979 & 1988 [cited as Stella, DB I & DB III].
Volume I is translated into English as: Don Bosco, vol I: Lif• and Work, tr. by John Drury. New Rochelle, New
York: Don Bosco Publications, 1985 [cited as DB I-En].
P. Stella, Don Bosco Mila storia economica •social• (1815-1970) (Pubblicazioni del Centro Studi
Don Bosco, Studi storici 8). Roma: LAS, 1980 [cited as Stella, DB-EcSoc).
F. Desramaut, Lu M•mori• 1 lk G.B LemogM. Etu<k d'un ouvrag•fondamental sur laj• unuu lk
Sailll J.an Bosco. Lyon: Maison d'Ctudes Saint-Jean-Bosco, 1962, (esp. p. 250-258) [cited as Desramaut, M•m
I].
2 'This dream [of 1844] lasted most of the night. [...] At the time I understood little of its meaning
since I put little faith in it But my understanding grew as its premonitions came true one after another. Later,
together with another dream, it even served as a basis for my decisions" [MO-En, 210]. Later in life, as he
looked back on these experiences, he saw in them a proof of divine guidance: "[These memoirs] will serve to
make known how God himself has always been our guide" [lbid., 3]; "When I went to Rome in 1858 to speak to
the Pope about the Salesian Congregation, he asked me to tell him everything that had even the suggestion of the
supernatural about it It was only then, for the first time, that I said anything about this dream which I had when
I was nine or ten years old" [lbid., 20].

1.3 Page 3

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
47
We are not dealing with a one-time occurrence. Don Bosco himself
states that the original vocation dream was repeated at various times:
The dream I had had at Morialdo remained deeply imprinted on my
mind; indeed it had occurred at other times in much clearer terms, so
that if I wanted to believe it and follow its suggestion I would have to
choose the priesthood, toward which I actually felt inclined. 3
We are evidently dealing with the genre of the vocation-mission
dream-a religious experience that is well documented in Christian hagiography,
a segment of a wider role of dreams in Christian culture. This essay will not deal
with this particular area, though such a study would no doubt be helpful for an
understanding of Don Bosco's own experiences by situating them in a wider
context. 4 It will instead be concerned with a study of the many reports and
testimonies of Don Bosco's vocation dreams. Such a study will entail a critical
examination of the dream texts of the Biographical Memoirs and their sources,
and of the way in which Don Bosco's biographer, Father John Baptist Lemoyne,
has arranged and interpreted them. The ultimate aim is to evaluate the
significance of the dream experiences for Don Bosco's vocational decisions in
their actual historical circumstances.
The only treatment of the subject that has come to my attention is Fr.
Francis Desramaut's valuable examination of the vocation dream's texts and
witnesses, a chapter in his vast and masterful source-<:ritical study of the fust
volume of the Biographical Memoirs. 5 Since this author is concerned solely
with the fust volume of the Biographical Memoirs, only the vocation dream
narratives relating to Don Bosco's childhood, adolescence and early manhood
come under scrutiny. His study does not include the Dream of 1844, nor the two
3 MO-E11, 110. Further on in the Memoirs, after relating a dream which he had in 1844 and which
he calls "a sequel [appendice] to the ooe I had had al Becchi when I was nine years old," he concludes: "Later,
together with another dream, [this dream] served as a blueprint for my decisions" [MO-E11, 209f.].
4 Such a discussion would take us too far afield. Worlcs on the subject in English (though nol
restricted to the subject of vocation-mission dreaming) arc the following: For a discussion of the dream in
Christian culture, Mortoo Kelsey, Dre""": The Dark Speech of the Spirit. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1968;
re-edited as God, Drea1'LS alld Revelatio11S. Minneapolis:Augsburg Press, 1974; and the short and popular,
Dreams: A. Way to Listt11 to God. New York: Paulist Press, 1978. For a discussion of the religious and
psychological value of dreams, John Sanford, Drea1'LS, Gotr s Forgotte11 Languagt. Philadelphia: Lippincott,
1968.
5 Desramaut feels that his treatment is shorter than the subject deserves: ''I have had to summarize
here what would have been the matter of a long article." (Desramaut, Mem /, p. 250, note 128]. I am not aware
that such an article has ever been written.

1.4 Page 4

▲back to top
48
Journal of Salesian Studies
Dreams of the Holy Martyrs, so-called, that follow in the second volume of the
Biographical Memoirs. These, however, will be included in the present essay.
Part I. Witnesses and Reports of Don
Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dreams
1. The Vocation-Mission Dream Line in Lemoyne's
Biographical Memoirs
This survey of the textual evidence of the vocation dreams will begin
by examining the reports edited in the Biographical Memoirs. These constitute
the final stage of the tradition of the dream texts and of its biographical
interpretation. It will then attempt to describe with appropriate critical comments
the tradition of the texts (i.e., the prior reports on which they are based) 6 as
Lemoyne construed this tradition. It should be emphasized that Lemoyne's
construction of the tradition, as well as his overarching interpretation of Don
Bosco' s vocation dream line and its significance, needs critical evaluation.
After speaking about a dream which John, as a seminarian, related to
his friend Joseph Turco during a summer vacation at the Sussambrino farm,
Lemoyne continues:
At this point we cannot refrain from commenting on the gradual
and logical progress of the various extraordinary dreams that followed
one upon another [to guide Don Bosco in his vocation]. At the age of
nine, John Bosco first learnt of the great mission that would be
entrusted to him; at sixteen, he is given assurance that the material
resources needed to shelter and to feed countless youngsters would not
be wanting; at nineteen, a categorical injunction makes it clear that he
is not free to refuse the mission entrusted to him; at twenty-one he is
shown the type of boy whose spiritual welfare he is especially called to
look after; at twenty-two, a big city, Turin, is pointed out to him as the
field where his apostolic work must begin, and its center established.
Nor do these mysterious instructions cease at this point. As we shall
see, they will continue as needed until the completion of God's work. 7
6 The text of these reports is provided in Appendices to which the reader will be referred.
7 IBM I, 382; EBM I, 317.

1.5 Page 5

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
49
The further 'instructions' referred to here are the Dream of1844 and the
two Dreams of the Holy Martyrs that follow in the second volume of the
Biographical Memoirs, and presumably later dreams as well.
Ceria follows Lemoyne when he writes:
After the first dream at the age nine or ten Don Bosco had six other
dreams, each of which shed light on some further aspect of what that
first dream, as it gradually unfolded, was calling him to. Two of these
[additional dreams] have already been mentioned- the dream at the age
of sixteen, in which he was given assurance that the material resources
needed for the attainment of his goal would not be wanting; and the
dream at the age of 19, in which he received the express command to
look after young people. Two other dreams followed which are not
recorded in the Memoirs of the Oratory-the fust, at the age of 21, in
which he was given to understand the type of youngster he was to look
after (cf. EBM I, 284f.); the other at the age of 22, in which the city of
Turin was pointed out to him as the place where his apostolate was to
begin (cf. EBM I, 315f.) There are two further dreams: the one
presently under consideration [the Dream of 1844] and the one referred
to at the end of the present paragraph and given in the note [the First
Dream of the Holy Martyrs]. In the former he saw clearly the great
work that was to rise at Valdocco; in the latter he learned how he was to
bind helpers to himself-forecasting the Salesian Oratory and the
Salesian Society. 8
What are we to think of such a construction? It appears that in his effort
to paint a charismatic portrayal of Don Bosco for his readers, Lemoyne used and
interpreted all available testimonies of Don Bosco's vocation-mission dream to
construct a 'logical' dream line tending to show that Don Bosco and his work
was guided by a pre-determined divine plan. As our discussion will bear out, he
achieves his goal through an uncritical use and interpretation of the sources. 9
Part I of this essay, therefore, will be devoted to an analysis of the
dream texts themselves, as recorded in the Biographical Memoirs and in the
8 MO-Ce l 34f., note to line 8.
9 Desramaut writes, for example: "The drum [Don Bosco had] al the age of nine was repeated
without any doubt. Don Bosco'• own testimony cannot be disputed (cf. note 3 above, and text relating thereto)
But Fr. Lcmoyne's dates and descriptions are not at all Jinn. (...) Faced with related texts which were in essential
agreement as to content, but which diverged in non-essential details, he failed to recognize them as true doublets"
[Desramaut, Mem /, 255 and 256).

1.6 Page 6

▲back to top
50
Journal of Salesian Studies
sources. In Part II, taking Don Bosco's own Memoirs as a starting point, an
attempt will be made to understand the significance of his vocation-mission
dream and its recurrence in the actual historical junctures of vocational decision.
2. Text and Source-critical Study of the Vocation-
Mission Dream Narratives in Vol. I of the
Biographical Memoirs
In the first and second volumes of the Biographical Memoirs, Lemoyne
records no less than eight occurrences of vocation dreams that he identifies as
stages of the divine guidance. In each instance he provides: a context, that is, the
circumstance and the period in Don Bosco's life at which it occurred; a dream
narrative derived from source texts available to him; and various interpretative
comments on the significance of the dream. The list is as follows:
(1) The First Dream at the Age of Nine (the Becchi/Morialdo Dream,
the original vocation-mission dream which Don Bosco relates in his
Memoirs); lO
(2) The Dream at the Age of Sixteen (First Turco-Related Dream); 11
(3) The Dream at the Age of Nineteen (Dream of 'Imperious
Command'); 12
(4) The Dream at the Age of Twenty-one ('Clothes-Mending' Drearn);l3
(5) The Dream at the Age of Twenty-two (Second Turco-Related
Drearn);l4
(6) The Dream of 1844 (the dream which Don Bosco called, "a sequel to
the one I had at Becchi at about nine years of age," and which he relates in his
Memoirs); 15
(7) The First Dream of the Holy Martyrs; 16
(8) The Second Dream of the Holy Martyrs. 17
10 Cf. IBM I 123ff.; EBM I, 95f.
11 Cf. IBM I, 243f.; EBM I, 181f.
12 Cf. IBM I, 305f.; EBM I, 229.
13 Cf. IBM I, 38lf.; EBM I, 229.
14 Cf. IBM I, 424f.; EBM i, 315f.
15 Cf. IBM II, 243ff.; EBM II, 190f.
16IBM11, 297-301 ; EBM 11, 232ff.
17 IBM " · 342ff.; EBM "· um.

1.7 Page 7

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
51
As expected, Lemoyne's own Documenti served as the immediate
source for the dream narratives of the Biographical Memoirs. The above-listed
dream texts had already been fashioned in Documenti before they were edited in
the Biographical Memoirs.
For the compilation of the first and second volumes both of Documenti
(from 1885) and of the Biographical Memoirs (in 1898 and 1901), the
autobiographical Memoirs of the Founder were available to Lemoyne in Ms.
form. 18 Obviously these were a prime source. But apart from a few passing
references and sketchy reports, 19 Don Bosco's Memoirs offer extended accounts
of only two dreams, the First Dream and the Dream of 1844. 20 What other
sources did Lemoyne have at his disposal, and how did he use them?
To answer these questions, and hence and to delineate the tradition of
the dream texts, we will review each of the dreams listed above. We will
examine its sources, with appropriate text and source-critical comments. This
will be done in two sections. First, we will examine the five vocation-mission
dream narratives in the first volume of the Biographical Memoirs. These span
the period of Don Bosco's childhood, adolescence and early manhood, and
constitute an earlier 'cycle'. Next, we will look at the last three dream narratives
in the second volume of the Biographical Memoirs. These are set in the oratory
period, and appear as a second and later 'cycle'.
18 Cf. Note 1 above, and Desnmaut,Mem/, 116ff.
19 The references are to the recurrence of the dtcam [cf. note 3 above, and text relating thereto).
Sketchy reports are given of a Dream of 'Reprimand' [cf. MO-Ell, 48) and of a Dream Oil rite FraACiscaM [cf.
MO-Ell llOf.].
In spite of the fact that this latter dream occurred in a context of voc1tional decision, it is not
reguded as a vocation-missioo dream, for it does not contain any of the images of Don Bosco'• apostolatc which
are characteristic of the vocation dreams. It is not. however, deprived of all significance in this respect
It might be remarked that the Dream Oil the Fra11eisca11S is not to be construed IS reflecting actual
religious life situations in the Franciscan monastery of Our lady of Peace. It manifests rather the cooflict raging
in John Bosco's soul, IS he tried to flee from the 'awesome responsibility' of priestly life and apostolate in the
world (which WIS his vocation) in order to seek the peace and security of the monastery.
20 Cf. MO-Ell 18-21and209f.

1.8 Page 8

▲back to top
52
Journal of Salesian Studies
(1) The First Dream (the Beech/ or Morla/do Dream-the
original vocation-mission dream) 21
"At the age of nine, John Bosco first learnt of the great mission that
would be entrusted to him." 22
The text of this dream narrative in the Biographical Memoirs is
transcribed from Documenti; and, as the author himself avers, it is taken directly
from Don Bosco's Memoirs . Both in Documenti and in the Biographical
Memoirs, Lemoyne prefaces the dream text with a kind of 'theological'
introduction and with an explicit reference to his source. In Documenti he writes:
To persons destined to accomplish great things for the salvation of
souls the merciful God is wont to make known, by some sign, the
mission to which they are called. This is what he did in John Bosco's
case. Here is how he himself relates the experience in his memoirs. 23
The more ample rephrasing of this introduction in the Biographical
Memoirs has the effect of placing greater emphasis on the charismatic nature of
Don Bosco's vocation:
In his great mercy God is wont to make known to people, through
some sign, the vocation in which they are destined to undertake
important projects for the salvation of souls. This is what he did in
John Bosco's case. And thereafter, throughout his life, he continued to
guide him by his all-powerful hand at every stage and in his every
undertaking. [Joel 2, 8, prophesying an abundance of dreams and
visions in eschatological times, is quoted.] And John Bosco did have
such visions; and here is how he himself relates his first dream in his
memoirs. 24
However, neither in Documenti nor in the Biographical Memoirs does
Lemoyne transcribe the text of the Memoirs with perfect fidelity. Generally his
2l Cf. Appendix I, where the text of the Biographical Memoirs and that of the Berto Ms. of Don
Bosco's Memoirs are given for comparison.
22 Cf. Note 1 above and text relating thereto.
23 Doc I [P. I, C.. XVI "II primo sogno"], 68.: FDBMicro 961 B2.
24 Appendix I, B .(f-B).

1.9 Page 9

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
53
editing, more developed in the Biographical Memoirs than in Documenti, is
concerned merely with punctuation, spelling, paragraphing, and a few stylistic
touches. But there are also some real, though minor, changes.
One change relates to the time of the dream. In the Mss. the opening
words of Don Bosco's narrative are, "At that age [at that point in my life,
referring to the time he was attending Fr. Lacqua's school in Capriglio] I had a
dream". In Documenti Lemoyne specifies the age between brackets: "At that age
(nine years) I had a dream." And accordingly, toward the end, where Don Bosco
had written, "At the age of nine to ten", Lemoyne simply writes, "At the age of
nine". In the Biographical Memoirs, at the beginning of the narrative, Lemoyne
resolves the parenthesis by the phrase, "At about nine years of age", and the time
phrase at the end is left unchanged. 25 The content is not substantially altered.
A comment on Don Bosco's own editing of the dream narrative in the
Memoirs may be helpful. Don Bosco's heavily scored and emended rough copy26
was faithfully transcribed by Fr. Joachim Berto in neat, almost calligraphic
script. This was subjected to further correction by Don Bosco. Hence the Berto
text, as corrected by Don Bosco, is regarded as definitive. 27
Don Bosco's most significant editing of the practically flawless Berto
transcription is in the form of additions. 28 Apart from these there are only a few
slight stylistic changes.
Obviously, Don Bosco's original rough copy with its laborious
corrections is to be taken into consideration for a judgment on the dream
experience itself. Don Bosco's emendations of his own original draft (mostly in
the dream section) 29 are in the form of stylistic changes, cancellations,
interlinear corrections and marginal additions. None of these alter the contents
substantially, although the net result is a more ample, some times more detailed,
narrative. The most significant correction occurs in the words spoken by the
Lady to John. Don Bosco had originally written, "Renditi sano,forte, robusto."
Then he struck a heavy line across the word 'sano' [healthy] and wrote the word
' umile' [humble] above it. 30 This may represent later moralizing reflection.
25 Other changes will be apparent through a comparison of the text of Don Bosco's M•moirs with
that of the Biographical M•moirs, in Appendix I, A (T-A) and B (T-B).
26 MO-DB, 5-8: FDBMicro 51 A6-9. Cf. note 1 above.
27 This is the text used by Lemoyne in both Documu1ti and Biographical M•moirs, and by Ceria in
his 1946 Italian edition [cf. note 1 above). This is also the text given in Appendix I, A.
28 Cf. Appendix I, A, italiciud texL
29 MO-DB: FDBMicro 51 A6-9.
30 MO-DB: FDBMicro 51 A1 (bottom).

1.10 Page 10

▲back to top
54
Journal of Salesian Studies
The foregoing text and source-critical comments show that the tradition
of the text of the First Dream is straightforward. The text is taken directly and
with substantial, though not literal, fidelity, from Don Rosco's own written
testimony. 3l
(2) The Dream at the Age of 16 (First Turco-Related
Dream)32
"At sixteen he is given assurance that the material resources needed to
shelter and to feed countless youngsters would not be wanting." 33
In the Biographical Memoirs this dream narrative is a compilation of
three separate source texts 34 with editorial interpretations. The way these source
texts are brought together shows considerable ingenuity, and stands as a good
example ofLemoyne's editorial method. We will look at each element in turn.
[a] The immediate source of the text of the first section 35 is a long
marginal note in Documenti, in Lemoyne's hand, written alongside the printed
text of the First or Becchi Dream. 36 It describes a dream which young John
Bosco is said to have had when he was at school in Castelnuovo (1830-1831)
and which he related to a certain Joseph Turco, 'a schoolmate' of his. Mr. Turco
is said to have told the story of this dream when he visited the Oratory on
October 30, 1875.
From the opening words of the third section, 37 "This report was made
to us by Mr. Joseph Turco himself," one might be led to the conclusion that
Lemoyne had himself heard the story from that gentleman, and that, therefore,
31 As will be discussed below, Lemoyne had other narratives of the original vocation-mission
dream at his disposal that were not directly derived from Don Bosco. He rightly opted for the prime source. But
instead of exercising critical judgment on the other narratives, he used them as further separate dreams within his
eonstruct of a line of divine guidance. This is in full accord with his compilation methods [cf. F. Desramaut,
"Come hanno lavorato gli autori delle Memorie Biografiche," in Don Bosco Miia storia: Atti del 1° Congresso
1111trnazionale di Studi su Don Bosco (Ufliversita Pol'lli[icia Salesiana, Roma, 16-20 gennaio 1989) (Pubblicazioni
de! Centro Studi Don Bosco, Studi storici 10), ed. Mario Midali, Roma: LAS, 1990, p. 45-60; A. Lenti, "Don
Bosco's Boswell: John Baptist Lemoyne-The Man and His Work," Journal o/Salesian Studies I (1990:2) 36ff].
32 Cf. Appendix Il.
33 Cf. note 7 above and text relating thereto.
34 In Appendix Il, B these are distinguished as B-1 , B-2 and B-3.
35 Cf. Appendix Il, B-1.
36 Cf. Doc I, 68f.: FDBMicro 961 B2f.
37 Cf. Appendix Il, B-3 (T-B-3).

2 Pages 11-20

▲back to top

2.1 Page 11

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
55
the Documenti text is a direct report. This, however, is not the case. The
Documenti text is taken from a report by Fr. Julius Barberis. 38
This account is in Barberis' hand, and it is curiously entitled, "Primo
Sogno o Visione di DB. a 15 an." (Don Bosco's First Dream or Vision at the
age of 15). 39 It bears at the beginning of every line the heavy double slash
which is Lemoyne's marker for his use of the text. Joseph Turco related that one
day John Bosco, in a joyful mood, told him and his father that he had had a
dream from which he learned that he would be able to continue his studies, to
become a priest and to spend the rest of his life in the education of young
people.
In transcribing the Barberis report for Documenti, Lemoyne shortens
and restyles the opening sentence and introduces a number of smaller revisions
that do not substantially affect the contents. At one point, however, he
misconstrues Barberis' text. In reporting young John Bosco's words, he writes:
"Vorreifinir quest'anno ii latino e farmi prete" (I should like to finish my [study
of] Latin this year and go on to the priesthood), instead of Barberis' "Vorrei
finito quest'anno studiare ii /atino e farmi prete" (I should like, once this year is
over, to study Latin and go on to the priesthood).
In the Biographical Memoirs that anomaly is removed; the story as a
whole is rewritten to a considerable extent (to a lesser degree in the significant
dialogue); and some new concepts, such as 'our Lady', are introduced. 40
To tie together the first and second section of his narrative in the
Biographical Memoirs, Lemoyne uses an editorial device-a 'bridge' the purpose
of which is to join two different sources, thus creating a time sequence in the
story: 41 ''The following day, on his way back from the parish church, where he
had been to Mass, [John] paid a visit to the Turco family[...]."
[b] This leads to Lucy Turco's report. This is not recorded in
Documenti. It came to Lemoyne later through Fr. Michael Rua's testimony at
38 Cf. Appet1dix II, A-1.
39 11 may be on accounl of !he words, "Primo Sogno," !hat Lemoyne entered this text in Docuwumti
alongside !he Becchi Dream.
o4 Cf. Appendix II, B-1 compared wilh A-1. The Docuwmiti texl is not provided in Appendix II;
but it may be gauged by reference to !he Bubeiis text (A-1). keeping in mind !he observations made above.
4 1 The contents of this 'bridge' arc not derived from any particular source. The device is use<!
merely to provide a chronological sequence or frameworlc:. D esramaut discusses Ibis editorial technique of
Lcmoyne's, quoting this very passage as an example, cf. Desramaut, M~m /, 276f.

2.2 Page 12

▲back to top
56
Journal of Salesian Studies
the Diocesan Process given in 1895. 42 Rua's testimony contains two separate
reports. The first is by Lucy Turco. She is quoted by Rua as saying that one
morning John Bosco in a happy mood told her and her brothers (Joseph and John
Turco) about a dream in which a Lady of noble bearing, leading a large flock,
called him by name and entrusted the flock to him. The second is by 'others', by
which expression in all probability Rua means that he had it from 'tradition.'
This second part of the testimony describes John's apprehension at the difficulty
ofthe charge, and the Lady's reassurance, "Have no fear, I will help you."
In the Biographical Memoirs Lemoyne transcribes the dream parts of
Rua's testimony almost word for word, but ascribes everything to Lucy. The
'others' are not mentioned. This compiled report ascribed to Lucy does not really
tally (though it does not clash) with that of her brother Joseph. But Lemoyne is
probably right in taking the two as referring to the same dream experience.
But which dream experience? It appears that Rua intended to refer to the
First (or Becchi) Dream. The opening and closing words of his testimony seem
to make this clear: John manifested an inclination to be a priest from early
childhood; his desire increased after having a certain dream, but it met with
drawbacks arising from family circumstances and with opposition from his half-
brother Anthony. Overall, such a description points to the context of the original
vocation dream at the age of nine and to the period that followed it, rather than to
a dream at the age of sixteen, when Anthony had pretty much ceased to be a
factor. 43 Also, the dream narrative, sketchy as it is, contains images that match
those of the Becchi Dream, and add nothing new.
In this connection, the circumstances described by Mr. Turco should be
examined a little more closely. This is the gentleman who also testified at the
Diocesan Process in 1892, and his testimony on that occasion, to be more fully
discussed below, is helpful here as well. 44
42 Cf. Appendix IT, A-2. Rua was the twenty-sixth of forty-five witnesses called, and he testified in
thirty-eight sessions from April 29 to July 10, 1895 (cf. Stella, DB Ill]. The testimony in question was given on
April 29.
For the Biographical M~moirs (from 1898), but not for the D ocumcnti (from 1885), Lemoyne made
use of the testimonies given al the Diocesan Process (1890-1896), in spite of what he writes in the preface to the
first volwne: "My work could be considered complete only if the canonical inquiry into Don Bosco's life were
already terminated and we could read and quote the depositions of sworn witnesses. This we cannot do until the
canonization proceedings arc over" [EBM I, xii]. The fact is that he found a way of circumventing this standing
prohibition (cf. Desramaul, M~m /, 218f].
43 By the time John was sixteen the Booco inheritance had been divided by Margaret, precisely in
order neutralize Anthony's oppooition and to set John free [cf. MO-En, 4 8f.].
44 Cf. Joseph Turco's testimony in Appendix V, A-1 (T-A-1). From scattered bits of information
we gather that Joseph was the son of Dominic Turco and Catherine Pilooe, and that the elder Turcos had at least
two other children, Lucy and John. According to his own testimony (cf. Appendix V, A-1-a (T-A-1-a)) Joseph
was eighty-two years of age in 1892. He would, then, have been born in 1810 and would have been twenty-one

2.3 Page 13

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
57
In Barberis' account he states that his own vineyard adjoined that of
John's father ("attigua a quella di suo padre"). Lemoyne in Docwnenli writes that
it was located near that of Mamma Margaret ("vicina a quella di Mamma
Margherita"). In the Biographical Memoirs he emends this seemingly misleading
description and, in the light of what he knows of Don Bosco's life, he writes
that the vineyard was located in a region called Renenla and that it bordered on
the Sussambrino property. Sussambrino was the name of the farm which Joseph
Bosco, together with a partner, began to work as a sharecropper, presumably in
1830-1831. The Sussambrino vineyard belonged neither to John's father (dead
eighteen years before) nor to John's mother. Could Joseph Turco, in the story he
told at the Oratory in 1875, have possibly been speaking of a vineyard which the
Boscos owned, presumably in the Becchi area, and not of the Sussambrino
vineyard? (Did the Turcos own a vineyard in the Becchi locality?) Contrary to
this possibility, however, stands the fact that in his testimony of 1892 Joseph
Turco speaks in similar terms of adjoining vineyards at Sussambrino-Renenta-
his own and that "which his parents worked as sharecroppers (che i suoi genitori
coltivavano a masserizia)." It was, of course, his brother that worked the
Sussambrino as a tenant farmer. However, Margaret would have gone to live
there with Joseph, and John would 'go home' there for the holidays. Joseph
Turco confirms this in his testimony in 1892, speaking, however, of the time
when John Bosco was a seminarian. 45 But this may have been true also of the
time when John was attending school at Castelnuovo. 46
It is more probable, then, that in the light of Joseph Turco's testimony
in 1892 the time to which he refers in his story in 1875 is the year 1831 and the
setting is the vineyards in the Sussambrino-Renenta locality.
ycan of age in 1831, when John Bosco was sixteen and was attending school at Castclnuovo. They could hardly
have been schoobnatcs. Mr. T=o, who lived in Castclnuovo, states that be became acquainted with John Bosco
al that time, but not that they were al school together. It must have been Barberis who drew that conclusion when
he heard Mr. T=o relate the episode in 1875. Cf. also Stella, DBm, 75, 80 and 118 (where one should read
Joseph, not John, T=o).
45 Cf. Appendix V, A-1-a (f-A-1-a). For the Bosco property and its location (all in the Becchi
area), cf. Stclla, DB-EcSoc, 15-22.
46 Some time in 1831, Don Bosco's brother, Joseph, (with partner Joseph Febbraro) undertood to
work the Susambrino as a tenant farmer or sharecropper. Joseph lived at the farm. Don Bosco in his Memoirs
states that when he was attending school at Castclnuovo, he had lO make four trips back and forth, covering
twenty km. every day [cf. MO-En 49].This implies that he walked to and from Becchi, not to and from
Sussambrino, which was located just outside Castclnuovo. Joseph Turco in his testimony confirms this: ''In the
evening [John Bosco] would return home to his parents (geniron) in the hamlet ofBccchi" [cf. Appendix V, A-l -
a (f-A-1-a)]. Pei:haps in the winter of 1830, when John started attending school at Castclnuovo, Joseph was not
yet established at Sussambrino, but he would have been by early spring, 1831. Joseph worked the Suuambrino
farm until he returned to Bccchi in 1839.

2.4 Page 14

▲back to top
58
Journal of Salesian Studies
But there is a further question. Was the Turco-Related Dream a new
vocation dream at the age of 16, or was it simply the Becchi dream recalled?
Clearly the Turco narrative as gathered by Barberis presents it as a new
experience. Young John appeared habitually worried about his future; but one
morning he turned up in the vineyard in a happy mood, and related that he had
had a reassuring dream the night before: "Last night (Sta notte) I had a dream."47
Desramaut, however, does not regard such a statement as decisive, taking into
consideration also the years that had elapsed between the occurrence and the
testimony. 48
A note appended to the Documenti transcription of the Barberis report is
of interest in this respect. It reads: "N.B. This dream occurs again at 16, and 19
years of age, and at other times (N.B. Questo sogno lo ripete ai 16, ai 19 anni e
in seguito)". 49 It would seem that, at the time, Lemoyne regarded this text as a
doublet of the original vocation dream. Hence he wrote it in as a marginal note
alongside the Becchi Dream, and warned the reader that the dream would occur
again at the age of 16, etc. In the Biographical Memoirs, however, this text is
given as the dream at the age of 16, and the note is omitted. 50 Thus a specific
historical context for the whole is created in accordance with Lemoyne's
construction of the vocation dream line.
[c] To complete the compilation of this dream narrative in the
Biographical Memoirs, 51 Lemoyne makes two further points. The first refers to
the sources jointly: "We have this story from Mr. Joseph Turco himself and
from Lucy Turco." By 'we', Lemoyne may mean, 'we, the Salesians', rather
than 'I personally', for, as indicated in the foregoing comments, he himself
47 Cf. Appendix II, A-1 (f-A-1).
48 ''In my opinion. positive uguments in support of a new dream experience arc still lacking. It is
lilcely that John related to Joseph Turco a dream he had had receltlly [...].But must one insist on such details? Had
there been no contact between the Turcos and the Boscos from about 1825 on, the time of the dream at the age of
nine, or were th ere contacts only from 1830 on, as Lemoyne believes? If the latter be the c ase, then the doubling
would be justified. However, the possibility that his memory could have been interfered with or hampered should
be considered [...]" [Desramaut, Mem /, 256, note 162).
49 Dcsramaut remarks that the physical style of the note differs from that of the main texL It may
have been added later from some source, perhaps Don Bosco himself (cf. Desmnaut, Mem I, 253, note 149].
50 It may be that, when the fust volume of Documenti was fashioned (1885, the marginal note
having been added later), Lemoyne had not yet fully elaborated his theory of a vocation dream series with its
predetermined step-by-step line of divine guidance. Hence he had not yet proceeded to organize, as he does
instead in the Biographical Memoirs, all available testimonies of the vocation dream in accordance with that
theory.
51 Cf. Appendix II, B-3 (f-B-3).

2.5 Page 15

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
59
obtained the reports from Barberis' and Rua's accounts. However, as will be seen
later in other instances, Lemoyne has a tendency to include himself as a source.
Secondly, Lemoyne finds a confirmation of this dream experience in
Don Rosco's Memoirs: "It corroborates a brief and simple statement in Don
Rosco's own Memoirs : 'At the age of sixteen I had another dream'." The
reference here is clearly to the so-called Dream of 'Reprimand' of which Don
Bosco offers the briefest sketch in his Memoirs: "At that time [not, as Lemoyne
interprets it, 'At the age of 16' ] I had another dream. In it I was sharply rebuked
for having put my hope in human beings rather than in our good Father in
heaven. s2 "At that time" refers to the period of grieving following Fr. John
Calosso's death when John was about to enroll in, or was already attending,
grade school at Castelnuovo. s3 He was indeed going on sixteen at the time,
though Lemoyne's quote is inaccurate. The chief problem here, however, is that
Lemoyne's claim that the Dream of 'Reprimand' corresponds, in content or
otherwise, to the Turco-Related Dream is really without foundation. He seemed
to have realized the problem and he tried to alleviate it by adding: "I am
convinced that he saw and was given to understand a lot more than he related [in
his sketchy report of the dream], which was merely intended to give vent to the
pain that filled his heart." S4
The foregoing text and source-critical comments show that Lemoyne's
compilation of the dream at the age of 16 in the Biographical Memoirs is indeed
based on source texts. But, first, it is likely that these texts do not represent a
new dream which John had at that age, but refer back to the original Becchi
dream; and secondly, his reference to Don Rosco's Memoirs for support is
probably gratuitous.
(3) The Dream at the Age of 19 55
"A t nineteen a categorical injunction makes it clear that he is notfree to
refuse the mission entrusted to him." S6
S2 Cf. Appendix Il, A-3 (T-A-3). In Don Bosco's original draft of the Memoirs, this sketchy notice
on the dream, "In qucl tcnpo [...] Padre Celeste," was added as a marginal note [MO-DB [First Dcade, 41):
FDBMicro 51 B7].
s3 Fr. Calosso died on November 21, 1830. John had met him a year earlier, and had been under
his tutorship that whole year.
S4 Appendix Il, B-3 (f-B-3).
SS er. Appendix m.
S6 Cf. Note 7 above, and text relating thereto.

2.6 Page 16

▲back to top
60
Journal of Salesian Studies
This is the so-called Dream of 'Imperious Command'. The immediate
source for the text of this dream in the Biographical Memoirs is a short printed
marginal note to the chapter' Scelta dello Stato' in Documenti. 57 No indication
of origin is given in Documenti; but in the Biographical Memoirs, however, the
source is given as Barberis: "[Don Bosco] confided [the dream] to Fr. Julius
Barberis around 1870." 58 This reference could not be verified. 59
The dream narrative is brief and sparing in detail. Our divine Savior,
dressed in white, resplendent with light, and leading a throng ofchildren, orders
John to look after them. When John objects, the Savior persists in his
categorical demand, till John finally takes charge ofthe youngsters.
Clearly it was the 'imperious command' or 'categorical demand' detail
that prompted Lemoyne's interpretation quoted above. Taken literally, this detail
is unique to this dream narrative. Otherwise the images of the dream, even
though only generally sketched, clearly match those of the Becchi Dream. But
even the 'categorical injunction' is not altogether unparalleled. In the Becchi
Dream he was also 'ordered' to take charge of the children, though the command
is not qualified as 'imperious': "At that moment there appeared a Man of
dignified bearing, mature in years and nobly dressed. He wore a long white cloak,
and his face shone with such brightness that I could not look directly at him. He
addressed me by name, ordered me to take charge of those children [...]." The
parallel is striking.
We have no way of telling what the original context of the Barberis
account might have been. From the parallel drawn above, one is led to believe
that it may have been just a sketchy delineation by Don Bosco of the original
Becchi Dream. Lemoyne, however, by his technique of association places it in a
specific context of vocational decision.
In Documenti (where, as indicated, it appears as a detached marginal
note), the dream acquires its context from being associated with John Rosco's
vocational discernment, as the rhetoric year (the fifth year of secondary studies)
was drawing to a close. It is specifically associated with the chapter of Don
Bosco's Memoirs entitled, "Choosing One's State in Life." In that connection,
Don Bosco speaks of the recurrence of the Becchi Dream and of his own struggle
to discern his vocation. Don Bosco is then quoted as saying that the Becchi
57 Cf. Appendix III, A -2. The marginal additions in Docum~nti are in both printed and
handwritten form. A printed note is usually glued in the ample margin provided for this pmpose [cf. n ote 1
above] .
58 Cf. Appendix ill, B-1; EBM I, 21.9.
59 A search through the Barberis chronicles and dream collections proved fruitless.

2.7 Page 17

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
61
Dream was still on his mind and that it had occurred " at other times" (though
apparently not at this time), with its obvious suggestion of priestly vocation.
Then Lemoyne remarks: "On this period in his life Don Bosco has left us lines
written out of admirable humility." For, apart from not wanting to put faith in
dreams, he felt unworthy of the priesthood, because of (as quoted by Lemoyne)
"my manner of living, and my absolute lack of the virtue necessary to that
state." 60
In the Biographical Memoirs 61 the context of the dream remains that of
Don Bosco's vocational discernment, and more specifically that of the Franciscan
episode. But in dealing with the period of Don Bosco's vocational discernment
toward the end of his secondary studies at Chieri, Lemoyne undertakes an
elaborate reorganization of his materials. Essentially, he records two crises. The
probable reason for this doubling is that he has data the preservation of which
requires such a procedure. The first crisis is dated late during the humanities year
(fourth year of secondary studies). For this he has the document of John's
admission by the Franciscans, dated April 18, 1834.62 He probably also has a
report about Fr. Cafasso's role in dissuading John from entering the Franciscans
(unless this be a conjecture of his). The second crisis is dated to the end of the
rhetoric year (fifth year of secondary studies) before entry into the seminary. For
this he has Don Bosco' s statement in the Memoirs, where he also finds that
Louis Comollo and Fr. Comollo play a role. In the Biographical Memoirs the
fust crisis, occurring as it does in the context of the Franciscan episode is the
more important of the two and is the true parallel to the one described in Don
Bosco's Memoirs. The second crisis, although it incorporates some important
words of the Memoirs and Comollo's role, appears as an additional episode of a
protracted crisis, and no more. 63
60 Cf. Appendix III, A- 1 (f-A-1), A-2 (f-A-2). Documenti follows MO [cf. Doc I, 153f.:
FDBMicro 968 Dlf. and MO-Ce 79ff.; Mo-En, I !Of.]. In both the sequence is as follows: vocational discernment
as the rhetoric year (fifth year of secondary studies) draws lo a close; reference lO the recurrence of the Becchi
dicam 'al other times' with suggestion of the priesthood; John's doubts and 'humility' statement; (in Documenti
the Dream of 'Imperious Co""""1U£ is added at tJiis poilll;) Jack of a spiritual guide; Jolut decision to join the
Franciscans, and reasons for wanting to become a religious; application, examination, acceptance for the
FrancUca.ns; (ll thU point in Documenti a marginal nole in Lcmoyne's hand recocds the document of acccplancc;)
the Dream on the Franciscans raises doubts in John's mind; the confessor is no help; the 'incident' and the
'obstacles'; Comollo's advice; decision lO enter the seminary.
61 Cf. Appendix ID, B-1 (f-B-1).
62 Cf. Secondo Caselle, Giovanni Bosco a Chieri 1831-1841: Dieci anni cite valgo/lO Ulla vita.
Torino: Edizioni Acclaim, 1988, p. 97]. Lemoyne transcribes this document both in Documenti and [cf. note 60
above] in the Biographical Memoirs (cf. lBM I, 301f; EBM I, 226].
6 3 The contents and sequence in the first crisis are as follows (cf. IBM I, 286-306; EBM I, 214-229
compared with MO-Ce, 79ff. ; MO-En, llOf] : vocational discemcmcnt late during the ltumanitiu year (fourth
year of secondary studies); first (accurate) quoted reference lo the recurrence of the Becclti Dream al 'other

2.8 Page 18

▲back to top
62
Journal of Salesian Studies
Lemoyne reorganizes the material at the following crucial points:
(1) In the Biographical Memoirs the passage from Don Bosco's
Memoirs on the recurrence of the Recchi (Morialdo) Dream is quoted twice -
the first time correctly, 64 the second time incorrectly for the purpose of
introducing the Dream of 'Imperious Command' at the age of nineteen. 65
(2) In Documenti the Franciscan episode, with its Dream on the
Franciscans, is related after and independently of the Dream of 'Imperious
Command'; in the Biographical Memoirs, the order is reversed.
(3) Don Rosco's vocation crisis as described in Documenti (following
the Memoirs) is resolved through consultation with Louis Comollo and his
uncle, Fr. Comollo of Cinzano; in the Biographical Memoirs Fr. Cafasso plays
a role in the resolution of both crises, the first time alone and probably on Mr.
Evasio Savio's advice; 66 the second time, in a secondary capacity together with
Fr. Cinzano of Castelnuovo, after Fr. Comollo has been consulted.
It may be noted that both in Documenti and in the Biographical
Memoirs Lemoyne quotes Don Rosco's expression of 'admirable humility,' as
follows: "My own manner of life, and my absolute lack of the virtue necessary
to that state [the priesthood], filled me with doubts and made my decision very
times' with suggestion of the priesthood; John's doubts and 'humility' statement; lack of a spiritual guide; John's
decision to join the Franciscans and reasons for wanting to become a religious; John obtains necessary papers,
but Manuna Margaret is not told; John's retum to Ollcri with new lodging arrangements; life at the Pianta Cafe;
John's piety, good example, apostolatc, lessons to sacristan Palazzolo; Pastor Dassano tells Mamma Margaret of
John's decision to join the Franciscans; Mamma Margaret's selfless words; John's dire need; Joseph Blanchard's
charity and Don Bosco's later acknowledgement; John's application, examination and acceptance for the
Franciscans (document of acceptance is given in a footnote); the Dream on the Franciscans; the confessor is no
help; John is doubtful, but decides to go ahead and takes leave of Mamma Margaret and of the new parish priest,
Fr. Cinzano; Mr. Evasio Savio advises John to consult Fr. Cafasso and acts to obtain financial help for him; Fr.
Cafasso advises John to enter the seminary; Margaret is in agreement provided it is God's will; God manifests his
will through another dream; second (inaccurate) quoted reference to the recurrence of the Becchi dream "at the
age of 19 and at other times thereafter"; the Dream of 'Imperious Command' (narrated to Barberis around
1870) is reported; for all these reasons John drops the idea of joining the Franciscans.
The contents and sequence in the second crisis are as follows [IBM I, 363-366; EBM I, 271ff.): at
the end of the rhetoric year, again doubts arise whether to enter the seminary or join the Franciscans; the
'incident' and the 'obstacles' are reported in the words of Don Bosco's Memoirs; Louis Comollo's and Fr.
Comollo's role; Fr. Cafasso and Fr. Cinzano, consulted again to the same effect; decision to enter the seminary.
64 "The Morialdo [Bccchi] dream remained imprinted [on my mind]; indeed it had recurred at other
times in much clearer terms, so that to put faith in it I would have to choose the priesthood, toward which I
actually felt inclined" [IBM I, 286; EBM I, 214; cf. MO-En, 110].
6 5 'The Morialdo [Becchi] dream recurred at the age of 19 and at other times thereafter" [IBM I,
305; EBM I, 229).
66 '1t seems that he urged John to seek Fr. Cafasso's advice" [cf. IBM I. 303; EBM I, 228].

2.9 Page 19

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
63
difficult." 67 He omits one of the reasons listed by Don Bosco for his perplexity,
"certain habitual tendencies of my heart." 68 Why?
In conclusion, it will have been clear that the theory of a recurrence of
the vocation dream at nineteen, the use of the Barberis report and the
construction of a context for that dream, both in Documenti and more so in the
Biographical Memoirs, rest on shaky ground. Certainly Don Bosco's Memoirs
do not lend any support to Lemoyne's interpretation.
(4) The Dream at the Age of Twenty-one 69
"At twenty-one he is shown the type of boy whose spiritual welfare he
must especially look after." 70
This is the dream in which seminarian John Bosco saw himself as a
priest working in a tailor shop, not sewing new garments but patching
threadbare clothing.
Whatever the exact significance of the dream for Don Bosco at the time,
it seems that in retelling it at a later date he attached vocational significance to
it, though the nature of the significance is not clear from the sparing narrative.
The dream does not contain any of the images of the other vocation dreams, such
as the Gentleman and the Lady, the animals, the children, etc. As a consequence,
but for Lemoyne's interpretation, one would probably not recognize it as a
vocation dream at all. But Lemoyne makes John's dream at the age of 21 an
important link in the chain of vocation dreams. And the special slant he gives to
the interpretation both in Documenti and in the Biographical Memoirs adds to its
significance. 7l
There is no reference to this dream in Don Bosco's Memoirs. Don
Bosco is said to have related the dream to "to a few people privately," among
whom, Fr. John Turchi and Fr. Dominic Ruffino. 72 Neither reference could be
verified. 73
67 Doc I, 153: FDBMicro 968 DI ; IBM I , 286f.; EBM I, 214.
68 MO-E,., 110; Appendix ill, A-I (f-A-1).
69 Cf. Appendix N.
7 0 Cf. Note 7 above, and text relating thereto.
7 1 Cf. Appendix N , A-I (f-A- 1), B-1 (T-B-1)
72 Ibid. Fr. Turchi alone is mentioned in Docwneflli; both are given as source in the Bio graphical
Memoirs.
73 A perusal of the Ruffino chronicles [cf. ASC 110: Cronachette-Ruffino: FDBMicro 1206-1218)
failed to tum up the p&•sage in questioo. No reference is made to the dream in Fr. John Turchi's testimony at the

2.10 Page 20

▲back to top
64
Journal of Salesian Studies
Fr. Barberis preserves accounts of this dream, one of which is given for
comparison.74 Lemoyne does not refer to him as a source; but on reading
Barberis' report one suspects that it may well represent what Don Bosco might
have said on that occasion. He would first have recalled the 'strange experience'
from his seminary days, and then in the same breath would have added Fr.
Cafasso's reaction on hearing of it years later.
Lemoyne, splits the narrative and places each section in their particular
historical context (the seminary and the Convitto) 75, respectively in the first and
second volumes of both Documenti and the Biographical Memoirs. 16
It is interesting to see how Lemoyne describes Fr. Cafasso's mysterious
reticence on hearing Don Bosco's account In Documenti, vol. I, he says that Fr.
Cafasso had no explanation for the dream. This detail is omitted, as would be
expected, in the corresponding passage of Biographical Memoirs, vol. I. Then in
Diocesan Process [cf. ASC 161: Testi: FDBMicro 2196ff.]. Fr. John Turehl, who left Don Bosco soon after his
ordination in 1861, presumably authored a chronicle as a member of the original 'hlstorical committee,' but it is
no longer extant [cf. EBM VI, 505ff.; Deramaut, Mem /, 203 and 137ff.]. Perhaps that was Lemoyne's, as well as
Barberis', source.
74 Cf. Appendix IV, A·3 (T·A-3).
75 After his ordination in 1841 Don BO<Sco, on Fr. Cafasso's advice, enrolled in the Convitto. This
was a pastoral institute for newly-ordained priests housed in a former Franciscan monastery, auached to the
churtch of SL Francis of A ssisi, in Turin. Its full name was Convitto Ecclesiastico di San Francesco d'Assisi
(Pastoral Institute for Priests at SL Francis of Assisi]. In the present essay the traditional short form ' Convino'
will be used exclusively.
Don BO<Sco in hls Memoirs speaks hlghly of this institution, and in particular of it 'foundets', Fr.
Guala and Fr. Cafasso [cf. MO-En, 180ff.). The merit of having conceived and realized the institute is variously
attributed to Fr. Pius Bruno Lantcri (1739-1830) or to Fr. Louis Guala (1775-1848), or to both. Probably it was
Fr. Lanteri who conceived the project (intending it lo be one of the purposes of his congregation, the Oblates of
the Virgin Mary). But when he was unable to put the plan into effect himself, his associate Fr. Guala started
conferences in moral theology which he later developed into a proper program as Rector of the church of SL
Francis of Assisi.
The two-year program of studies at the Convitto included the following; (1) Conferences in moral-
pastoral theology, with an anti-rigorist, Alphonsian orientation, especially with regard to sacramental practice;
(2) Renewal of preaching in content and style; (3) Opportunity for the student priests to explore practical
applications of the moral- pastoral teaching, and hence to be involved in basic and new priestly ministries
(preaching, visiting the siclc:, prison ministry, catcchctical instruction, care of poor and neglected young people).
Fr. Joseph Cafasso (1811-1860) enrolled in the Convitto after hls ordination in 1833. He stayed on to
serve as assistant lecturer under Fr. Guala. In 1844 he became principal lecturer and acting-Rector, and finally
succeeded Fr. Guala as Rector of both institute and church on the latter's death in 1848.
Besides distinguishing hlmself as a lecturer and pastor, Fr. Cafasso was the inspired spiritual
di.rector and guide of the Convitto priests. He directed them towards various 'new' ministries, with special
attention given to the problem of prison inmates, of juveniles at risk. Don Bosco made hls apprenticcshlp under
Fr. Cafasso in the yeats 1841-1844. And it is out of this experience that hls definitive option for the young was
formed [Cf. L. Cristiani, A Cross for Napoleon: The Life of Father Bruno Lanteri (1759-1830), tr. K.. Mayes
and M. Soudee. Boston: St. Paul Ed., 1981; Stella, DB-EcSoc, 43-48; Sussidi 2 : Dizionarietto. Roma: Dicastero
per la Formazione, 1988, p. 289f. G. Usseglio, "Il tcologo Guala e ii Convitto Ecclesiastico," Salesianum 10
(1948) 453-502).
76 Cf. Appendix IV, A-1 (T-A-1) and A-2 (T-A-2) for Documenti, vol. I and II; B-1 (T-B-1) and
B-2 CT·B-2) for Biographical Memoirs, vol. I and II.

3 Pages 21-30

▲back to top

3.1 Page 21

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
65
Documenti, vol. II, he presents Fr. Cafasso as having a deep-rooted conviction
about Don Rosco's vocation, and an understanding of the implications of the
dream. All this is made more explicit in the corresponding episode of
Biographical Memoirs, vol. II, and the effect is heightened:
Fr. Cafasso had looked at him intently and inquired: "Can you sew
like a tailor?" "Indeed I can; and I can make trousers, jackets, cloaks and
clerical cassocks." "We'll see what happens when you're put to the
test!" And every time they met, he would ask: "How are things, tailor?"
Grasping the meaning of this query Don Bosco would reply: "I am
awaiting your decision." 77
By the undercurrents of the dialogue Lemoyne suggests that both Fr.
Cafasso and Don Bosco have been given illumination regarding the vocational
significance of the dream.
Lemoyne's interpretation of this dream, as defining the type of children
Don Bosco was called to serve, is quite remarkable. It refers not to their social
condition (poverty), but to their moral condition. Furthermore, Don Rosco's
mission was not intended to cultivate innocent lads, but to rehabilitate
"youngsters already tainted by the evil of the world and turned delinquents". 7 8
Whether it be regarded as a true vocation dream or not, this occurrence
from Don Rosco's seminary days may indeed have acquired significance for Don
Bosco in the light of his experience with poor and abandoned youngsters. One
doubts, however, that in itself it had the meaning and the importance which
Lemoyne attaches to it.
77 Biographical Mtmoin : Appendix IV, B-2 (T-B-2) compared with A-2 (T-A-2). It may be noted
that Barberis' account [cf. A-3 (T-A-3)] is quite free from such 'psychic' undercurrents.
78 Appendix IV, A-1 (T-A-1) and B-1 (T-B-1). In the Biographical M tmoirs Lemoyne appears to
want to soften this statement, and writes that Don Bosco's mission was Ml only to worli: among innocent lads. But
the second part of his sentence does not properly complete the thought.

3.2 Page 22

▲back to top
66
Journal of Salesian Studies
(5) The Dream at the Age of Twenty-two 79
"At twenty-two a big city, Turin, is pointed out to him as the field
where his apostolic work must begin, and its center established" 80
This is the Second Turco-Related Dream. It has no counterpart in
Documenti; and this is understandable, since the Diocesan Process, from which
much of the material for this dream narrative is taken, had not yet taken place
when Lemoyne edited the first volume of Documenti in 1885. 81 Not unlike the
first, the Second Turco-Related Dream, in the Biographical Memoirs, is a
compilation of earlier source texts, joined with editorial comments and
interpretations-another good example ofLemoyne's method.
To achieve this compilation, which serves as a kind of crown in the
series of dreams spanning Don Bosco's formative years, Lemoyne joins sections
of Joseph Turco's testimony at the Diocesan Process (including its short
narrative of the dream) 82 with Bishop John Cagliero's account of a dream given
at the same Process. 83 A further speculation by Lemoyne regarding the dream's
contents is derived from a late oral source. Then, in the famous passage already
quoted, and referred to throughout the foregoing discussion, he proposes his
overarching interpretation of Don Bosco's vocation dreams and his theory of a
line of divine guidance. 84
?9 Cf. Appendix V.
80 Cf. Note 7 above, and text relating thereto.
81 The Diocesan Process took place between 1892 and 1897. Hence its testimonies became available
to Lemoyne for use in the Biographical Memoin (Vol. I was published in 1898), bul not in Docunumti [cf. also
note 42). He could, of course, as he did in other instances, insert the testimonies as marginal additions at the
appropriate place in Documcnti. Thal he did not do this might be explained by the fact that by that time he was
already woik.ing on the Biographical Memoirs [cf. A. Lcnti, ''Don Bosco's Boswell: John Baptist Lcmoync--Uie
Man and His Wo~," Journal ofSaluia1t Studies I (1990:2) 3lff.].
82 Cf. NOie 44 above, and text relating thereto. Mr. Joseph Turco was the seventh of forty-five
witnesses who testified at the Diocesan ProccM. He testified at sessions 89-90, July 6-7, 1892 [cf. Stella, DB ill,
75. 79. 80 and 118, where one should read Joseph, nOl John, Turco].
83 Bishop John Caglicro was the sixteenth of forty-five witnesses to testify al the Diocesan Process
(from March to May 1893, 23 sessions, 143 to 168) [cf. Stella, DB Ill, 75 and 119). For this discussion the
relevant portion of his testimony is quOled fran the Summarium [cf. Appendix V, A-2).
84 Cf. Note 7 above, and texl relating thereto. Cf. also Appendix V, B-4 (T-B-4).

3.3 Page 23

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
67
The setting for Lemoyne's compilation is the Renenta-Sussambrino
farms where John Bosco spent his summer holidays. 85 The time is the summer
of 1837. 86 This agrees generally with Joseph Turco's testimony. 87
In this scenario, with substantial though not literal fidelity, Lemoyne
quotes Turco's brief testimony of the dream: John Bosco dreamt "that in future
years he would settle in a certain place and there he would gather a large nwnber
ofyoungsters and educate them in the way ofsalvation." Obviously, Lemoyne's
understanding is that Mr. Turco is speaking of a dream which John Bosco had at
the time-in other words, a new dream. But Joseph Turco had merely said:
"When still a seminarian, he told me one day that he had had a dream [...]." 88
The dream need not have occurred when John was a seminarian. It could just
have been the Becchi Dream recalled in its essential thrust.
Next Lemoyne, unaccountably, goes on to surmise that Turco's sketchy
report may coincide with the dream narrated in greater detail by Don Bosco "to
his spiritual sons at the Oratory for the first time in 1858-among whom were
Cagliero, Rua, Francesia and others." For this text he quotes Cagliero's
testimony at the Diocesan Process. 89
This then for Lemoyne is the dream at the age of twenty-two. Cagliero,
however, is speaking of the Becchi Dream; and the opening and closing words of
his testimony put this beyond all doubt:
I know of a dream which the Servant of God had when he was but
nine or ten years of age. He saw the valley below [the Becchi hill,
obviously] turn into a city. [...] I heard this dream from the lips of the
Servant of God himself in 1858-59. He had just returned from Rome,
where he had gone to petition Pope Pius IX for authorization to
establish the Congregation. The Pope had asked him what natural and
supernatural promptings he may have had for such an undertaking, and
he had then related the dream.
85 Cf. Appendix V, B-1-a (T-B-1-a); Joseph Bosco (by thls time married to Maria Calosso) worked
and lived at the Sussambrino farm. Margaret lived there for the most part, and John would also stay at
Sussambrino 'with the family• during the holidays [cf. also note 46 above, and text relating thereto).
86 This may be argued from the episode's position in the Biognphlcal Memoirs, where it is placed
before John Bosco began his theology in the fall of 1837 [cf. EBM I, 31(}.330).
87 Cf. Appendix V, A-1-a (T-A-1-a).
88 Cf. Appendix V , A-1 -b (T-A-1-b) compared with B-1-b (T-B-1-b).
89 Cf. Appendix V, B-2 (T-B-2) compared with A-2 (T-A-2). The comparison shows that without a
doubt Lemoyne quotes Caglicro's testimony. Cf. also note 83 above.

3.4 Page 24

▲back to top
68
Journal of Salesian Studies
This is in agreement with what Don Bosco writes in his Memoirs when
speaking about the First Dream. 90 But Lemoyne, wanting to compile a text for
a presumed dream set at Sussambrino at the time when John Bosco was a
seminarian, changes Cagliero's clear statement and the dream setting to read: "He
had seen the valley below the Sussambrino farm transformed into a big city." He
also modifies the ending of the dream narrative, perhaps to justify the dragoman
procedure, and writes: "Then, as in the first dream, he saw the young people
changed into wild beasts and then again into gentle sheep and lambs. And by the
Lady' s order he took charge of them as their shepherd." But he omits one
puzzling detail of Cagliero's account, namely, the image of the lambs changed
into shepherds. Cagliero had said: " Soon he saw those animals changed into so
many lambs, with him as their shepherd. Then many of the lambs in time turned
also into shepherds." Evidently Lemoyne felt that this detail belonged to a later
dream. 91
Now that the city of Turin has been designated as the place of Don
Bosco's initial apostolate, Lemoyne goes one step further in his compilation.
Utilizing an 1890 oral testimony by a certain Fr. Bosio, an old fellow
seminarian of Don Bosco's, Lemoyne surmises that a vision of the actual
Oratory with its churches and buildings was also part of the presumed Dream at
the Age of Twenty-Two. These images pertaining to the settling of the Oratory
at Valdocco recur in dreams that will be related later, in the second volume of the
Biographical Memoirs. 92 But the additional testimony at this point allows
Lemoyne to broaden the scope of his theory of pre-determining divine guidance
through dreams beyond Don Bosco's early years. This he does in the passage
already quoted and referred to above.
Then, finally, Lemoyne asks, "Can one believe that such dreams were
mere constructions of fantasy?" Don Bosco's real vocation dream and its
90 Cf. MO-En, 20f. and Appendix I, A (f-A), ending.
9 l Cagliero's account of the Becchi Dream does indeed offer some puzzling clements. Don Bosco in
relating the First Dream in his Memoirs writes, '1 seemed to be standing near my home, in a very large
courtyard[...)." [cf. MO-En, 18; Appendix I, A (f-A), beginning]. Caglicro, on the other hand, says: "He saw the
valley transfonned into a city." 'This image is unique to Caglicro's account of the Becchi Dream. Did it originate
with Don Bosco or with Cagliero? Is it one of the images of the original dream experience, or an extrapolation
from the fact that historically the city of Turin became the theater of Don Bosco's oratory activity?
Then Cagliero says that in the dream John saw that "many of the lambs, as they grew up, tumcd
also into shepherds." This image is absent from Don Bosco's account of the Becchi dream in his Memoirs, but it
occurs in the Dream of 1844, also related in the Memoirs [cf. MO-En, 210; Appendix VI, A-2). Again, is this
one of the images of the Becchi Dream omitted by Don Bosco in his narrative, or is it due to ' interference' from
another dream in Cagliero's recall when he testified in 1893? After all, it is likely that Cagliero was acquainted,
if not familiar, with Don Bosco's Memoirs (written in mid-1870s); in which the Becchi Dream and the Dream of
1844 arc the only vocation dreams related in extensive detail.
9 2 Cf. Appendix VI, VII and VIII (Dream of 1844, First and Second Dream ofthe Holy Martyrs).

3.5 Page 25

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
69
recurrence are certainly not constructions of fantasy. But Lemoyne's
compilations may be just that- for the most part.
3. Text and Source-Critical Study of the Vocation-
Mission Dream Narratives in Vol. II of the
Biographical Memoirs
The foregoing five dream narratives in the first volume of the
Biographical Memoirs, and the many source accounts that preceded them, have
their setting within Don Bosco's early formation period. All of these accounts
testify to the fact that the vocation dream was a component in his vocational
discernment at various stages during that period. Essentially the vocational
decision revolved around whether and how he would become a priest, with an
option for the young in view. The dream images reflect this historical reality.
The fact that Lemoyne's construction of the dream line is not critically tenable
should not blind us to this basic reality. Here Don Bosco's own testimony about
the dream's recurrence and suggestion is decisive: "The dream [...]had occurred
at other times in much clearer terms. Hence, if I were to believe it and follow its
suggestion, I would have to choose the priesthood, toward which I actually felt
inclined." 93 These words may be regarded as the authoritative resume of the
whole process of vocational decision and of the accompanying dream experiences
(not further specified). The end result of the process was that John donned the
clerical habit and entered the seminary.
Don Bosco's Memoirs record a later dream experience, also set in a
context of vocational decision. This occurred nearly a decade later, when Don
Bosco, a priest of three years, was struggling with the problem of establishing
the work he had begun on behalf of young people at risk (the oratory) on a
permanent basis. In that context he relates in detail a dream which he himself
describes as "a sequel [appendice] to the one I had had at Becchi at the age of
nine." And he adds: "Later, in conjunction with another dream, it even served as
a guideline for my decisions." 94
In the Biographical Memoirs Lemoyne records three dream narratives,
set within the same general period of vocational decision. The first one (the
93 Cf. MO·En. 110; note 3 above, and text relating thcreto; also. Appendix ill, A-I rr-A-1).
94 Cf. MO·En, 209f. and note 2; at.o, Appendix VI, A· I (f-A-1) and A-3 (f-A-3). These dreams,
to be discussed more fully below, accompany that period of vocational discernment through which Don Bosco re-
founded the oratory (so to speak). This was in 1844, when he left the haven of the Convitto and the church of SL
Francis of Assisi, and out of the liule oratory he had begun there he created his very own, the Oratory of SL
Francis de Sales.

3.6 Page 26

▲back to top
70
Journal of Salesian Studies
Dream of 1844) is taken directly from Don Rosco's Memoirs and set in the same
narrative context; a second (the First Dream of the Holy Martyrs), ascribed to
Barberis as a source, is taken from a Barberis report, but with a change of
context; and the third (the Second Dream of the Holy Martyrs) is compiled by
Lemoyne on his own authority.
These will now form the object of a few text and source-critical
comments.
(1) [6] The Dream of 1844 95
"[These mysterious instructions] will continue as needed until the
completion of God's work." 96
The only other dream which Don Bosco narrates in detail in his
Memoirs is the dream of the night preceding the second Sunday of October,
1844, as he was leaving the Convitto for Marchioness Barolo's Rifugio. 97 This
is not accidental. He sees it both as a counterpart to the Becchi Dream (he
specifically makes this connection), and, together with yet another (unspecified)
dream, as a point of reference in his decisions. Therefore, the vocational
significance of this dream for Don Bosco is clear. And that this significance was
important to him is borne out by specific editorial reflection on his part as he
wrote his Memoirs in the mid-1870s.
Don Rosco's original draft of the text in his Memoirs at this point
looks like a good copy, so free is it of additions and emendations. This is
contrary to norm. The only significant change is the marginal addition near the
beginning: "[I had another dream] which seems to be a sequel (appendice) to the
9S Cf. Appendix VI.
96 Cf. Note 7 above, and text relating thereto.
97 Julie V. F. Colbert (1785-1864) with her husband, the rich Charles Tancre<I Falletti, Marquis of
Barolo, founded, in Turin, numerous works of charity, and religious congregations to take care for them. The
shelter for girls and young women at risk, called the 'Rifugio', dedicated to Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners, was
founded in 1821 in the Valdocco area. Fr. John Baptist Borel, Don Bosco's great friend and supporter, was its
chaplain and spiritual director. After her husband's death, she increased her benefactions. Among other
foundations, in 1845 she established the Little hospital of SL Philomena, for handicapped young girls, also in the
Valdocco area. Don Bosco was appointed its chaplain-designate in 1844 while it was being builL She was also
planning to establish a society of priests under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales, housed at the same hospital,
to care for her foundations as chaplains [cf. Sussidi. 2: Dizionarittto. Roma: Dicastero per la Formazione, 1988,
p. 236-239].
Don Bosco lived at the Rifugio with Fr. Borel from October 1844, when he left the Convitto, until
he moved to the Pinardi house in 1846. He gathered his oratory on the premises of the Rifugio for s ix weeks, and
thereafter at the Linle Hospital's ' priests' quarters', until 'evicted' in May 1845.
In this essay these institutions will be referred to as the Rifugio and the Linle Hospital, respectively.

3.7 Page 27

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
71
one I had had at Becchi at the age of nine." 98 Likewise Don Bosco's only
addition to Berto's transcription reveals further reflection on his part on the
vocational significance of the dream: "And later, in conjunction with another
dream, it even served as a guideline/or my decisions. 99
For Documenti and later for the Biographical Memoirs Lemoyne
transcribes the text of the Berto Ms. with substantial, but far from perfect,
fidelity. One expects certain changes to be made in punctuation, paragraphing,
and the like; but one wonders why certain verbal changes are introduced: for
example, ' we wandered like vagrants' (andammo vagabondi) for 'we kept
wandering' (andammo vagando); 'without the least attempt on the part of some
[animals) to snap at the others (mordere) for 'to harm the others' (nuocere).
A verbal change, which is also a misconstruction of Don Bosco's
meaning, is 'as these [young shepherds] increased [in numbers] (aumentandosi)
they cared for the others' for 'as these grew up (crescendo)'.
Again, perhaps to emphasize the recurrence of the Becchi Dream,
Lemoyne adds to Don Bosco's words: "I had another dream, which seems to be
an appendix to the one I had had at Becchi at the age of nine 'for the first time (la
prima volta)'."
Another addition which is due to Lemoyne's misreading of the Ms.
occurs at the very end, where he writes: "And later, in conjunction with another
dream, this [dream) even served as a guideline for my decisions at the Rifugio."
The words, 'at the Rifugio [presso ii Rifugio]' belong to the title of the next
section in the Berto Ms., where Don Bosco, speaking of the transfer of the
oratory, crossed out what he had originally written (in Valdocco) and wrote above
it, "presso ii Rifugio." lOO The damaging effect of this oversight on Lemoyne's
part is that it de-emphasizes the significance of the dream for vocational decision,
which is the point of Don Bosco's comment.
But what is perhaps most remarkable is that Lemoyne apparently failed
to appreciate the importance which Don Bosco attached to this dream, even
though he transcribes Don Rosco's words with reference to its 'sequel character'.
He does not in any case make a point of it. He may have thought of Don
Rosco's vocation as decided by divine guidance with his entrance into the
seminary, or with his ordination to the priesthood, or with his encounter with
italicized.
and A-3.
98 MO ·DB, 94: FDBMicro 58 Cl I. Cf. Appendix VI, A· l·h ff-A-1-b].
99 MO-DB, 95: FDBMicro 58 Cl2. Cf. Appendix VI, A-3 [T-A-3). Don Bosco's additions arc
lOO MO-Ber, 88: FDBMicro 61 04. For these and the other editorial changes cf. Appendix VI A-2

3.8 Page 28

▲back to top
72
Journal of Salesian Studies
young Garelli on December 8, 1841. In fact, he may have regarded the decision
confronting Don Bosco in 1844 merely as a troublesome circumstantial
'difficulty'. Consequently, Lemoyne simply emphasizes that divine illumination
continued to guide Don Bosco by disclosing the future to him. lOl But the move
of 1844 was more than just a troublesome circumstantial difficulty. Although
Don Bosco's personal resolve never wavered, leaving the shelter of St. Francis of
Assisi and the Convitto and creating his own oratory was for Don Bosco a
major, perhaps the definitive, vocational step.
To conclude these comments, one may say, after allowing for
Lemoyne's editorial slants, that the tradition of the text of the Dream of 1844
from Don Bosco's Memoirs to the Biographical Memoirs is fairly
straightforward.
(3) [7] [8] The First & Second Dream of the Holy Martyrs 102
The Dream of 1844, described above, dealt with the establishment of
Don Bosco's own oratory in the Valdocco area. Lemoyne had two further dream
narratives, dealing with the same subject, at his disposal. The holy martyrs of
Turin are either referred to, or play a role in them. Hence the designation,
'Dreams ofthe Holy Martyrs' .
Don Bosco had spoken of 'another dream' which, together with that of
1844, served as a guideline in his decisions. 103 It would have been tempting to
identify one of the Dreams of the Holy Martyrs with that 'other' dream.
Lemoyne, however, refrains from doing so-another instance perhaps of his
failure to appreciate the vocational significance of these dreams. He seems to
regard them simply as premonitive or predictive dreams come to comfort Don
Bosco by disclosing the future to him.
101 Both in Documenti and in Biographical Memoirs Lemoyne speaks of this dream as of a
wonderful and comforting experience that came to relieve Don Bosco's mind and to reveal the future to him [cf.
Appendix VI, B-1-a-Doc (f-B-1-a-Doc) and B-1-a (f-B-1 -a)]. It may also be noted that when Lemoyne records
yet another onset of missionary desire on Don Bosco's part in 1844 (which Don Bosco does not mention in his
Memoirs), he fails to attach much vocational significance to it. In fact one gains the impression (from Lemoyne's
account), that it was all for Fr. Cafasso's benefit--ilamely, to get Fr. Cafasso to come out and say what the will
of God was in Don Bosco's regard [cf. /BM Il, 203ff.; EBM Il, 160ff.].
l 02 Cf. Appendices VII and VIII.
103 Cf. Note 99 above, and text relating thereto.

3.9 Page 29

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
73
(a) Sources of the First and Second Dream of the Holy Martyrs
In Documenti Lemoyne states that his source for the First Dream ofthe
Holy Martyrs is Barberis: "We shall here report in broad outline the picture seen
by Don Bosco [in a dream], just as he himself related it for the first time to Fr.
Julius Barberis on February 2, 1875." 104
What appears to be Barberis' 'original' draft is an entry entitled, '2
Febbraio 1875' in his chronicle or collection, Notizie varie dei primi tempi.
This shorter and densely written account was later expanded and 'finalized' by
Barberis. For this operation Barberis worked on a good transcription (in another
hand), which he annotated and emended profusely. This text seems to represent
Barberis' final version. From this expanded draft were 'derived' other good
copies. Although Lemoyne's slashes are found only in Barberis' ' original' draft,
the text used by Lemoyne both in Documenti and in the Biographical Memoirs
is the 'derived' text. It is more polished and better organized, but abridges the
description of Don Rosco's dealings with the Rosminians. 105
In his 'original' draft Barberis writes:
February 2. 1875. Today I was asked by the Rev. Don Bosco to go
with him and the Consul of the Argentine Republic to dinner at the
Occellettis. After dinner Don Bosco and myself left together. We talked
about the novices and of our newly established house of novitiate. We
talked at great length, and finally reached Borgo Nuovo Street. Here
Don Bosco stopped to call on Marchioness Doria, who was ill. Then on
the way home he discussed very important matters with me. Among
other things, he told me of a remarkable vision which he had never
104 Appendix VJJ, B-l+Doc (f-B-1-a-Doc).
105 'Original' draft: Notizit varit tki primi ttmpi tkll'Oratorio su D Bosco tee., p. 11f., '2
Ftbbraio 1875' in ASC 110: Cronacheue-Barbcru, FDBMicro 892 A1lf. It is a neatly but densely written report
in Barberis' hand, with few corrections. It is remarkable in that it lacks the dream scenes where Don Bosco is
shown churches and buildings, but it nonetheless records the scene where the Lady points out the spot of the
martyrdom. This document bears the heavy double slash at the beginning of each line, the mark of Lcmoyne's
(intended) use of the texL
Barberis' 'finalized' report is at ASC 110: Cronachette-Barberis, "Sogni Diversi a Lanzo",
FDBMicro 866 BI 0-Cl. This is the text tnnscribcd in Appendix VJJ, A. One of the features of this text is that it
gives the most detailed description of Don Bosco's dealings with the Rosminians for the re-purchase of the 'field
of dreams'. ' Derived' copies (all virtually identical) are: ASC 111: Sogni-Barberu, "II nastro bianco
+Rivelazione dclla Congregazione" (eallignphic copy), FDBMicro 1219 C6-11and1282 ES-1283 Al ; ASC 111:
Sogni-Lcmoyne, ''Visione riguardante la Congregazione" (in Lcmoyne's hand), FDBMicro 1314 Bl().{;5. Thi•
last text should be considered the immediate source for Lemoyne's narrative in Documt11ti and in the
Biographical Mtmoin.

3.10 Page 30

▲back to top
74
Journal of Salesian Studies
disclosed to any one before. He assured me that I was the first person to
learn of it. 106
The introduction of his 'finalized' report reads:
On February 2, 1875 I was walking with Don Bosco back to the
Oratory from Borgo San Salvario. 107 We were alone. Among many
other things he related to me the following vision. He said that it was
the first he had had regarding the congregation [...] He added that he had
never opened his heart to anyone about the matter. I was the first person
to hear about it. 108
In the Biographical Memoirs, however, the source is given both as Fr.
Julius Barberis and Lemoyne himself: "Extraordinary dreams [...] came to
comfort Don Bosco, as he confided once and only once to Fr. Julius Barberis and
to the author of these pages on February 2, 1875." Lemoyne' s inclusion of
himself as a source is puzzling, in view of Barberis' statements that he was Don
Bosco's only companion when the latter narrated the dream on February 2, 1875.
(In 1875 Lemoyne was stationed at Lanzo, where he had been director since
1865.). However, Barberis himself tells us that Don Bosco later related the dream
to Lemoyne and other Salesians. 109
The source for the Second Dream of the Holy Martyrs is given in the
Biographical Memoirs (no source is indicated in Documenti) as Lemoyne
himself. He compiled the narrative on the basis of Don Bosco's utterances in
1884 and which extended over a period of some twenty years:
l06 Note 103 above (FDBMicro 892 Al I). The Occellettis lived in Via Fukrico Campana at the
the southern edge of the Borgo San Salvario. Borgo San Salvario itself lay at the southern end of the city, south
of the Viale del Re or dei Platani (Corso Vittorio Emanuele//). The Oratory of St. Aloysius had been established
at the northern edge of this borough in 1847 and the church of St. John the Evangelist would be dedicated here in
1882. In 1859 Chevalier Charles Occelletti had begun, at his own residence, the Oratory of St. Joseph,
subsequently run by the Salesians (1863·1866).
l07 They had been to dinner at the Occellcttis [cf. note 106 above, and text relating thereto].
108 Note 105 above (FDBMicro 866 BIO). Cf. Appendix VII, A-1-a (T-A-1 -a).
109 Appendix VTI, B-1-a (T-B-1-a). Cf. J. Barberis, II culto di Maria Ausiliatrice. Torino: SEI,
1920. After transcribing his report of Don Bosco'• narration regarding the purchase of the ' field of dreams' and
the place where the church of Mary Help of Christians was evcnrually built [cf. Appendix VII, A-5 (T-A-5)],
Barberis writes: 'Thus far, my report. Later the Venerable [Don Bosco) related the same story, with further
details, to other Salesians, and to Fr. John Lemoyne in particular. The latter made use of my report and of what
he himself had heard from Don Bosco. He thus compiled the most detailed account yet of those events for the
biography of the Venerable which he authored" [p. 53). (These are the details edited in IBM VD, 372ff. and
380ff; EBM VD, 223f. and 2Z7f.].

4 Pages 31-40

▲back to top

4.1 Page 31

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
75
He related it briefly, and only to a few close associates, in 1884.
But he had disclosed the most magnificent aspects of it earlier, at
intervals, over a period of some twenty years. [...] The present writer,
who was [constantly] at his side, did not allow his utterances to be lost.
He took careful note of them each time, and later compiled them to
obtain the following dream scene." 110
It would not have been difficult for one who heard Don Bosco tell the dream in
1884, to write an account of it on the basis of what he could recall of the
narration. And assuming that Don Bosco specified in what connection he had had
the dream, then it would have been possible for the biographer to set it in its
proper context. Perhaps that is what happened. What is more difficult to
understand is how Lemoyne could compile an account of a specific dream for a
specific context out of snippets heard over a period of twenty years.
(b) Context of the First and Second Dream of the Holy
Martyrs 111
110 Appendix VIII, B-1-b (f-B-1-b). The twenty years are reckoned from 1864, when Lemoyne
first entered the Oratory. In 1865 he was sent to Lanzo as director, in which capacity he served until, in 1877, he
was sent (farther away) to Momcse and Nizza as chaplain to the Daughters of Mary Help of Oiristians. He was
recalled to Twin as sccrctary in 1883 (cf. A. Lenli, ''Don Bosco's Boswell [... ],"Journal of Saltsian Studies I
(1990:2) 12-19].
111 The various stages and stops of the oratory from the time it left St. Francis of Assisi (October
1844) to the settling at Pinardi's (April 1846) may be listed as follows: (1) On the second Sunday, 13th of
October, 1844 (after the dream of the preceding night) Don Bosco announced that the oratory would thereafter
meet at the Rifugio. It met there for the first time on the third Sunday (October 20) and continued to meet there
until the first Sunday of Advent. December 1. (2) Meanwhile Don Bosco was given permission by Marchioness
Barolo to use two rooms and some adjacent space at the Liule Hospital of St. Philomena, which wu under
construction at the time and of which Don Bosco was chaplain-designate. The oratory met there for the first time
on December 8, 1844 and continued to use the premises until Sunday, May 18, 1845 [cf. note 97 above]. (3) By
permission from the re.sident chaplain, though not from the City, Don Bosco gathered his oratory at the
Cemetery of the Holy Cross (SL Peter in Chains) on one Sunday, May 25, 1845, and was promptly evicted. (4)
For a few Sundays thereafter the meetings may have taken place out-of-doors and at various churches, until (5)
Permission for restricted use of the church of SL Martin at the Dora Mills was granted by the City to Fr. Borel
by letter of July 12, 1845. The oratory continued to meet at SL Martin's, not without local protest, until Sunday,
December 21 (not 22) permission being officially terminated by an official communication dated January 1,
1846. (6) After Christmas of 1845 Fr. Borel and Don Bosco rented three rooms in Fr. John Baptist Moretta's
house, in the Valdocco area, and the oratory met there until some time in March 1846. when Fr. Moretta. under
pressure from disgruntled tenants, refused to renew the lease. (7) In March and early April, 1846 the oratory (by
now 300 or 400 strong) used a grassy field rented fran the Ftlippi brothers and located near the Moretta house.
(8) Meanwhile Fr. Borel's and Don Boseo's attmtion was drawn to a shed atuched to a house in the vicinity by a
Mr. Pancralius Soavc who had rented the house, but not the shed, from the owner, a Mr. Francis Pinardi. On
April 1, 1846 the lease for the use of the shed was signed by Fr. Borel for three years, and the oratory met there
for the first time on Easter Sunday, April 12, 1846, never again to leave [cf. MO-En, 2 15-262; EBM II, passim;
P. Stella, DB-EcSoc, 74ff.; F. Giraudi, L'Oratoric di Don Bosco. lnizio t progrusivo sviluppo tdilizio de/la casa
madrt dei saltsiani in ToriM. Torino: SEI, I935; p. 32 and passim].

4.2 Page 32

▲back to top
76
Journal of Salesian Studies
A remarkable feature of Lemoyne's use of these texts in the
Biographical Memoirs is the context in which they are set. In the case of the
First Dream of the Holy Martyrs, he flagrantly disregards his source (Barberis).
In the case of the Second, he creates a likely setting on his own authority.
Taking the Dream of 1844 as a point of reference, the contexts may be
compared as follows:
Dream of 1844
MO: night preceding
2nd Sunday of Oct. 1844
(DB is leaving the
Convitto for the
Riful!:io)
Doc: SAME as MO
1st Dream of H.
Martyrs
BM: SAME as Doc &
MO
Barberis: SAME as Doc: SAME as Barberis BM: May 1845
MO above
&MO above
(Oratory is forced to
leave Barolo's Little
Hospital, 7 mos. after
first meeting there)
2nd Dream of H.
Martyrs
Doc: SAME as BM
above
BM: 4th Sunday of
Advent, Dec 22 [21),
1845 (Oratory is forced
to leave St. Martin's
definitivelv)
Thus, the setting of the First Dream of the Holy Martyrs in the source
(Barberis) is the same as that of the Dream of 1844, the night preceding the
second Sunday of October 1844, when Don Bosco was about to leave the
Convitto to talce up his duties at the Barolo institution. When Barberis wrote his
account of Don Bosco's narration, that very day, February 2, 1875, 112 he
certainly set down as accurately as he could what he had heard from Don Bosco.
It was Don Bosco himself, then, who established the setting for this dream-that
112 Cf. Note 106 above, and text relating thereto ("Today").

4.3 Page 33

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
77
moment of crisis, when he was leaving the Convitto and the future of the
oratory seemed in doubt. This is clearly stated in Don Bosco's introduction to
the dream narrative in all archival Mss. The 'derived' text mentioned above
features a longer introduction which makes the point even more forcefully:
The white ribbon. Revelation of the Congregation." [...] The
oratories were begun on December 8, 1841. Catechetical instruction
was conducted for nearly three years in the sacristies of the church of St.
Francis of Assisi. I was then attending the conferences in moral
theology of which Fr. Cafasso was the director. I also served as tutor in
moral theology. However, in 1844 I was due to leave the Convitto and
move to the Rifugio to work with Dr. Borel. I was very much
concerned about the youngsters that attended the catechetical
instructions in such great numbers. I did not know whether I should
disband them or continue to care for them [...] On my last Sunday at
the Convitto I had to notify them [one way or the other] [...] The night
preceding that Sunday [I had a dream]. 113
In Documenti, Lemoyne records this dream in an 'additional' chapter (as
an 'epilogue'). He omits the introduction that he read in his source (his own
transcription of Barberis' 'derived' text), but keeps the same setting.
In the preceding chapters we mentioned extraordinary dreams that
came to encourage Don Bosco step by step. [...]We shall here report in
broad outline the picture seen by Don Bosco [in a dream], just as he
himself related it for the first time to Fr. Julius Barberis on February 2,
1875. [...] On the last Sunday I was to stay at the Convitto [...]. 114
In the Biographical Memoirs the setting is changed; for, after all, how
could two different dream narratives share the same setting? Or perhaps in
Lemoyne's mind the critical question was less important than preserving a text
guaranteed by a source and using it in a likely narrative context. It now finds its
setting when the Oratory was forced to leave the Little Hospital in May 1845,
after being based there for several months, to begin its 'wandering'. It might be
alleged that Lemoyne was able to ascertain the exact situation from Don Bosco
113 ASC 111: Sogni-Barbcri.s (FDBMicro 1279 C6). Identical text in Lemoyne'• hand in ASC 111:
Sogni-Lcmoyne, ''Yisione riguardante la Congrcgazione" (FDBMicro 1314 BIO). Cf. note 105 above.
114 Appendix VII, B-Doc (f-B-Doc).

4.4 Page 34

▲back to top
78
Journal of Salesian Studies
himself, as he did on other occasions. But then why does he not warn the reader,
as he usually does when that is the case; or why does the new context appear
only in the Biographical Memoirs (vol. II, published in 1901), and not in his
own Ms. copy of the text, nor in Documenti (vol. 11, printed after 1885)?
Further questions about this dream, chiefly concerning its relationship
to the Dream of 1844, demand an answer. These will be addressed below.
The Second Dream of the Holy Martyrs, presents similar problems.
Besides the fact that, as mentioned above, the report as such appears to rest on
weak foundations, there is the additional problem that its narrative context in the
Biographical Memoirs differs from that assigned to it earlier by Lemoyne in
Documenti. In this latter work it is set in that time of crisis when the oratory
was forced to leave the premises of the Little Hospital in May 1845. In the
Biographical Memoirs this context is assigned to the first dream, and a new
suitable situation is found for the second dream, namely, the time when the
oratory left the church of St. Martin at the Dora Mills (December 1845). 115
Perhaps Don Bosco did have further dreams to steady him on his
vocational course during those critical eighteen months of the wandering oratory.
And Lemoyne could have been privy to special infonnation which he does not
tell us about. However, the sources as they stand, and the use Lemoyne makes of
them, leave us in doubt.
(c) The Textual Tradition of the First Dream of the Holy
Martyrs 116
After discussing sources and contexts, we turn to the text of the dream
as edited in the Biographical Memoirs. It has already been pointed out that the
probable tradition of the text is as follows: Don Rosco's narration to Fr. Barberis
on February 2, 1875; Barberis' 'original' draft on the same day; Barberis'
'finalized' report; and 'derived' edited copies, including one in Lemoyne's
hand.117 This last is the text transcribed in Documenti, and subsequently edited
in the Biographical Memoirs.
As reported by Barberis ('finalized' draft) the text of Don Bosco's
narration contains the following parts: the occasion or setting of the dream,
which has been discussed; the dream narrative proper; the comment on the
certainty obtained from the dream; the place of martyrdom and the research by
115 Cf. Appendix VIII, A-1 (f-A-1) and B-1-a (f-B- 1-a).
l l 6 Cf. Appendix VII.
117 Cf. Note 105 above and Appendix VII, A.

4.5 Page 35

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
79
Canon Laurence Gastaldi; the place where the church of Mary Help of Christians
was to be built and the buying back of the 'field of dreams' from the
Rosminians, with a concluding comment on the square and the monument.
[a] With regard to the square and the monument, a curious difference is
noted between Barberis' 'finalized' draft and the 'derived' text (Documenti and
Biographical Memoirs included). In the former, the appended comment reads:
" Also, in front of the church which the Blessed Virgin showed me there lay a
beautiful square with a monument in its center. Now I shall wait and see if all
this will be feasible." 118 In the latter texts, there is no mention of a square, and
the monument is seen in the center of the Oratory building complex ringing the
church.: "I then saw a huge church rising on the very spot [of the martyrdom]
[...] There were many buildings around the church, and in the center stood a
beautiful monument." 119
[b] In the 'derived' copies, including Lemoyne's, the section dealing
with the location of the church and the buying back of the field from the
Rosminians is given in a simplified form. It is in this simpler form that it
passes into Documenti. This section, however, is omitted in the Biographical
Memoirs at this point and appears later in an edited but expanded form in its
proper historical context. 120
[c] For the rest, the text of the dream in Documenti is the 'derived' text,
the immediate source being Lemoyne's manuscript copy, transcribed with some
stylistic editing. 121
In the Biographical Memoirs Lemoyne engages in further editorial
activity, producing a fuller text. 122 Generally speaking his additions are in the
nature either of elucidations of the text or of topographical explanations. Some
times, they are designed to emphasize appropriate religious feeling. Noteworthy
is Lemoyne's typical addition to Don Bosco's comment on the certainty gained
through the dream:
Here then was the source of his unshakable faith in the ultimate
success of his mission; of the boldness, regarded by some as
118 Appendix vn. A-5 (T-A-5), at the end.
l l9 Appendix Yil, B-2 (T-B-2).
120 Cf. Appendix Yil, B-5-Doc and B-5 (IBM Yil, 372ff. and 380ff.; EBM VII, 223f. and 227f.)
[cf. note 109 above, and text relating thereto).
121 Cf. Note I 05 above.
122 Cf. Appendix VII, B-2.

4.6 Page 36

▲back to top
80
Journal of Salesian Studies
foolhardiness, with which he tackled all sorts of obstacles; of the
courage with which he shouldered colossal undertakings, difficult
beyond the power of human endeavor, and brought them to successful
completion nonetheless. 123
[d] Finally, in the Biographical Memoirs the section on the place of
martyrdom and Canon Gastaldi's research is greatly expanded on the basis of
information derived (by Lemoyne, obviously) partly from Gastaldi's publication
and partly from ideas received in Salesian tradition . The whole explanation
regarding the place of martyrdom is ascribed globally to Don Bosco. 124
The most basic questions with regard to this dream, however, remain
those of its relation to the Dream of 1844.
(d) The Textual Tradition of the Second Dream of the Holy
Martyrs
Apart from the difference in setting, already discussed above, the
tradition of this text is short and straightforward, since it was totally under
Lemoyne's control. In the Biographical Memoirs he merely edits what he had
written in Documenti to obtain a fuller and certainly more readable text.
The editing consists of descriptive expansions, of explanatory additions,
and of touches and emphases. Thus, for instance, he gives a fuller description of
Don Bosco' s position and of that of the three young men in the opening
scene,125 and of the Lady and her entourage later in the dream. He explains that
the house, as Don Bosco later learned, was the property of a certain Mr. Pinardi.
He emphasizes the kindness of the three youths in escorting Don Bosco to the
123 Appendix Vll, B-3 (f-B-3) and B-6 (f-B-6).
124 Cf. Appendix Vll, B-4 (f-B-4) compared with B-4-Doc (f-B-4-Doc) and A-4 (f-A-4). Canon
Gastaldi memoir on the Holy Martyrs was published anonymously in the Catholic Readings as, Mtmoru storiclle
de/ martirio •de/ culto dei SS. Martiri SoluJort, Avvtntort td Ottavio, prottttori de/la citta di ToriM, nccolte
da un saccrdote torinese (Letture Cauoliche XIV: 1, Gennaio 1866). Torino: Tipografia dell'Oratorio di S.
Fnncesco di Sales, 1966, esp. p. 42f. The partial dependence of the passage of the Biographical Mtmoirs on
Gastaldi's monograph is virtually certain. But apparently Gastaldi was willing to expand orally for the Salesians
what he had set down more sparingly in writing. liris may be the origin of the more detailed Salesian tradition
about the place. For a fuller discussion, see E. Valentini, "Hie Domus Mea: Storia del santuario di Maria
Ausiliatrice in Torino (1868-1968)," in Aiuto dei Cristiani Madu de/la Chiesa. Ntl Cenl•nario de/la
Consacrazione de/la Sua Basilica di TorillO 1868 - 9 giug110 - 1968 (Accademia Mariana Saluiana VII). Zilrich:
PAS-Verlag, 1968, p.96-99.
125 In Documenti Lemoyne writes that Don Bosco was standing at the border of the s<>-called
Borda di S. Massimo. In the Biographical Mtmoirs he replaces this designation with more recent names and
speaks ofRonJO or Valdocco Circle and Corso Regina Margherita. This boulevard was formerly known as Vial•
San Massimo, and the Borda would have been where it came to an end, at the Circle.

4.7 Page 37

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
81
Lady. He reports a lengthy and touching exhortation (to perseverance and trust)
from the Lady to Don Bosco; and, to conclude the dream narrative, he writes that
Don Bosco had already re-dedicated himself completely to the mission entrusted
to him.
On the other hand, he omits mention of the third martyr' s flight to
Ivrea, after being wounded at the scene, a detail which is not well handled in
Documenti. 126
Finally, both in Documenti and in the Biographical Memoirs, Lemoyne
describes Don Bosco's visit to 'the house', apparently expecting to find a
'suitable' building and a church. Now, if the time assigned to this dream by
Lemoyne is correct, Don Bosco had been living in the area for quite a while.
From his room at the Rifugio he had a practically unobstructed view eastward
over the low lying land. 127 He must have been aware of the few scattered
houses in the area, as well as of the fact that there was no church in the
immediate vicinity. This conclusion has all the earmarks ofLemoyne's dramatic
touch.
Be that as it may, the main question concerning this dream narrative, in
view of what has been said above, is whether it should be accorded independent
status. It appears that its status is in doubt.
4. Comparative Table and Reference Data of
Dream Source Texts Compiled and Interpreted
in the Biographical Memoirs
The foregoing study has attempted a critical evaluation of the vocation-
mission dream narratives in the Biographical Memoirs, through a critical survey
of the sources from which such narratives were compiled and edited by Lemoyne.
Before we proceed with comments on what Don Bosco's actual dream
experiences and their significance for vocational decision might have been, it
may help to bring together in comparative fashion the reference data to the texts
that have been discussed above and selectively transcribed in the Appendices.
126 Cf. Appendix VIII, A-2 (T-A-2).
127 Cf. Stella, DB·E cSoc, 73.

4.8 Page 38

▲back to top
82
Journal of Salesian Studies
[sources of dream
narratives]
[original/early]
First Dream
MO[Intro.], "Un sogno":
MO -Ber, 5-S (Micro 60 A9-12);
MO-DB, 5-S (Micro 57 A6-9);
MO -Ce, 22-26; MO-En, l S-21
First Turco-Related Dream
Barbaris Report:
ASC 110 (Micro 892 AS)
+Rua quoting Lucy Turco &
others
POCT[S.35S, 4{29/95,12], 4306f
(ASC 161: Micro21S4 E7)
+Unspecified Dream of
Reprimand
MO[l. Dec.,4°]:MO-Ber, 20f
(Micro 60 B12); MO-DB , lS
(Micro 57 B7) MO-Ce, 43f;
MO-En, 4S
Refer. to Recurrence of
Dream
MO[l.Dec., 14°]: MO -Ber, 50
(Micro 60 E7); MO -DB, 44 (Micro
57 09) MO-Ce, 79f; MO -En, 110
Clothes-mending Dream
ASC ill: Sogni-Barberis
(Micro 1294 A2f)
[Ed. in Documenti]
[intermediate]
First Dream
Docl [P. l ,C XVI] 6Sf
(Micro 967 B2f)
[Ed. in Biogr.
Memoirs]
[final]
(I) First Dream (at age 9)
IBM!, 123ff; EBM I, 95/
Turco-Rel. Dream
Doc 1, 6Sf (Micro 967 B2f)
Marg. note in L's hand
(II) Dream at Age 16
IBM I, 243f. EBM l,18lf.
Dream of Imp. Comm.
Doc[P. 11,C.XVI], 153
Printed marg. note.
(III) Dream at Age 19
IBM!, 305; EBMI, 229)
told to Barbaris ca. l S70
Clothes-mending Dream
Doc I [P.ill,C.III], 179
(Micro 96S ES)
Doell (P.V.C.III], 144f
(Micro 972 A llf)
(IV) Dream at Age 21
IBM!, 3Slf; EBMI , 2S4F
IBMII, 202; EBMII, 159f

4.9 Page 39

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
83
[sources of dream
narratives]
fori1!inal/earlv]
[Ed. in Documenti]
[intermediatel
Second Turco-Related Dream
Joseph Turco's Testimony
POCT IS. 89-90, 7/6-7/92,
23],1387 (Micro 2135 C2-1 l)
Bp.Cagliero's Testimony:
POS [XVI, 12], 87f (Micro 2213
D7f)
Dream of 1844
Sequel to Dream at Age 9
M0[2.Dec., 15°):
MO-Ber, 84, 86ff (Micro 61
C12.D2ff.);
MO -DB, 93ff (Micro 58 ClOff)
MO-Ce, 133-6; MO-En, 203f. 209f
Dream of 1844
Sequel to Dream at Age 9
Doell [P.V,C. IV], 148f
(Micro 972 B3f)
First Dream of Holy
Martyrs
Barberis' 'Orig.' Drart:
ASCllO: Cron-Barb (Micro 892
Allf);
Barberis' 'Final' Draft:
ASCI 10: Cron-Barb (Micro 866
BIO-Cl)
Derived Copies:
ASCI 11: Sogni-Barb (Micro 1279
C6-1 l); ASCll 1: Sogni-Lem
(Micro 1314 BIO-CS)
First Dream of HM
Told to Barbaris 1875
Doell [P.V.CX], 189f
Micro 972 E8f)
Second Dream of HM
Doell [P.V.C.V], 157
(Micro 972 Bl2)
[Ed. in Biogr.
Memoirs]
[finall
(V) Dream at Age 22
IBMI, 381f; EMBI, 315f
(Vl)Dream of 1844
Sequel to Dream at Age 9
IBMII, 241f. 243ff;
EBMII 189. 190f
(VIl)First Dream of HM
Told to Barbaris 1875
IBMII, 297-301;
EBMII, 231-235
(VIII) Second Dream of
HM
Told to a few SDBs (1884)
Reconstructed by Lemoyne.
IBMII, 341-344; EBMII,
267f

4.10 Page 40

▲back to top
84
Journal of Salesian Studies
Part II. Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission
Dreams in Their Historical Setting and
Their Significance for Vocational
Discernment at Critical Turning Points
1. Evaluation of Data and Conclusions to Be
Drawn from the Foregoing Text and Source-
critical Study
In his critique of Lemoyne's use and interpretation of the sources for the
dream narratives recorded in the first volume of the Biographical Memoirs
(Dreams I-Vas listed above), Desramaut 128 makes what may be valid points.
He observes, in the first place, that the six chief source-texts on which
Lemoyne relies may be distributed into two series, of three witnesses each,
harking back to Don Bosco and to the Turco family respectively. The Bosco
series comprises Cagliero's testimony at the Diocesan Process (Dream V above)
Barberis' report as quoted in Documenti (Dream III above), and, of course, Don
Bosco's own account in his Memoirs (Dream I above). The Turco series
comprises Joseph Turco's report "through an unidentified intermediary" in
Documenti (Dream II, above), 129 Rua's testimony at the Diocesan Process
quoting Lucy Turco (Dream II, above), and Joseph Turco's testimony at the
Diocesan Process (Dream V, above).
Secondly, Desramaut argues, not without some reservation, that all six
narratives, refer to the same dream experience, that is, to the First Dream. 130
When we evaluate Lemoyne's construction of the three dreams in the
second volume of the Biographical Memoirs, as discussed above (Dream VI-VIII
above), further observations are in order.
To begin with, it appears that for the first two dream narratives (the
Dream of 1844, related in Don Bosco's Memoirs , an the First Dream of the
Holy Martyrs, reported by Barberis) their setting is determining. In the sources
128 Desr.imaut, Mtm /, 251-255.
129 Actually the int.ermc<liary has been idcntific<I. He is none other than Barberis [cf. note 38
above, and text relating thereto; Appendix II, A- I].
130 "There would be, then, only one dream reported in a slighlly different manner by six different
witnesses. This conclusion, however, is at variance with a few small but troublesome phrases or reflections [in
the texts]" [Desramaut, Mem /, 253]. Cf. also note 47 above, and text relating thereto.

5 Pages 41-50

▲back to top

5.1 Page 41

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
85
both are set in the same narrative context, namely, the evening preceding the
second Sunday of October, 1844, the time of Don Bosco's move out of the
Convitto to Barolo's Rifugio. The conclusion then would be that the two are
variant recollections of the same dream experience. This one dream, however,
would have offered such a wealth of images that, building on the same core,
different narratives could be constructed in accordance with the narrator's point of
view and purpose at the time of narration. And after all, dreams are pretty elusive
when it comes to expressing them in words. In narrating his dreams Don Bosco
often refers to this phenomenon. On this very occasion, according to Barberis,
Don Bosco remarked, "A lot of other things occurred [in the dream], but there is
no need of relating them now." 131 Lemoyne makes this very point in relating
this dream (in a different setting) in Documenti.
A noteworthy feature of these mysterious visions is the presence of
complex skeins of interrelated scenes which keep recurring and changing
into new ones, always with surprising effects. They might also merge
simultaneously with other representations, the whole seeming to merge
into one point 132
Then, as is known, in his Memoirs and in connection with the Dream
of 1844, Don Bosco refers to 'another dream', obviously in a different but
similar setting, that he considered equally important. Might this be that 'other
dream'? If so, then we are forced to conclude that Don Bosco's recollection
faltered when he told it to Barberis on February 2, 1875.
This, however, seems unlikely, also due to the fact that events of 1844
must have been very much on his mind at the time of the narration (early 1975).
He was then writing his Memoirs, and we know from internal evidence that the
better part of his Ms. (comprising the Dream of 1844) was composed between
1873 and 1875. 133
Thirdly, as already indicated above, the Second Dream of the Holy
Martyrs , in terms of source, context and content (apart from the image and role
of the three youths) may not have a claim to independent status.
l3l Appendix VIl, A-3 (T-A-3)
132 Appendix VIl, B-1-a-Doc (T-B-1-a-Doc).
133 Pages 29 to 158 of Don Bosco's original draft [cf. Desramaut, M~m /, 116]. The Dream of
1844 occurs on page 93f. of MO-DB (FDBMicro 58 Cl If.).

5.2 Page 42

▲back to top
86
Journal of Salesian Studies
If Don Bosco's vocation-mission dream experiences did not occur as the
biographer says they did-how and in what historical junctures in Don Bosco's
life did they occur? And how did these experiences function in Don Bosco's
vocational discernment?
2. Don Bosco's Memoirs-the Point of Reference
Here a comment on method is in order. 134 To address these questions
one has to fall back on what Don Bosco tells us himself about his experiences,
and this means that the text of his Memoirs must be our point of reference.
True, as he tells us himself, the vocation-mission dream recurred at various,
perhaps numerous, times. But the few instances which he relates, and the
references that he provides, pinpoint the crucial situations of his vocational
discernment and decision. The understanding is that God normally reveals his
will not independently of a complex set of interacting socio-historical and
psychological forces at work. Therefore, this seems the only reliable course to
take, not only because most of the dream narratives reported in the sources may
be brought back to the data of the Memoirs, but also because Don Bosco gives
us therein a reliable historical context in which to understand that data. After all,
Don Bosco's purpose in writing the Memoirs of the Oratory was precisely to
describe the progress of his vocation and his definitive option for the young,
which he sees as the origin of the Salesian Society.
Admittedly, Don Bosco's Memoirs are not 'pure history'. Fr. P.
Braido's judgment may be taken as a guideline not only for an overall
understanding of the work, but specifically for an evaluation of Don Bosco's
own understanding of his vocation.
The events recorded and the things described [in the Memoirs]
reflect real-life experiences. But [in real life] those experiences were
most likely not perceived as possessing that fulness of meaning or that
organic relationship, which the author [Don Bosco] attributes to them
l 34 This observation refers to historico-critical methodology. But it is understood here that such
experiences (in our case, Don Bosco's vocation-mission dream experiences) are approached with a more general
method that includes a certain Christian understanding of reality. For instance, in this regard, M. Kelsey, after
quoting a skeptical statement by B.H. Streeter, writes: 'This is the attitude of many intellectuals [...]. A world
view that includes a belief in spiritual reality, however, woold enable us to conclude the following. 1. God is
always present, not only in the physical world, but also in the spiritual world, which constantly breaks through
into our consciousness via the dream and the vision. 2. God gives direction to those who are open to them. 3. We
can directly confront and experience this spiritual world [...]"[Dreams: A Way to Listen to God, p. 69; cf. note 4
above].

5.3 Page 43

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
87
[in retrospect] out of an understanding gained through the mature
achievement and reflection of a lifetime. [...) 135
For, after all, one of his aims in writing his story was, as he states, "to
make known how God himself has [always) guided [me in) everything, and in
every circumstance." 136 But there is no reason to doubt that Don Bosco
maintained the detachment necessary for a basically realistic portrayal of the
situations he is writing about. We may, therefore, take him at his word with
respect to the dreams which he relates or refers to in his Memoirs, and which he
presents, with sobriety and even self-doubt, as playing a role in his vocational
decisions. Hence, the comments that follow will focus on the dream material of
Don Bosco's Memoirs. 137
3. First Vocational Awareness and the First Dream
at the Age of Nine
For Don Bosco's earliest years, dates and sequences of events can be
established only with approximate accuracy. Fr. Teresio Bosco, in a popular
biography, remarks that in writing his Memoirs, Don Bosco's photographic (not
logical) memory portrays early scenes and experiences with refreshing vividness,
but not necessarily with chronological accuracy. 138
It should be noted, however, that Don Bosco's dating of the First
Dream at the age of nine or ten (or better, between the age of nine and ten) never
varies. Moreover, the dream is related in a context which has all the likelihood of
being the true one. And the sequence is as follows: Mamma Margaret's religious
teaching and John's first Christian commitments; schooling and Christian
education by Fr. Lacqua in Capriglio; the dream; and lastly his early activity
135 P. Braido, S. Giovanni Bosco. Serini sul sistema preventivo nell'educazione cklla gioventu
Brescia: Lt Scuola Ed., 1965, p.4.
136 MO [lntrod.]: MO-En, 3.
137 1be following passages of lhe Memoirs, together wilh lhe material connected wilh lhem, will
be discussed or referred to: (I) The First Dream [MO [Intro.): MO -Ce, 22-26; MO -En, 18-21); (2) lhe short
narrative of the Dream of 'Reprimand' [MO, I. Dec., 4°: MO-Ce, 43f.; MO -En, 48); (3) lhe reference to lhe
recurn:nce of the dream wilh the accompanying comment [MO, I. Dec., 14°: MO -Cc, 19f.; MO-En, 110); (4) lhe
short narrative of the Dream on the Franciscans [MO, 1. Dec., 14°: MO-Ce, 80f.; MO-En, I !Of.]; (5) the Dream
of1844 [MO, 2. Dec., 15°: MO-Cc, 134f.; MO-En, 209f.].
p. 13.
138 Teresia Bosco, Don Bosco. Una biografia nuova. Leumann (Torino): Editrice Elle Di Ci, 1979,

5.4 Page 44

▲back to top
88
Journal of Salesian Studies
with the local children. 139 These elements belong together and reinforce one
another.
The dream is introduced with the words: "At that point in my life I had
a dream" (A qe/l'eta ho fatto un sogno). This refers to the immediately preceding
notice that he had reached the age of nine, that Mamma Margaret decided that
John should have proper schooling, and that arrangements for this were made
with Fr. Joseph Lacqua at Capriglio. 140 Don Bosco says of this priest-teacher:
"He was very attentive to my needs, seeing to my instruction and even more to
my Christian education." Immediately after relating the dream, he continues:
"You have asked me at what age I began to take an interest in children. When I
was ten years old, I was [already] doing all that a child could possibly do at that
age, and this was to run a kind of 'festive' oratory." He begins his description of
his early apostolate among his peers with words that seem to hark back to an
even earlier time: "I was still very small, when I was already studying my
companions' characters." All this seems to point to the fact that something was
already going on in John's life when the dream occurred. These experiences
included Mamma Margaret's religious upbringing, her desire to give John a
chance at proper schooling, Fr. Lacqua's teaching and spiritual influence, and
John's aptitude for, and early involvement with, peer ministry. One cannot but
believe that all these converging circumstances did indeed carry with them the
suggestion, not only implicit but at some point explicit, of the priesthood.
Consequently, when Mamma Margaret on hearing John's dream made the
comment, "Who knows, you may become a priest," it was not the first time that
139 Cf. MO [Introd.] : MO-Ct, 21-27; MO-En, 9f. 18ff. 27.
140 At this time Joseph was eleven years of age, and Anthony sixteen. As records show, Joseph
remained illiterate throughout his life (although Lemoyne says that he did learn how to read and write [cf. IBM
I, 96; EBM i, 73]). Anthony was able to sign his name to documents, and must have acquired rudimentary
literacy. John had already received some instruction from a local farmer. But Margaret had proper schooling for
John in mind, obviously at the public elementary school at Castelnuovo, for Becchi was a hamlet of Morialdo
under Castelnuovo. But two miles was too great a distance to walk four times a day for one so young. So
Margaret succee<led in enrolling John in Fr. Lacqua' s school in the nearby town of Capriglio, probably through
the influence of her unmarried sister Joan Marie, nicknamed Marianna, who had entered Fr. Lacqua's service as
housekeeper around this time [cf. also Ibid., 94-100 and 72-76]. (Marianna remained in Fr. Lacqua's service,
when the latter moved to another town, also as municipal school teacher, until his death in 1850; whereupon she
moved to Valdocco to help Margaret and became one of the Oratory 'mothers'.)
Don Bosco makes another remark that is of interest in this respect. In speaking of the difficulty
connected with attending school in Castelnuovo because of distance, he mentions an alternative that must have
been discussed: "Rtcarmi in colltgio si oppontva iifratt llo Antonio" [MO [Introd.]: MO-Ct, 22]. In context this
appears to mean that Anthony was opposed to his 'boarding' in Castelnuovo (the alternative to walking the
distance four times a day) [so MO-En, 9]. However, Lemoyne may have understood that the alternative discussed
was a 'boarding school' (colltgio)[IBM I, 96; and clearly so EBM i, 73], This is unlikely not only in view of
context, but in view of the child's tender age (eight years). If this were the case, however, then we would have to
conclude that Margaret's plans for John went far beyond elementary schooling, and certainly included the
priesthood.

5.5 Page 45

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
89
the thought had occurred to her or that the subject had been mentioned. It is quite
possible that Fr. Lacqua himself may have set in motion or added impetus to the
idea of a priestly vocation in connection with John's desire 'to study'. The
dream, then, would have been the subconscious reaction to the psychological
situation created in John by such a possibility and the family debate surrounding
it.
Fr. P. Stella's plausible suggestion that the dream took place on the
occasion of the patronal feast (St. Peter, June 29), when liturgical texts such as,
"Feed my lambs, feed my sheep," were heard in Morialdo, would explain some
of the dream's specific images. 141
The dream's suggestions are immediately evident. The images
symbolize priestly ministry, and specifically priestly ministry to children in need
or at risk. These images are a constant not only in the prime account of the
dream in Don Bosco's Memoirs, but also in all the variants preserved in the
sources that have been cited above.
P. Stella's concluding words are also worth quoting:
For Don Bosco this dream at the age of nine was not just another
of the many dreams that he undoubtedly had during childhood. There are
unresolved problems surrounding it, of course. Some of these have to
do with the accuracy of his later recollection, and with the nature of the
reports that have come down to us; others, with the actual time of its
occurrence (no longer ascertainable), or with the circumstances that may
have provided the stimuli for the dream and its immediate fantastic
images, etc. In spite of such unanswered questions, however, this much
is abundantly clear: Don Bosco was deeply affected by the dream. In
fact, the evidence suggests that he must have experienced it as some
sort of divine communication; as an event invested, as he himself avers,
with the 'appearance' (the signs and guarantees) of the supernatural. It
was as if his life had been indelibly stamped with with some new divine
seal. 142
141 "Perhaps the dream occured toward the end of John's reduced period of schooling under Fr.
Lacqua, in the yeu 1824-25. And it may have taken place at the time of the patron•! feast of SL Peler [and Paul],
when [such liturgical texts as] 'Feed my lambs, feed my sheep', were heard in [the village of) Morialdo. Thal was
also the time when John, between nine and ten years old, had begun to put on Sunday entcnainments, coosisting
of magic tricu and acrobatic stunts interpersed with prayers and religious insln>ction. It was in this context that
he had the experience which was to "remain deeply imprinted on his mind for the rest of his life".[Stella, DB 1,
29; cf. DB I-En, 7f.] .
142 Stella, DB l, 30, cf. DB I-En, 9.

5.6 Page 46

▲back to top
90
Journal of Salesian Studies
4. The Calosso Experience 143 and the Dream of
'Reprimand'
John's year with Fr. Calosso was a memorable and significant one for
his vocation, even though it ended in tragedy. For, if on the one hand the
experience stands in continuity with earlier vocational elements and decisions, on
the other, it appears to have been so transforming that by it John's vocational
course was definitively set.
John started school with Fr. Calosso at Morialdo almost immediately
after their meeting, when Anthony's opposition was still a problem. At first he
walked back and forth from Becchi for his lessons, then began to stay with the
priest the whole day, and finally moved in with him. In Fr. Calosso young John
found not only a teacher and a spiritual guide, but also (and this was perhaps a
new experience for him) a good father. When it appeared that things were finally
going well for John, Fr. Calosso died suddenly of a stroke in November 1930.
John grieved for this loss to the point of becoming ill and deserving a reprimand
in a dream. 144
But before discussing the Calosso experience and what it meant for
John, a comment of a more general nature may be helpful. How did the loss of
his father in early childhood affect little John? 145 The absence of a father in
childhood and adolescence is regarded as a serious matter for a boy; and John's
143 Fr. Calosso's spotty :records show him born in Chieri in 1760, studying theology in Turin, and
ordained probably in 1782. After holding a parish for twenty-two years in a small town, he resigned at the age of
fifty-three. There is practically no further record of his doings until, in the summer of 1829 (while John was still
working at the Moglia fann), he was appointed chaplain of Morialdo, one of the villages of Castelnuovo, to
which Becchi belonged. He was nearly seventy years old at the time. and he died a year later. (The age of
seventy-five given in the parish record of his death and burial is an error.) John returned to Becchi from the
Moglia fann at the beginning of November 1829 and met Fr. Calosso a few days later on the occasion of a
Jubilee celebration.
This was the Jubilee proclaimed by Pius VIlI on his accession to the papacy in March 1829 (not to
be confused, as Don Bosco has it in his Memoirs, with the Holy Year kept four years earlier under Leo XII). It
was to be celebrated in the various dioceses on dale$ established by the local ordinaries. Archbishop Chiaverotti
of Turin set the dates of November 8-22 for his archdiocese. A triduum preparatory to the Jubilee exercises was
held in the town of Buttigliera, beginning on November 5, with sermons by preachers that attracted people from
towns, villages and hamlets round about It was under these circumstances that Fr. Calosso and John Bosco, now
fourteen years old, met one evening after devotions [Cf. J. Klein - E. Valentini, "Una rcttificazione cronologica
delle Memorie di san Giovanni Bosco," SaluiallUll'I 17 (1955) 581-610; Desramaut, Mem / , 128f.; M. Molineris,
Don Bosco inediU>. Que/lo che le biografie di San Giovanni Bosco non dicono. Colle Don Bosco: lstituto
Salesiano Bemardi-Semeria, 1974. p. 153-162 Stella, DB I, 37-40; DB I-En, 17-20].
144 Cf. MO,!. Dec., 2°-3•: Mo-Ce, 33-41; MO·En, 33-36. 41-43.
145 For the comments that follow, cf. G. Dacquino, Psicologia di Don Bosco, 2. ed., Torino: SEI,
1988. p. 20.23. 26-31.

5.7 Page 47

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
91
loss was aggravated by the situation in which the immediate family found itself:
a mother left to cope with extreme conditions of hardships and strife, alone.
No doubt, Margaret succeeded in providing steadying support and sure
guidance by her instinctive understanding of the situation, her clear religious
beliefs, her strong moral principles, and her sound decisions. Also, the good
image which the mother has of the father and which she can make present to the
child can provide substantial compensation. That this was the case may be
gauged by the fact that John from early infancy gave evidence of unusual courage
and self-possession, coupled with a sense of reality, duty and personal sacrifice,
all evidences of a constructive motherly presence.
From an even more basic standpoint, Margaret's presence as a mother
was constructive. In earliest infancy, when the child begins to distinguish
objective from subjective reality, it needs an adult person to interact with and to
help it in the process. This adult person is usually the mother; so that a child's
relationship with its mother will determine its relationship to itself and to the
external world. A good relationship with the mother establishes in the child that
'primary trust' which is the matrix out of which the child's self-esteem and self-
reliance grow. Self-trust, self-acceptance and love of self; trust in others,
acceptance of others and love of others; the feeling of being trusted, accepted and
loved by others-all of this in the child grows out of a good relationship with
its parents, especially with the mother. Failure in the child to achieve 'primary
trust' will inevitably result in a 'negative identity', an inability to trust, accept
and love self and others. There results an individual who is depressed, unsatisfied,
insecure; one who is forever in need of, and seeking, other peoples' approval;
one whose self-valuation depends on the judgment of others; one whose love life
is disturbed (e.g., loves possessively, or feels 'unworthy' of being loved); one
whose sexuality is also disturbed (e.g., unable to relate, or to relate realistically
with a person of the opposite sex). The emotional experiences of childhood can
become permanently fixated.
There is every indication that John's relationship with his mother in
childhood was 'constructive', and that his psychological development took a
normal course. Never repressed or withdrawn, he appears self-reliant, able to
relate to others, and endowed with a happy reflective-active personality.
But the fact remains that the absence of the father can never be fuJJy
compensated by the presence of the mother alone, no matter how devoted and
capable that parent may be. The absence of a father of itself need not cause grave
damage, only if such a lack is compensated both by the constructive presence of
the mother and by the positive presence of some father substitute in a situation
where a reciprocal emotional relationship is established.

5.8 Page 48

▲back to top
92
Journal of Salesian Studies
Apparently there were no father figures available to assist John in a
realistic fashion. Presumably the men of the extended family (e.g., uncles
Francis and Michael Occhiena and legal guardian John Zucca) could to some
extent fill that role. But it seems that they stuck to a well-meaning but rigidly
traditional role of merely occasional support. Far from being present for a
meaningful personal relationship, they were probably habitually absent.
Fr. Calosso comes into John's life at a critical juncture, and the father-
son relationship that developed between the two was perhaps a new and
transforming experience for John. In Fr. Calosso John, now an adolescent, met
the 'good father' that he had been needing and yearning for all along. Fr. Calosso
had enough psychological experience to understand John's problem, compounded
as it was by the fact that at the age of fifteen John found himself in the middle of
his adolescent crisis. And on the other hand, the good (but probably
disillusioned) priest found himself in need of a son to whom he could be a father,
and saw the opportunity of doing something worthwhile and fulfilling in his old
age. Thus there quickly developed a deep bond and mutual relationship. Don
Bosco expresses himself in the most emphatic terms.
Fr. Calosso had become my idol. I loved him more than a father, I
prayed for him and served him willingly in every way I could. My
greatest happiness was to do things for him; and, believe me, I would
gladly have given my very life to make him happy.[...] On his part,
that holy man loved me so much, that he would frequently reassure me:
"Do not worry about your future. As long as I am alive I shall see to it
that you lack nothing; and I shall provide for you for after I am
gone."146
No wonder then that Fr. Calosso's death was so traumatic for John.
Again Don Bosco writes:
Fr. Calosso's death was a disastrous loss for me. I wept
inconsolably over my dead benefactor. I thought of him in my waking
hours and dreamt of him when asleep. It affected me to the point that
my mother became alarmed over my health and sent me off to my
grandfather at Capriglio. 147
146 MO, 1. Dec., 3°: MO-Ce, 40; MO-E11, 42.
147 MO, I Dec., 4°: MO-Ce, 43; MO-E11, 48.

5.9 Page 49

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
93
Thus the Calosso relationship was truncated by tragedy; and the
yearning with which John sought a good father figure seems not to have been
satisfied until he came under Fr. Cafasso's influence. But the experience was
important for John's vocation.
In the first place, the loss and the grieving were the occasion of another
dream, to which Don Bosco refers briefly: "At this time I had another dream. In
it I was harshly rebuked for having put my hope in human beings and not in our
good Father in heaven." 148 It has already been pointed out that there is no way
of telling from such a sketchy description whether we are dealing with a
recurrence of the vocation dream or not. Likewise Lemoyne's supposition that it
coincides with the First Turco-Related Dream has already been been critically
examined. Lemoyne's further claim that by this dream John Bosco "was given
assurance that the material resources needed to shelter and to feed countless
youngsters would not be wanting," also seems unwarranted. 149 It supposes that
the rebuke was motivated by the fact that John had hoped that Fr. Calosso would
supply the material means necessary to ensure his education. Indeed Fr. Calosso
had given him that assurance, and his entrusting the key of his strongbox to
John showed that he fully intended to do so. But John, on the other hand, by
freely renouncing his right showed that he had not put his trust in human beings
for the material security to be gained. In view of what has been said above, the
rebuke was given on more general human grounds. John had come to rely on the
good priest in more important ways than his need for money. And it was his
personal loss that was the reason for the inconsolable grieving which called forth
the rebuke.
In the second place, study and priesthood (with an option for the young)
became inseparably linked in John's mind as a result of the Calosso experience,
if they had not been so linked before. For he mentions the dream and the rebuke,
and then he adds: "Meanwhile the thought of going ahead with my studies was
uppermost in my mind." He goes on to remark on the aloofness of the local
priests and he continues: "If I were a priest, I would act differently. I would
approach the children, speak kindly to them, and give them good advice."
Studies and priesthood for her son seem to have been uppermost in
Margaret's mind as well, for now she embarks on a course of action that will
soon assure John his freedom. 150
148 MO, ibid.
149 Cf. pp. 54-59 above.
l 50 M O, ibid.

5.10 Page 50

▲back to top
94
Journal of Salesian Studies
5. Vocational Decision at Chieri 1s1
As the Rhetoric year drew to a close (1835), 152 John began seriously
to consider his options for the future. The importance of the recurrence of the
Becchi Dream has already been emphasized, and Don Bosco himself makes a
point of it, though he does not state that it was repeated at this time. But the
dream and its possible suggestions become a serious consideration and a problem
for John at this critical turning point, when he is trying to discern his vocation.
He writes:
The dream I had had in Morialdo remained deeply imprinted on my
mind. It had even occurred at other times and in much clearer terms; so
that, if I wanted to believe it and follow its suggestion, I would have
had to choose the priesthood, toward which I actually felt inclined.
It has also been mentioned that Don Bosco, when writing his Memoirs,
makes a point of stressing the 'supernatural' character of the experience. But
even as he tells the story of supernatural guidance from the vantage point of the
mid-1870s, he also reveals the self-doubt and uncertainties entertained at the time
of the actual events, when he was struggling with discerning his vocation. Thus
he adds:
However, a reluctance on my part to put faith in dreams, my
[worldly] lifestyle, certain habitual tendencies of my heart, and the
absolute lack of the virtue necessary to this state [the priesthood] filled
me with doubts and made any decision in this regard extremely difficult.
His spiritual director or confessor, Fr. Maloria, who had been so helpful
in guiding John in the basics of Christian life and devotion, consistently refused
to take a stand in the matter of the choice of a state in life. 153 After much
thought and after reading some books on the subject of vocation, John decided to
151 AU quotes from, and references to, Don Bosco's Memoirs in the paragraphs that follow under
the present heading are from: MO, 1. Dec., 14°: MO-Ce, 79-83; MO-En, llOff.
152 As has been mentioned, the crisis centering on the Franciscan episode took place during the
humanities year (1834). John applied to enter the Franciscan convent, took his examinations and was accepted on
April 8, 1834 [cf.note 60, 62 and 63 above, and text relating thereto].
153 On Fr. Maloria, and the possible didactic aim of Don Bosco's characterization of him in this
matter, cf. Stella, DB I, 44f.; DB I-En, 26f.

6 Pages 51-60

▲back to top

6.1 Page 51

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
95
join the Franciscan Friars Minor of the Observance at the local monastery of Our
Lady of Peace. The books that John read stressed the importance for one's
salvation of choosing the right state in life. 154 Further, it appears that here the
choice was clearly between the seminary and the religious life; and apparently the
books that he read suggested that a diocesan priest would be exposed to the
gravest dangers, that his responsibility was staggering, and that a strict account
would be demanded of him by God, and such things. The religious life was
perceived as a haven of refuge from the dangers of the world where one could
more easily save one's soul and find peace. 155 He applied for admission to the
Franciscan novitiate, took his entrance examination in Turin and, as the records
show, he was accepted. But then a dream dissuaded him from entering the
monastery of peace where there would be no peace.
As Don Bosco relates it, this dream does not qualify as a recurrence of
the vocation dream. 156 Nor does Lemoyne regard it as such. It is not, however,
without vocational significance. Negatively, it dissuaded John Bosco from
entering upon a way of life which would have run counter to the evident thrust
of the vocation dream. Positively, it indicated to John that his true vocation lay
in another direction ("another place, another harvest"), alluding to the mission
imaged in the vocation dream.
Whether this dream by itself would have forced him to reconsider his
choice we can only speculate. Don Bosco continues with a puzzling statement,
which in literal translation reads: ''Then some incident (caso) occurred that made
it impossible for me to carry out my plan; and since the obstacles [arising
therefrom] were many and lasting, I decided to disclose the whole matter to my
friend Comollo." While John is making a novena for guidance, Louis Comollo
writes to his uncle, Fr. Joseph Comollo, pastor of his home town of Cinzano,
seeking a solution to John's problem. By the end of the novena a reassuring
letter arrives from Fr. Comollo.
What 'plan' is Don Bosco referring to? The context seems to favor
understanding the 'plan' as John's intention of joining the Franciscans. So Ceria
takes it and speculates no further. 157 One must then conclude that the dream by
itself would not have been a good enough reason for John to reconsider his
154 Cf. Stella, DB l, 46f.; DB l·En, 28f.
l 55 ''U I becane a secular priest [...) my vocation runs a great risk of shipwreck. I will embrace
the priesthood; but I will renounce the world, enter the cloister, and dedic.tte myself to study and meditation.
Thus in solitute I will be able to combat my passions, especially my pride" [MO, ibid .].
156 Cf. Note 19 above.
157 MO·C~. 81 , note to line 42.

6.2 Page 52

▲back to top
96
Journal of Salesian Studies
decision. Reading on, however, one suspects that Fr. Comollo's reply addresses
a larger problem, for he writes:
Having given careful consideration to the matters you wrote to me
about, I would advise your friend not to enter a monastery at this time.
Let him don the clerical habit. As he goes on with his [seminary]
studies he will better understand what God wants of him. He should not
be be afraid that he will lose his vocation, because by shunning the
world and by being diligent in prayer he will be able to overcome all
obstacles."
If this is the case, one may ask further, What was the nature of the
' incident' and of the 'many and lasting obstacles' arising from it? Is Don Bosco
referring to special personal problems, or to unreachable ideals of holiness, or to
anxiety connected with choosing a 'predestined' vocation? It may not be just out
of humility that in connection with his vocation discernment he writes, as
already mentioned: "my [worldly] lifestyle, certain habitual tendencies of my
heart, and the absolute lack of the virtue necessary to this state [the priesthood]
filled me with doubts and made any decision in this regard extremely difficult." It
may indeed point to a very serious inner conflict.
Did a vocation dream come to comfort and reassure John at this critical
juncture? As seen above, Lemoyne thinks so. Now, even though his
identification of the dream narrative for this occasion and his recourse to the
Memoirs for support may not be critically tenable, a dream at this stage would
be plausible, if not expected. 158
Be that as it may, as in the case of any young man, so also in John
Bosco's case, a complex set of historical factors, of a socio-economic-cultural
nature, were at work in his decision to enter the seminary.
One of these would be the religious-cultural milieu of the school. The
school system under which John received all his education was totally under the
Church's control. The school curriculum, the organization of the students' social
and religious life, the overwhelming presence of the Church and its personnel,
158 For a discussion of the Dream al the Age o/Nituleen (Dream of 'Imperious Command) cf. pp.
59-63 above.
It was noted at that point that in quoting the 'humility statement' just refcm:d to here, Lemoyne,
both in Documenli and in the Biographical Memoirs, skips what may be the key phrase in it, namely, "certain
habitual tendencies of my heart" [cf. notes 67 and 68 above, and text relating thereto].
The doublet of the crisis as recorded in the Biographical Memoirs has also been discussed [cf. note
63 above, and text relating thereto]. It may be pointed out that in reporting the 'incident' and the 'obstacles', and
Comollo's role, in connection with the second crisis, Lemoyne secs no problem and expresses no curiosity.

6.3 Page 53

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
97
both diocesan and regular, throughout the school system, from the highest
echelon of its administration down to the teacher in the lowest grade, guaranteed
such control. The whole educational system was calculated to foster and channel
vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life. Recruiting by religious
orders (all of which suffered from Jack of vocations during this period) must have
been brisk. Perhaps that had something to do with John's decision join the
Franciscans. But it seems that, overall, the stronger influence on John was
diocesan. Some of his favorite teachers at the school were diocesan. The advice
that finally shaped his decision to enter the seminary came from diocesan priests:
Fr. Comollo, Fr. Cafasso and Fr. Cinzano.
Secondly, Fr. Lemoyne's passing comment is worth noting: "John was
now twenty-one, and only his entrance to the seminary could exempt him from
military service." 159 From what has been said, we may be sure that this
consideration alone would not have been decisive, but it should not be
overlooked.
In the same passage Lemoyne states that John was facing serious
financial difficulties. If John had entered the Franciscans his financial problems
would have been resolved. Entering the seminary on the contrary would not only
not alleviate, but would aggravate, his financial position: In the seminary there
were fees to be paid and few opportunities for lucrative odd jobs (although John
did help himself in various ways). 160 And it was diocesan priests and well-to-do
lay people connected with local parish life that came to the rescue. 161 It
appears, therefore, that the stronger and decisive influence in John's vocational
decision was diocesan.
Finally, the question may be asked, What role did John's option for the
young play in this period of vocational decision? Was it a real factor? Don Bosco
tells us in his Memoirs that by the age of ten he was already engaged in a youth
apostolate compatible with his age. Throughout his student days at Chieri, what
we now call 'peer ministry' was a serious commitment on his part. Moreover,
159 IBM l, 366; EBM l , 274. In effect, the name John Melchior Bosco appears on the list of
draftees of the mililaI)' district of Asti picpared for a drawing on November 5, 1835. He had disqualified himself
by opting for the seminuy and by rueiving the clerical habit on October 25. Opposite John's name thCIC
appears the notation, "exempted [...] as a cleric called by his Lordship the Bishop" [S. Caselle, Op. cir., p. 145.
Cf. nolc 62 above].
160 An author quoted by Caselle maintains that the real ICISOO John wanted to join the Franciscans
was precisely because neither he nor his family could meet the financial obligations of the seminary [cf. E.
Dcrvieux, U11 stcolo tkl Stminario Arcivescoviu di C!Utri 1829·1929. Chieri: Premiata Officina Gnfica G.
Astesano, 1929, in S. Caselle, Op. cit., p. 83. Cf. note 62 above).
161 Lemoyne mentions Fr. Michael Anthony Cinuno (pastor of Castlnuovo), the well·to-do Fr.
Louis Guala (Rector of the Convitto), and Fr. Joseph Cafasso (by now finishing his course at the Convitto); also
the laymen, Mr. Spirito SanoriJI and the Chevalier John Baptist Pescarmona.

6.4 Page 54

▲back to top
98
Journal of Salesian Studies
the basic image of the vocation-mission dream (youngsters and animals being
changed and the 'order' to take charge of them) symbolized youth apostolate, and
the dream is said to have occurred at various times in even clearer terms. The
priestly vocation, which was the dream's direct suggestion, was in view of an
option for the young. This is the basic meaning that he reads into the dream,
according to the sources. How then explain his desire to become a Franciscan?
Would he permit any reason whatever, theological, moral or practical, to override
the call to the young that he had heard in the dream and that re-enforced his own
Christian instincts? Lemoyne senses the difficulty and claims that "He was
convinced that this step could not obstruct the plan that God had laid out for
him." 162 But how could he hope to be able to carry on a youth apostolate, as
envisioned in the dream, as a Franciscan under obedience?
Perhaps this is another proof that in the actual circumstances of
vocational decision, the vocation dream (assuming that there was one at this
time) did not bring the clarity and the certainty that would have allowed John
Bosco to cope with, if not to bypass, the play of historical forces.
6. Vocation Decision in 1844
Don Bosco's option for the young found fresh opportunity and
confirmation on his entering the Convitto and coming under Fr. Cafasso's direct
influence. In his Memoirs Don Bosco writes of his immediate involvement with
youngsters on entering the Convitto:
No sooner had I enrolled at the Convitto of St Francis that I found
myself surrounded by a crowd of youngsters who followed me around in
the streets, in the squares and in the very sacristy of the church attached
to the institute. But the lack of suitable premises prevented me from
becoming directly involved with them. An amusing incident provided
me with the opportunity I was looking for, of attempting to put into
effect a plan that would benefit boys roaming the streets of the city and
juvenile delinquents, especially of those just released from prison 163
162 IBM l, 363; EBM l, 272.
163 MO, 2. Dec., 12": MO·Ce 124; MO-E11, 187.

6.5 Page 55

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
99
This 'amusing incident' is his meeting with young Bartholomew
Garelli on December 8, 1841. 164 These words seem to imply that before the
Garelli episode, and hence immediately upon entering the Convitto, he had
already been involved with youngsters. This would have been through the
catechetical program established at the church, or when going after young people
in the streets and squares of the city, as Fr. Cafasso required his catechists to do.
But the words also reveal that he had not yet really begun to gather them as his
own; in fact, that he had not yet really discovered them. For, after relating the
Garelli episode he writes:
I learnt from personal experience that when youngsters were
released from detention and found a good-hearted person who showed
interest in them, was present with them on feast days, and demonstrated
his concern by finding them a good employer and visiting them
occasionally at work during the week-then these youngsters were more
likely to mend their ways, put past bad experiences behind them, and
begin to live as good Christians and honest citizens 165
These words clearly indicate the essential nature of oratory work, as
Don Bosco came to practice it But they are significant also in that they express
the 'revelatory' character of the Garelli experience and of the first experiments
that followed it The encounter was for Don Bosco the personal discovery of a
certain type of youngster. This was an entirely new experience. The early
industrial and urban development in Turin in those historic years and the social
conditions it produced brought about the conditions of an apostolate that hardly
bore any resemblance to Don Bosco's early activities with the simple country
lads of Becchi or with the students at Chieri. This perception must have begun
to haunt him, and finally to address him personaly and demand a commitment.
!64 ll may noted that whercu in his Mtmoirs Don Bosco speaks of one young man (Bartholomew
Garelli), in the CtltM Storico of 1854 he speaks of two young adults [cf.Pietro Braido, Do11 Bosco ptr i giovtJlli:
l"<Oratorio>; Una <Co11grtgazioM tkgli Oratori>. Docwnenti (Piccola Bibliotcca dell'Istituto Storico Salcsiano
9). Roma: LAS, 1988, p. 35].
This is a critical edition of a number of documents in which Don Bosco speaks of the origin and
work of the Salcsian Society: [I] /11troduzioM and [2] CtltM srorico tklrOrarorio di S. Francesco di Salts (from
the Pia110 di R1golamt11ro per rOralQrio [...]of 1854); [3] CeMi srorici i11romo all'Oratorio di S. Francuco di
Salu of 1862; [4] CtftftO istorico .rul/4 Co11grtgazioM di S . Francuco di Salts t rtlativi scltiarimt11ti (drafted
early August 1873 at Lanzo). Roma: Tipognfia Polig!otta dell• S.C. di Propaganda, 1874. [5] RiasSUlllo tklla Pia
Socitra di S. Francesco di Salu Ml 23 Febbraio 1874. [6] Don Bosco's Lttttr 011 tht Origi11 of tht OraJory to
Marquis Michael Benso of Cavour, Vieu for the City of Turin, March 13, 1846, [orig. in Archivio Storico tklla
Cirlil di Tori110, VicariaJo.
l65 MO, ibid., 126 and 190.

6.6 Page 56

▲back to top
100
Journal of Salesian Studies
Thus did a 'new' option for the young take shape, and the oratory experiment at
St. Francis of Assisi continued with increasing success until 1844.
"Toward the close of his third year at the Convitto", 1844, Don Bosco
entered another critical period of vocational discernment This time it was marked
by a twofold crisis.
First, Don Bosco again entertains the idea of joining a religious
congregation (the Oblates of the Virgin Mary), and of going to the missions. He
makes no mention of this in his Memoirs, but Lemoyne reports the episode at
length, if somewhat off-handedly, in the Biographical Memoirs. Fr. Cafasso
repeatedly dissuaded him, though not as firmly as one would expect. In June
1844 Fr. Cafasso advised Don Bosco to make a spiritual retreat, which he was
preaching for the first time at St. Ignatius' Retreat House, to help him discern
his vocation. After the retreat Don Bosco served notice on Fr. Cafasso that he
was packing his trunk and leaving the Convitto to become a religious. Fr.
Cafasso is quoted as replying: "Forget about becoming a religious.[...] Continue
to work for your boys. This and none other is God's will for you." 166
The reasons for this lingering uncertainty are biographically unclear;
but the same vexing questions may be raised here as in the case of the Franciscan
episode, especially with regard to Don Bosco's option for the young. 167
Secondly, as Don Bosco relates in his Memoirs, he must leave the
Convitto and must choose one of three possible assignments. The crisis in this
case is not from within, but from the circumstances. His reply to Fr. Cafasso's
question shows that his commitment to the work of the oratory was not
flagging: "My inclination is to work for young people.[...] At this moment I see
myself in the midst of a crowd of children calling to me for help." But none of
the assignments offered realistic possibilities in that respect. Fr. Cafasso's
decision cut the gordian knot, but did not unravel it. He told Don Bosco to
accept the chaplaincy at Marchioness Barolo's Little Hospital (under construction
at the time), and in the meantime to help Fr. Borel at the Rifugio and live with
him: "Meanwhile God will show you what you are to do for the young." 168
This would mean that the little oratory activity at St. Francis of Assisi,
good an experiment as it was, had to be left behind, albeit with the expectation
that God would meanwhile make it possible for the work to continue. Don
166 Cf. IBM ll, 203·207; EBM IT. 160-163. It is in this connection that Lemoyne recalls the
Clothes-Mending Dream and Fr. Cafasso's "deep-rooted conviction" regarding Don Bosco's true vocation.
167 Cf. Notes 154, 155, 162 above, and text relating thereto. Lemoyne even quotes Don Bosco as
saying: "If Our Lord calls me to the religious life, he will find some one else to take care of the young people"
[IBM. EBM, ibid.].
168 Cf. MO, 2. Dec., 14": MO-C~, 132ff.; MO-Er1, 202ff.

6.7 Page 57

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
101
Bosco accepted the arrangement. But even Fr. Borel's suggestion to hold the
meeting in their rooms at the Rifugio for the duration was not very reassuring,
given the circumstances. 169 Don Bosco did not have the heart to disband the
group of youngsters that had become attached to him personally at St Francis of
Assisi. Thus we can still hear the anguish in his words as he told the story thirty
years lat.er to Fr. Barberis:
It was the year 1844. I was due to leave the Convitto and move to
the Rifugio to live with Dr. Borel. I was very worried about [what I
should do with] my youngsters who were attending religious instruction
[the oratory] on Sundays and holy days. I did not know whether I should
disband them or continue to look after them. My desire was to continue
with [the work of] the oratories; but I did not see how I could. On my
last Sunday at the Convitto I had to notify my youngsters that they
should no longer meet there, as they did usually. In fact I was debating
whether to tell them outright that there was no need to meet at all
anywhere, since the oratory would be terminated there. If the oratory
was to continue, I would, of course, have to indicate a place. 170
To make a long story short, the illumination of a new dream (the
Dream of1844) was necessary for him to re-start the work under completely new
circumstances. Certainly the group from St Francis of Assisi would go along
with him, but the oratory was no longer under the Convitto's protection.
Marchioness Barolo's Rifugio and Little Hospital would offer him a degree of
personal security, but only for the duration. The Rifugio priests, especially Fr.
Borel, would provide considerable support, but the oratory would nonetheless be
his personal responsibility. Such responsibility would demand of him an all-out
commitment. He was about to enter into a covenant, fidelity to which would
require of him the sacrifice of virtually everything else. It would seem, then, that
lack of space at the Rifugio was not the primary cause of Don Rosco's anguish
at that historic turning point Thus a new inspiration was required for him to re-
start the oratory on this new basis, making it permanently his own, the Oratory
ofSt. Francis de Sales. 171
l 69 Cf. MO. ibid.
170 Appendix VI. A-1-b (T-A-l·b).
171 Cf. Ramon Albercli, "Don Bosco Fondatore dei Salesiani," in Don Bosco Fondatou del/IJ
Famiglia Saluiana. Alli del Simposio. Roma·Saluia11U11t (22·26 gelllUJio 1989), a cura di Mario Midali. Roma:
Dieastero per la Famiglia Salesiana, 1989. [pp. 149-196]. p.!53f.

6.8 Page 58

▲back to top
102
Journal of Salesian Studies
The dream has been discussed above. 172 Here we need only emphasize
its significance for Don Bosco at that moment of vocational decision. In
speaking of the origin of the Salesian Society Don Bosco refers to different dates
ranging from 1841 to 1859 and beyond. Obviously 1841 is an important point
of reference. But perhaps more appropriately, in a memorandum addressed to
Pope Pius IX in 1864 he writes: "The purpose of [this Society] is to continue
[the work] which for about 20 years has been in progress at the Oratory of St.
Francis de Sales." 173 The year of reference here is 1844, the year when the
oratory was re-founded, so to speak, out of the earlier group, as Don Bosco's
very own. The Oratory of St. Francis de Sales may indeed be regarded as a
continuation of the earlier experiment at St. Francis of Assisi- provided it is
also viewed as the result of a new and definitive vocational option, which must
have entailed considerable soul searching on Don Bosco's part, under the
circumstances. It was in 1844 that Don Bosco's vocational option for "poor and
abandoned" young people was finalized never again to waver.
Rightly, therefore, has the time that followed (namely, the time of the
wandering and the settling at Valdocco) been characterized as the period of Don
Bosco's vocational maturity. On the one hand, there is on Don Bosco's part total
dedication, pervasive joy and bright hope for the future of the work; on the other,
daunting trials and difficulties encountered for the first time: serious sickness,
exasperating difficulty of finding a permanent home, objections of parish priests,
suspicion and harassment by the police, abandonment by friends and helpers, and
more. 174 Through it all Don Bosco never wavered: "I had an inner certainty
about what I was doing, and felt that events would prove me right at the end."175
The First Dream of the Holy Martyrs 176 belongs to the same setting
of final vocational crisis and definitive decision. One may consider it a more
detailed doublet variant of the Dream of 1844, as Don Bosco told it to Barberis
in the same setting. One may regard it as 'the other dream' that Don Bosco
considered important for decision, set by Don Bosco in 1844 through faulty
recollection, but the setting of which can no longer be determined. Again one
172 Cf. pp. 69-72 above and Appendix VI.
l 73 [Don Bosco) Cose da notarsi intorno a/le Costituzioni tkl/a Societa di S. Francesco di Sales, in
F. Motto, Giovanni Bosco. Costituzioni della Societa di S. Francesco di Sales [ 1858-)-875. Testi critici. Roma:
LAS, 1982, p. 229 (JBM VII, 622; omitted in EBM VII, 376); Cf. Alberdi, op. cit. , 149f.
17 4 Alberdi, op. cit., 153f.
175 CellllO Storico of 1854, in Braido, op. cit.[cf. note 164 above], 44.
l 7 6 Cf. pp. 72-80 above for a discussion, and Appendix VII for the text.

6.9 Page 59

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
103
can, with Lemoyne, set it in the context of the eviction of the oratory from
Barolo's Little Hospital in May 1845; or in any other crisis of that period of the
wandering oratory-provided it be understood in continuity with, and not
separately from, the definitive option of 1844.
Conclusion
In the foregoing pages-in Part I we have surveyed critically the texts
of the narratives of Don Bosco's vocation-mission dreams in the Biographical
Memoirs, in Documenti, and in the sources and testimonies that preceded them;
in Part II we attempted to describe the significance of the dream experiences in
the actual situations of Don Bosco vocational decisions, as he records them in
his Memoirs. Some brief concluding comments are now in order.
The general nature and the specific character of Don Bosco's mission are
aptly portrayed in the many images with which Don Bosco describes his dream
experiences, and in significant words reported by him in that connection. 177
These important elements may be listed as follows:
1. The Gentleman and the Lady (Shepherdess)-mediators of the call.
2. The crowd of children engaged in games, fighting and mischief-the
field of apostolic labor and the option for the young.
3. The calling by name and the order-vocation as personal address.
4. Exhortation to kindness and love-words expressing the style of Don
Bosco's apostolate.
5. Exhortation to teach the children about the ugliness of sin and the
beauty of virtue-words expressing the priority of religion.
6. Children as wild animals; pack of assorted wild animals led by the
Shepherdess-the special type of John's future youth apostolate.
7. Wild animals grazing peaceably together; turned into gentle lambs-
the social, religious, moral significance of Don Bosco's work for the young.
8. John's awe and avowal of insufficiency-the magnitude and
committing nature of the task.
9. Exhortation to obedience and education; to humility, steadfastness
and toughness-preparation and equipment for the apostolate.
l ?7 This list of essential vocation-mission images is compiled from the dreams related by Don
Bosco in his Memoirs [cf. no<e 137 above] and from Baiberis' report of the First Dream of tM. Holy Martyrs.

6.10 Page 60

▲back to top
104
Journal of Salesian Studies
10. The Lady as Teacher- the role of Mary in Salesian spirituality and
apostolic action.
11. Reliance on the Father's goodness rather than on human beings-
the special character of Don Bosco's trust.
12. Shepherds (priests and seminarians) helping for a while, then
leaving-Don Bosco's struggle to gather his men.
13. The ribbon of obedience-forming of group of collaborators.
14. Lambs turned to shepherds in great numbers and taking charge of
other flocks-growth of the idea.
15. Wandering from place to place and stops-the struggle for
permanence.
16. A field in the open- like Christ and the Apostles.
17. An enclosed place, building, a small church, a little courtyard-
initial establishment.
18. A courtyard, a portico, a larger church and building-progress of the
work.
19. The place of the Holy Martyrs- numinous guarantee and
protection.
20. The great church in the vegetable field rising on the site of the
martyrdom, many buildings, a square and a monument-Hie domus mea; inde
gloria mea.
These images from various successive dreams beautifully describe, by
their premonitive suggestions, Don Bosco's vocation-mission itinerary. Even in
the midst of the harsh reality of his real life experiences, as he struggled
painfully to find and establish his way at various critical junctures, the dream and
its call were an ever-present source of strength. And later in life as he reflected,
wrote, and spoke about his life's work, he could clearly point to the dream as a
component of vocational decisions.
In May 1887 Don Bosco, ill and failing, attended the consecration of
the church of the Sacred Heart in Rome. While celebrating Mass he was
overpowered with such emotion that he was forced to interrupt the celebration no
less than fifteen times. Later his secretary, Fr. Charles Viglietti, who had
assisted him at the Mass, wanted to learn the reason for his tearful emotional
outburst. Don Bosco replied:

7 Pages 61-70

▲back to top

7.1 Page 61

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation-Mission Dream
105
With the mind' s eye I saw vividly laid out before me the scene of
my childhood when, at about the age of ten, I dreamt of the
Congregation. I could see and hear my mother and brothers, as clearly
as though they were there present, arguing over the meaning the
ctream.178
178 IBM xvm. 340f.

7.2 Page 62

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
107
APPENDIX I
THE FIR.ST (BECCHl/MORIALDO) DREAM AT THE AGE OF
NINE/I'EN
[A]TextoftheFirstDreamAsFound
in the Berto Ms. of Don Bosco's Memoirs
(MO [lntrod.] "Un sogno": MO-Ber, 5-8;
FDBMicro 60 A9-12. Cf. MO-DB , 5-8;
FDBMicro 51 A6-9. Cf. also MO -Ce, 22-
26; MO-En, 18-21)
[Note: iJalics: Don Bosco's addi-
tions to the Berto transcription of
Don Bosco's own corrected draft]
[BJ Textofthe FirstDream As Found
in the Biographical Memoirs
(IBM!, 123ff.; cf. EBMI, 95f. Cf. also Doc
I [P. I, C. XVI], 68f: FDBMicro 961 B2f.)
[Note: Comparing IBM (B), Doc
(not transcribed) andMO-Ber (A):
underscoring: chiefverbal changes
introduced into Doc (not carried
over into IBM);
italics: chiefverbal changes intro-
duced into IBM (not in Doc);
underscorin~ and italics: chief
verbal changes introduced in Doc
and carried over in IBM.]
[B-1] E' costumediDio,nellasuagrande
misericordia, palesare con qualche segno la
vocazione di quegli uomini, che Egli destina
a cose grandi per la salute delle anirne. Cosl
fece con Giovanni Bosco, che poi continuo a
guidare colla sua mano onnipotente in ogni
stadio della sua vita ed in ogni sua impresa.
[... Joel 2, 8 is quoted about dreams and
visions.] E [visions] le ebbeGiovanni Bosco,
ed ecco in qual modo egli stesso nelle sue
memorie ci narra ii suo primo sogno.
[A-2] Unsogno. Aquell'etaho fatto un
sogno, che mi rimase profondamente
impresso nella mente per tutta la vita. Nel
sonno mi parve di essere vicino a casa in un
cortile assai spazioso, dove stava raccolta
una moltitudine di fanciulli, che si
trastullavano. Alcuni ridevano, altri
giuocavano, non pochi bestemrniavano.
AII 'udire quelle bestemmie mi sono subito
lanciato in mezzo di loro adoperando pugni
e parole per farli tacere. In quel momento
apparve un uomo venerando in virile eta
nobilmente vestito. Un manto bianco gli
copriva tutta Ia persona; ma la sua faccia era
[B-2] «All'etadinoveannicircahofatto
un sogno che mi rimase profondamente
impresso per tuttalavita.Nel sonno mi parve
di essere vicino a casa, in un cortile assai
spazioso,dovestavaraccolta unamoltitudine
di fanciulli che si trastullavano. Alcuni
ridevano, altri giuocavano, non pochi
bestemmiavano. All'udirequelle bestemmie
mi sono subito slanciato in mezzo di loro,
adoperando pugni e parole per farli tacere.In
quel momento apparve un Uomo venerando,
in eta virile, nobilmente vestito. Un manto
bianco gli copriva tutta la persona; ma la sua
faccia era cosl luminosa, che io non poteva

7.3 Page 63

▲back to top
108
Journal of Salesian Studies
cosi luminosa, che io non poteva rimirarlo.
Egli mi chiamo per nome e mi ordino di
pormi allatestadi quei fanciulli aggiungendo
queste parole: Non colle percosse ma colla
mansuetudine e colla carita dovrai
guadagnare questi tuoi arnici. Mettiti dunque
immediatamente a fare loro un'istruzione
sulla bruttezza del peccato e sulla preziosita
della virtil.
Confuso e spaventato soggiunsi che io
eraunpoveroedignorantefanciullo, incapace
di parlare di religione a que' giovanetti. In
quel momento que' ragazzi cessando dalle
risse, dagli schiamazzi e dalle bestemmie, si
raccolsero tutti intomo a Colui, che parlava.
Quasi senza sapere che mi dicessi, Chi
siete voi, soggiunsi, che mi comandate cosa
impossibile? Appunto perche tali cose ti
sembrano impossibili devi renderle possibili
coll'ubbidienza e coll'acquisto della scienza
- Dove, con quali mezzi potro acquistare la
scienza? - Io ti daro la maestra sotto alla cui
disciplina puoi diventar sapiente, e senzacui
ogni sapienza diviene stoltezza. - Ma chi
siete voi che parlate in questo modo? - Io
sono il figlio di Colei, che tua madre ti
arnmaestro di salutar tre volte al giomo. -
Mia Madre mi dice di non associarmi con
quelli che non conosco senza suo permesso;
percio ditemi il vostro nome.
-llmionomedimandalo amiamadre.
In quel momento vidi accanto di lui una
donna di maestoso aspetto, vestita di un
manto, che risplendeva da tutte parti, come
se ognipuntodiquellofosse unafulgidissima
stella. Scorgendomi ognor piu confuso nelle
mie dimande e risposte, mi accenno di
avvicinarmi a Lei, che presomicon bontaper
mano, e guarda mi disse. Guardando mi
accorsi che queifanciulli erano tuJtifuggiti,
ed in lorovecevidi unamoltitudinedi capretti,
dicani, di gatti, orsie diparecchi altri animali.
Ecco il tuo campo, ecco dove devi lavorare.
Renditi umile, forte, robusto; e cio che in
questo momento vedi succedere di questi
animali, tu dovrai farlo pei figli miei.
rimirarla. Egli mi chiamo per nome, e mi
ordino di pormi alla testa di quei fanciulli,
aggiungendo queste parole: - Non colle
percosse, macollamansuetudineecollacarita
dovrai guadagnare questi tuoi arnici. Mettiti
dunque immediatamente a far loro
un'istruzione sulla bruttezza del peccato e
sulla preziosita della virtil. - Confuso e
spaventato soggiunsi che io era un povero ed
ignorante fanciullo, incapace di parlare di
religione a quei giovanetti.In quelmomento
quei ragazzi cessando dalle risse, dagli
schiamazzi e dalle bestemmie, si raccolsero
tutti intomo a colui che parlava. Quasi senza
sapere che mi dicessi: - Chi siete voi,
soggiunsi, che mi comandate cosa
impossibile?
»- Appunto perche tali cose ti
sembrano impossibili, devi renderlepossibili
coll' obbedienzae coll' acquisto della scienza.
»- Dove, con quali mezzi potro
acquistare la scienza?
»-Io ti daro la Maestra, sotto alla cui
disciplina puoi diventare sapiente, e senza
cui ogni sapienza diviene stoltezza.
»- Ma chi siete voi che parlate in
questo modo?
»- Io sono il Figlio di Colei che tua
madre ti ammaestro di salutare tre volte al
giomo.
»--Miamadremidicedinonassociarmi
con quelli che non conosco, senza suo
permesso; percio ditemi il vostro nome.
»- 11 mio nome domandalo a mia
madre.
»-In quel momento vidi accanto a lui
una Donna di maestoso aspetto, vestito di un
manto che risplendeva da tutteparti, come se
ogni punto di quello fosse una fulgidissima
stella. Scorgendomi ognor piu confuso nelle
mie domandee nelle mie risposte, mi accenno
di avvicinarmi a Lei, che presomi con bonta
permano:- Guarda!-midisse.Guardando
mi accorsiche queifanciullierano tutti fuggiti,
ed in loro vecevidi unamoltitudinedicapretti,
di cani, di gatti, !li orsi e di parecchi altri

7.4 Page 64

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
109
Volsi allora lo sguardo ed ecco invece
di animali feroci apparvero altrettanti
mansueti agnelli, che tutti saltellando
correvano attomo belando comeperfar festa
a quell'uomo ea quella signora.
A quel punto, sempre nel sonno, mi
misi a piangere,e pregai quellaa voler parlare
in modo da capire, perciocche io non sapeva
quale cosa si volesse significare. Allora Ella
mi pose la mano sul capo dicendomi: A suo
tempo tutto comprenderai. Cio detto un
rumore mi sveglio, edogni cosa disparve -
animali. - Ecco il tuo campo, ecco dove
devilavorare, conlinuiJadirequellaSignora.
Renditi urnile, forte, robusto: e cio che in
questo momento vedi succedere di questi
animali, tu dovrai farlo pei figli miei.
»Volsi allora Io sguardo, edecco, invece
di animali feroci, apparvero altrettanti
mansueti agnelli, che tutti saltellando
correvano attomo belando, come per far festa
a quell'Uomo ea quella Signora.
»A quel punto, sempre nel sonno, mi
misi a piangere, epregai quella~ a voler
parlare in modo da capire, perciocche io non
sapeva quale cosa si volesse significare.
Allora Ella mi pose la mano sul capo
dicendomi: - A suo tempo tutto
comprenderai. - Cio detto, un rumore mi
sveglio, ed ogni cosa disparve.
[A-3] Iorirnasisbalordito. Sembravarni
di avere le mani che facessero male pei pugni
che aveva dato, che la faccia mi duolesse per
gli schiaffiricevuti; di poi quel Personaggio,
quella Donna, le cose dette e le coseudite mi
occuparono talmentelamente, cheperquella
notte non mi fu piupossibileprenderesonno.
Al mattino ho tosto con premura raccontato
quel sogno prirna a' miei fratelli, che si
misero a ridere, poi a mia madre ed alla
nonna. Ognuno <lava al medesimo la sua
interpretazione. Il fratello Giuseppe diceva:
Tu diventerai guardiano di capre, di pecore o
di altri animali. - Mia Madre: Chi sa che
non abbi a diventar prete. - Antonio con
secco accento: Forse sarai capo di briganti.
Ma lanonna chesapeva assai di teologia, era
del tutto inalfabeta, diede sentenzadefinitiva
dicendo: Non bisogna badare fil sogni.
Io era del parere di mia nonna, tuttavia
non mi fu mai possibile di toglierrni quel
sogno dalla mente. Le cose che esporro
appresso daranno a cio qualche significato.
Ioho sempretacciuto ognicosa; imiei parenti
non ne fecero caso. Ma quando, nel 1858,
andai a Roma per trattar col Papa della
Congregazione Salesiana, egli si fece
minutamente raccontare tutte le cose che
[B-3] Iorirnasi sbalordito. Sembravarni
di avere le mani che facessero male pei pugni
che aveva dato, che Ia faccia mi doJesse per
gli schiaffi ricevuti da quei monelli; di poi
quel Personaggio, quellaDonna,lecosedette
e quelle udite mi occuparono talmente la
mente, che per quella notte non mi fu piu
possibile prendere sonno.
»Al mattino ho tosto con premura
raccontato quel sogno prirna ai miei fratelli,
che si misero a ridere, poi amia madre ed alla
nonna. Ognuno <lava al medesimo la sua
interpretazione. n fratello Giuseppe diceva:
- Tu diventerai guardiano di capre, dipecore
o di altri animali. - Mia madre: - Chi sa
che non abbi a diventar prete.-Antoniocon
accento secco: - Forsesarai capo di briganti.
- Ma Ia nonna, che sapeva assai di teologia
ed era del tutto analfabeta, diede sentenza
definitivadicendo: -Nonbisogna badare ai
sogni. - Io era del parere di mia nonna,
tuttavia non mi fu mai possibile di toglierrni
quel sogno dalla mente. Le cose che esporro
in appresso daranno a cio qualche significato.
Io ho sempre taciuto ogni cosa; i mei parenti
non ne fecero caso. Ma quando, nel 1858,
andai a Roma per trattare col Papa della
Congregazione Salesiana, egli si fece

7.5 Page 65

▲back to top
110
Journal of Salesian Studies
avessero solo anche apparenza di
soprannaturali. Raccontai alloraper laprima
volta i1 sogno fatto in eta di nove in dieci
anni. II Papa mi comando di scriverlo nel suo
senso letterale, minuto e lasciarlo per
incorraggiamento ai figli della
Congregazione, che formava lo scopo di
quella gita a Roma.
minutamente raccontare tutte le cose che
avessero anche solo apparenza di
soprannaturalg_. Raccontai alloraper laprima
volta i1 sogno fatto in eta di nove in dieci
anni. II Papami comando di scriverlo nel suo
senso letterale, minuto, e lasciarlo per
incoraggiamento aifigli dellaCongregazione,
che formava lo scopo di quellagita a Roma».
[T-A] Translation of the Text of the
[T-BJ Translation of the Text of the
First Dream As Found in the Berto Ms. of FirstDream As Found in the Biographical
Don Bosco's Memoirs
Memoirs
[T-A-2] A Dream. At that age I had a
dream that remained deeply impressed on
my mind my whole life long. In my dream I
seemed to be standing near my home, in a
very large courtyard, where a great number
of children were gathered and having fun.
Some were laughing, some were playing
games, quite a few were swearing. On hear-
ing those swear words, I immediately rushed
in among them and began to swing and yell
at them to make those boys stop. At that
moment there appeared a Man of dignified
bearing, mature in years, nobly dressed. He
wore a long white cloak, and his face shone
with such brightness that I could not look
directly at him. He addressed me by name
and ordered me to take charge of those chil-
dren. He added these words: "Not by blows
but by gentleness and love must you win
overthesefriendsofyours. Startatonce then
with a lesson on the ugliness of sin and the
value of virtue."
[T-B-1] In his greatmercy God is wont
to make known to people, through some
sign, the vocation in which they are destined
to undertake important projects for the sal-
vation of souls. This is what he did in John
Bosco's case. And thereafter, throughouthis
life, at every stage and in every undertaking
he continued to guide him by his all powerful
hand. [... Joel 2, 8 is quoted aboutdreams and
visions] . John Bosco did have visions. And
here is how inhis Memoirs he himselfrelates
his first dream.
[T-A-2] At about nine years ofageI had
a dream that remained deeply impressed on
my mind my whole life long. In my dream I
seemed to be standing near my home, in a
very large courtyard, where a great number
of children were gathered and having fun.
Some were laughing, others were playing
games, quite a few wereswearing. Onhearing
those swear words, I immediately rushed in
among them and began to swing and yell at
them to make them stop. At that moment
there appeared a Man of dignified bearing,
mature in years, nobly dressed. He wore a
long white cloak, and his face shone with
such brightness that I could not look directly
at it. He addressed me by name and ordered
me to take charge of those children. He
added these words: "Not by blows, but by
gentleness and love, must you win over
these friends ofyours. Start atonce then with
a lesson on the ugliness of sin and the value
of virtue."- Confused and frightened, I re-

7.6 Page 66

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
111
Confused and frightened, I replied that
I was a poor and ignorant child, quite inca-
pable of lecturing those youngsters on reli-
gion. At that moment those boys stopped
their fighting, shouting and swearing, and
gathered around the speaker.
Hardly knowing what I was saying, I
asked: "Who are you to demand the impos-
sible ofme?" "Precisely because suchthings
seem impossible to you, must you make
thempossiblethroughobedience and anedu-
cation.""Where, by whatmeans can I get an
education?" "I will give you a Teacher. By
learning from her you will become wise.
Withouther all wisdom is foolishness.""But
who are you to speak in such a manner?" "I
am the Son of her whom your mother has
taught to greet three times a day." "My
mother tells me not to associate with strang-
ers, unless I have her permission. So tell me
your name."
"AskmyMotherwhatmynameis." At
that moment I saw a Woman of majestic
bearing standing beside him. She was wear-
ing a mantle that shone as though every stitch
were a very bright star. From my questions
and answers she saw that I was more con-
fused than ever. She beckoned me to come to
her, then took me kindly by the hand and
said, "Look." As I looked, I reali:zed that
those children had all disappeared, and a
large number of young goats, dogs, cats,
bears, and several other [kinds of] animals
had taken their place. ''This is your field; this
is where you are to work. Make yourself
humble, steadfast, strong. And the change
you will now see in these animals, you must
bring about in my children."
I looked around then and saw that the
wild animals had been replaced by gentle
lambs, skipping, capering aboutandbleating
as if to greet the Man and the Lady.
At that point, still dreaming, I began to
cry, and I begged the Lady to talk to me in
words I could understand. I had no idea what
it all meant. She then placed her hand on my
head and said, "In good timeyou will under-
plied that I was a poor and ignorant child,
quite incapableoflecturingthose youngsters
onreligion. At thatmomentthe boys stopped
their fighting, shouting and swearing, and
gathered around the speaker. Hardly know-
ing what I was saying, I asked: "Who are you
to demand the impossible of me?"
"Precisely because such things seem
impossible to you, must you make them
possible through obedience and an educa-
tion."
"Where, by what means can I get an
education?"
"I will give you a Teacher. By learning
from her you will become wise. Withouther
all wisdom is foolishness."
"But who are you to speak in such a
manner?"
"I am the Sonofherwhom your mother
has taught to greet three times a day."
"My mother tells me not to associate
with strangers, unless I have her permission.
So tell me your name."
"Ask my Mother what my name is."
At that moment I saw a Woman of
majestic bearing standing beside him. She
was wearing a mantle that shone as though
every stitch were a very bright star. From my
questions and answers she saw that I was
more confused than ever. She beckoned me
to come to her, then she took me kindly by the
hand and said, "Look." As I looked, I real-
ized that those children had all disappeared,
and a large number of young goats, dogs,
cats, bears, and several other [kinds of] ani-
mals had taken their place. '"This is your
field; this is where you are to work,"theLady
added. "Make yourself humble, steadfast,
strong. And the change you will now see in
these animals, you must bring about in my
children."
I looked around then and saw that the
wild animals has been replaced by gentle
lambs, skipping, capering about and bleating
as if to greet the Man and the Lady.
At that point, still dreaming, I began to
cry, and I begged the Lady to talk to me in

7.7 Page 67

▲back to top
112
Journal of Salesian Studies
standeverything."Withthatsomenoisewoke
me up, and everything disappeared.
ff·A-3] I was totally bewildered. My
hands felt sore from thepunches I hadthrown,
and my face stung from the blows I had
gotten. After that, the memory of the Gentle-
man, of the Lady, and of the things said and
heard, so occupied my mind that I could no
longer sleep that night. In the morning, ex-
cited as I was, I wasted no time in telling my
dream [to the family]. [I told it] first to my
brothers. They laughed at the whole thing.
Then [I told it] to my mother and to my
grandmother. Each one came up with a dif-
ferentinterpretation. MybrotherJosephsaid,
"You're going to become a keeper of goats,
sheeporotheranimals."Mymother[mused],
"Who knows, you may become a priest."
Anthony [quipped] sharply, "Perhaps you'll
become the leader ofa gang ofrobbers." But
grandmother, who, even though illiterate,
knew a lot of theology, said with finality,
"Oneshouldnotpay any attentionto dreams."
I agreed with my grandmother. How-
ever,I was neverable to put that dream outof
my mind. The things I shall have to say later
will show that there is some meaning in all
this. I never mentioned these matters again,
and my family paid little attention to them.
But when I went to Rome in 1858 to confer
with the Pope on the Salesian Congregation,
he demanded to be told in detail everything
thathad the slightest suggestion of the super-
natural about it. It was only then that for the
first time I related the dream I had had at the
ageofnine or ten. ThePope ordered me to set
itdownin writing wordfor word and inevery
detail, and to leave it as a legacy for the
encouragement ofthe sons ofthe Congrega-
tion, the business of which had been the
object of my trip to Rome.
words I could understand. I had no ideawhat
it all meant. She then placed her hand onmy
head and said, "In good time you will under-
standeverything."With thatsome noise woke
me up, and everything disappeared.
[T-B-3] I was totally bewildered. My
hands feltsorefrom thepunchesI had thrown,
and my face stung from the blows I had
gotten from those street boys. After that, the
memory of the Gentleman, of the Lady, and
ofthe things said and heard, so occupied my
mind that I could no longer sleep that night.
In the morning, excited as I .was, I
wasted no time in telling my dream [to the
family]. [I told it] first to my brothers. They
laughed at the whole thing. Then [I told it] to
my motherand tomygrandmother. Eachone
came up with a different interpretation. My
brotherJosephsaid, "You'regoing to become
a keeper of goats, sheep or other animals."
My mother [mused], "Who knows, you may
become apriest."Anthony [quipped] sharply,
"Perhaps you'11 become the leader of a gang
of robbers." But grandmother, who, even
though illiterate, knew a lotoftheology, said
with finality, "One should not pay any atten-
tion to dreams."
I agreed with my grandmother. How-
ever,! was never able toputthatdreamoutof
my mind. The things I shall have to say later
will show that there is some meaning in all
this. I never mentioned these matters again,
and my family paid no attention to them. But
when I went to Rome in 1858 to confer with
the Pope on the Salesian Congregation, he
demanded to be told in detail everything that
had the slightest suggestion of the super-
natural about it. It was only then that for the
first time I related the dream I had had at the
age ofnine or ten. The Pope ordered me to set
it down in writing, word for word and in
every detail, and to leave it as a a legacy for
the encouragement of the sons of the Con-
gregation, the business of which had been
the object of my trip to Rome.

7.8 Page 68

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
APPENDIX II
THE FIRST TURCO-RELATED DREAM
(The Dream at the Age ofSixteen, According to Lemoyne)
113
[BJ Compiled TextoftheFirstTurco-
RelatedDream As Found ln the Biographi-
cal Memoirs
(IBML 243f.; cf. EBMI, 18lf.)
[A-1] Text of Fr. Julius Barberis'
Account or Joseph Turco's Report
(ASC 110: Cronacheue-Barberis. "Notizie
varie deiprimi tempidell'Oratorio [...),"p.
8, "PrimosognoovisionediD.B. a 15an.,"
FDBMicro 892 AS.)
L'antivigiglia della festa di Ognissanti
dell'anno 1875 venne all'Oratorio un certo
Turco di Castelnuovo Compagno di scuola di
D. Bosco quando D. Bosco era tuttora alle
scuoleelementaridicotestopaesediCasteln.
Costui racconto molte cose discorrendo e
senza essere interrogato, della giovinezza di
D. Bosco.Trale altrecose ilfatto seguente.-
"Giovannino (come chiamavano allora D.
Bosco) veniva con frequenza nella nostra
vigna che era attigua a quella di suo padre
perche piu lontana da ogni strada e meno
disturbato [sic]. Aveva sempre qualche libro
in mano e si compiaceva, specialm. quando
govemava l'uva, di montare in un dato rialto
dov'esso poteva veder gli altri nella sua e
nella nostra vigna e non esser veduto. Con
frequenzamio padre lo incontrava, ed avendo
un amore speciale per questo giovanetto gli
diceva, mettendogli la mano sul capo "Fa
coraggio, Giovannino, sta molto buono e
studiache, ilSignore ti ajutera" - Lo spero,
rispondeva D. Bosco; ma io non son mai
tranquillo - io vorrei finito quest'anno
studiare il latino e farmi prete; ma i miei non
possono. Come fara mia madre a lasciarmi
continuare gli studi?- Non aver paura, caro
[InSeptember 1831, aletterfrom newly
appointed Archbishop Louis Fransoni,
dealing with the political situation, was read
from the pulpits.]
[B-1] Se Giovanni nulla intese allora
del segreto di Dio, pure un nuovo sogno
sembrasi colleghi con questo fano perla sua
contemporaneita.
Giovanni alla scuola di Castelnuovo
aveva stretto relazione con un tal compagno
di nome Giuseppe Turco, il quale lo aveva
condotto a far conoscenza della propria
famiglia, cui apparteneva una vigna detta
RenenJa, confinante col podere Susambrino.
In quella vigna Giovanni sovente si ritirava
come luogo piu lontano dalla strada che
attraversava la valle e quindi pill tranquillo.
Saliva sopra un rialto, donde poteva vedere
chiunque fosse nella sua vigna e in quella di
Turco, esenzaessere veduto facevalaguardia
all'uva col suo libro in mano. Il padre di
Giuseppe Turco incontrandosi
frequentemente con lui, cui portava uno
speciale amore, gli metteva lamano sulcapo,
dicendogli: - Fa coraggio, Giovannino: sta
molto buono e studia che la Madonna ti
aiutera.
- In lei ho riposta tutta la mia fiducia,
rispondeva Giovanni; ma mi trovo sempre
nell'incertezza: vorrei continuare i corsi di
latinita e farmi prete. Mia madre non ha
mezzi per aiutarmi.
- Non aver timore, caro Giovanni;
vedrai che il Signore ti spianera la strada.
- Io lo spero, conchiudeva Giovanni
- econgedandosi andava al solito posto,col
capo chino, ripetendo: Ma.... ma....

7.9 Page 69

▲back to top
114
Journal of Salesian Studies
Giovannino; guarda solo di studiare molto
ora e di farti sempre piu buono e poi vedrai
che ilSignore ti esaudirll. -Lo spero, e sene
andava al suo solito luogo a stud. col capo
chino e tutto pensoso, ripetendo: ma....ma....
Un giorno Io vediamo, fuori del
consueto, tutto allegro correre e saltellare per
la nostra vigna e tutto festoso presentarsi a
mio padre - "che hai Giovannino che sei
tutto cosi allegro mentre da un po' di tempo
ti vedeva tanto mesto?" Buone nuove, buone
nuove. Sta notte ho fatto un sogno in cui vidi
che io avrei continuato gli studii, mi sarei
fatto prete, e mi troverei a capo di molti
giovani della cui educazione mi occuperei
pel resto della mia vita - Ecco ora e tutto
bell'e fatto: io mi potro far prete - Ma,
questo none che un sogno-poi dal detto al
fatto.... Oh! i1 resto e nulla, io mi faro prete e
saro alla testa di tanti giovani, cui faro molto
del bene. E cosl dicendo tutto allegro se ne
ando al solito aleggereo studiaregovemando
l'uva.
Ed ecco, dopo qualche giomo, il signor
Turco e suo figlio lo vedono tutto allegro
correre e saltellare per la loro vigrta e loro
presentarsi festosamente. - Che hai,
Giovannino, gli chiese ii proprietario, chesei
cosi allegro, mentre da un po' di tempo ti
vedeva tanto pensieroso?
-Buone nuove, buone nuove, esclamo
Giovanni: stanotte ho fatto un sogno, nel
quale io vidi che avrei continuato gli studi,
mi sarei fatto prete, emi troverei posto acapo
di molti giovanetti, della cui educazione mi
occuperei pel resto della mia vita Ed ecco
ora tutto bell'e fatto; io presto potro essere
prete.
- Ma questo non e che un sogno,
osservo il sig. Turco; e poi dal detto al fatto
c'e un be! tratto.
- Oh! ii resto e nulla, concluse
Giovanni. Si, io mi faro prete, saro alla testa
di tanti e tanti giovanetti, cui faro molto del
bene. - Cosl dicendo, tutto contento, se ne
ando alla vedetta.
[A-2] Text of Fr. Michael Rua's Tes-
timony at the Diocesan Process Quoting
the Reports of Lucy Turco and 'Others'
(POCT, Session CCCLVIII (April 29,
1895),juxtainterrogatoriurn duodecimum,
p. 4036f.,inASC 161: DeposizionidiTesti-
Rua, FDBMicro 2184 E7.)
D. Bosco, fin da fanciulletto mostro
inclinazione allo stato ecclesiastico. [...]Forse
fin da quei prirni anni il Signore gli aveva
fatto intravedere la sua futura missione. Mi
racconto LuciaTurco appartenente a farniglia
ove D. Bosco recavasi sovente a trattenersi
coi di lei fratelli, che un mattino lo videro
arrivare giulivo piu del solito. Interrogato
quale ne fosse la causa, rispose che nella
notte aveva avuto un sogno che tutto I'aveva
rallegrato.Pressato araccontarlo, espose che
aveva visto a venire verso di lui una Gran
se Signora, che aveva dietro di un gregge
molto numeroso e che, avvicinatasi a Jui, lo
chiamo per nome e gli disse: "Ecco
[B-2] All'indomani, ritomando dalla
parrocchia, ove erasi recato ad assistere alla
santa Messa, fu a visitare la farniglia Turco;
e la signora Lucia, chiamati i suoi fratelli, coi
quali egli veniva sovente ad intrattenersi, lo
interrogo sulla cagione che gli faceva
risplendere in volto tanta gioia. Egli ripete
come avesse fatto un be! sogno. Pregato a
raccontarlo, accenno di aver visto venire
verso di se una gran Signora che conduceva
un numerosissimo gregge, e che
avvicinandosi a lui e chiamandolo pernome,
gli aveva detto: - Ecco, Giovannino; tutto
questo gregge lo affido alle tue cure. - E
come faro a tener custodia ed aver cura di
tanti agnelletti? Ove trovero io i pascoli, nei
quali condurli? -La Signora gli rispose: -
Non temere; io ti assistero. - E sparl.

7.10 Page 70

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
Gioannino: tutto questo gregge io affido alle
tue cure."
Intesi poi da altri che egli chiese: "Come
faro io ad aver cura di tante pecore e di tanti
agnelli? Dove trovero i pascoli per
mantenerli?" La Signora gli rispose: "Non
temere: io ti assistero ." E poi sparl.
Da quel momento i suoi desideri di
avviarsi agli studiperriescirepretedivennero
piu ardenti, magravidifficoltasiopponevano
per le strettezze della sua famiglia, ed anche
per le opposizioni che faceva il fratellastro
Antonio.
115
[A-3] Text of the Dream of 'Repri-
mand' As Found in the Berto Ms. of Don
Bosco's Memoirs
(MO, 1. Dec. 4g: MO-Bu, 20f.: FDBMicro
60Bl2. Cf.MO-DB, 18:FDBMicro51B1.
Cf. also MO-Ce, 43f.; MO-En, 48)
La morte di D. Calosso fu per me un
disastro irreparabile. Io piangenva
inconsolabile il benefattore defunto. Se era
sveglio pensava a lui, se dormiva sognava di
lui, le cose andarono tanto oltre, che rnia
madre, temendo di rnia sanita, mandommi
alcun tempo con rnio nonno in Capriglio. A
quel tempo feci altro sogno secondo il quale
io era acremente biasimato perche aveva
riposta la rnia speranza negli uomini e non
nella bontA del Padre Celeste.
[B-3] Questa narrazione ci venne fatta
dallo stesso signor Giuseppe Turco e dalla
signora Lucia, e pienamente armonizza con
una linea delle sue memorie, nella quale
sono scritte queste semplici parole: A 16
anni ho fatto un' altro sogno. Io sono certo
chevideeseppemoltecosepiu chenondisse
per dar sfogo alla piena che riempivagli il
cuore.
[T-B] Translation of the Compiled
Text of the First Turco-Related Dream As
Found In the Biographical Memoirs]
[In September 1831, a leuer from newly
appointed Archbishop Louis Fransoni,
dealing with the political situation, was
read from the pulpits.]
[T-A-1] Translation of the Text of
Barberis' Account ofTurco's Report
Two days before the feast of All Saints
[October 30], 1875, a certain [gentleman
namedJoseph]TurcofromCastelnuovocame
to the Oratory. He had been a schoolmate of
DonBosco when thelatterwasstill attending
primary school in that town. During the
course of the conversation, without being
specifically asked, he volunteered quite a bit
ofinformationhavingtodowithDonBosco's
youth. Among other things he related the
following.
[T-B-1] John may not on that occasion
have understood any part of God's secret
plan. But a new dream that he had may have
somebearing on the story, ifonly for thefact
that it occurred at the same time.
While attending school at Castelnuovo
John had made friends with a certain school-
mate of his, named Joseph Turco, who had
introduced John to his family. They owned a
vineyard which was located in an areacalled
Renenta and which bordered on the
Sussambrino property. John would often
withdraw to thatvineyard, since itlay farther
away from the road that crossed the valley

8 Pages 71-80

▲back to top

8.1 Page 71

▲back to top
116
Journal of Salesian Studies
"Johnny (the affectionate name by
which Don Bosco was known at the time)
would often come to our vineyard, which
bordered on that ofhis father, [and he came
there] because it lay far from any road, and
was thereforemoresecluded. He always had
abookinhishand. And, particularly when he
was keeping watch over the grapes, he liked
to climb a certain knoll from where he could
see people both in his vineyard and in ours,
without being seen himself. My father would
often fmd him there. And as he was particu-
larly fond ofthe lad, he would pat himon the
head and say to him: 'Take heart, son; be
really good, study hard, and the Lord will
helpyou.' 'Ihopehewill,' DonBoscowould
reply; 'but I am never free of worry. Once
this year is over, I would like to study Latin
and go on to the prieshood; but my family
hasn't got the means. How could my mother
allow me to continue my studies?' 'Have no
fear, dear Johnny,' [father would add]; 'just
try to study very hard for now and be an ever
betterboy.TheLord will answeryourprayer,
you'll see.' 'I certainly hope so!' [he would
reply]. And he would retreat to his usual
place to study, deep in thought and wonder-
ing dejectedly , 'Who knows?... Who
knows? ... '
"One day unexpectedly we saw him
running and prancing happily into our vine-
yard. He went up to my father in a joyful
mood. 'What's happened to you, Johnny?'
[my father inquired]. 'Why are you sohappy
now, when you've seemed so sad of late?'
'Good news, very good news!' [he replied].
'Last night I had a dream. I dreamt that I
would continue my studies, become a priest,
and be in charge of many youngsters, to
whose education I would devote the rest of
my life. Don't you see? It's all arranged. I
shall be a priest.' 'But that's only a dream,'
[my father exclaimed]; 'and, it's easier said
than done!' 'Oh,' [John insisted] 'the rest is
easy! I shall be a priest. I shall be incharge of
many youngsters and I shall help them a lot.'
With these words, beaming withjoy, he went
and was therefore more secluded. He would
climb a certain knoll from which he could
see people both in his own and in Turco's
vineyard, without being seen himself. From
there, book in hand, he would keep watch
over thegrapes. JosephTurco'sfatherwould
often fmd him there. And as he was particu-
larly fond ofthe lad, he wouldpathim on the
head and say to him: "Take heart, son; be
really good, study hard, and our Lady will
help you."
"I have put all my trust in her," John
would answer, "but I never know what's
going to happen. I would like to continue
studying Latin and become a priest, but my
mother is unable to help me."
"Have no fear, dear John. You'll see
that the Lord will pave the way."
"I certainly hope so," John would an-
swer. He would then take leave and go up to
his usual place, all the while wondering
dejectedly, "Who knows?...Who knows?..."
A few days later, unexpectedly Mr.
Turco and his son saw him running and
skipping happily into their vineyard. He went
up to them in a happy, festive mood. "What's
happened to you, Johnny?" the owner in-
quired. "Why are you so happy now, when
you've seemed so sad oflate?"
"I've gotgood news, good news!"cried
John."LastnightI had a dream. I dreamt that
I would continue my studies, would become
a priest, and would be given charge ofmany
youngsters, to whose education I would de-
vote therestofmy life. Don'tyou see?It's all
arranged. I shall soon be a priest.''
"But that's only a dream," Mr. Turco
exclairned.;"and, it's easier said than done! "
"Oh! the rest is easy," John said with
finality. "Yes, I shall be a priest and shall
have charge ofa great many youngsters, and
I shall help them a lot." With these words,
beaming withjoy,he went offto his look-out
post.

8.2 Page 72

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
117
off, as usual, to read, study and stand watch
over the grapes.
rr-A-2] Translation of the Text of
Rua'sTestimony Quoting Lucy Turcoand
'Others' at the Diocesan Process
From early childhood, DonBosco gave
evidence of an inclination toward the priest-
hood.[...] Perhaps the Lord had given him a
glimpse of hls future mission even at that
early age. Lucy Turco related the following
to me. Don Bosco visited her family fre-
quently to spend time with her brothers.
When he arrived at the house one morning,
they noticed that he was in a happier mood
than usual. When asked why, he replied that
it was because the night before he had had a
dream that had madehim very happy. When
they urged him to tell them the dream, he
related that he had seen a great Lady coming
toward him, leading a large flock. She had
approached, calledhimbyname, and spoken
to him: "Here, Johnny, I entrust this whole
flock to your care."
I also heard from others that he had
asked the Lady: "How am I to look after so
many sheep and so many lambs? Where will
I find sufficient pasture to feed them?" The
Lady had answered: "Have no fear, I will
help you." Then she vanished.
From that moment on an even stronger
desire to begin hls studies and become a
priest took possession of him. But he had to
face serious obstacles: namely, hls family's
impoverished condition, and also opposition
from hls half-brother Anthony.
rr-B-2] The following day, on his way
back from the parish church, where he had
been to Mass, he called on the Turcos. John
often stopped by to visit the Turco brothers.
So, Lucy [Turco] called them over, and
asked John why helooked so radiantly happy.
Again he repeated that he had had a beautiful
dream. When urged to tell them about it, he
related that he had seen a great Lady coming
toward him, leading a very large flock. She
had approached, called him by name, and
spoken to him: "Here, Johnny, I entrust this
whole flock to your care." "How am I to
guard and look after so many sheep and so
many little lambs?" [John had replied].
"Where will I find pastures for them?" The
Lady had answered: "Have no fear, I will
help you." Then she vanished.
rr-A-3] Translation ofthe Textofthe
Dream of 'Reprimand' As Found in the
Berto Ms. of Don Bosco'sMemoirs]
Fr. Calosso's death was really disas-
trous for me. I wept inconsolably over my
dead benefactor. I thought of him in my
waking hours and dreamt ofhim when I was
rr-B-3] We have this story from Mr.
Joseph Turco himselfand from Lucy Turco.
It fully agrees with a brief statement in Don
Bosco's Memoirs, where he writes simply:

8.3 Page 73

▲back to top
118
Journal of Salesian Studies
asleep. The situation got so bad that my
mother, fearing for my health, sent me for a
while to my grandfather in Capriglio. At this
time I had another dream. In it I was severely
rebuked for having put my hope in human
beings and not in our good Father in heaven.
"At the age of sixteen I had a dream." I am
convinced that he saw and was given to
understand a lot more than he related [in his
sketchy report of the dream], which was set
down merely to vent the pain that filled his
heart.
APPENDIX III
THE DREAM OF 'IMPERIOUS COMMAND'
(The Dream at the Age ofNineteen, According to Lemoyne)
[A] Text on the Recurrence of the
Becchi(Morialdo) Dream As Found in the
Berto Ms. of Don Bosco'sMemoirs
(M0, l. Dec., 142:M 0-Ber,. 50:FDBMicro
60 E7; cf. MO-DB, 44: FDBMicro 51 D9.
Cf. also MO-Ce, 19f.; MO-En, 110)
[B] Text of the Dream of 'Imperious
Command' As Found in the Biographical
Memoirs
(IBM I, 305f; EBM I, 229)
[A- l ] P r e p a r a z i o n e - S c e l t a d e l l o Stato .
Intanto si avvicinava la fine dell'anno
di Retorica, epocain cui gli studenti sogliono
deliberare intomo alla loro vocazione. 11
sognodiMurialdomistavasempreimpresso:
anzi mi si era altre volte rinnovato in modo
assai piu chiaro, per cui, volendoci prestar
fede doveva scegliere lo stato ecclesiastico;
cui appunto mi sentiva propensione: ma non
volendo credere ai sogni, e lamia maniera di
vivere, certe abitudini del mio cuore, e la
mancanza assoluta delle virtU necessarie a
questo stato, rendevano dubbiosa e assai
difficile quella deliberazione.
[T-A-1] Translation of the Text on
the Recurrence of the Becchi Dream As
Found in the Berto Ms. of Don Bosco's
Memoirs.
[B-1] D. Cafasso lo dissuase
dall'aggregarsi ai Francescani, dicendogli:
-Andate avanti tranquillamente neglistudi,
entrate in seminario e secondate cio che la
divina Provvidenza vista preparando. - D.
Cafasso aveva conosciuto in un colpo
d 'occhio tutta la missione che eradestinata a
Giovanni.
Come Margherita seppe l 'ultima
determinazione del figlio, si mostro
egualmente contenta. Purche, essa diceva, si
faccia la volontadi Dio.-E infattiparve che
questa divina volonta confermasse i suoi
disegni, in questo stesso anno, con un altro
sogno, cheD. Bosco narro confidenzialmente
a D. Giulio Barberis verso il 1870. Nel suo
manoscritto [Don Bosco's Memoirs] aveva
notato: «Il sogno di Morialdo si ripete nel
mio 192 anno di eta e altre volte in seguito».
The end of my rhetoric year was fast
approaching. It was the time when students
as a rule try to reach a decision regarding
their vocation. The dream I had had in

8.4 Page 74

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
Morialdo remained deeply imprinted on my
mind; indeed it had occurred atothertimes in
much clearer terms. Hence, if I wanted to
believe it and follow its suggestion, I would
have had to choose the priesthood, toward
which I actually felt inclined. However, a
reluctance on my part to put faith in dreams,
my own [worldly] life style, certain habitual
tendencies of my heart, and my total lack of
the virtue necessary to this state, filled me
with doubts and made any decision in this
regard extremely difficult
119
[A-Doc] Text ofthe Dream of 'Impe-
rious Command' As Found in Documenti
(Docl[P Il,C XVI], 153:FDBMicro968
Dl)
[Recorded as a printed marginal note to
the chapter, "Preparazione. Scelta dello
stato," which quotes Don Bosco's Memoirs]
[A-1-Doc] [Main text] Capo XVI:
Preparazione - Scelta dello stato.
lntanto si avvicinava la fme dell'armo
di rettorica epoca incui gli studenti sogliono
deliberare intorno alla loro vocazione. D.
Bosco lascioscritto su questo punto della sua
vita una pagina di wnilta ammirabile. "Il
sogno di Murialdo, mi stavasempreimpresso;
anzi si era altre volterinnovato in modo assai
pill chiaro, per cui volendoci prestar fede
doveva scegliere lo stato Ecclesiastico, cui
appunto mi sentiva propensione; ma non
voleva credere ai sogni, e la mia maniera di
vivere, e la mancanza assoluta delle virt:U
necessarie aquesto stato rendevano dubbioso
[sic] e assai difficile quella deliberazione."
[A-2-Doc] [Printed marginal note]Gli
era parso di vedere ii Divin Salvatore vestito
di bianco, raggiante per luce splendidissima,
in atto di guidare una turba innumerevole di
giovanetti. Rivoltosi a lui aveagli detto: _
vieni qua: mettiti alla testa di questi fanciulli
e guidali tu stesso. -Maio non son capace:
- rispondeva Giovanni. II Divin Salvatore
insistetteimperiosamentefmche Giovanni si
[B-2] Gli era parso di vedere un
maestoso personaggio, vestito di bianco,
raggiante di luce splendidissima, in atto di
guidare una turbainnumerevoledigiovanetti.
Rivoltosi a lui aveagli detto: - Vieni qua:
mettiti alla testa di questi fanciulli e guidali
tu stesso. -Maio non son capacedi dirigere
e di istruire tante migliaia di fanciulli -
rispondeva Giovanni. Quell'augusto

8.5 Page 75

▲back to top
120
Journal of Salesian Studies
pose a capo di quella moltitudine di ragazzi
e incomincio a guidarli giusto il comando
che eragli stato fatto.
personaggio insistette imperiosamente,
finche Giovanni si pose a capo di quella
moltitudine diragazzi e incomincioa guidarli,
secondo il comando che eragli stato fano.
Giovanni adunque per tutte queste
ragioni depose l'idea di entrare tra i
Francescani [...].
[T-A-Doc] Translation of the Text of
the Dream of 'Imperious Command' As
Found In Documenti
[T-A-1-Doc] [Main text] ChapterXVI.
Preparation. Choosing a state in life.
The end of my rhetoric year was fast
approaching. It was the time when students,
as a rule, try to reach a decision regarding
their vocation. On this period ofhis life Don
Bosco left us lines written out of admirable
humility. 'The dream I had had in Morialdo
remained deeply imprinted on my mind;
indeed ithadoccurred atother times in much
clearer terms. Hence, ifl wanted to believe it
and follow its suggestion, I would have had
to choose the priesthood, toward which I
actually felt inclined. However, a reluctance
on my part to put faith in dreams, my own
[worldy] lifestyle, and my total lack of the
virtue necessary to this state, filled me with
doubts and made any decision in this regard
extremely difficult."
[T-A-2-Doc] [[Marginal note] He
seemed to see our Divine Savior, clad in
white and resplendent with a most brilliant
light. He was leading a countless throng of
youngsters. Turning to John, he had said:
"Come here. Take charge of these children
and lead them yourself." "But I don't know
how," John had answered. Our Divine Sav-
ior, however, persisted with authority in his
demand [insistette imperiosamenJe], till fi-
nally John tookcharge ofthat throng ofboys
and began to lead them, obedient to the
command received.
[T-8] Translation of the Text of the
Dreamof'lmperiousCommand' AsFound
In the Biographical Memoirs
[T-8-l]Fr.Cafassodissuadedhimfrom
joining the Franciscans. "Continue your
studies, and don't worry," he advised him.
"Enter the seminary and cooperate with
whatever Divine Providence may have in
store for you." At a single glance, Fr.Cafasso
had perceived the full scope ofthe mission to
which John was destined.
On learning ofher son's latest decision
Margaret, as on earlier occasions, expressed
her agreement-"As long as itisGod's will,"
she said. And indeed that very year God
seemed to manifest his will and confirm his
plansby anotherdream. DonBosco confided
it to Fr. Julius Barberis in 1870. In his manu-
script [his Memoirs], Don Bosco had writ-
ten: 'The dream I had had at Morialdo was
repeated when I was nineteen and at other
times thereafter."
[T-8-2] He seemed to see a Gentleman
[personaggio] of majestic bearing, clad in
white, resplendent with a most briliant light.
He was leading a numberless throng of
youngsters. Turning to John, he had said:
"Come here. Take charge of these children
and lead them yourself." "But I don't know
how to leadand teach thousandsof children,"
John had replied. But the noble Gentleman
persisted with authority in his demand
[insistette imperiosamente], till finally John
took charge ofthat throng ofboys and began
to lead them, obedient to the command
received.
These were the reasons that persuaded
John to give up the idea of entering the
Franciscan Order.

8.6 Page 76

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
121
APPENDIX IV
THE CWTHES-MENDING DREAM
O'he Dream at the Age ofTwenty-one, According to Lemoyne)
[A·l] Text of the Clothes-Mending
Dream As Found In Documenti, Vol. I
(Doc I [P. ill, C. III], 119:FDBMicro968
ES)
[B-1] Text or the Clothes-Mending
Dream As Found In Bwgraphical Mem-
oirs, Vol I
(IBM I, 38lf.; EBM I, 284f.)
[Note: underscored: marginal ad-
ditions in Lemoyne's hand to the
printed main text of Docl
Capo III: La vita del seminario [...] Un
altro sogno.
Frattanto in mezzo agli atti di virtu, agli
scherzi, agli studii [Bosco] sentiasi sempre
piu crescere in cuore una brama ardentissima
di giovare ai fanciulli, che continuava a
radunare intomo a sepel Catechismo e per le
orazioni, mentre Ii divertiva.
Ela divina bontA che teneva sopra di lui
i suoi occhi amorosi prese a fargli conoscere
in modo piu particolare qual fosse ii genere
di missione che gli riserbava in mezzo ai
giovanetti.
D. Bosco lo raccontO nell'Oratorio ad
alcuni in privato: - Chi puo immaginare,
disse, ii modo nel quale mi vidi quando
faceva ii corso di filosofia!
Venne interrogato: - Dove si vide? In
un sogno o in altro luogo?
- Questo non importa saperlo. lo mi
™ vidi gia prete in posizione veramente
ridicola; con rocche tto e stola: e vestito cosl
da prete lavorava in una bottega da sarto, ma
non cuciva cose nuove bensl rapezzava [sic]
robe logore [e] metteva insieme Jill gran
numero Qi ~· Di questo ne feci qualche
motto allora con qualcheduno; ma non ne
parlai chiaramente finche fui prete e solo co'
miei consiglieri. liQ.n b.Q !l1Qa ~ ~ ID.Qllil
tempo.Qil!Qipotuto capire cio chesignificasse
tale stranezza. Venuto prete ii raccontai a J2
Caffasso; ma neanche lui mi~ spiegare
}A™.Tur£hiGjovannim~!QUesta
narrazione.
In mezzo all'esercizio delle virtll piu
sode ed agli studii serii della filosofia,
Giovanni Bosco sentiasi semprepiucrescere
in cuore la bramadi giovare ai fanciulli, che
continuava a radunare intorno a se pel
catechismo e per le orazioni, quando i
superiori lo mandavano a questo fine nel
duomo. Eladivinabont3, che tenevasopradi
lui i suoi occhi amorosi, prese a fargli
conoscere inmodo piu particolare qual fosse
ii genere di missione che gli riserbava in
mezzo ai giovanetti. D. Bosco lo raccontO
nell'Oratorio ad alcuni in privato, tra i quali
era presente D. Giovanni Turchi e D.
Domenico Ruffino. -Chi puo immaginare,
disse, ii modo, nel quale io mi vidi quando
faceva ii primo corso di filosofia! -
Venne interrogato: -Dove si vide? In
un sogno o in altro luogo? - Questo non
importa saperlo. lo mi vidi gia prete, con
rocchetto e stola: e cosl vestito lavorava in
una bottega da sarto, ma non cuciva cose
nuove bensl.rappezzava robelogoreemetteva
insieme un gran numero di pezzi di panno.
Subito non potei intendere che cosa cio
significasse. Di questo ne feci motto allora
con qualcheduno; ma non ne parlai
chiaramente finche fui prete, e solo col mio
consigliere D. Cafasso. -

8.7 Page 77

▲back to top
122
Journal of Salesian Studies
Questo sogno o visione rimase
indelebile nella memoria di Bosco. Indicava
chiaramente come non fosse chiamato a fare
scelta di giovani santi e ad operarsi [sic] a
perfezionarli e custodirli, ma sibbene a
radunare intorno a se giovanetti i quali, tratti
fuori magagnati dai pericoli del mondo, si
rifacessero per le sue cure buoni cristiani. Gli
innocenti raccolti da lui sarebbero stati
eccezioni. Gli altri tutti abiti logori da
rattoppare.
Questo sogno o visione rimase
indelebile nella memoria di D. Bosco. Esso
indicava come egli non fosse solo chiamato
a fare scelta di giovani santi e ad adoperarsi
aperfezionarliecustodirli,sibbenearadunare
intorno a se giovanetti fuorviati e guasti dai
pericoli del mondo, i quali per le sue cure si
rifacessero buoni cristiani e cooperassero
alla riforma della societa.
[A-2] Text of the Reference to the
Clothes-Mending Dream As Found in
Documenti, Vol. II
(Doc Il [P. V, C. ill: "Vocazione decisa"],
144f.: FDBMicro 972 Allf.)
[DonBosco] tratt.O alloradi andare nelle
missioni [...]
MaD.Caffasso aveva unasuaideafissa
che non palesava. Quando D. Bosco era
venuto al Convitto aveagli fin sul principio
confidato il suo sogno nel quale eragli
sembrato di essere sarto e rattoppare abiti
logori.
D. Caffasso mirandolo fissamente
aveagli domandato: - Sapete fare il sarto?
- Si che lo so fare; so fare calzoni,
giubbe, camicie.
- Vi vedremo alla prova. - E tutte le
volte che lo incontrava dicevagli: - Come
va il sarto?
- Sto aspettando la sua decisione,
rispondeva D. Bosco.
ff-A-1] Translation ofthe Textofthe
Clothes-Mending Dream As Found In
Documenti, Vol. I
Chapter ID: Seminary Life. [...] An-
other Dream.
The practice of virtue, wholesome fun
and serious study were [Bosco's] daily occu-
pations [at the seminary]. But his heart
[B-2] Text of the Reference to the
Clothes-Mending Dream As Found ln the
Biographical Memoirs, Vol II
(IBM Il, 202; EBM Il, 159f.)
[In 1844 Fr. Cafasso became head lec-
turer at the Convitto. Don Bosco was assist-
ing him with his ministry and tutoring.]
D. Cafasso vedeva alcun che di
straordinario nella sua attivita cosl ben
regolata in ogni azione: nel tempo stesso
aveva sopra di lui un'idea persistente che
non palesava [...].
Quando D.Bosco eravenuto al Convitto,
aveva confidato al santo suo Direttore
spirituale ogni suo segreto, e tra le altre
particolarita, ii sogno nel quale eragli
sembrato di essere sarto e rattoppare abiti
logori. D. Cafasso, rnirandolo fissamente,
avevagli domandato: - Sapete fare il sarto?
- Si che lo so fare; e so fare calzoni,
giubbe, mantelli, e vesti talari per i chierici.
- Vi vedremo alla prova! - E tutte le
volte che incontravalo dicevagli: - Come
va, sarto?
D. Bosco intendendo il significato di
questa domanda, rispondeva: - Sto
aspettando la sua decisione.
ff-B-1] TranslationoftheTextofthe
Clothes-Mending Dream As Found ln the
Biographical Memoirs, Vol. I
The devoted practice of virtue and the
serious study of philosophy were John

8.8 Page 78

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
123
burned with an ever stronger desire to work
for the good of children. He continued to
gather them around him for catechism,
prayers and entertainment.
The good God, who inhis loving Provi-
dence was watching over him, undertook to
makeknown to him in clearer terms the kind
of mission he had destined him to on behalf
of the young.
Don Bosco confided this experience to
a few intimates at the Oratory. "Who would
believe," he said, "how I once saw myself
when I was a student in philosophy?"
"In what situation did you see your-
self?" someone asked. "Was it in a dream, or
otherwise?"
"That' s not important. I saw myself as
a priest in a truly ridiculous situation. I was
wearing surplice and stole; and dressed like
that, as a priest, I was working in a tailor
shop. However, I was not sewing new gar-
ments, butrather mending threadbare cloth-
ing and stitchingnumerous patches together.
I mentioned this briefly to someone at the
time, butnever spoke ofit plainly until I was
a priest, and even then only to my advisers.
Neither at the time nor for a long time there-
after was I able to grasp the meaning of that
strange experience. After my priestly ordi-
nation, I related it to Fr. Cafasso, buthe could
not tell me what it meant either."[Fr.] John
Turchi was present when [Don Bosco] told
the above story.
This dream or vision remained indelibly
engraved in Don Bosco's memory. Its
meaning was clear. He was not called to care
for aselectgroup ofsaintlyyoung people, for
their advancement and protection. Rather,
he was called to gather around him young-
sters already tainted by evil, to rescue them
from worldly dangers, and to restore them by
his care to the practice of a good Christian
life. Among the young people that he would
gather, innocent lads would be the excep-
tion; the vast majority of them would re-
semble the threadbare clothing that needed
mending.
Bosco's daily occupation [at the seminary].
But his heart burned with a most ardent and
ever growing desire to work for the good of
children. Hecontinued to gather them around
him for catechism and prayers at the cathe-
dral [duomo] , whenever his Superiors as-
signed him to this ministry. The good God,
who in his loving Providence was watching
over him, undertook to make known to him
in clearer terms the kind of mission he had
destined him to on behalfofthe young. Don
Bosco confided the experience to a few inti-
mates at the Oratory. Among them were
Father John Turchi and Father Dominic
Ruffino.
"Who would believe," he said, "how I
saw myselfwhen I was a first-year studentin
philosophy?"
"In what situation did you see your-
self?" someone asked. "Was it in a dream, or
otherwise?"
'That's not important," Don Bosco re-
plied. "I saw myself as a priest, wearing
surpliceand stole.Thus attired, I was working
in a tailor shop. However, I was not sewing
new garments, but rather mending thread-
bareclothing and stitching numerous patches
together. Then and there I did not grasp the
meaning of the image. I mentioned it to
someone at the time, but I never spoke of it
plainly until I was a priest; and even then
only with my adviser, Father Cafasso."
This dream or vision remained indel-
ibly engraved in Don Bosco's memory. It
meant that he was called not only to care for
a select group of saintly young people, for
their advancement and protection. Rather,
he was called to gather around him delin-
quentyoungsters, already tainted by the evil
ofthe world, so that by his care they might be
restored to the practice of a good Christian
life and might contribute to the transforma-
tion of society.

8.9 Page 79

▲back to top
124
Journal of Salesian Studies
[f-A-2)Translation ofthe Textofthe
Reference to the Clothes-Mending Dream
As Found In Documenti, Vol. II
Then D. Bosco seriously considered
going to the missions[...]
But Fr. Cafasso had formed a deep-
rooted conviction of his own in the matter,
which, however, he would not disclose. Im-
mediately on entering the Convitto, Don
Bosco had confided to him the dream in
which he had seen himself as a tailor sewing
patches on threadbare clothing.
Fr. Cafasso had looked at him intently
and asked: "Can you sew like a tailor then?"
"Icanindeed," [DonBoscohadreplied].
"I can make trousers, jackets, shirts."
"We shall see what happens when you
are put to the test," [Fr. Cafasso had closed].
And whenever [Fr. Cafasso] chancedtomeet
him, he would ask, "How is our tailor?"
DonBosco would reply, "I am awaiting
your decision."
[A-3) Text of the Clothes-Mending
Dream As Reported by Fr.JuliusBarberis
(ASC 111: Sogni-Barberis, "Particolarita
della Vita di DB": FDBMicro 1294 A2f.
Cf. also ASC 110: Cronacheue-Barberis,
"Cronichetta Anteriore r·: FBBMicro 885
C12-Dl)
Ecco alcune particolarita della Vita di
D. Bosco che esso stessoracconto aqualcuno
in particolare: - Chi puo imrnaginare ii
modo in cui mi vidi quando faceva ii corso di
Filosofia? Io mi vidi gia prete, e cosl vestito
da prete lavorava in una bottegadi Sarto: ma
non cuciva robe nuove, rappezzava robe
logore. Di questo ne parlai con alcuni allora,
ma poco, finche fui prete. Allora ne parlai
con Don Cafasso (che era ii suo confessore e
direttore spirituale). Egli mi domando:
"Sapete fare ii sarto?" - "Si, che so" - E
tutte le volte che m ' incontrava, mi diceva:
"Come va il mio caro sarto?"
[f-A-3) Translation of the Text of
Barberis' Report of the Clothes-Mending
Dream (Continued In next column on right)
[f-B-2] Translation of the Textofthe
Reference to the Clothes-Mending Dream
As Found In the Biographical Memoirs,
Vol.II
[In 1844 Fr. Cafasso became head lec-
turer at the Convitto. Don Bosco was assist-
ing him with his ministry and tutoring.]
Fr. Cafasso saw something out of the
ordinary in DonBosco's ability to planevery
aspect of his activity. He also had formed a
deep-rooted conviction about him, which,
however, he would not disclose. [...]
On entering the Convitto, Don Bosco
had confided all his private affairs to his
spiritual director. Among other unusual
things, he had related the dream in which he
had seen himself as a tailor sewing patches
on threadbare clothing. Father Cafasso had
looked at him intently and inquired: "Can
you sew like a tailor then?"
"I can indeed ; and I can make trousers,
jackets, cloaks and clerical cassocks."
"We shall see what happens when you
are put to the test!" And whenever [Fr.
Cafasso] chanced to meet him, he would
ask: "How are things, tailor?"
Grasping the meaning of this query
DonBosco would reply: "I am awaiting your
it!filnlRiled from column at left)
Following are some special epi-
sodes in Don Bosco's life which he himself
related to particular individuals. "Who can
imagine howI sawmyself[once] when I was
a student in philosophy? I saw myself as a
priest; and actually dressed as a priest, I was
working in a tailor shop. I was not, however,
sewing new garments, but rather patching
threadbare clothing. I mentioned this experi-
ence to some individuals at the time, but not
in detail-not until after my priestly ordina-
tion, anyway. Then, I mentioned it to Fr.
Cafasso (his confessor and spiritual direc-
tor). He asked me: 'Can you sew like a
tailor?' 'Yes, I can,' [I replied]. And when-
ever he chanced to meet me, he would ask,
'And how is my friend the tailor?"'

8.10 Page 80

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
125
APPENDIXV
THE SECOND TURCO-REIATED DREAM
lThe Dream at the Age ofTwenty-two, According to Lemoyne)
[A·l] Text of Mr. Joseph Turco's
Testimony at the Diocesan Process
(Selections)
(POCT,sess. 89and 90(July6and7, 1892)
FDBMicro 2135C2-l1)
[B] Compiled Text of the Second
Turco-Relaled Dream As Found in the
Biographical Memoirs
(IBMI, 424f.; EBML, 315f.)
[Sessio LXXXIX]
[A-1-a] Juxta interrog. secundum.
R-Io mi chiamo Turco Giuseppe, de!
fu Domenico e fu Catterina Pilone, d'anni
82, nato e domiciliato a Castelnuovo d' Asti
e sono proprietario nel paese stesso.
[ ... ]
Juxta interrog. septimum
Resp. Io ho conosciuto il Servo di Dio
mentre era agli studi a Castelnuovo d'Asti.
So che studiava molto e tra una scuola e
l'altra andava in casa di un certo Robert, che
aveva un figlio che attendeva agli studi
insieme al giovane Bosco, e questi alla sera
ritomavaallaborgatadei~presso i suoi
genitori. [...]
Frequentai poi ii giovane Bos co
specialmente quando egli veniva nelle
vacanze da Chierico coi suoi parenti; ed ii
podere di mia proprietA e la sua vigna che i
suoi genitori coltivavano a masserizia erano
confinanti; ed egli passava molte ore della
giomata all'ombra degli alberi studiando; il
perche DBosco soleva dire: - «i miei studii
li ho fatti nella vigna di Giuseppe Turco alla
Rementa [sic]» - (regione cosl chiamata)
[ ... ]
Juxta interrog. decimum quartum
Resp. D Bosco dimostro fin da giovne
la vocazione di dedicarsi all'istruzione ed
educazionedella giovenru. Difatti,mentre io
un giorno lavorava, egli gia chierico si
avvicinO a me: ed io presi a dirgli: - «ora
che sei chierico, presto sarai prete e poi che
cosa farai» - Ed egli mi rispose: «a me non
piace fare ii parroco, e neppure il vicecurato,
mami piaceraccogliere attorno a megiovani
[B-1-a] Piu volte abbiam sentito D.
Bosco dire: - I miei studii li ho fatti nella
vigna di Giuseppe Turco alla Renenta - E
il fine de' suoi studi era di rendersi degno
della sua vocazioneed abilitarsi alla istruzione
ed educazione della giovenru. Difatti un
giorno avvicinatosi a Giuseppe Turco, col
quale era stretto da grande arnicizia, mentre
lavoravaintorno alleviti, questiprese adirgli:
- Ora sei chierico, hen presto sarai prete: e
poi che cosa farai? - Giovanni rispose: -
Nonho inclinazione afare iiparrocoeneppure
ii vice-curato; ma mi piacerebbe raccogliere

9 Pages 81-90

▲back to top

9.1 Page 81

▲back to top
126
Journal of Salesian Studies
poveri ed abbandonati per educarli ed
istruirli» -
[ ... ]
[Sessio XC]
Juxta interrog. vigesirnwn tertium.
[A-1-c] Resp. Non saprei dire cose al
riguardo [supernatural gifts]. So pero che
Castelnuovo mio paeseerasovente devastato
dalla tempest.a, che cadde per dieci anni di
seguito; ora trovandosi cola DBosco, allora
semplice chierico, disse a me stesso ed alla
mia farniglia: - «finche saro io qui alla
Rementa [sic], non temete, la tempesta non
cadra piu; preghiamo solo la Madonna, ed
ellaci protegger?i»-E di fatti cos! avvenne.
[A-1-b]Mentreerachierico,miraccontO
pure un giomo che aveva fatto un sogno, che
egli si sarebbe stabilito in qualche luogo,
dove avrebbe raccolto un gran numero di
giovani per istruire.
[A-2] Text of Bishop John Cagllero's
Testimony at the Diocesan Process
(POS, Positio super introductione causae,
XVI. Testis, juxta interrog. 12, p. 87f.:
FDBMicro22l3 D7f. [The Summariumis
quoted here, because this section of the
Ordinary Process is not available in
FDBMicro. Cagliero's original testimony
for the dream is recorded in POCT, proc.
fol. l080v.])
A questo proposito [John's desire to
become a priest] rammento un sogno che il
Servo di Dio aveva fatto essendo ancora in
etadi soli nove o dieci anni. Egli vide lavalle
sottostante convertirsi in una citt?i, nelle cui
stradeepiazzescorazzavano turbedifanciulli,
schiamazzando e giocando e bestemmiando.
Come egli aveva in grande orrore la
bestemmia, edera di carattereprontoevivace,
si avvicino aquestiragazzisgridandoli perche
bestemmiavano, e minacciandoli se non
avessero cessato. Non desistendo essi, prese
a percuoterli, ma reagendo gli altri, fu egli
stesso carico di pugni. Fuggendosene egli
allora incontro un personaggio che gli im-
pose di fermarsi e di ritomare a persuader
intomo a me giovani poveri ed abbandonati
per educarli cristianamente ed istruirli. -
[B-1-c, cf. below]
[B-1-b] Incontratolo un altro giomo, gli
confido come egli avesse fatto un sogno, dal
quale aveva inteso come col volgere degli
anni egli si sarebbe stabilito in un certo
luogo,doveavrebberaccoltoungrannumero
di giovanetti per istruirli nella via della sa-
lute.
[B-2) Non spiego il luogo, ma sembra
che alludesse a quanto raccontO per la prirna
voltanel 1858 a' suoi figliuolidell'Oratorio,
fra i quali eravi Cagliero, Rua, Francesia ed
altri. Aveva visto la valle sottostante alla
cascina del Sussambrino convertirsi in una
grande citta, nelle cui strade e piazze
scorrevano turbedi fanciuUi schiamazzando,
giuocando e bestemmiando. Siccome egli
avevaingrandeorrorelabestemmiaederadi
un carattere pronto e vivace, si avvivino a
questi ragazzi, sgridandoli perche
bestemmiavano e minacciandoli se non
avessero cessato; ma non desistendo essi dal
vociare orribili insulti contro Dio e la Ma-
donna Santissima, Giovanni prese a
percuoterli. Senonche gli altri reagirono e,
correndogli sopra, lo tempestarono di pugni.
Egli si diede alla fuga; ma in quella ecco
venirgli incontro un Personaggio, che gli
intimodifermarsiediritomareaqueimonelli
e persuaderli a stare buoni e a non fare il
male. Giovanni obbiettO le percosse avute e
il peggio che gli sarebbe toccato, se fosse
ritornato sopra i suoi passi. Allora quel
Personaggio Io presen!O ad una nobilissirna

9.2 Page 82

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
127
quei monelli, perche stessero buoni e non
facessero male. Obbiettando egli le percosse
avute, quegli lo presento ad \\llla Signora che
gli si fece innanzi, dicendogli: - Questa e
miamadre, consigliati con lei. - La Signora
gli disse: - Se vuoi guadagnare questi
monelli, non devi prenderli colle percosse,
ma colle buone, colla dolcezza e
persuasione.-In quel mentre vide invece di
quei monelli delle bestie, e la stessa Signora
gli soggiunse; - Questo e iJ tuo Campo,
mettiti in mezzo. - II che eseguendo vide
che quelle bestie siconvertirono in agnelli, ai
quali egli prese a fare da pastore. Molli di
quegli agnelli poi, crescendo, diventavano
pastori anch'essi.
E comprese da questo sogno, che egli
doveva occuparsi della gioventU, onde
toglierladal male. Diquisispiegalatendenza
che il Servo di Dio ha sempre avuto per
l 'educazionecristianadella gioventU. Questo
sogno lo udii nel 1858-59 dallo stesso Servo
di Dio, dopo il suo ritomo da Roma, oveerasi
recato per ottenere dal Papa Pio IX la facolta
di stabilire la Congregazione. Come il Papa
domando al Servo di Dio i motivi naturali e
soprannaturali che aveva di fondare tale
Congregazione, egli raccontO detto sogno.
[ ... ]
Signora, che si faceva innanzi, e gli disse: -
Questa emia Madre; consigliati con lei. -
La Signora, fissandoloconuno sguardopieno
di bontA cosl parlo: - Se vuoi guadagnarti
questi monelli, non devi affrontarli colle
percosse, ma prenderlicolla dolcezzae colla
persuasione. - E allora, come nel primo
sogno, vide i giovani trasformati in helve e
poi in pecorelle e agnelli, ai quali egli prese
a far da pastore per ordine di quella Signora.
[Quote from Isaiah 43, 20.]
[B-3) Forsee questavolta che egli vide
!'Oratorio con tutti i caseggiati, che erano
pronti araccoglierlocoisuoi biricchini. Infatti
D. Bosio, [...] compagno di D. Bosco nel
seminario di Chieri, venuto per la prima
volta all'Oratorio nel 1890 [...], girando lo
sguardo attomo ed osservando i molteplici
edifizii, esclamo: - Di tutto cio, che ora
vedo qui, nulla mi riesce nuovo. D. Bosco in
seminario mi aveva gia descritto tutto, come
se avesse veduto coi propri occhi cio che
narrava e come io vedo adesso con mirabile
esattezza esistere. [...]
[B-4) A questo punto non possiamo
fare a meno di fissare lo sguardo sul
progressivo e razionale succedersi dei varii
sorprendentisogni. Ai9 anni GiovanniBosco
viene a conoscerelagrandiosa missione, che
a Jui sara affidata; ai 16 ode la promessa dei
mezzi materiali, indispensabili per albergare
e nutrire innumerevoli giovani; ai 19 un
imperioso comando gli fa intenderenon esser
libero di rifiutare la missione affidatagli; ai
21 gli epalesata la classe de' giovani, della
quale dovra specialmente curare il bene
spirituale; ai 22, gli e additata una grande
cittA, Torino, nella quale dovra dar principio
alle sue apostoliche fatiche e alle sue
fondazioni. E qui, come vedremo, non si
arresteranno queste misteriose indicazioni,
ma continueranno ad intervalli fmo che sia
compiuta I'opera di Dio.
[B-1-c] Si dovran dir forse questi sogni
mere combinazini di fantasia? E una prova

9.3 Page 83

▲back to top
128
Journal of Salesian Studies
che Giovanni Bosco era accetto a Dio e che
la protezione della Vergine SS. non gli
mancava fin da quei tempi, in qualsivoglia
occasione a Lei ricorresse, eii fatto seguente.
La regione di Castelnuovo era sovente
devastata dalla tempesta, che per dieci anni
di seguito aveva distrutto interamente ii
raccolto dell 'uva. La farniglia Turco se ne
lamentO col chierico Bosco ed egli rispose
con umile sicurezza: - Finche io saro qui
alla Renenta non ternete: la tempesta non
caddi.piu; preghiamo solamente la Madonna
ed Ella ci proteggera. - E infatti da quel
punto per un certo numero di anni piu non
cadde la grandine. Sembravache lapresenza
di Giovanni in quei luoghi portasse
benedizione. Cosl afferrnava Giuseppe
Turco.
[f-A-1] Translation of the Text of
Joseph Turco's Testimony at the Dioc-
esan Process
[f-A-1-a] My name is Joseph Turco. I
am the son of the late Dominic Turco and of
the late Catherine Pilone. I am 82 years of
age. I was born and Jive in Castelnuovo
d'Asti, and I am a freeholder in that town.
I knew the ServantofGod while he was
attending school at Castelnuovo d' Asti. He
was a serious student, this I know. When not
in class, he would be found in the house of a
certain Robert, whose son attended school
with young Bosco. In the evening [John)
would return to his parents' home in the
hamlet ofBecchi. [...]
I associated with young Bosco, particu-
larly when as a mere seminarian he came to
spend the holidays with his relatives. My
property bordered on the vineyard which his
parents worked as sharecroppers. He would
spend many hours each day studying under
the trees. That's why Don Bosco often said,
"I pursued my studies in Joseph Turco's
vineyardatRenenta(as theplace was called)."
Don Bosco from his early years showed
evident signs of a vocation to work for the
[f-B] Translation of the Text of the
SecondTurco-RelatedDream As Found In
the Biographical Memoirs
[f-B-1-a] We often heard Don Bosco
say: "I pursued my studies in JosephTurco's
vineyard at Renenta."
His devotion to study was for one pur-
pose: toprepare himselffor, and to be worthy
ofthe mission to educate the young.One day
[John] went up to JosephTurco, his great and
close friend, while the latter was tending the
vines. [Joseph] began to prod him: "Now
you're a seminarian and soon you'll be a
priest. What then? What are your plans?"
John answered: "I feel no inclination to
parish work, whether as pastor or as curate.
But what I would like to do instead is to
gather around me poor and neglected young
people and look after their Christian educa-
tion."

9.4 Page 84

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
education of young people. For example,
when he was already a seminarian, he came
up to me one day while I was working, and I
began to question him: "You are now a
seminarian and soon you'll be a priest. What
then? What are your plans?" His reply was,
"Parish work, whether as pastor or as curate,
is not to my liking. What I would like to do
instead is to gather together around me poor
and neglected children and look after their
education ."
129
rr-A-1-c) I have no knowledge of any-
thing pertaining to the subject [of supernatu-
ral gifts].But this I do remember. The areaof
Castelnuovo, my home town, was often rav-
aged by hailstorms. In fact, we had hail-
storms for tenconsecutiveyears. Once, when
he w as still a seminarian and happened to be
staying there [atSussambrino-Renenta], Don
Bosco said to me and my family: "Foras long
as I shall stay here at Renenta, don't worry.
There will be no more hailstorms. We have
only to pray to our Lady, and she will help
us." And that's what happened.
rr-B-1-c, cf. below)
rr-A-1-b) Also, when still a seminar-
ian, he told me one day that he had had a
dream. [He had dreamt] that he would
eventually settle in some place, where he
would gather together a large number of
youngsters and give them an education.
rr-A-2) Translation or the Text of
Bishop Cagllero's Testimony at the Dioc-
esan Proce~
On this subject [the priesthood] I know
of a dream which the Servant of God had
when he was butnineortenyears ofage. [He
dreamt that] he saw the valley below turn
into a city. Crowds ofchildren were running
wild through its streets and squares, shout-
ing, playing and cursing. He had a great
horror of cursing, and was besides quick-
tempered by nature. So, he went up to those
boys, scolded them for cursing, and threat-
ened them [with blows] if they did not stop.
rr-B-1-b] When they were together on
another occasion, [John] confided to him
that he had had a dream. From it he had
understood that in future years he would
settle in a certain place, where he would
gather together alargenumber ofyoungsters
and educate them in the way of salvation.
rr-B-2] He did not specify what
the place would be. But it is likely thathe was
speaking of the same experience that he
related to his sons at the Oratory for the first
time in 1858. Among them were Cagliero,
Rua, Francesia and others.
[In the dream] he had seen the valley
below the Sussambrino farm transformed
into a big city. Crowds of children were
running about its streets and squares shout-
ing, playing and cursing. He had a great
horror of cursing, and he was besides quick-
tempered by nature. So he went up to those
boys, and scolded them for cursing and threat-

9.5 Page 85

▲back to top
130
Journal of Salesian Studies
They did not stop; and he began to strike out
at them. The boys, however, reacted in kind
and pelted him with punches. As he was
running for his life, a noble Gentleman stood
in his way and ordered him to stop running
and go back and try to persuade those street
urchins to behave and stop their mischief.
When John objected that he had already
taken a beating, that Gentleman presented
him to a Lady, who now stood before him,
with the words, 'This is my Mother. Ask her
advice." The Lady spoke and said: "If you
wish to win these street urchins over, you
must not use force, but gentle, kindly and
winning ways. As she spoke, he saw that
those street boys had been replaced by so
many animals. The Lady thenwent on:'This
is your field; go in and work." John obeyed,
and soon he saw those animals changed into
so many lambs. He took charge of them as
their shepherd. Then many of the lambs as
they grew up also turned into shepherds.
From this dream [the Servant of God]
understood that he was to work for young
people [at risk], to remove them from evil
situations.I heard this dream from the lips of
the Servant of God himself in 1858-59. He
had just returned from Rome, where he had
goneto petitionPope PiusIX for authorization
to establish the Congregation. The Pope had
asked him what natural and supernatural
promptings he had for such an undertaking,
and he had then related the dream. [...]
ened them [with blows] if they did not stop.
But they kept on shouting their horrible in-
sults against God and the most holy Virgin.
So John began to strike out at them. They,
however, struckback, overpowered him, and
pelted him with punches. John had to run for
his life.
As he did so, he was met by a Gentle-
man who ordered him to stop, to go back to
those street urchins, and try to persuade them
to behave and stop their mischief. John ob-
jected that he had already gotten a beating
and would receive a worse one if he went
back.
Then the Gentleman introduced him to
a Ladyofmostnoble bearing who now stood
beforehim. He told John: 'Thisis myMother.
Ask her advice." The Lady looked at John
intently and lovingly and then said: "If you
wish to win these street urchins over, you
must not confront them with blows; you
must approach them with gentle ways and
persuasive words."
Then, as in his first dream, he saw the
young people changed into wild beasts and
then again into gentle sheep and lambs. And
bytheLady'sorderhetookchargeofthemas
their shepherd. [Quote from Isaiah 43, 20.]
[T-B-3] Perhaps itwas on this occasion
that he was given a glimpse of the Oratory
with all its buildings preparedfor him andhis
little rascals. This, as a matter of fact, was
what a fellow seminarian of his, a certain
Father Bosio, believed. [...] In 1890 this
priest paid his first visit to the Oratory. [...]
Passing through the courtyard, [...] he looked
around at the many buildings enclosing it
and exclaimed: "Nothing I see here is new to
me. When we were seminarians Don Bosco
described it all to me; and he was telling it as
though he had seen itall with his bodily eyes.
It is just as he described it." [...]
[T-B-4] At this point we cannot refrain
from commenting on the gradual and logical
progress ofthe various extraordinary dreams
thatfollowed oneupon another. At the age of
nine, John Bosco first learnt of the great

9.6 Page 86

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
131
mission that would be entrusted to him; at
sixteen he is given assurance that the mate-
rial resources needed for sheltering and feed-
ing countless youngsters would not be want-
ing; atnineteenacategoricalinjunctionmakes
itclear thatheisnotfree torefusethemission
entrusted to him; at twenty-one he is shown
the type ofboy whose spiritual welfare he is
especially called to look after; at twenty-two
a big city, Turin, is pointed out to him as the
field where his apostolic work must begin
and its center established. Nor do these mys-
terious instructions cease at this point As we
shall see, they will continue as needed until
the completion of God's work.
[f-B-1-c] Can one believe that such
dreams were mere constructions of fantasy?
No. JohnBosco was dear to God; and even in
thoseearly days the Blessed Virgin acted in
his behalf whenever he had recourse to her.
One episode will suffice to show this. The
area ofCastelnuovo was frequently ravaged
by hailstorms; the entire grape harvest had
been lost for ten consecutive years. The
Turco family lamented this misfortune with
John, who was then still a seminarian. He
replied with hwnble assurance: "As long as
I shall be staying here at Renenta, don't
worry, there will beno more hailstorms. We
have only to pray to our Lady, and she will
protect us." The fact is that for that year and
for several years to follow there were no
more hailstorms. It looked as though John,
by his presence, drew down God's blessing
on the district. This is Joseph Turco's own
report.

9.7 Page 87

▲back to top
132
Journal of Salesian Studies
APPENDIX VI
THE DREAM OF 1844
(One of the 'Further Instructions', According to Lenoyne)
[A] Text of the Dream of 1844 As
Found In the Berto Ms. or Don Bosco's
Memoirs
(M02. Dec., 1sa, "Unnuovosogno":MO-
Ber, 84.86ff.:FDBMicro61 Cl2.D2ff.; Cf.
MO-DB, 93f.:FDBMicro 58 ClOf. Cf. also
MO-Ce, 134ff.; MO-En, 209f.)
[B-Doc] Text or the Editor's Intro-
duction to the Dream of1844 As Found In
Documenti
(Docll[P. V,C.IV], 148f:FDBMicro912
B3f.)
[Fr. Cafasso sends Don Bosco to live
with Fr. Borel at the Rifugio, as chaplain-
designate of the Little Hospital of St.
Philomena, then under construction. He as-
sures him:]
[A-1-a] Intanto Dio vi mettera tra mano
quanto dovrete fare per la gioventil. A prima
vistasembrava che tale consiglio contrariasse
le rnie inclinazioni, perciocche Ia direzione
di un Ospedale, il predicare e confessare in
un istituto di oltre quattrocento giovanette
mi avrebbero tolto il tempo ad ogni altra
occupazione. Pure erano questi i voleri <lei
Cielo, come ne fui in appresso assicurato.
[ ... ]
[The problem was fulfilling these du-
ties] enel tempo stesso assistere i giovanetti,
Ia cui moralita ed abbandono richiamava
sempre piii l'attenzione <lei sacerdoti. Ma
comefare? Dove raccoglierequei giovanetti?
[...Fr. Borel's advice follows.]
[B-1-a-Doc] Intanto combinato il suo
nuovo soggiomo al Rifugio, Don Bosco
doveva trasportarvi altresl il suo Oratorio,
non reggendogli ii cuoredi Iasciarlo perdere.
Ma dove raccogliere qui i ragazzi? [... Fr.
Borel's advice follows.]
Da queste ansietafu to!to da unmirabile
fatto, che indicogli cio che sarebbe accaduto.
Narriamolo colle sue stesse parole:
La seconda domenica di ottobre di
quell'anno (1844) [...]
[B] The Dream of1844 As Found in
the Biographical Memoirs
(/BMII,24lf. 243ff.;EBMII, 189. 190f.)
[B-1-a] Intanto si ordino il nuovo
soggiomo di D. Bosco [at the Rifugio]. [...]
D. Bosco doveva trasportare quivi altresl ii
suo Oratorio. Diedeuno sguardo all'edificio.
- E dove raccogliere i ragazzi? - La
mancanza di un sito cagionavagli pena.
[Fr. Borel's advice follows.]
DonBosco ritomo al Convitto alquanto
sopra pensiero, ma riguardando, come ci
disse piii volte, quale una grazia segnalata
del Signore il poter trattare cosl da vicino col
santo uomo il Teologo Borel, il suo cuore
provava una grande consolazione. [...]
Un fatto mirabile ricreava in quei giomi
Don Bosco, indicandogli gli avvenimenti

9.8 Page 88

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
133
[Note: iJalics at the begin-
ning: Don Bosco's marginal addi-
tion in hls own original draft;
iJalics between ++marks at
the end: Don Bosco's additions to
Berto's transcription of the origi-
nal draft.]
15g. Un nuovo sogno
[A-1-b] LasecondaDomenicadi ottobre
di quell'anno (1844) doveva partecipare ai
miei giovanetti, che I'Oratorio sarebbe stato
trasferito in Valdocco. Ma l'incertezza del
Juogo, dei mezzi, delle personemi lasciavano
veramentesoprapensiero. La seraprecedente
andai a letto col cuore inquieto. In quella
notte feci un nuovo sogno, che pare
un'apperuiicediquellofatto aiBecchiquando
aveva nove anni. Io giudico bene di esporlo
Jetteralmente.
[A-2] Sognai di vedermi in mezzo ad
unamoltitudine di lupi, di capre, e capretti, di
agnelli, pecore, montoni, cani, ed uccelli.
Tutti insieme facevano un rumore, uno
schiamazzo o meglio un diavolio da incutere
spavento ai piu cor aggiosi. Io voleva fuggire
quando una signora, assai benmessa a foggia
di pastorella mi te cenno di seguire ed
accompagnare quel gregge strano, mentre
Ellaprecedeva. Andavamo vagando per vari
siti; facemmo tre stazioni o formate. Ad ogni
fermata molti di quegli animali si cangiavano
in agnelli, ii cui numero andava ognor piu
ingrossando. Dopo avere molto camminato
mi sono trovato in un prato, dove quegli
animali saltellavano e mangiavano insieme
senza che gli uni tentassero di nuocere agli
altri.
Oppresso dalla stanchezza voleva
sedermi accanto di una strada vicina, ma la
pastorellami invite a continuare il cammino.
Fatto ancora breve tratto di via, mi sono
trovato in un vasto cortile con porticato
attomo alla cui estremitA eravi una Chiesa.
Allorami accorsi chequattro quinti di quegli
animali erano diventati agnelli.Illoronumero
poi divenne grandissirno. In quel momento
futuri. Narriamolo colle sue stesse parole
copiate dal manoscritto dell sue memorie:
[Note: Comparing IBM (B), Doc (text not
given) and MO-Bu (A):
underscored: chief verbal changes
introduced in Doc and carried over into
IBM; iJaliciud : further verbal chages
introduced into IBM (not in Doc).]
[8-1-b] «La seconda Domenica di
ottobre di quell'anno (1844) doveva
partecipare a' miei giovanetti, che I'Oratorio
sarebbe stato trasferito in Valdocco. Ma
l'incertezza del luogo, dei mezzi, delle
persone mi lasciavano veramente sopra
pensiero. Las sera precedente andai a letto
col cuore inquieto_ In quella notte feci un
nuovosogno,chepareun'appendicediquello
fatto la prima volla ai Becchi quando aveva
circa nove anni. Io giudico bene di esporlo
Jetteralmente.
[8-2] »Sognai di vedermi irt mezzo ad
una moltitudine di Jupi, di capre e capretti, di
agnelli, pecore, montoni, cani ed uccelli.
Tutti insieme facevano un rumore, uno
schiamazzo, o meglio un diavollo da incutere
spavento ai piu coraggiosi.Iovoleva fuggire,
quando unaSignora, assaibenmessaa fogg ia
di pastorella, mi fe' cenno di seguire ed
accompagnare quel gregge strano, mentre
Ella precedeva. Andarnmo vagabondi per
vari siti: facemmo tre stazioni o fermate: ad
ogni fermata molti di quegli animali si
cangiavano in agnelli, il cui numero andavasi
ognor piu ingrossando. Dopo avere molto
camminato, mi trovai in unprato, dovequegli
animali saltellavano e mangiavano insieme,
senza che gli uni tentassero di mordere agli
altri.
»Oppresso dalla stanchezza, voleva
sedermi accanto ad una strada vicina, ma Ia
pastorella mi invitO a continuare il cammino.
Fatto ancora breve tratto di via, mi sono
trovato in un vasto cortile con porticato
attomo, alla cui estrernita eravi una Chiesa.
Qui mi accorsi che quattro quinti di quegli

9.9 Page 89

▲back to top
134
Journal of Salesian Studies
sopraggiunsero parecchi pastorelli per
custadirli. Ma essi ferrnavansi poco e tosta
partivano. Allarasuccedette unameraviglia:
Molti agnelli cangiavansi in pastarelli, che
crescendo prendevano cura degli altri. Cre-
scendo i pastorelli in grannumero, sidivisero
e andavano altroveper raccogliere altri strani
animali e guidarli in altri ovili. Io voleva
andarmene, perche mi sembrava tempo di
recarmi a celebrar messa, ma Ia pastora mi
invito di guardare a mezzodi. Guardando
vidiuncampoincuierastataseminatameliga,
patate, cavoli, barbabietale, lattughe, e molti
altri erbaggi. Guardaun'altravolta, mi disse,
e guardai di nuovo. Allara vidi una stupenda
ed alta Chiesa. Un'orchestra, una musica
istrumentale e vocale mi invitavano a cantar
messa.Nell'intemo di quella Chiesa era una
fascia bianca, in cui a caratteri cubitali era
scritto: Hi£~ !Mll i.ruk glQrii J:Mll.
Continuando nel sogno volli dimandare all.a
pastara dove mi trovassi; che cosa volevasi
indicare con quel camminare, colle ferrnate,
con quella casa, chiesa poi altra Chiesa Tu
comprender.ai ogni cosa quando cogli occhi
tuoi materiali vedr.ai di fatta quanta ora vedi
cogli occhi della mente. Ma parendomi di
essere svegliata dissi: Io vedo chiaro e vedo
cogli occhi materiali, so dove vado e quello
che faccio. In quel momenta suono Ia
campana dell ' Ave Maria nella Chiesa di S.
Francesco ed io mi svegli.ai.
[A-3) Questa mi occup0 quasi tutta Ia
notte; molte particolarital'accompagnarono;
Allorane compresi poco ii significato perche
poca fede ci prestava, ma capii le case di
mano in mano avevano ii loro effetto. Anzi
piu tardi+congiuntamenteadaltro sogno+ mi
servl di programma +nelle mie
deliberazioni+.
162
presso ii rifugio
Trasferimento dell'Oratario i:rt Vtddoeeo
animali erano diventati agnelli.Il Ioronumero
poi divenne grandissimo. In quel momenta
sopraggiunsero parecchi pastorelli per
custadirli; ma essi fermavansi poco, e tosta
partivano. Allora succedetteuna meraviglia.
Molti agnelli cangiavansi in pastarelli, che
aumentandosi, prendevano cura degli altri.
Crescendo i pastarelli in gran numero, si
divisero, e andavano altrove per raccogliere
altri strani animali e guidarli in altri ovili.
»lo voleva andarmene, perche mi
sembrava tempo di recarmi a celebrare la S.
Messa, ma la pastorel/a mi invi!O a guardare
al mezzodl. Guardando, vidi un campo, in
cui era stata seminata meliga, patate, cavoli,
barbabietole, Iattughe e molti altri erbaggi.
--Guarda un'altra volta, - mi disse. E
guard.ai di nuovo, e vidi una stupendaed alta
Chiesa. Un'orchestra, una musica
istrumentale e vocale mi invitav ano a cantar
messa. Nell 'intemo di quella Chiesa era una
fascia bianca, in cui a caratteri cubitali stava
scritto: IDC DOMUSMEA, INDEGLORIA
MEA. Continuando nel sogno, volli
domandare alla pastaradove mi trovassi; che
cosa voleva indicare con quel camminare,
colle ferrnate, con quella casa, Chiesa, e poi
altra Chiesa. - Tu comprender.ai ogni cosa,
mi rispose, quando cogli occhi tuoi materiali
vedrai di fatta quanta ora vedi cogli occhi
della mente. - Ma parendomi di essere
svegliato, dissi: - Io vedo chiaro, e vedo
cogli occhi materiali; so dove vado e quello
che faccio. - In quel momenta suono la
campana dell'Ave Maria nella Chiesa di S.
Francesco d'Assisi, ed io mi svegliai.
[B-3) >>Questa sogno mi occup0
quasi tutta Ia notte; molte altre particolarita
I'accompagnarono. Alloranecompresipoco
ii significato, perche, diffidando di me, poca
fede ci prestava, ma capii le case di mano in
mano avevano ii Ioro effetta. Anzi piu tardi
questo, congiuntamente ad altro sogno, mi
servl di prograrnma nelle mie deliberazioni
presso fil. Rifugio».

9.10 Page 90

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
135
[T-A] Translation or the Text of the
Dream of1844 As Found in the Berto Ms.
of Don Rosco's Memoirs
[T-B-Doc] Translation or the Text or
the Introduction to the Dream of1844 as
Found In Documenti
[Fr. Cafasso sends Don Bosco to live
with Fr. Borel at the Rifugio, as chaplain-
designate of the Little Hospital of St.
Philomena, then under construction. He as-
sures him:)
[T-B-1-a-Doc] After arrangements
were made for Don Bosco's lodgings at the
Rifugio, he felt compelled to move his ora-
tory there as well. He did not have the heart
to disband it. But where [at the Rifugio]
could he gather together [all) those boys?
[... Fr. Borel's advice follows]
Then something wonderful happened
to relieve his mind al that anxious moment.
It made clearwhat the future heldinstore for
him. Let us hear it in his very own words.
[T-B] Translation or the Text of the
Dream of 1844 As Found In the Bio-
graphical Memoirs
[T-A-1-a] "Meanwhile God will show
you what you have to do for the young." At
first this advice seemed to run counter to my
inclinations. For, with chaplaincy duties at a
hospital, with preaching and hearing con-
fessions in an institution with more than four
hundred young girls, there would be no time
for anything else. Nevertheless this was the
will of heaven, as I was soon assured. [...)
[The problem was fulfilling these du-
ties) and at the same time caring for the
youngsters whose moral condition and ne-
glect was becoming a matter of ever graver
concern for priests. But what could I do?
Where could I gather these youngsters to-
gether?
[Fr. Borel's advice follows.]
[T-A-1-b] On the second Sunday in
Octoberofthatyear(1844)1 had tonotifymy
youngsters that the Oratory would be mov-
ing to Valdocco.Buttheuncertaintyofplace,
means and personnel gave me real cause for
concern. The previous evening I had gone to
bed with an uneasy heart. That night I had
anotherdream, which seems to be a sequel to
[T-B-1-a] Arrangements were made for
Don Bosco's lodgings [at the Rifugio) [...]
DonBoscofeltcompelled lomove his Oratory
there as well. He looked the premises over.
- "Where can I gather my boys?" [he won-
dered.] There was no suitable place. This
was for him a painful realization. [... Fr.
Borel's advice follows.]
He went back to the Convitto with an
uneasy mind. But, as he told us numerous
times, the fact that he could now live and
work in suchclose association with thesaintly
Dr.Borelfilledhisheartwithjoy.Heregarded
this as a signal grace from the Lord. [...)
Then a wonderful thing happened to
relieve Don Bosco's mind, as itdisclosed the
future to him. Let us hear it in the very words
set down by him in his own Menwirs.
[T-B-1-b] On the second Sunday in
Octoberofthatyear(l844)1had to notify my
youngsters that the Oratory would be mov-
ing to Valdocco. Buttheuncertaintyofplace,
means and personnel gave me real cause for
concern.The previous evening I had gone to
bed with an uneasy heart. That night I had
another dream, which seems to be a sequel to

10 Pages 91-100

▲back to top

10.1 Page 91

▲back to top
136
Journal of Salesian Studies
theoneI had had at Becchi at the age ofnine.
I think it advisable to relate it in detail
[letteralmente].
[T-A-2) I dreamt that I was standing in
the middle of a multitude of wolves, goats
and kids, lambs, ewes, rams, dogs and birds.
All together they raised a din, a racket, or
better, a bedlam to frighten the stoutestheart.
I wanted to run away, when a Lady, very
nicely dressed in the style of a young shep-
herdess, motioned to me to follow and ac-
company that strange flock, while she led the
way. We kept wandering from place to place,
and made three stops. Each time, many of
those animals turned into lambs in ever in-
creasing numbers. After much walking, I
found myselfin a grassy field where all those
animals gamboled and grazed together with-
out the least attempt on the part of some to
harm the others.
Worn out with fatigue, I wanted to sit
down at a nearby road; but the young Shep-
herdess urged me to continue on a little
farther. After another short walk, I found
myself in a large courtyard. It was ringed
round with porticoes, and a church stood at
one end. At that point I realized that most of
those animals had turned into lambs, and
their number was growing quite large. Just
then several young shepherds came along to
help look after the flock; but they stayed
only a short time, and soon were gone.
Then something wonderful happened.
Many ofthe lambs were changed into young
shepherds, and as they grew up they looked
after the others. As the number of young
shepherds grew very large, they split up and
went to other places to gather other strange
animals and guide them into other folds.
I wanted to be off, because it seemed
time [for me] to go and celebrate Mass; but
the Shepherdess invited me to look south-
ward. I looked and saw a field sown with
maize, potatoes, cabbage, beets, [various
kinds of] lettuce and many other vegetables.
"Look again," she said to me. So I looked
again and saw a magnificent, grand church.
the one I had had at Becchi at the age ofnine
for the first time. I think it advisable to relate
it in detail [letteralmente].
[T-8-2] I dreamt that I was standing in
the middle of a multitude of wolves, goats
and kids, lambs, ewes, rams, dogs and birds.
All together they raised a din, a racket, or
better, a bedlam to frighten the stoutestheart.
I wanted to run away, when a Lady, very
nicely dressed in the style of a young shep-
herdess, motioned to me to follow and ac-
company that strange flock, while sheled the
way. We wandered like vagrants from place
to place, and made three stops. Each time,
many of those animals turned into lambs in
ever increasing numbers. After much walk-
ing, I found myselfin a grassy field where all
those animals gamboled and grazed together
without the least attempt on the part ofsome
to snap at the others.
Worn out with fatigue, I wanted to sit
down at a nearby road; but the young Shep-
herdess urged me to continue on a little
farther. After another short walk, I found
myself in a large courtyard. It was ringed
round with porticoes, and a church stood at
one end. At that point I realized that most of
those animals had turned into lambs, and
their number was growing quite large. Just
then several young shepherds came along to
help look after the flock; but they stayed
only a short time, and soon were gone.
Then something wonderful happened.
Many of the lambs were changed into young
shepherds, and as [their numbers] increased
[aumentandosi] they looked after the others.
As the number of young shepherds grew
very large, they split up and went to other
places to gather other strange animals and
guide them into other folds.
I wanted to be off, because it seemed
time [for me] to go and celebrate Holy Mass;
but the young Shepherdess invited me to
look southward. I looked and saw a field
sown with maize, potatoes, cabbage, beets,
[various kinds of] lettuce and many other
vegetables. "Look again," she said to me. So

10.2 Page 92

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
137
An orchestra and music, both instrumental
and vocal, were inviting me to sing Mass.
Inside [I saw] displayed a long, white sash,
and stamped on it in large block letters were
the words: Hie donws mea, inde gloria mea
[Here ismy dwelling-place, hencemy glory.]
As the dream continued, I made a point
of asking the Shepherdess where I was, and
what was the meaning of our journeying, of
the stops, of the house, and of the first and
second church. [She replied:] "You will un-
derstand everything when with your bodily
eyes you will seethereality ofwhatyounow
perceive only in your mind." Thinking that I
was awake, I said: "I see clearly, and I see
with my bodily eyes. I know where I am
going and whatI am doing." At thatmoment
the bell of the church of St. Francis sounded
the Angelus, and I woke up.
[T-A-3] This [dream] lasted most of the
night. A lotofdetail went with it Atthetime
I grasped little ofits meaning sinceI putlittle
faith init. Butmy understanding ofitgrew as
its premonitions came true one after another.
And later, in conjunction with anotherdream,
it even served as a guideline for my deci-
sions.
16a
presso il rifugio
Trasferimento dell'Oratorio in Vmaocco
I looked again and saw a magnificent, grand
church. An orchestra and music, both instru-
mental and vocal, were inviting me to sing
Mass. Inside the church [I saw] displayed a
long, white sash, and stamped on it in large
block letters were the words: Hie donws
mea, inde gloria mea [Here is my dwelling-
place, hence my glory.]
As the dream continued,I made a point
of asking the Shepherdess where I was and
what she meant by our journeying, by the
stops, by the house, and by the first and
second church. She replied: "You will un-
derstand everything when with your bodily
eyes you will see the reality ofwhatyou now
preceive only in your mind." Thinking that I
was awake, I said: "I see clearly, and I see
with my bodily eyes. I know where I am
going and whatI am doing." At that moment
the bell of the church of St Francis of Assisi
sounded the Angelus, and I woke up.
[T-B-4] This dream lasted most of the
night A lot ofdetail wentwith it Atthe time
I grasped little of its meaning, since I mis-
trusted myselfandputlittle faith in it. Butmy
understanding of it grew as its premonitions
came true one after another. And later, in
conjunctionwithanotherdream, this [dream]
even served as a guideline for my decisions
at the Rifugio.

10.3 Page 93

▲back to top
138
Journal of Salesian Studies
APPENDIX VII
THE FIRST DREAM OF THE HOLY MARTYRS
(One of the 'FUrther Instructions', According to Lemoyne)
[A] TextoftheFirstDreamoftheHoly
Marly~AsReported by Fr.JuliusBarberls
ASC 110: Cronachette-Barberis, "Sogni
Diversia Lanzo":FDB Micro 866 BIO-Cl
['finafued' text given here]. For 'original
draft', cf. ASC 110: Cronachette-Barberis,
"Notizie varie dei primi tempi...," '2
Febbrairo 1875': FDBMicro 892 Al lf.
For 'derived' copies, cf. ASC 111: Sogni-
Barberis, "II nastro bianco, +Rivelazione
dellaCongregazione":FDBMicro 1279C6-
11 and 1282 E8-1283 Al; also ASC 111:
Sogni-Lemoyne: FDBMicro 1314B10-CS
[A-1-a] II 2 Febbraio 1875 i1 Sig. D.
Bosco, venendo io solo con Jui da Borgo S.
Salvario fino all'Oratorio, oltre a tante altre
cose mi racconto la seguente visione
dicendomi esser la prima riguardante la
congregazione e nello stesso tempo la piu
lunga avendo durato tutta la notte - Inoltre
mi disse che non era ancora uscita dal suo
cuore e che io era il primo a cui lo [sic]
raccontava - D. Barberis.
[A-1-b] Eravamo nell'anno 1844. lo
dovevalasciareii convitto Ecclesiasticodi S.
Francesco e recarrni al Rifugio col Teo!.
Borel. Eragrandementeimpensierito deimiei
giovani che venivano in gran quantita ai
catechismi nei giomi festivi perche indeciso
se doveva abbandonarli oppure continuare a
coltivarli. Avrei voluto continuare gli
Oratorii, ma non vedeva in che modo l 'avrei
potuto fare. Nell'ultima domenica di mia
fermata alconvitto doveva avvisarei giovani
di non venir piu in quel luogo solito e stava
studiando se doveva dir loro di non venir piu
in nessun luogo perche !'oratorio non si
sarebbe piu fatto, o indicare in che luogo
trovarsi-
[B] Text of the Introduction to the
First Dream ofthe Holy Martyrs As Found
in Documenti
(Doc II [P. V, C. X: Epilogo], 189f.:
FDBMicro 972 ESf.)
Capo X: Epilogo
[B-1-a-Doc] Nei capitoli precedenti
abbiamo fatto cenno dei sogni singolari che
adogni passovenivano aconfortareD. Bosco.
E pero da notarsi come in queste misteriose
apparizioni vi fosse un'intreccio ripetuto,
vario, masempre sorprendente, eziandio con
simultanei spettacoli che si confondevano in
un punto solo.
Quindi stando le sopraddette
particolarit8, noi qui descriveremo il quadro
generate vistodaD. Bosco, come esso stesso
narro per la prima volta il 2 febbraio 1875 a
D. Giulio Barberis. II sogno aveva sempre
durato un'intera notte.
[B-1-b-Doc] Nell'ultima Domenica di
mia fermata al Convitto doveva avvisare i
giovani di non venir piu in quel solito luogo,
e stava studiando se doveva dir loro di non
venir piu in nessun luogo, perche I'Oratorio
non si sarebbe piu fatto, o indicare in che
luogo trovarsi -
[B-2-Doc] Nella notte da1 Sabato alla
Domenicami sembro di trovarrni in una gran
pianura [...]
[T-B] Translation of the Text of the
Introduction to the First Dream of the
Holy Martyrs As Found in Documenti

10.4 Page 94

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
139
[T-B-1-a-Doc] In the preceding chap-
ters we mentioned extraordinary dreams that
came to encourage Don Bosco step by step.
A noteworthy feature of these mysterious
visions was the presence of complex skeins
of interrelated scenes which kept recurring
and changing into new ones, always with
surprising effects. They might also mingle
simultaneously with other representations,
the whole seeming to merge into one point.
With this word of warning, we shall
herereport in broad outline the dream picture
seen by DonBosco,just ashehimselfrelated
it for the first time to Fr. Julius Barberis on
February 2, 1875. Again, the dream had
lasted the whole night
[T-B-1-b-Doc] On my last Sunday at
the Convitto I had to notify my youngsters
that they should no longer meet there, as they
did usually. In fact I was debating whether I
should tell them outright that there was no
need to meet at all anywhere, since the ora-
tory would be terminated there and then; or
elseI should indicateournewmeeting place.
[T-B-2-Doc] The night between Satur-
day and Sunday [I had a dream.] I seemed to
be standing in a vast plain[...]
[B] Text of the First Dream of the
Holy Martyrs As Found In the Biographi-
cal Memoirs
(IBM IT, 296-301; EBM IT, 231-235)
[B-1-b] Sette mesi erano orrnai trascorsi
dallo stanziamento dell'Oratorio
all'Ospedaletto. [...]
La Marchesa Marolo, sebbene vedesse
di buon occhio ogni opera di carit1l, tuttavia,
avvicinandosi il tempo di aprire ilsuo piccolo
Ospedale, cioe il 10 agosto 1845, volevache
!'Oratorio fosse allontanato di lll. [...]
Don Bosco pero era pronto a soffrire
qualunque disagio piuttostoche abbandonare
i suoi giovani, e l 'aveva apertamente
dichiarato alla M archesa. Tuttavia
angustiavalo grave pena, non sapendo dove
condurli.Aveva in animo di cercareun luogo

10.5 Page 95

▲back to top
140
Journal of Salesian Studies
dalle parti di Portanuova; ma il Teologo
Borel si provo di fargli mutar parere e vi
riuscl con gran facilit?l, persuadendolo a
rimanere nella regione di Valdocco.
[B-1-a] Ma sogni singolari venivano a
confortare Don Bosco, e l'occupavano
l'intera notte, come egli racconto la prima e
l'ultimavolta, solo a Don Giulio Barberis ed
allo scrittore di queste pagine, il 2 Febbraio
1875. In queste misteriose apparizioni vi era
un' intreccio diquadri ripetuto, vario enuovo,
ma sempre con riproduzione dei sogni
precedenti, ed eziandio con altri simultanei
aspetti meravigliosi che convergevano in un
punto solo: I'avvenire dell 'Oratorio.
Ecco il racconto di D. Bosco:
[Note: IBM (B) compared with Doc
(text not given here):
underscored: Editor Lemoyne's addi-
tions in IBM;
[italics in square brackets]: words in
Doc omitted in IBM;
(for: ...] =wordsinDocchangedinIBM.]
[A-2] Nella notte dal Sabato alla
Domenicami sembro di trovanni in una gran
pianurapienadiquantitaimmensadi giovani.
Alcuni rissavano, altri bestemmiavano, altri
rubavano o facevano brutte cose. Un nuvolo
di sassi sivedevapoi perl' aria, di costoroche
facevano battagliola. - Erano giovani
abbandonati e corrotti. Stava per partirmi di
laquando mi vidi accanto unasignorache mi
disse "Avanzati tra quei giovani." E che
potro fare tra questi monelli? Avanzati e
lavora. Iomi avanzai: ma che fare? nonvi era
locale per ritirarne nessuno; voleva far loro
del bene, manessuno mi dava retta e nessuno
mi aiutava. - Mi volsi a quella Signora la
quale mi disse: Ecco il locale - e mi fece
vedere un prato. Ma qui non c'e che un prato
diss' io - Rispose: Mio figlio e gli Apostoli
non avevano dove posare il capo. Io mi posi
a lavorare in quel prato ma vedeva cheper la
[B-2] <<Mi sembro di trovarmi in una
granpianurapienadi unaquantitasterrninata
di giovani, Alcuni rissavano, altri
bestemmiavano. Qui si rubava, Ia si
offendevano i buoni costumi. Un nugolo di
sassi poi si vedeva per l'aria, lanciati da
coloro che facevano baltaglia. Erano giovani
abbandonati dai parenti e corrotti. Io stava
per allontanarmi di Ia, quando mividi accanto
una Signora che mi disse: - Avanzati tra
quei giovani ~ lavora.
»lo mi avanzai, ma che fare? Non vi era
locale da ritirarne nessuno: voleva far loro
de! bene: mi rivolgeva a persone che ill
lontananza stavano osserv ando ~ che
avrebbero potuto ~illvaljdo sostegno;
ma nessuno mi dava retta e nessuno mi
aiutava. Mi volsi allora a quella Matrona, la
quale mi disse: - Ecco de! locale; - e mi
fece vedere un prato.
-Ma qui non c 'e che un prato, diss 'io.

10.6 Page 96

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
141
maggior parte riusciva inutile ogni sforzo se
non si trovasse un luogo ove ritirare alcuni
affatto abbandonati. - Allora quella Si-
gnorami condusse unpo' pill in13.e mi disse:
- Osserva - ed io guardando vidi una
piccola chiesa, un po di cortile, giovani ecc...
Essendo questachiesadivenutaangusta
ricorsi ancora a Lei e mi fece vedere un'altra
chiesa con fabbricato assai piu grande. Poi
conducendomiancoraunpo ' d' accanto quella
Signora mi disse - In questo luogo dove i
gloriosi martiri di Torino, Avventore ed
Ottavio soffrirono il loro martirio io voglio
che Dio sia onorato in modo specialissirno.
Cosi dicendo avanzava un piede ponendolo
sul luogo dove venne il martirio, e me lo
indico con precisione. Io voleva porre un
qualche segno per ricordarmi bene del posto
ma non trovainulladafareunsegno; tuttavia
lo tenni bene a memoria. lntanto io vidi
intorno ameunnurnero sterrninato di giovani;
maguardando laMadonnacrescevano anche
i mezzied illocale. Evidipoiunagrandissirna
chiesa proprio sul luogo dove mi avava fatto
vedereche avvenneilmartiriodei StiMartiri,
con fabbricati tutt'attorno ed una bella piaz-
za davanti.
In tutto questo tempo vidi anche dei
preti e chierici che mi aiutavano un poco e
poi fuggivano; io cercava con grandi fatiche
di attirarmeli ed essi poco dopo se ne
andavano emi lasciavano tuttosolo- Allora
mi rivolsi nuovarnente a quella Signora, la
quale mi disse: vuoi tu sapere il modo che
non ti scappino piu?prendiquestocordoncino
o nastro, e lega loro la fronte; prendo il
cordoncino e vedo che sopraerascrittaquesta
parola: ubbidienza. - Provai a fare quanto
midisse cominciai alegareil capodiqualcuno
col nastro e vidi subito grande effetto; e
questo effetto sempre cresceva andando
avanti, poiche questi cotali lasciavano ii
pensiero d'andarsene altrove e si ferrnavano
ad aiutare D. Bosco.
Rispose: - Mio figlio e gli Apostoli
non avevano un palrno di terra ove posare il
capo. - lncominciai a lavorare inquel prato
amrnonendo, predicando e confessando, ma
vedeva che per la maggior parte riusciva
inutile ogni sforzo, se non si trovasse un
luogo recinto ~con qualche fabbricato ove
raccoglierli e ove ritirarne alcuni affatto
derelitti dai genitori ~ respinti ~ disprezzati
~ altri cittadini. Allora quella Signora mi
condusse un po' piu in 13. a settentrione e mi.
disse: - Osserva! - Ed io guardando vidi
una chiesa piccola e bassa, un po' di cortile
e giovani in gran nurnero. Ripigliai iJ. mill
lavoro. Ma essendo questa chiesa divenuta
angusta, ricorsi ancora a Lei, edEssa mi fece
vedere un'altra chiesa [conf abbricato] assai
piu grande con una casa vicina. Poi
conducendomi ancora un po' d' accanto, .in
un tratto Qi terreno coltivato, quasi innanzi
alla facciata della seconda chiesa mi
soggiunse [for: disse]: - In questo luogo
dove i gloriosi Martiri di Torino Avventore
ed Ottavio soffrirono il loro martirio, su
queste zolle che furono bagnate e santificate
dal loro sangue, io voglio che Dio sia onorato
in modo specialissirno. - Cosi dicendo,
avanzava un piede posandolo sul luogo ove
avvenne ii martirio e me lo indico con
precisione. Io voleva porre qualche segno
per rintracciarlo [for: per ricordarmene]
quando altra volta fossi ritornato .in quel
carnpo, manulla trovai intorno !~non un
palononun sasso [dafare unsegno]:tuttavia
lo tenni a memoria con precisione.
Corrisponde esattarnente all' angolo interno
della ~ dei SS. Martiri, prima detta Qi
S.. Anna fil Jato del vangelo nella chiesa Qi
Ml!Ii.!! Ausjliatrice.
»lntanto io mi vidi circondato da
un nurnero irnmenso ~ sempre crescente di
giovani;ma guardando laSignora, crescevano
anche i mezzi ed il locale, e vidi poi una
grandissirna chiesa precisarnente nel luogo
dove mi aveva fatto vedere che avvenne ii
martiriodei santi [martin] della legioneTebea
con moltiedifici tutto all' intorno econunbel

10.7 Page 97

▲back to top
142
Journal of Salesian Studies
monumento in mezzo.
«Mentre accadevano queste cose, io,
sempre .in sogno, aveva a coadiutori preti e
chierici che mi aiutavano alquanto e poi
fuggivano. Io cercava con grandi fatiche di
attirarmeli, ed essipoco dopo seneandavano
e mi lasciavano tutto solo. Allora mi rivolsi
nuovamente a quella Signora, la quale mi
disse: - Vuoi tu sapere come fare affinche
non ti scappino piu? Prendi questo nastro
[for: cordoncino], e lega loro la fronte. -
Prendo riverente il nastrino bianco dalla sua
mano e vedo che sopra era scritta questa
parola: Obbedumza. Provaitostoafarequanto
mi disse quella Signora [for: la Madonna], e
cominciai a legar il capo di qualcuno dei
volontari coadiutori col nastro, e vidi subito
grande ~ mirabile effetto: e questo effetto
crescevamentreio continuavanellamissione
conferitarni [for: cresceva andando avanti],
poiche dacostorosi lasciava affatto ilpensiero
d'andarsene altrove, e si fermarono ad
aiutarmi. Cosl venne costitutita la
Congregazione.
[A-3] M'avvennero ancorapiucoseche
ora none il caso di r accontare, perche questo
fu il sogno piu lungo ch'io abbiamai avuto (e
sembra che alludesse a grandi cose); ma fin
da quell'anno 44 io camminai sempre sul
sicuro sia riguardo la Congregazione, sia
riguardo all'oratorio, Sia anche le cose
politiche. Fu inseguito d'averveduto Chiesa,
casa, cortile, giovani, chierici e preti che mi
aiutavano, ed il modo di condurre avanti il
tutto, cheio ne parlava con altri, e raccontava
la cosa come se fosse gill fatta. Ed e per
questo che molti credevano che io sragionassi
e fui tenuto per pazzo, e volevan condurmi al
manicomio.
[B-3] Vidi ancora molte altre cose che
ora non e il caso di farvi sapere [for: dirti]
(sembra che alludesse a grandi avvenirnenti
futuri), ma basti dire che fin da quel tempo io
camminai sempre sul sicuro, sia riguardo
agli Oratorii,siariguardo alla Congregazione,
sia sul modo di diportarmi nelle relazioni
cogli esterni di qualunque autorita investiti
[for: essi siano]. Le grandi difficolta che
devono sorgere, sono tutte prevenute, e
conosco ilmodo di superarle. Vedo benissimo
parte a parte tutto cio che dovra [for:
benissimo le cose che dovranno] succederci,
e cammino avanti a chiaraluce. Fu dopo aver
visto chiese, case, cortili, giovani, chierici e
pretichemiaiutavano, ed il modo dicondurre
avanti il tutto, ch'io ne parlava con altri e
raccontavalacosacomesefossegia fatta. Ed
e per questo che molti credevano che io
sragionassi e fui tenute per folle [for: pazzo]
[e voleva!W condurmi al manicomio].

10.8 Page 98

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
143
[B-6] Di flYi ebbe adungue origine
oo guell'incrollabile fede .l2YQn ~ ~
sua missione. guella sjcurezza £M pareva
temeritanell' affrontareQilli.&lil!Hli~.
guel cimentarsi ad jmprese colossali,
superiori a fone umane ~pm: condurle tutte
a felicjssimo ~-
[A-4) Riguardo al luogo che Maria
Vergine insegno a D. Bosco come quello in
cui avvenne il martirio dei SS. Avventore ed
Ottavio ecco piu ampia spiegazione. II Sig.
D. Bosco continuo: "lo non volli mai dire a
nessuno in che posto cio avvenisse. Solo
incaricai il Canonico Gastaldi (ora Monsig.
Arciv.) a fare studi su questo: che cioe
ricavasse dalla storia in qual luogo della
citta, piu approssimativamente cio fosse
avvenuto, ed egli (suggerendogli io che
stampasse un libro sulla vita di questi Santi)
fece studii profondi, e conchiuse essere in
Valdocco, e po' piu po' meno dove era il
nostro oratorio. -
[A-SJ Ma intanto si decise di
innalzare la chiesa la proprio nel luogo del
martirio; Quel locale era venuto in mia
proprietll, ma siccome intanto si studiava di
fare la chiesa in altro luogo - cioe dov'era
casa Defilippi - cosl si vendette quel tratto
di terra ai Rosminiani i qualivolevano stabilir
quivi una loro casa. S'eran gia fatte molte
pratiche per comperar la casa Defilippi e far
la chiesanel cortile davanti; che cosl sarebbe
stata veduta sin da via Dora grossa; ma
quando il contratto eracome conchiuso, cade
e non ci vollero piu lasciar la casa -Allora
si penso di nuovo al luogo di prima, ma il
locale era ceduto ai Rosminiani - Ed ecco
che arriva la nuova che I'abate Rosmini era
morto ed i Rosminiani non credettero piu
bene di melter casa a Torino e posero il
terreno in vendita con un patto pero che non
si contrattasse con D. Bosco a cui non
volevano piu venderlo essendo il prezzo
diminuito di 8/1Oed avendolo essi comperato
da D. Bosco a prezzo grande. Vedendo che a
[B-4) Riguardo al sito che la Beata
Vergine indico a D.Bosco comequello in cui
avvenne il martirio dei SS. Avventore ed
Ottavio e donde fuggiva S. Solutore ferito da
un colpo di lancia per morire ad lvrea
confessando Gesu Cristo, ecco piu ampia
spiegazione. Don Bosco continua: «lo non
volli mai narrare a nessuno questo sogno e
molto meno manifestare la rnia fondata
opinione sul luogo preciso del glorioso
avvenimento. Quindi nel 1865 suggerii al
Canonico Lorenzo Gastaldi di scrivere e
stampare un libro sulla vita dei tre santi
martiri Tebei e di fare studii, ricavando dalla
storia, dalla tradizione e dalla topografia, in
qua! luogo della citta prn
approssimativamente fosse avvenuto detto
martirio.11 dotto Canonico acconsentl; scrisse
e stampo le memorie storiche dei tre
confessori della fede, e dopo lungo studio
concluse: ignorarsi il luogo preciso del loro
martirio; ma sapersi certarnente che si erano
ricoverati fuori delle porte della cittli, presso
il fiume Dora, e che furono scoperti e uccisi
dai carnefici presso il loro nascondiglio: il
vasto tratto chedallemuradiTorino si estende
verso la Dora a ponente del borgo di questo
nome, nei tempi antichiesserestatochiamato
in latino valliso vallum occisorum, la valle o
vallata degli uccisi, ed ora Val d'occo dalle
prime sillabe di tali parole; e cio forse in
allusione ai martiri quivi uccisi; essere poi
certissimo aver questo tratto di terreno
evidentemente la benedizione di Dio per i
meravigliosi istituti di carita e di pieta chevi
sono sorti, indizio questo pure di essere stato
innaffiato dalsanguediqueivalorosi cristiani.
Aggiungeva ancora l'autore che da piu a
meno consultando l'antica topografia della

10.9 Page 99

▲back to top
144
Journal of Salesian Studies
me non volevano venderlo io misi sotto ii
fratello di Monsignor (Negroni, o Negrotti, o
Neirotti, o Neironi, od un nome simile) ii
quale tratto la cosa senza dir nulla ed io mi
presentai poi a sottoscrivere lo strwnento. II
procuratore <lei Rosminiani maravigliato di
veder me a nessun costo voleva cederlo
avendo egli avuta proibizione di cio; tuttavia
I'affare premevavi era in casa ii notajo. Eran
presenti diversi consiglieri municipali. Non
si poteva scrivere e tra tutti lo indussero a
cederlo secondo ii convenuto a me. Quivi
adunque si fabbric0 la nuova chiesa e senza
che io accennassi a nessun luogo speciale
riusci una capella [sic] nel luogo preciso che
e la B . V. mi aveva insegnato ed la cappella
e che chiarniamo dis . Anna, ma ii cui altare
consacrato precisamente ai santi martiri
Torinesi.
Ora non dico di altre meraviglie della
costruzione della chiesa, ma ci sarebbero
cose cosl straordinarie che farebbero
meravigliare.
Avanti la Chiesapoi che la B. V. mi fece
vedere c'era una bella piazza con un
monurnento in mezzo - Ora staro vedendo
come si riuscira a fare questo. Le difficolta
sono tutte prevenute ed io camrnino avanti a
chiara luce - vedo benissimo tutte le cose
che dovranno succederci, le difficolta ed ii
modo di superarle.
[T-A] Translation of the Text of the
First Dream of the Holy Marlyrs As Re-
ported by Barberis
[T-A-1-a] On February 2, 1875 I was
walking with Don Bosco back to the Oratory
from Borgo San Salvario. We were alone.
Among many other things, he related to me
the following vision. He said that it was the
first he had had regarding the congregation,
and it was the longest, since it had lasted the
whole night. He added that he had never
opened his heart to anyone about the matter.
I was the fast person to hear about it.
[T-A-1-b] It was the year 1844. I was
ciua, !'Oratorio di S. Francesco di Sales
sorgeva presso a quel luogo benedetto, o
forse lo conteneva dentro l'ambito delie sue
mura».
[Note: The account regard-
ing the church's planned building
site and the purchase of the 'field
of dreams' (B-5) in the Bio-
graphical Memoirs is not given at
this point, but in its later context
and in an edited and expanded
form [cf. IBM VII, 372ff. and
380ff.; EBMVII, 223f. and227f.] .
[T-B] Translation of the Text of the
First Dream ofthe Holy Martyrs As Found
in the Bwgraphical Memoirs
[T-B-1-b] Seven months had now
elapsed since the oratory had begun to meet
at the Little Hospital. [...]
The date set for the inauguration ofthe
Little Hospital, August 10, 1845, was fast
approaching. And Marchioness Barolo,
though sympathetic to all works of charity,
was nevertheless determined that theoratory
should leave her premises. [...]
Don Bosco, however, was equally de-
termined, no matter at what personal sacri-
fice, not to abandon his youngsters. He had
made this unambiguously clear to the mar-
chioness. But the troubling andpainful reality
was that he had no idea where else he could
take them. He was considering looking for a
place in the area ofPortanuova, but Dr.Borel
tried to makehim changehis mind. He easily
persuaded him to stay in the Valdocco dis-
trict.
[T-B-1-a] Extraordinary dreams, last-
ing through the night, came to comfort Don
Bosco, as he confided once and only once to
Father Julius Barberis and to the author of
these pages on February 2, 1875. In these
mysterious visions complex skeins of inter-
related scenes kept recurring and changing
intonew ones. Theykeptrecalling the earlier

10.10 Page 100

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
145
due to leave the Convitto and move to the
Rifugio to live with Dr. Borel. I was truly
worried about [what I should do with] my
youngsters who were attending religious in-
struction [the oratory] on Sundays and holy
days. I did not know whether I should dis-
band them orcontinueto lookafter them. My
desire was to continue with [the work of] the
oratories; but I did not see how I could. On
my lastSunday at the Convitto I had to notify
my youngsters that they should no longer
meet there, as they did usually. In fact I was
debating whether I should tell them outright
that there was no need to meet at all any-
where, since theoratorywould be terminated
there and then; or else I should indicate our
new meeting place.
[f-A-2) On the night betweenSaturday
and Sunday,ldreamtthatlwasin a vastplain
crowded with an enormous number of
youngsters. Somewere fighting orswearing;
others engaged in theftor indecent behavior.
The air was thick with flying stones from the
little war that was being waged by those
youngsters. These boys were delinquents
and victims of neglect. I was about to leave
there, when I saw a Lady at my side. "Go
among those youngsters," [she told me].
"And what can I do with these street ur-
chins?" [I replied]. "Go in and work," [she
countered]. I went to them; but what could I
do?lhadnoplace to shelter anyofthem.ldid
want to do them some good; but no one [of
the people around] paid any attention to me
or offered to lend me a hand. I then turned to
the Lady, and she said, "Here are your pre-
mises," and pointed to a grassy field. 'There
is nothing here but a field," I remarked. She
replied: "My Son and His Apostles had no-
where to rest their head." I began to work in
that field; but I saw that my efforts were
largely unavailing. I had to find some place
where I could provide shelter for some [of
the lads] that had been totally neglected.
Then the Lady led me a little farther out and
said: ''Take a good look" I looked and saw a
little church, a small courtyard, youngsters,
etc.
dreams and merging at the same time with
other fantastic images. But they invariably
converged on one point: the future of the
oratory.
Don Bosco's narration follows.
[T-B-2) I dreamt that I was standing in
a vast plain crowded with an enormous
number of youngsters. Some were fighting
or swearing; others engaged in theft or inde-
cent behavior. The air was thick with flying
stones hurled by youngsters who were doing
battle. All of these boys were delinquents,
the victims ofparental neglect. I was about to
leave there when I saw a Lady atmy side. She
said to me, "Go and work among those
boys."
I went to them, but what could I do? I
had no place to shelter any of them. But I did
want to do them some good. I kept appealing
to some people who were watching nearby
and who couldhave beenvery helpful, butno
one paid any attention or offered to lend me
a hand.
I then turned to the noble Lady. She
said, "Herearepremisesforyou,"andpointed
to a grassy field. "But there is nothing but a
field here," I remarked. She replied: "My
Son and His Apostles h ad not even a square
foot of ground where to rest their head." I
began to work in that field, counseling,
preaching, hearing confessions; but I saw
thatmy efforts werelargely unavailing.What
was needed was an enclosed place where I
could gather them. I especially needed some
kind of building where I could house some
who had suffered total parental neglect, and

11 Pages 101-110

▲back to top

11.1 Page 101

▲back to top
146
Journal of Salesian Studies
But since the church soon proved inad-
equate.I again appealedto her andshe pointed
out another church and a much larger build-
ing. Then the Lady took me a little farther to
one side, and said: 'This is the place where
the glorious martyrs ofTurin, Adventor and
Octavius, suffered martyrdom. It is my wish
that here God be honored in a very special
manner." So saying, with her foot she
pointed to the very spot where the martyr-
dom had taken place. I wanted to leave some
kind ofmarker there so I could remember the
spot; but I could find nothing about for this
purpose. Nevertheless, I kepttheplaceclearly
in mind. In the meantime, I saw myself
surroundedby averylargenumberofyoung-
sters; but, as I looked to Our Lady, the
resources needed as well as the premises
kept growing apace. I thensaw a hugechurch
rising on the very spot which she had pointed
out to me as the place where the martyrdom
had taken place. There were buildings all
around [the church] and a beautiful square in
front of it.
While all this was going on, [in my
dream] I saw thatI had the help ofpriests and
seminarians; but they helped me for only a
short while, and then ran off. I made every
effortto keep them withme.They would stay
for a while and then leave, and I would be
were rejected and despised by society.
Then the Lady led me a little farther
north and said: "Take a good look" I looked
and saw a little, squat church, a small court-
yard, and youngsters in great numbers. I then
resumed my work.
But since the church soon proved inad-
equate, I again appealed to her and she
pointedoutanother, muchlargerchurch, and
a building adjacent to it. Then the Lady took
me a little farther to one side, to a plot of
ground under cultivation that lay almost di-
rectly in front of the second church. "This,"
she added, "is the place where the glorious
martyrs of Turin, Adventor and Octavius,
suffered martyrdom. This ground is drenched
and hallowed by their blood. It is my wish
that God be honored here in a very special
manner." So saying withher foot she pointed
to the very spot where the martyrdom had
taken place. I wanted to leave a marker there
so I could locate the place again on my
return, but I could find nothing, not even a
single stickor stone, for thatpurpose. Never-
theless, I kept the place clearly in mind. It
coincides today exactly with the gospel-side
corner inside the chapel ofthe Holy Martyrs,
previously known as St. Anne's Chapel, in
the church of Mary Help of Christians.
In the meantime, I found myself sur-
rounded byavast andeverincreasing number
of boys; but, as I looked to the Lady, the
resources needed, as well as the premises
keptgrowing apace.I then saw ahugechurch
rising on the very spot whichshehad pointed
out to me as the place where the saints of the
Theban Legionhad suffered martyrdom. By
now there were many buildings around the
church, and in the center there stood a beau-
tiful monument.
While all this was going on, still in
my dream, I had the help of priests and
seminarians. They helped for only a short
while, and then they ran off. I made every
effortto keep them with me.Theywould stay
for a while and then leave, and I would be
alone again. In this predicament I appealed

11.2 Page 102

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
147
alone again. In this predicament I appealed
once more to the Lady. "Do you want to
know what will keep them from deserting
you? "she asked. "Take this little cord or
ribbon and bind their foreheads with it." I
took the little white ribbon and noticed the
word Obedience written on it. I tried to do as
Our Lady suggested and began to bind the
heads of some [of my helpers] with the
ribbon, with immediate good results. And
the results improved as time went on. Those
individuals gave up the idea of leaving and
stayed on to help Don Bosco.
[T-A-3] A lot of other things occurred
[in the dream] , but there is no need of relat-
ing them now. (He may have been referring
to great things [to come].) In any case, from
1844 on I have walked on sure ground both
in matters regarding the Congregation and
the Oratory, andinmatters regarding politics.
It was because ofhaving seen church, house,
playgrounds, youngsters, seminarians and
priests helping me, and how the whole un-
dertaking should be managed, that I began
to mention the matter to others and to speak
of it as a reality. That is why many people
took it all asirrationalnonsense. They thought
I had lost my mind, and wanted to commit
me.
once more to the Lady for help. "Do you
want to know what will keep them from
deserting you?" she asked. "Take this ribbon
and bind their foreheads with it." Reverently
I took the little white ribbon from her hand
and noticed the word Obedience written on
it. I tried at once to do as the Lady suggested
and began to bind the foreheads of some of
those volunteer helpers of mine, with imme-
diate and amazing results. And the results
improved as I went forward with the mission
entrusted to me. Those individuals laid aside
any idea ofleaving and stayed on to help me.
Thus was our Congregation born.
[T-8-3] I saw many other things, but
there is no need of sharing them with you
now. (Perhaps he was referring to important
future events.) Suffice it to say that from that
time onI have walked on suregroundboth in
matters regarding the oratories and the
Congregation, and in my relationships with
outside authorities, regardless of their rank.
All the serious difficulties that will arise in
the future have already been forestalled, and
I already know how to overcome them. I
have very good and detailed knowledge of
what is going to happen to us, and therefore
I walk on securely in the light of day. It was
because of having seen churches, schools,
playgrounds, youngsters, seminarians and
priests helping me, and how the whole un-
dertaking should be managed, that I began to
mention it to others and speak of it as a
reality. Thatis why many people tookitall as
irrational nonsense, and thoughtI was insane.
[T-B-6] Here then was the source ofhis
unshakable faith in the ultimate success of
his mission; of the boldness, regarded by
some as foolhardiness, with which he tack-
led all sorts ofobstacles; of the courage with
which he shouldered colossal undertakings,
difficult beyond the power of any human
endeavor, and brought them to successful
completion nonetheless.
[T-8-4] Regarding the spot which the

11.3 Page 103

▲back to top
148
Journal of Salesian Studies
[T-A-4] Regarding the spot which the
Virgin Mary had pointed out to DonBosco as
the place of Sts. Adventor's and Octavius'
martyrdom, the Rev. Don Bosco had further
comments to make. He went on to explain:
"I made a point ofnever telling anyone
where that [event] had taken place. I simply
gave the task ofresearching the matter over
to Canon Gastaldi (now His Grace the Arch-
bishop). The object was to determine as
closely as possible, on the basis ofhistorical
data, where the martyrdom had taken place.
(In fact I suggested that he publish a book on
the life of these saints.) He researched the
matter thoroughly and concluded that
Valdocco, and indeed approximatelythearea
of our oratory, was the most likely place.
[T-A-5] "Meanwhile the decision was
made to build the church at the very place of
the martyrdom. That areahad formerly been
my property. However, since there had been
poposals to build the church elsewhere, that
is, at the location where the Defilippi house
stood, thatplotofground had beensold to the
Rosminians, who meant to establish a house
of their own there. Negotiations for the pur-
chase ofthe Defilippi house were already far
advanced. The church would have been built
on the courtyard areain front ofthehouse, so
that it would have been visible from as far as
Dora Grossa Street. Butjust as the deal was
about to be closed, it fell through. The own-
ers wereno longer willing to sell the house to
us. Then we again turned our attention to the
original location; but, ofcourse, the land had
beensold to the Rosminians. At this pointwe
received wordthatAbbe Rosminihadpassed
away. Under the circumstances the
Rosminians were no longer keen on setting
up a house in Turin. So they put that land up
for sale, but with the condition that [the
agents] should not deal with Don Bosco.
They refused to sell to him because they had
bought the plot from him at a high price, and
it was now depreciated by 80%. Seeing that
theyrefusedtoselltome,IgotMgr. Negroni's
brotherto act forme (Negroni,orNegrotti, or
Blessed Virginhadpointed outto DonBosco
as theplace ofSts. Adventor' s and Octavius'
martyrdom (this was also the place from
which St. Solutor fled, wounded by a lance,
todie atlvrea, amartyrfor JesusChrist), Don
Bosco had further comments to make. He
went on to explain:
"I made a point of never telling any-
body about the dream, much less of reveal-
ing what I myself considered reliable infor-
mation about the precise spot where that
glorious event had taken place. Later, in
1865, I approachedCanonLaurence Gastaldi
with the suggestion that he write an account
ofthe lives ofthe threeholyThebanmartyrs.
His study of the data from history, tradition
and topography would determine as closely
as possible the probable spot of their martyr-
dom. The learned canon agreed. He wrote
and published historical memoirs on these
three confessors of the faith. His extensive
researchproduced the following conclusions.
Theexactspotoftheirmartyrdomcould
no longer be ascertained.
Itwascertain thatthey hadsoughtsafety
outside the city gates, near the River Dora,
and that they had been discovered and killed
by the executioners near their hiding place.
Theexpanse ofland stretching from the
city walls to the River Dora, west of the
borough of that name, was in ancient times
known by the Latin name ofval/isor val/um
occisorum (valley or basin of the slain).rr>1 It
is now popularly known as Vaid' occo, from
the first syllables of those words, a possible
reference to the martyrs who were killed
there.
The wonderful works of charity and
devotion established in the area would show
that ithad clearly been blessed by God. This
was anadded reason for supposing thatithad
been bathed by the blood of those brave
Christians.
Finally, the author [Gastaldi] added, a
study of the city's ancient topography sup-
ported theview that the OratoryofSt. Francis
de Sales rose near that hallowed spot, or

11.4 Page 104

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
149
Neirotti, or Neironi, or some like name). He
handled the matter for me in the strictest
confidence, and I appeared only when the
time came to sign the contract The procurator
of the Rosminians was no little surprised at
seeing me. He wouldhave none ofit since he
had received clear instructions to the con-
trary. But the matter was urgent. The notary
public had been called in. Several city COWl-
cillors were also present There was no time
[for him] to write [for instructions]. Every-
one put pressure on him to go along with the
terms of the negotiations and sell to me. To
make a long story short, that is where the new
church was built; and without any reference
on my part to any specific place, one of the
chapels turned out to be situated at the very
spot which the Blessed Virgin had pointed
out to me. It is the one we now know as St.
Anne's chapel. The altar in it, however, is
consecrated specifically to the holy martyrs
of Turin.
"I will not go into the wondrous events
that accompanied the buildingofthe church.
I could tell you stories so extraordinary that
you would be amazed.
"Also, in front of the church which the
Blessed Virgin showed me there lay a beau-
tiful square with a monument at its center.
Now I shall wait and see if this will be
feasable. All the difficulties that may be
lying ahead are forestalled, and I walk se-
curely in the light of day. I have a clear view
of the things that may happen to us in the
future, of the difficulties, and of the manner
of dealing with them."
perhaps it even enclosed it within its walls."
[(*)Actually vallum means 'fortifica-
tion, palisade, stockade'.]
[B-4-Doc) Account of the Research
on the Place of Martyrdom As Found in
Documenti
Riguardo al luogo che Maria vergine
insegno a D. Bosco come quello in cui
avvenne ii martirio dei ss. Avventore ed
Ottavio ecco piii ampia spiegazione. II Sig.
D. Bosco continuo: "Io non volli mai dire a
nessuno in che posto cio avvenisse. Solo
incaricai ii Canonico Gastaldi (ora Mons.
Gastaldi) a fare studii su questo pWlto, che
cioericavassedalla storia inqual luogodella
citta, piiiapprossimativamentefosseaccaduto
detto martirio ed egli (suggerendogli io che
stampasse Wllibro sulla vitadei SantiMartiri)
fece studii profondi e conchiuse essere in
Valdocco, e, po' piu, po' meno, dove era il
nostro Oratorio -
[T-B-4-Doc) Translation of the Ac-
count of the Research on the Place of
Martyrdom As Found In Documenti
Regarding the spot which the Blessed
Virgin had pointed out to Don Bosco as the
place of Sts. Adventor' and Octavius' mar-
tyrdom, The Rev. Don Bosco had further
comments to make. He went on to explain:
"I made a point ofnever telling anyone
where that [event] took place. I simply gave
the task of researching the matter over to
Canon Gastaldi (now Archbishop Gastaldi).
The object was to determine as closely as
possible,on the basisofhistorical data, where
in the city thesesaints' martyrdom had taken
place. (In fact I suggested that he publish a
book on the life of these holy martyrs.) He
researched the matter thoroughly and con-
cluded thatValdocco, and indeed the grounds
of our oratory, approximately, was the most
likely place."
(Continued on next page, left column)

11.5 Page 105

▲back to top
150
Journal of Salesian Studies
(Continued from previous page, right column)
[B-5-Doc.] Text on the Site of the
[f-B-5-Doc] Translation of the Text
Church and on the Purchase of the 'Field on the Site or the Church and on the
of Dreams' As Found in Documenti
Purchase or the 'Field or Dreams' As
Found In Documenti
lntanto si decise di innalzare la Chiesa
di Maria Ausiliatrice. Secondoche io aveva
Meanwhile the decision was made to
veduto essadovevasorgerenel luogo preciso build the Church ofMary HelpofChristians.
del martirio, ma non parlai. Quel locale era To comply with what I had seen [in the
da tempo venuto in miaproprieta; masiccome dream], it would have to rise on the exact
molti suggerivano di edificarla (per avere la spot of the martyrdom. However, I did not
Chiesa piu in vista e piu comoda alla say a word.Thatplot ofgro\\Uld had formerly
popolazione) in fondo al corso Valdocco been my property. Many people, however,
dove era casa Defilippi, per Ia compera della suggested that the church be built at the end
quale si erano gia fatte pratiche, cosi si era ofCorso Valdocco, where the Defilippi house
venduto quel tratto di terra ai Rosminiani, i was located. (This would have made it more
quali volevano stabilire quivi \\Ula loro casa. visible and more accessible to the public.)
Ma quando il contratto con Ia casa Defilippi Negotiations for the purchase of that house
era come conchiuso, si disciolse e non ce la were already under way. Hence the property
voile piu lasciare. [(*)) Allora si pense di was sold to the Rosminians, who had in-
nuovo a comperare, come dopo superate tended to establish a house of their own
molte difficolta si compro, il luogo di prima, there. But when the deal for the purchase of
dove i Rosminiani per Ia morte dell'abbate the Defilippi house was about to be closed, it
Rosmini non pensavano piu ad aprir casa. fell through. [The owner] had changed his
Quivi si fabbrico lanuova Chiesae senzache mind about selling. I<'>> Then we decided to
io accennassi a nessun Iuogo speciale riusci buy the original land back, and we succeeded
una Cappella nel luogo preciso che la Beata in spite of the many difficulties thathad to be
Verginemi avevainsegnato, ed e IaCappella overcome. For, with Abbe Rosmini's death
e che chiamiamo di S. Anna, mail cui altare the Rosminians had changed their minds
consacrato specialmente ai Ss. Martiri about establishing a house there. That is
Torinesi.
where the new church was built. Without any
Don Bosco diceva eziandio che tutto previous specific suggestion on my part, one
!'Oratorio avealo visto in forma di ferro di of the chapels turned out to be situated at the
cavallo e che la Chiesa era nel mezzo.
very spot which the Blessed Virgin had
[(*)Here, amarginalnoteinLemoyne's pointed out to me.It is the one we know as St.
hand:] I Rosminiani non volevano cedere Anne's chapel. The altar of the chapel, how-
quel fondo perche lo avevano comprato da ever, is consecrated specifically to the holy
D. Bosco a gran prezzo ed ora era diminuito martyrs ofTurin.
il valore di 8/10.
Don Bosco also added that the whole
Oratory, as he had seen it, stood in the form
of a horse shoe, with the church right in the
center.
[(*)Here, amarginalnoteinLemoyne's
hand:] The Rosminians were unwilling to
cede that property, because they had bought
(Continued in column on right) it from Don Bosco at a very high price, and
now its value had depreciated by 80%.

11.6 Page 106

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
151
APPENDIX VIII
THE SECOND DREAM OF THE HOLY MAR~S
(One of the 'Further Instructions'. According to Lemoyne)
[A] Text or the Second Dream ofthe
Holy Martyrs As Found in Documenti
(Doc II [P. V, C. V], 157: FDBMicro 972
Bl lf.)
[B] Text or the Second Dream ofthe
Holy Martyrs As Found in the Biographi-
cal Memoirs
(IBM II, 341 -344; EBM II, 266ff.)
[A-1) Sette mesi erano onnai passati
dacche l 'Oratorio si era stabilito
all'Ospedaletto.[...]
LaMarchesaBarolo [...], avvicinandosi
il tempo di aprire il suo piccolo Ospedale (10
Agosto 1845), voleva che l'Oratorio fosse
allontanato di la. [...]
Don Bosco pero era pronto a soffrire
qualunquedisagio piuttostoche abbandonare
i suoi giovani. Cio aveva apertamente
dichiarato alla Marchesa. Tuttavia era in
grave fastidio non sapendo dove condurli.
Aveva in animo di cercare un luogo dalle
parti di Porta Nuova, mail Teologo Borelli
cerc0 di fargli mutar parere, e ci riusci con
gran facilita, persuadendolo a rimanere nella
regione di Valdocco. Una causa rnisteriosa
influivasuquesta deterrninazione. DonBosco
in sogno aveva avuto una cara visita.
[B-1-a] Finalmente la chiesa di S.
Martino fu abbandonata del tutto, la quarta
Domenica di Avvento 22 dicembre [1845).
[...]
II giorno di Natale i giovani si versarono
comeun'ondatapressodiD.BoscoalRifugio.
Che fare? [...] D. Bosco, attorniato da una
moltitudine di fanciulli pronti a seguirlo
ovunque andasse, non aveva un palmo di
terreno per intrattenerli, che inqualche modo
potesse dir suo. [...]
Tuttavia D. Bosco, sebbene angustiato,
per timore che i giovani si stancassero di
venire alle festive adunanze, celava la sua
pena, [...] e rallegravali col raccontar loro
rnille meraviglie attomo al futuro Oratorio,
che per allora esisteva soltanto nella sua
mente e nei decreti del Signore. - Non
temete, miei cari figliuoli, diceva loro; e gia
preparato un bell'edifizio per voi; presto ne
andremo alpossesso: avremo unabella chiesa,
unagrande casa, spaziosi cortili, ed unnumero
sterrninato di giovani verranno a ricrearsi, a
pregareed a lavorare.-Gran cosa! I giovani
gli credevano! [...]
[B-1-b] Eun fatto eziandio ben degno
di nota come di queste peregrinazioni di D.
Bosco punto di partenza, di arrivo e di stanza
fosse sempre Valdocco, come se potente
calarnita qui lo attraesse. Una cara fantasia
gli aveva aperto in sogno un altro magnifico
spettacolo. Ei lo racconto brevemente e a
pochi suoi fidi nel 1884. Ma cio che in esso
vihadi piu splendido gli sfuggidi boccaa piu
riprese e a lunghi intervalli nello spazio di
circa vent'anni, contemplando commosso e

11.7 Page 107

▲back to top
152
Journal of Salesian Studies
quasi estatico la chiesa di Maria SS .
Ausiliatrice. Lo scrivente che gli era al fianco
non lascio cadere le sue parole, not.andole
volt.a per volta, e poi riunitele ne risultO la
scena qui descritta.
[A·2] Gli eraparso di trovarsi sul lembo
del cosl detto Bordo di S. Massimo e
spingendo lo sguardo dalla parte della Dora,
vide vicino allavia Cottolengo tre bellissimi
giovani splendenti per luce vivissima.
Costoro lo invitarono a discendere e andare
in loro compagnia. D. Bosco si affretto a
muovere il passo e come gli ebbe raggiunti,
fu da essi accompagnato in quello spazio di
terreno ove ora s 'innalza maestosa laChiesa
di Maria Ausiliatrice, allora seminato di
patate, meliga, fagiuoli, e cavoli. lvi egli
passando di meraviglia in meraviglia, fu
innanzi ad una bellissima matrona alla quale
come a regina facevano corteggio eserciti
numerosi, ornati di bellezza e splendore
celestiale. Quella signora invitollo ad
avvicinarsi e gli disse come quei tre giovani
che aveanlo condotto, fossero i martiri della
legioneTebeaSolutoreAvventoreedOttavio;
come in quello stesso campo Avventore e
Solutore [sic]avessero data la vita per Gesu
Cristo e quivi pure fossero [sic] stato ferito
Solutore, che fuggendo ad lvrea quella citta
aveva santificata col suo sangue: per questo
fatto chiamarsi quellaregioneValdocco, ossia
Vallis occisorum. Egli indicava il luogo del
martirio, che era lo stesso dal quale i tre
martiri aveanlo chiamato, che corrisponde
esattamente all' angolo interno della capella
[sic] di S. Anna al lato del Vangelo. Quindi
la Vergine Immacolata, che stavaove adesso
e collocato !'altar maggiore della chiesa
grande, gli mostro in quei luoghi una casa ed
e una chiesa precisamente nel posto ove ora
la chiesuola di S. Francesco di Sales col
fabbricato annesso. Alzando quindi ladestra,
esclamo con una voce ineffabilmente
armoniosa: - Haec est domus mea; inde
gloria mea. -:--
[B-2] Gli era parso di trovarsi sul
margine a settentrione del Rondo o Circolo
Valdocco, e spingendo lo sguardo dallaparte
della Dora, fra gli altissimi alberi che in quel
tempo allineati ornavano il corso ora detto
Regina Margherita, vide in gill, alla distanza
di circa settanta metri vicino alla via
Cottolengo, in un campo serninato di pat.ate,
meliga, fagiuoli e cavoli, tre bellissimi
giovani, splendenti di luce. Stavano fermi in
piedi in quello spazio che nel sogno
precedente gli era stato indicato come teatro
del glorioso martirio dei tre soldati della
legione Tebea. Questi lo invitarono a
discendere e a venire con loro. D. Bosco si
affretto, e come Ii ebbe raggiunti, fu da essi
accompagnato con grande amorevolezza
verso l'estrernitadiquel terreno nel qualeora
s'innalza maestosa la Chiesa di Maria
Ausiliatrice. D. Bosco percorso un breve
tratto passando di meraviglia in meraviglia,
fu innanzi ad una Matrona magnificamente
vestita di indicibile avvenenza, maesta e
splendore, presso alla qualedistinse unsenato
di vegliardi in aspetto di principi. A lei come
a Regina facevano nobilissimo corteggio
innumerevoli personaggiornati dillllagrazia
e ricchezza abbagliante. lntorno intorno si
stendevano altre schiere fin dove si poteva
spingere lo sguardo. Quella signora che era
e comparsa ove adesso collocato I'altar
maggiore della Chiesa grande, invito D.
Bosco ad avvicinarsi. Come le fu dappresso,
gli manifestO quei tre giovani che lo avevano
a lei condono, essere i martiri Solutore,
Avventore ed Ottavio; econ cio sembrava
indicargli come di quel luogo sarebbero stati
gli speciali patroni.
Quindi con llll incantevole sorriso sulle
labbra, e con affettuose parole lo incoraggio
a non abbandonare i suoi giovani, ma di

11.8 Page 108

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
153
proseguire con sempre maggior ardore
nell 'opera intrapresa; gli disse che
incontrerebbe ostacoli gravissirni, ma che
questi sarebbero tutti vinti ed abbattuti dalla
confidenzacheegli avrebbe postanellaMadre
di Dio e nel suo Divin Figlio.
In fine gli mostro poco distante una
casa, che realmente esisteva, e che poi egli
seppe essere proprietA di un certo signor
Pinardi; e una chiesuola, precisamente nel
sito dove ora e la chiesa di S. Francesco di
Sales col fabbricato annesso.Alzando quindi
la destra esclamo con voce ineffabilmente
armoniosa: HAEC EST DOMUS MEA:
INDE GLORIA MEA.
Al suono di queste parole, D. Bosco
rimase talmente commosso, che si riscosse,
e la figura della Vergine SS., che tale era la
Matrona, e tutta la visione, lentamente svanl
come nebbia al levare del sole. Egli intanto,
confidando nellabont.Ae misericordiadivina,
ai piedi della Vergine aveva rinnovata la
consacrazione di rutto se stesso alla grande
opera alla quale era chiamato.
[A-3) Don Bosco in sul mattino
seguente, tutto in festa pel sogno, si affrettb
ad andare a visitare quella casa che eragli
stata indicata. Nell'uscire disse al Teologo
Borelli. - Vado a vedere una casa adatta al
nostro Oratorio.-Ma quale fu lasuadolorosa
sorpresa, quando su quel silo, invece di una
casa con una chiesa, trovo un'abitazione di
malavita! Ritomando al Rifugio einterrogato
con premura dal T. Borelli, senza dir altro,
rispose, che quella casa sulla quale aveva
fatti i suoi disegni non serviva all'uopo.
Per la qual cosa il nostro D. Bosco si
trovo di bel nuovo negli irnbrogli; ma non si
perde di coraggio. Pieno di fiducia nella
divina Provvidenza egli fece vive istanze
presso il Municipio di Torino, e mediante
raccomandazione dell'arcivescovo Fransoni
ottenneinuso la Chiesadi S. Martinodeicosl
detti Molazzi, ossia Molini di citta.
[B-3] In sul mattino seguente, tutto in
festa pel sogno, si affrettO ad andare a visitar
quella casa che dalla Vergine eragli stata
indicata. Nell 'uscire dalla sua stanza disse al
Teol. Borel: - Vado a vedere una casa
adatta al nostro Oratorio. -Ma quale non fu
la sua dolorosa sorpresa, quando, giunto in
quel sito, invece di una casa con una chiesa,
trovo un'abitazione di gente di mala vita!
RitomatoalRifugioeinterrogatoconpremura
dal Teol. Borel, sensa dare alcuna
spiegazione, gli rispose, chequella casasulla
quale aveva fatto i suoi disegni non serviva
all' uopo.

11.9 Page 109

▲back to top
154
Journal of Salesian Studies
[f·A] Translation or the Text or the
[f-BJ Translation or the Text or the
Second Dream of the Holy Marlyrs As Second Dream of the Holy Marlyrs As
Found In Documenti
Found In the Biographical Memoirs
[f-A-1] Sevenmonthshadnowelapsed
since the Oratory had begun to meet at the
Little Hospital. [...]
Marchioness Barolo was determined
that the Oratory should leave her premises,
since the date set for the inauguration of her
Little Hospital (August 10, 1845) was fast
approaching. [...]
Don Bosco, however, was equally de-
termined, no matter at what personal sacri-
fice, not to abandon his youngsters. He had
made this unambiguously clear to the mar-
chioness.Butthe troubling andpainful reality
was that he had no idea where else he could
take them. He was considering looking for a
place in the area of Porta Nuova. But Dr.
Borel tried to make him change his mind. He
easily persuaded him to stay in the V aldocco
district. The decision to remain in the area
was due to a mysterious cause. In a dream
DonBoscohadhad thepleasure ofentertain-
ing heavenly visitors.
[f-B-1-a] In the end, on the Fourth
Sunday of Advent, December 22 [1845], St.
Martin's church was definitively vacated.
[ ... ]
On Christmas Day the youngsters
converged like a great tide on Don Bosco's
place at the Rifugio. What could he do?[...]
Don Bosco was surrounded by throngs of
children whowereready to follow himwher-
ever he went, but he did not have a square
foot ofland thathe couldcall his own, where
he could meet with them.[...]
This deeply distressed him, buthe con-
cealed his anguish lest the youngsters might
lose heart and give up attending the oratory.
He cheered them up by [...] painting the
rosiestpicture ofthe future oratory for them,
even though it existed only in his imagina-
tion and in God's plans. "Don't worry, my
dear boys," he would tell them." A wonder-
ful place is waiting for you right now. We'll
move into it soon. We'll have a beautiful
church, abighouseandspaciousplaygrounds.
Greatcrowds ofboys will come there to play,
to pray and to work." Amazinglyenough, the
youngsters believed him.[...]
[f-B-1-b] It is most remarkable that,
despite the various wanderings, theValdocco
area remained Don Bosco's consistent focal
point. Ifhe left it, it was only to return to it as
the oratory's natural home. It was as though
a powerful lodestone drew him toward the
place. A lovely and fanciful dream had un-
veiled to him yet another marvelous sight.
He related it briefly to only a few close
associates in 1884. However, the more
magnificent details ofthat dream were often
onhis lips, atintervals, over aperiodofsome
twenty years. These disclosures occurred
especially when with ecstatic emotion he
would stop and gaze at the church of Mary
Help of Christians. The present writer, con-
s tantly at his side, did not allow his words to

11.10 Page 110

▲back to top
Don Bosco's Vocation Dream
155
ff-B-2] He seemed to be standing at the
edge of the so-<:alled Bordo di S. Massinw.
Looking toward the Dora, he spied three
ymmg men, very handsome and resplendent
with light, standing near the Via Cotto/engo.
The three beckoned to him, and Don Bosco
walked quickly down to them. Then they
escorted him through that plot of ground
where thechurchofMary Help ofChristians
now stands in all its grandeur. [That field]
was thenplanted with potatoes, maize, beans
and cabbage. Witnessing wonder after won-
der as he walked with them, hefoundhimself
face to face with a most beautiful noble
Lady. She appeared surrounded by numer-
ous armiesofbeautiful and resplendentheav-
enly beings. The Lady invited Don Bosco to
approach, and then she told himthat the three
young menwho hadescortedhim toherwere
the martyrs of the Theban Legion, Solutor,
Adventor and Octavius. She added that
Adventor and Solutor [sic] had given up their
life for Jesus Christ in thatvery field; and that
Solutor had been wounded there also, but
had fled to Ivrea and sanctified that city by
shedding his blood.This was why the region's
name was Valdocco, that is, Val/is occisorum
[Valley of the Slain]. The Lady then pointed
to the place of the martyrdom. This was the
spot from which the martyrs had first beck-
oned to him, and it coincided exactly withthe
gospel-side corner inside [the present] St.
Anne's chapel. She herself was standing at
the spot where now the main altar of the
largerchurch [ofMary Help ofChristians] is
situated. The Virgin then pointed out to him
a house and a church existing in the area at
the very spot where the church ofSt. Francis
de Sales and the building adjacent to it now
stand. Then, raising her hand, and speaking
in most melodious tones, she said: "Haec est
domus mea: inde g/oria mea" [This is my
house: hence my glory].
be lost. He took note of Don Bosco's utter-
ances, and later compiled them in the fol-
lowing dream scene.
ff-B-2] Heseemedto be standing atthe
north edgeofthe Rondo, or Valdocco Circle.
Looking down toward the Dora through the
tall trees lining the boulevard now known as
Corso Regina Margherita, he spied three
handsome young men enveloped in a re-
splendent light. They stood there motionless
near the Via Cotto/engo, some seventy meters
away [200 ft.], in a field planted with pota-
toes, maize, beans and cabbage.They were
standing in the very spot which in his previ-
ous dreamhad been pointedoutto him as the
place where the three soldiers of the Theban
Legion had gloriously suffered martyrdom.
The three beckoned to him, and Don Bosco
walked quickly down to them. Then, with
great kindness, they escorted him to the far
endofthe field wherethechurchofMaryHelp
of Christians now stands in all its grandeur.
After that short walk, during which he wit-
nessed wonder after wonder, he found him-
selfbefore a noble Lady. She was splendidly
clad, and indescribably beautiful, majestic
and resplendent. A senate ofprincely, vener-
ablepersonages attendedher. Numerousoth-
ers, of dazzling grace and beauty, paid court
to her as though she were a queen. An army
of heavely beings hovered around her in
ranks stretching as far and the eye could see.
The Lady stood where the main altar of the
largerchurch [ofMary Help ofChristians] is
situated. She invited DonBosco to approach
her. He did so, and she told him that the three
young men who had escorted him to her were
the martyrs Solutor, Adventor and Octavius.
This seemed to imply that they were to be the
special holy patrons of that place.
Then, speaking to him in tender tones,
with an enchanting smile, she urged him
never to abandon his youngsters and to per-
severe with ever greater zeal in the work he
had begun. She also warned him that he
would have to face great obstacles. Never-
theless, he would be able to overcome all of

12 Pages 111-120

▲back to top

12.1 Page 111

▲back to top
156
Journal of Salesian Studies
[T-B-3) Elated by this dream, early
next morning, Don Bosco hastened to in-
spect the house which had been pointed out
to him. On his way out, he said to Dr. Borel:
"I am going to look over a house that may be
suitable for our oratory." But when he got
there, he was painfully disappointed in find-
ing, not a building and a church, but a house
ofill repute. When he got back to theRifugio,
Dr. Borel was anxious to learn all about it.
He simply replied that thehouse onwhich he
had placed his hopes did not suit their pur-
pose.
With this discovery, Don Bosco found
himselfin the same old predicament. He did
not lose heart, however. With full trust in
Divine Providence, and a reference from
Archbishop Fransoni, he applied for the use
of the church of St. Martin at 'The Great
Mills', as the city's flour mills were called,
fororatorypurposes. Permission was granted.
them by trusting in the Mother ofGod and in
her divine Son. Finally, she pointed out to
him a house standing nearby. This building
really did exist and, as he was later to learn,
belonged to a man named Pinardi. She then
directed his attention to a small church. It
rose at the very spot where the church of St.
Francis de Sales and the adjacent building
now stand. And raising her hand, in most
melodious tones, she said: "Haec est domus
mea: inde gloria mea'' [This is my house:
hence my glory].
Don Bosco was so moved by these
words that he woke up. The figure of the
BlessedVirgin (for that was thenobleLady's
true identity), and the entire vision, gradu-
ally faded away like mist dissolved by the
rays ofthe rising sun. DonBosco, onhispart,
confiding in God's goodness and mercy, had
already consecrated himself anew and com-
pletely, at the Blessed Virgin's feet, to the the
great work that was his calling.
[T-B-3) Elated by this dream, early
next morning, he hastened to inspect the
house which the Blessed Virgin had pointed
out to him. On leaving his room, he said to
Dr. Borel: "I am going to look over a house
that may be suitable for our oratory." But
when he got there, he was painfully disap-
pointed in finding, not a building and a
church, but a house tenated by persons of ill
repute. When he got back to the Rifugio, Dr.
Borel was anxious to learn all about it. With-
out a word of explanation, Don Bosco re-
plied that the house on which he had placed
his hopes did not suit their purpose.