Paul P. Avallone – Keys to the hearts of youth, Reason, religion, kindness, St. John Bosco ‘s Pastoral and Educational Mission, A Spirituality and Methodology

In 1988, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter titled “Juvenum Patris” to the Superior General of the Salesians, commemorating the centennial of St. John Bosco’s death. The Pope praised St. John Bosco’s unique contribution to the Church through the preventive system, an innovative educational method. He urged the Salesian Family to rediscover and update this approach, emphasizing Don Bosco’s belief that “Education is a matter of the heart.”

St. John Bosco’s influence on youth remains strong across cultures. Despite societal changes, Pope John Paul II emphasized the need to study, adapt, and renew his educational message while preserving its core. The seventh Superior General of the Salesians called for the development of a new preventive system, aligning with the concepts of new evangelization and education. The Pope’s words inspired a return to the preventive system, with an invitation to invent a new approach without discarding the existing one. The goal was to understand and apply it with new emphases and priorities, considering the developments in various fields and the teachings of Vatican II.

CONTENTS

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Today’s Youth, Tomorrow’s Leaders
• A Man Sent by God Whose Name Was John
• The Early Apostolate
• Don Bosco in the History of Education
• Reason: Being Reasonable with the Young
• Religion: Walking with the Young to Christ
• Kindness: Reaching the Hearts of the Young
• Conclusion: Don Bosco’s Contribution to Education

• Seminal documents: appendixes

• • Introduction
  • The Preventive System in the Education of the Young
  • The Use of Punishments in Salesian Houses
  • Letter from Rome

Reference time period: 1824 – 1994