JANUARY 7

Fr. Turchi narrates: " In the first year of the Oratory a young boy from Biella on reaching Turin went to make his confession at the Church of the Consolata. After that he came to the Oratory of St Francis where he was accepted as a student. The prefect received him warmly and after dinner presented him to Don Bosco, who did not know the boy at all, for it was the first time that he had met him. Don Bosco at the time was speaking to some boys gathered around him reading hearts and they were recalling some surprising revelations which he had performed.  

"The new pupil, on hearing these things, suddenly shouted out -'Don Bosco, I challenge you to read my sins, nay I invite you to call them out that all may hear.' 

"But Don Bosco calmly replied 'Come here' and whispered something into his ear. The boy's face became as red as fire. Then Don Bosco again looked him straight in the face a second time and again bending down whispered something more into his ear, perhaps a more particularized account of his past life. The boy then began to cry saying -'you are then the one who heard my Confession this morning in the Church of the Consolata. This is not the way to act!' 

"What are you talking about?" -interrupted all his companions -"Don Bosco never went outside the house this morning and he did not even know that you had been to confession. What you say is far from true because you do not know who Don Bosco is. What he did with you just now is a thing of everyday occurrence." 

"On hearing that the boy became tranquil and from that instant placed unlimited confidence in Don Bosco. I was present at this incident and also Don Rua bears witness to it.  

A similar surprise happened to a boy coming from Buttigliera. One day after the scholastic year had begun I, with Francis Cerruti, Don Rua and the cleric Cagliero, were with a group of boys around Don Bosco. We were asking him for advice that would help us in the progress of virtue and above all we were asking him to warn each of us more directly of the needs of our souls. In the meantime a boy of about thirteen years, Caesar B., by name in whose house Don Bosco had more than once received hospitality, having heard from his companions that Don Bosco knew the hidden sins of one's conscience came to him and said frankly -'you will never know my interest'. Don Bosco, who was then seated drew him near and in the presence of all whispered something to him for sometime. When he finished, the boy raised his head and turning to all present said frankly in a voice full of emotion: "Don Bosco has found it out. It is a thing which I had never told anyone, not even in confession." Then he went away promising to go to Confession very soon. 

JANUARY 6

“One morning after breakfast while Don Bosco was in the refectory, several of us had gathered around him as usual. He was looking at us with his face lit up, with that loving smile of his, telling us that he knew the interior of our hearts, when suddenly a student from a place near the Oratory despising that which he though impossible, interrupted saying: ‘if that is so, tell me my thoughts!’ Don Bosco made him come near and spoke to him in an undertone. What he said we do not know, but the fact remains that he remained confused and ashamed and did not dare to answer a word. I myself was present. 

“About two years ago a fellow theology student went with a certain religious gentleman to a village in the country about ten miles distant from Turin. On his return he came to confession to Don Bosco and afterwards he confided this to me saying, ‘I must tell you a fine thing that happened to me. Before coming to Turin, I had a sin on my conscience, and being shamed to accuse myself of it to Don Bosco, I confessed it to the parish priest of the place where I was. Then after a few days I went to confession to Don Bosco and after my confession he told me, ‘look here I know quite well that you did so and so’ (and he told me my sin)’ ‘I’ – continued my companion – ‘was stupefied and I have learnt at my own cost that when you commit some grave sin it is not worthwhile confessing it to others: Don Bosco knows it whether you tell him or not.” Thus writes Fr. Turhi but he is not far from being the only one who has borne such testimony to the deeds of Don Bosco. 

Fr. John Garino, a well-known professor, wrote as follows: ‘One winter morning in the year 1858 or 1859 a crowd of us were standing around Don Bosco who was taking a little coffee. We were all packed very tightly, some in front sitting on the long table at the head of which he sat, some at his side, others behind him. 

‘All were laughing and joking familiarly but with respect as was the custom of good children who love their father. After a time one began to speak how Don Bosco saw into the future, of how he knew when someone would die, and so on. On that same morning and in the same place I remember how Don Bosco had whispered into the ear of certain boys certain secrets of theirs which greatly stupefied them. A boy named Evaristo C…was sitting on a small bench near his right hand.’ He was a rather lively youngster and by no means one of the most exemplary. 

He was continually laughing at the words and acts of Don Bosco and his companions, but in such a scornful way that he clearly showed what he though of such things. Suddenly he said: ‘Don Bosco, I don’t believe you can read hidden things. Tell me something,’ thus provoking Don Bosco to tell some secret of his life. Don Bosco took him at his word and, bending, whispered some words in his ear which e could not hear. After that he never dared to say that Don Bosco did not know the secrets of one’s heart 

JANUARY 5

Peter Enria used to relate the following: "a companion of mine once told me in confidence that once, on falling into a grave fault, he did not wish to be seen by Don Bosco. But one day he met him by chance and Don Bosco addressing him with the utmost paternal affability said: "you do not dare to come near me because you have committed a grave sin." He told him exactly what it was. No one of earth could have come to know his fault by any natural means. So surprised was the penitent that he begged Don Bosco to hear his Confession and he turned over a new leaf. At other times during the evening recreation Don Bosco used to approach one and whisper something in his ear, and that boy immediately after night prayers would, before going to bed, go to the sacristy or room of Don Bosco and there make his confession.  

This gift of knowing the spiritual condition of certain boys, which God granted to Don Bosco, was always with him throughout his whole life, so much so that from time to time he would not hesitate to remind his pupils of it In the year 1869, while speaking after night prayers to the whole community which numbered nine hundred in all, among whom more than one hundred were men of learning and sound judgment, he said "I have received from God the gift of searching out hypocrites. When one of these approaches me, I have a nauseating feeling which I cannot bear. They themselves perceive my pain, and it is from this reason that they fly from me."  

Facts continue to bear witness to the truth of this statement. One morning in the year 1870 the boys on seeing Don Bosco come out of church gathered around him in great numbers. Although many priests had helped him in hearing the confessions of his boys he was very tired on account of the great number of penitents who had gone to him. Nevertheless he chatted graciously with all of them. Then all of a sudden he turned to a boy and drawing the first finger of his right hand across his brow he said smilingly: "you did not wash your face this morning". "Yes I did, Don Bosco" "But no, you did not," Don Bosco smilingly replied, "drawing at the same time the letter "o" on his brow as if to emphasize the word 'Noooooo'. Then he began to whisper something in his ear and the boy lowering his head became thoughtful. What Don Bosco told him was that he ought to have gone to confession that morning but he had not done so. Fr. Augustine Parigi who narrated this fact was present when this happened.

JANUARY 4

Let us further illustrate although in a small and inadequate way the ability of Don Bosco to deal with boys. We have, related how Don Bosco had the special ability to deal with boys. On certain feasts he gave marvelous proofs of his various skills. The last was given in 1864. He did not however leave aside those games which required only sleight of hand and in the ordinary recreations he sometimes used to alternate them with tricks. 

One day a gentleman came to visit Don Bosco in the refectory after dinner. After having talked with him for some time the saint came out under the porticoes. Immediately the boys noticed him, they ran as usual to gather around him. Don Bosco after he had made them go back a little told them all to sit down in a large circle. He himself also sat down on the pavement. Then turning to the gentleman who stood looking at him in surprise he asked him to lend him his stick and invited him to be seated on a stool which had been brought. Then taking the stick he commenced to perform some very difficult feats. He made it jump from the tip of one finger to another, then to his arms, his elbows, his shoulders and his nose without ever touching with his hand or without letting it fall. The boys were almost beside themselves with wonder for days afterwards, they would talk of nothing else. 

However these games and tricks did not make him forget his vigilance over his flock. He was in very truth, an expert in knowing his own reason to think they were treating of improper things or murmuring. He would call one and ask, "can you do me a favor? Take the key to my room, and bring me such and such a book from the bookshelf." The boy would run there, but generally the book was not to be found. At the end of the recreation he would return to Don Bosco; thanking him he would send him to school. At another time he would send one to the door-keeper to see if such a stranger had arrived or not, a second to look for a companion with whom he wanted to speak, a third to see if the Prefect were in his office, a fourth to bring a biretta, to deliver a letter or to ask a teacher some school roll. He was in truth very ingenious in devising such ways. The boys being constrained to bring back an answer used to run as quickly as they could, content to be of service to Don Bosco without ever dreaming of the reason why they had been sent on such a mission. -Don Bosco was extremely prudent, for he knew only too well that a suspicious superior causes murmuring, irritates those who are not too good, renders suspicious those whom he ought to lead to good and loses the affection of all. 

JANUARY 3

Don Bosco used to entertain his boys in many ways, as Joseph Brosio narrates in the following article.  

Whenever Don Bosco had some presents which he wanted to distribute among the boys, and he could not or did not wait to draw lots for them or give them as prizes to the winners of some game, then he would think out some trick which would make the boys laugh or excite their curiosity. Many times he came into the playground carrying with him fruit, cakes or sweets. And not knowing which game to play he would promise to give them to the one who had a bigger span than himself. Accordingly the length of every one's span was taken, namely from the end of the small finger to the end of the thumb. But as Don Bosco had a very small hand most of the boys won and obtained the prize, to the great enjoyment of all. In fact the measurement of hundreds of hands used to excite attention and provoke fun together with the continual jokes of Don Bosco. Even those boys who had smaller spans than Don Bosco used to receive an equal portion. At another time the gifts would be offered to those who had smaller spans than himself. 

But his charitable artifices would not end here. At other times he would take the hand of a boy and place it on his own left hand with the palm facing upward then he would strike it with his open right hand. If the blow! produced a loud noise he would say, "good, we agree." But if the noise was such that it showed that the air had not been compressed in the manner he had expected, he would exclaim: "oh, between you and me, things do not go smoothly." If no sound at all resulted from the blow, he would bend down and ask smilingly, "What do you think of that? We, do not agree." 

Often these last words would not be said for fun, but generally they were given as a counsel with some further explanation to the one who had need of it, it might be to a proud boy, or one who was negligent in study and work or in the frequenting of the sacraments or one who was suspected of immoral conduct It is obvious that only those noises which Don Bosco wished would follow, for they all depended on the way he shaped his hand. Nevertheless that word "we do not agree" accompanied by a look of fatherly tenderness would always produce the desired effect How often one would see certain pupils blush with shame or lower their eyes. Instead when Don Bosco would say, "good, we agree" the joy of the boys seemed almost inexpressible. 

JANUARY 2

One day he said to a boy who had not been to the Sacraments for several months. "Hello, my old friend! Would you be ready to dine with me tomorrow?" To the boy's ready affirmative reply he added "but remember I dine tomorrow morning at half past seven" alluding to Holy Communion during Mass. 

It was indeed a pleasing spectacle to observe Don Bosco surrounded by many pupils passing one by one in review. To this one "how are you?" To that one "are you good?" To a third "are you truly a little angel?" Thus saying he would close his hand, straighten out the first finger and the little finger thus making a pair of small horns. The boys on seeing this used to laugh and imitate his action on the head of the companions in front of them. To one of the little boys who was leaning his head on his arm Don Bosco would say, "keep quiet" to another "Ah! You little rascal" and he would jokingly threaten him with is finger. To another boy "it is my desire that we should be friends; but really and not in fun." "Tell me are you my friend?" While to another he would say, "and when shall we have a talk?" 

The boy addressed knew only too well that he wanted to speak of things concerning his soul and his vocation. 

Sometimes he would give a piece of advice to one boy; then turning quickly to another would ask him "have you understood?" 

At other times when a boy approached him, keeping tight hold of the boy's hand he would say: "go and play". Then he would turn and continue to speak with those around him; after a little while he would turn to the little prisoner in surprise and repeat "go and play; what are you doing here?" "But if you don't let me go, how can I?" Don Bosco, as if he had not noticed the boy's remark would continue to hold his prisoner and carry on his conversation, then turning he would say: "but why are you still here?". 

Then Don Bosco would release the boy who would run away jumping with joy. He especially used these tricks with those who tried to keep away from him. 

When he noticed one whom he suspected of grumbling to himself, on seeing him silent and thoughtful he would suddenly ask, "what did you say?" 

-"I? Nothing!" -

-"Oh! I thought you had spoken." 

By surprising them he used to make some fantasy of theirs vanish. All these phrases of his would generally finish in a confidential word which the pupils called: "the word in the ear". But what was this word which we have mentioned so often in our Biographical Memoirs? It was like the echo of the word of God. "Living and effective and more piercing than any two edged sword; and reaching into the division of the soul and the spirit" (Heb 4:12) 

JANUARY 1

Mons. Bertagna when speaking of Don Bosco's many little tricks would solemnly affirm: "charity used to suggest to Don Bosco so many holy tricks in order to gain souls to God that to speak of all would be an extremely difficult task. They were so many and so wonderful that they surpass all praise." So to those which we have already related and which we shall treat more at length in order to render them clearer and preserve the order of our narrative. 

The first preoccupation of Don Bosco was to put into practice his device or motto: "serve the Lord in gladness". Thus the most important factors of the life of the oratory were Fear of God, work and untiring study and to crown everything, holy joy. And this wonderful mixture rendered the life of the boys of Valdocco joyful, enthusiastic and ineffably sweet for almost all of them. One who has never witnessed such a scene will find it extremely difficult to form an idea of the din, the ingenuous lightheartedness, the games and joy of those recreations. The playground was indeed the scene of lively movement and Don Bosco was the soul of it. It was in truth a joy to Don Bosco to see his boys so innocently occupied. The boys knowing that when he could be, he would take part in their games. They would otherwise every now and then look longingly towards his room, and when at length he would appear on his balcony a loud cry of contentment would burst forth from those lusty youthful lungs. Then most of them would run to the bottom of the stairs to meet him and kiss his hand. 

There have been very few people in the world able to attract people to them as Don Bosco did and fewer still who have been known to avail themselves of this affection for the good of the children. Mons.. Cagliero, the clerics and the boys themselves used to say of him: "in him was seen the goodness of our Savior". 

"Cheer up" these were his first words to the new boy whom he saw sad and gloomy. And these two words coming from his lips produced a magic effect. They used to dissipate all sadness and to such an extent that the boy felt himself ready and willing to perform his every duty.

"How are you?" he would ask another and if he thought it necessary he would inquire whether anything was lacking. During the winter if he thought a boy was suffering from the cold, he would catch him by the arm in order to see if he were wearing a sufficiently thick woolen pullover, then he would say, "but you have not got enough clothing!" Have you a sufficiently warm blanket on your bed?" Then he would send him at once to the guest master to get what was necessary. He used to do the same to all he found suffering, yes even to those whose parents ought to have provided for them. He would always let the boys know in some manner or other that he also had at heart whatever might interest them. So he would ask them news about their parents, their family, their parish priest, their old school master and others of their native places whom he had had the chance of knowing. When they were writing home he would tell them to give his best wishes to this or that person but especially to their mothers and fathers. In fact, everything which could be of interest to his boys formed the subject of his conversation; their parish churches, their steeples and the most memorable facts of their provinces, for he knew by heart all the events of all the towns and villages of the Sardinian states. The boys on hearing the praises of their villages and provinces could scarcely contain their joy and would always remain grateful to their father and superior for such paternal kindness. 

At the school of Don Bosco

A     -Always trying to serve god

            B     - Being Christian Means Sharing With Christ The                         Mystery Of Salvation

C      -Courage To Face Challenges Without Running Away From Them

D     -Devotion To The Holy Eucharist

E     -Ever Growing In Gratitude For The Gift Of Vocation

F      - Friends To All, By Loving And Caring

G     - Give Me Souls And Take Away The Rest

H     - Holiness Of Life

I      - In Our Deeds Let Us Reveal The Indwelling Presence     Of He Trinity

J      -Jesus, Mary And Joseph

K     -Kindness And Gentleness Of Christ

L     -love of god and love of neighbour

M    -Mary Help Of Christians

N     -Never Yielding To The Desire For Earthly Reward

O     -Offering Osur Genuine Service To Those In Need

P      -Purity Of Intention

Q     -Quit All Desire Of The Flesh To Keep Steady Mind

R     -Reason, Religion And Loving Kindness

S      -Salvation Of Souls

T      - Total Dedication

U     - Union With God

V     -Virtuous Of Life

W    -Work And Temperance

X      - X’t Is The Master Of Our Life

Y      - Young Must Not Only Be Loved But They

Must Know That They Are Loved

Z     - Zealously Following The Path To Holiness

Don Bosco Month

Saint John Bosco, who is our central inspiration of our Salesian life, was a towering personality in the affairs of both church and state during the critical 19^th century in Italy. He was the founder of two very active and famous congregations during the difficult period of history. He was a saintly educator of troubled youth. He is known familiarly through out the world simply as DON BOSCO. His preventive system based on reason religion and loving-kindness is one of the most accepted methods of education.

During this month we have the great opportunity to know more about him. Through his life Don Bosco teaches us three lessons mainly. The first; God still raises up weak things to confound the strong and that he gives to those for doing good for surpassing their own natural strength. Don bosco began his work in poverty and obscurity in the midst of ever recurring difficulties and contradictions. But now his name is known the world over. The providence of God is clearly seen in the origin and growth of the Salesian congregation.

The second lesson is the necessity of educating the young. The preventive system imparts the fundamental virtues of the Christian life. The third is the role of religion and sacraments in the ministry of education particularly communion, confession and devotion to our Blessed Mother.

May this month of Don Bosco help us to imbibe these values in our lives and may enable us to know him and imitate him as a model, inspiration and guiding force.

DON BOSCO A MAN SENT BY GOD—(1815- 1888)

My dear friends of Don Bosco,

The month of January is very dear to Salesians. As we are going to be his sons let us also cultivate a special devotion to Don Bosco.

   

Don Bosco was born in Italy on 16^th August 1815. He lost his father at the age of two. Then began the agony and ecstasy. At the age of eight we find him in standard one facing the ridicule and shame of his classmates and teachers. When nine years old he had a dream: to be a leader of poor and abandoned youth of the world. He always felt that he was destined to bring courage and hope to millions of youth, the world over. God had given him a heart as large as the seashore and arms large enough to embrace the whole world.

            His capacity for hard work knew no limits. He was a tailor, a blacksmith, a technician, a musician, a builder, a writer, a juggler, a poet, a politician, a historian, a preacher, an educationalist and above all a SAINT. He could put his hands to anything and accomplish the impossible, all for the youth. DON BOSCO IS REMEMBERED MOST OF ALL FOR THE YOUTH. He is remembered most of all for his natural instinct both as an educator and educationalist. His system of education is the envy of thousands after him.

            His system of education is known as the “preventive system”. Prevention is better than cure. His method of education can be summed up in a few words.

“Crowd out evil with reason, religion and loving kindness”.

“Love the boys and let them know that you love them”

            His system of education excludes all violent punishments and tries to do without even the lightest chastisements.

To strike a boy in any way to make him kneel in a painful position, to pull his ears, and other similar punishments, must be absolutely avoided; they greatly irritate the boys and degrade the educator.