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.
L’intervento di Vianelli riguarda l’attività liturgico-musicale di Don Baratta. Quest’ultimo acquisì le prime nozioni di musica nel 1877, quando venne inviato a Lucca da Don Bosco al termine del suo noviziato, e raggiunse l’apice della sua formazione musicale durante il periodo parmense. Continue reading “Emanuele Carlo Vianelli – “Don Carlo Maria Baratta, la scuola di canto e la riforma della musica sacra” in “Parma e Don Carlo Maria Baratta, Salesiano”. Atti del convegno di storia sociale e religiosa, Parma 9, 16, 23 aprile 1999″
Nel suo intervento, Claudio Besana presenta una breve biografia di Pio Benassi. Quest’ultimo fu uno studioso di scienze naturali e un cooperatore salesiano. Continue reading “Claudio Besana – “Per una biografia di Pio Benassi, studioso di problemi agrari e cooperatore salesiano” in “Parma e Don Carlo Maria Baratta, Salesiano”. Atti del convegno di storia sociale e religiosa, Parma 9,16, 23 aprile 1999″
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.
Lo studio presenta la biografia di Don Francesco Convertini, un sacerdote salesiano missionario che ha trascorso oltre quaranta anni in India al servizio degli umili in nome di Cristo. Scritta con passione e impegno dall’autore, l’opera si concentra sulla vita straordinaria di Don Convertini, svelando la sua umanità, la sua fede incrollabile e il suo impegno per i più bisognosi. Continue reading “Nicola Palmisano – Anche il fragno fiorisce. Don Francesco Convertini missionario salesiano”
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
Continue reading “Michael Ribotta – “Peter Enria Remembers” in “Journal of Salesian Studies””
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.
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.
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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