A different type of writing comes to us from Josephine Giorgi, the second cousin of St. Luigi Versiglia. Josephine lives in Springfield, Massachusetts. The excerpt from a biography of Bishop James Walsh of Maryknoll by Raymond Kerri son exemplifies the apostolic spirit of the two Salesian martyrs along with Bishop Walsh’s deep esteem for them.
Continue reading “Josephine Giorgi – St. Luigi Versiglia and Bishop Walsh of Maryknoll”
Recalling the fiftieth anniversary of the beatification of St. Dominic Savio, Arthur Lenti reflects on Don Bosco’s Life of Savio. Modern Salesian youth spirituality traces back to this Life that Don Bosco proposed as a model for young people.
Continue reading “Arthur Lenti – The life of young Dominic Savio”
The Central Salesian Archive contains numerous eyewitness reports of Don Bosco’s words and deeds, particularly in the form of chronicles and memoirs. I drew heavily on these documents for previous articles which saw the light of day in the pages of this Journal. I shall do the same for the present article.
The road traveled by John Bosco, as child and teenager, in his quest for an education, proved to be a bumpy one, marked by frequent twists and turns and occasionally stalled by unforeseen roadblocks. But despite occasional disheartening setbacks, John’s high hopes in his pursuit of an education would prevail over disconcerting frustrations.
The present essay has a rather modest aim. Steering clear of the complexities of a biographical reconstruction, it will simply describe Don Rosco’s last years, including his last illness and death, with focus on the person, and with emphasis on words and attitudes.
But if Marseilles was so close, why did “Paolino” Albera not come to Turin during those final days of January 1888? Why was he not at Don Bosco’s bedside? How did the death of his spiritual father and mentor impact on him?
Continue reading “Joseph Boenzi – Paolo Albera’s visits during Don Bosco’s last illness”
In the first part of his study on the “Bosco-Gastaldi conflict”, Arthur Lenti drew attention to another figure similarly involved in a painful controversy with the Archbishop of Turin, namely Sr. Marie-Louise-Angelique Clarac, foundress of the Sisters of Charity of St. Mary, also known as the Sisters of Charity of Good Counsel.
A young Italian immigrant, Angelo Petazzi, watched anxiously as the English steamship, the Werra, approached New York harbor. Clutched in his hand was a letter from the then Salesian superior general, Father Michael Rua, which informed him of the impending arrival of a group of four Salesians in New York. At their head was Father Raphael Piperni.
The conflict between Archbishop Lawrence Gastaldi and Don Bosco may at first sight appear to have been, to put a facile contemporary label on it, a typical confrontation between institution and charism.
Continue reading “Arthur Lenti – The Bosco-Gastaldi Conflict (1872-82), Part I”
Included in the copious documentation that comprises the chronicles and annals of the early history of the Salesian Society in the Salesian archives in Rome, there is a treasure trove of diaries, journals, memoirs, and daybooks which chart the ebb and flow of the early years of the Oratory of Saint Francis of Sales.
Father Philip Rinaldi was my granduncle on myfather’s side. For us youngsters he was the tall, smiling priest who, when visiting our home, would dig into his pockets and invariably come up with all sorts of goodies.
Continue reading “Peter Rinaldi – Blessed Philip Rinaldi as I knew him”
Therefore, all early biography on Don Bosco, including Fr. Lemoyne’s and his successors’, should be approached with the right understanding of its popular medieval religious roots. On no account ought it to be dismissed as novelized history, which it is not.
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