A Perspective on the Years from Priestly Ordination
to Permanent Oratory at Valdocco
1841-1846 based on Memoirs of the Oratory of St. Francis De
Sales
Between
the years of Don Bosco’s priestly ordination and the beginning of the Oratory
in Pinardi Shed, 1841 – 1846, the text (Memoirs
of the Oratory from 1815 to 1855: The
Autobiography of St. John Bosco) portrays young Fr. John Bosco growing in
spiritual maturity and in the concrete discernment of his priestly mission. Though,
little less than six years they constitute crucial years of discernment as they
point him the direction – the oratory for the poor and abandoned boys/youth –
which he would passionately pursue and develop till the end of his life and
after. Spirituality and mission are naturally tied to each other - the former
being the cause the latter the effect; one the internal source/inspiration the
other external manifestation – they are well twined in Don Bosco’s account of these
years of his life. The text is full of insights about his deep piety, trust in
the divine providence and zeal for the will of God. In fact no page goes
without a mention of divine presence and providence. However, only his
courageous ‘assent in faith’ to accomplish the will of God - to work for the
poor[1]
and abandoned[2] boys, children in greatest
danger,[3]
ex-prisoners,[4] young people,[5]
endangered youth,[6] the vagabonds,[7]
and the scoundrels,[8] (as it gets variedly
expressed) - makes a convincing argument for his spiritual maturity.
In
his record of the negotiation between Marchioness Barolo and himself about his
apostolate, he portrays his spiritual courage – the spiritual maturity of young
Fr. Bosco. He abandons such a luxurious apostolate to embrace the uncertain, thorny
future amidst the poor youngsters in and around Turin. I quote,
[M. Barolo:] ‘Give up either the work
for boys or the work at the Refuge. Think about it and let me know.’
[Don Bosco:] ‘I can tell you right now. You have money and will have no trouble
in finding as many priest as you want for your institutes. It’s not the same
with the poor youngsters. […] Therefore while I will continue to do what I can
for the Refuge, I will resign from any regular responsibility and devote myself
to the care of abandoned youngsters.’
[MB:]
‘But how will you be able to live?’
[DB:]
‘God has always helped me, and he’ll help
me also in the future.
[MB:]
‘But you health is ruined; you’re no longer thinking straight. You’ll engulfed
in debt […].
[DB:] ‘[…] My life is consecrated to the good of young people […] I can’t turn back from the path which divine
providence has traced out for me.’
‘In
that case,’ she concluded, ‘I give you three months’ notice. After than you
will leave […]. I accepted my dismissal, abandoning
myself to whatever God’s plan for me might be. [9] [Emphasis mine]
Such
was his trust in God; he could withstand every type of human rationale that
discouraged,[10] authourity that
threatened,[11] friends’ charity that
pitied,[12]
general impression that labeled him mad,[13]
public scorn and abuses[14]
to continue his work for the poor boys. The text is filled with material
relating the passion of young Fr. Bosco for poor and abandoned boy/youngsters:
his empathy, initial works, systematic functioning and the establishment of the
mission amidst difficulties and opposition. Our aim here is to present this twofold
growth interior (spiritual) and exterior (preferential option) of young Fr.
Bosco with textual evidences. We do this by analyzing them independently; the former
deals with characteristics of Fr. Bosco that highlight his divine consciousness
and the later focuses on his growing clarity about his mission.[15]
Spiritual
Maturity
After
years of reading, study, educative experiences (good/bad) before and during his
seminary formation and counsel of elders young Fr. Bosco grows in conviction
about the divine authorship of life. During those first few days after the
ordination 4 June 1841, newly ordained Fr. Bosco is unable to understand the
miracle of his life from a peasant boy to a priest. As he gently recollects his
journey to priest hood, I quote “[a]t the Memento in that unforgettable Mass
[his first Mass in the Church of St. Francis of Assisi 5 June 1841] I
remembered all my teachers, my benefactors-spiritual and temporal and
especially the ever-lamented Fr. Calosso […]”[16]
he could not but attribute it to divine providence. Three days later, as he
returns home after celebrating mass in his native parish he breaks down at the
extraordinary benevolence of divine in his life. He writes,
I
went home that evening [after celebrating the Eucharist and the dinner arranged
by his parish priest] to be with my family. As I drew near the house and saw
the place of the dream I had when I was about nine, I could not hold back the tears, I said: ‘How wonderful are the ways of Divine
Providence! God has truly raised a poor child from the earth to place him
amongst the princes of his people.’
Young
Fr. Bosco gradually realizes that human skill, ability and reason prevail only
by their collaboration with the divine who is the source, the sustenance and
the end of life. Hence we find in his life a repeated appeal to divine
approval, as well as a cautious discernment of the human will, reason and
desire to clear-off selfish or self-centered inclinations. We find such
scrupulous discernment in his discussions with Fr. Joseph Caffasso[17],
his spiritual director. Take the cases: One after the ordination,
At
the end of the holidays, I had three situations to choose from. I could have
taken a post as tutor […]. Before I made a final choice, I sought out Fr.
Caffasso in Turin to ask his advice. […] That holy priest listened to
everything […]. Without a moment’s hesitation, this is what he said: ‘You need
to study moral theology and homiletics. For the present, forget all these
offers and come to the Convitto.’ I willingly
followed his wise advice […].’ [Emphasis mine]
And
the other at the completion of his studies at the Convitto, he recalls,
When
I had completed three years of moral theology, I had to undertake some specific
sacred ministry. [… Amidst varied offers] one day, Father Caffasso took me
aside and said, ‘Now you’ve finished your studies, you must get to work. […]
What is your particular bent?’
[DB:]
‘Whatever you would like to point me towards.’
[JC:]
‘There are three posts open: curate at Buttigliera d’ Asti, tutor in moral
theology here at the Convitto, and director at the little hospital beside the
Refuge. Which would you choose?’
[DB:]
‘Whatever you judge best.’
[JC:]
‘Don’t you feel any preference for one thing rather than for another?’
[DB:]
‘My inclination is to work for young people. So do with me whatever you want. I
shall know the Lord’s will in whatever you advise.
[Fr.
Caffasso then asks to take a break for few days then come to him to know the
decision. But Fr. Bosco doesn’t show up.]
[JC:]
‘Why don’t you ask me about your destination?’
[DB:]
‘Because I want to see the will of God in
your choice and I don’t want my desires in it at all.’ [Emphasis mine]
In
both the incidents we find an involved discussion going on to discern the
divine will for Young Fr. Bosco. He surrenders to the counsel of Fr. Caffasso.
Later as he writes about his life and mission he would attribute everything
good about his work to Fr. Caffasso. I quote, “Fr. Caffasso, who for six years
had been my guide, was especially my spiritual director. If I have been able to
do any good, I owe it to this worthy priest in
whose hands I placed every decision I made, all my study, and every
activity of my life”[18]
[emphasis mine].
His
trust in the divine providence and total surrender to the divine will gets
further strengthened with experiences of human isolation and divine comfort. In
moments of uncertainty, anxiety and worry about his mission there is a mention
of unexplainable divine intervention. One classical example would be the agony
of his heart as to the future of the Oratory at the threat of Mayor Marquis
Cavour,[19]
denial of the place by Filippi Brothers,[20]
and dismissal of his work by well wishers and friends[21]
and the miraculous offer of a new Shed with good open space for the oratory.
Recalling the drama of those moments he writes,
They all kept away from me. The archbishop did not
interfere. Fr. Caffasso advised me to bide my time; Dr. Borrelli kept quiet.
Thus all my helpers left me alone in
the midst of about four hundred boys.[22]
We came the last Sunday on which I was allowed to
keep the Ortaory in the field (5 April 1846). I said nothing at all, but
everybody knew how troubled and worried I
was. With no one to help me, my energy gone, my health undermine, with no
idea where I could gather my boys in the future, I was very disturbed. I withdrew to one side and as I walked alone I began to cry […].
[Then we have complete narration of how divine providence turns in with the
offer of the place by Mr. Joseph Pinardi through Mr. Pancrazio Soave].[23]
[Emphasis mine].
Thus
an honest search for the divine will, passionate adherence to it, and the assent
in faith in times of test characterizes young Fr. Bosco. They place in record his
spiritual maturity.
Clarity in his Priestly Apostolate
As
a necessary consequent to any sincere spiritual maturity (a mystic) young Fr.
Bosco gains greater clarity about his mission in response to the
socio-economic, religio-political climate of his time (a prophet). From a vague
understanding of his charisma among children, boys and youngsters he makes a
preferential option to be a full time priest working for the wellbeing of poor
and abandoned boys/young people in and around Turin[24]
at Valdocco.[25] The text presents him
consistently labouring on a discernment (seeking the divine approval) of his
priestly apostolate and its relevance, by reflecting over his experience of the
plight of the young people he finds in the prisons, workplaces and streets,[26]
observing models,[27]discussing
the subject/matter with different persons – spiritual director,[28]
friends,[29] bishop,[30]
well wishers,[31] fellow priests,[32]
and mayor[33] - and with few
experiments[34], to gain a definitive
perspective of the what, why and how of his priestly mission. Though he
connects the certitude of the divine commission his mission by his allusion to
dreams[35]
which could have been the case, yet his rigorous discernment with people around
him serve to cut apart the sincerity of his interest to work for the poor and
abandoned youth – the hidden divine commission.
As
regards the number of boys the text speaks of a phenomenal rise from single
digits to hundreds, making accommodation the urgent need of young Fr. Bosco’s
work. This of course becomes the preoccupation of young Fr. Bosco with oratory
finally after great turmoil finding a permanent place in the Pinardi Shed.
Speaking about it Don Bosco writes,
We
spent seven months there [the space given by Marchioness Barolo in the little
hospital]. We thought that we had found heaven on earth; then we had to leave
our beloved asylum and go to look for
another.[36]
[Further
he quotes Dr. Borrelli’s talk to boys during one of those irritable movements
from one place to another] ‘There, beside the little hospital a real Oratory
began, and we thought we had found true peace, a place suitable for us. But
Divine Providence ordained that we had to move again and come here to St.
Martin’s. How long will we stay here? We
don’t know. […] Will we be here
long, then? We mustn’t let this thought worry us. Let’s throw all our worries
into the Lord’s hands; he’ll take care of us. […] He’ll show us a good place
for contributing to his glory and the good of our souls.’[37]
[Emphasis mine.]
Amidst
all this difficulties, young Fr. Bosco comes to terms with his priestly mission:
the oratory and its relevance. About the type of boys who would frequent the
oratory he has a list that would include an ex-prisoner to poor children/boys
in the pavements.[38]
He explains his work as training them to become good Christians and honest
citizens.[39] He would always argue its
relevance from its preventive effect on the vicious cycle of juvenile
delinquency and its care for their spiritual growth as most of them were
non-church-goers. [40]
Conclusion
Our
aim was to give a perspective on the inner journey of Don Bosco as a young
priest discerning the divine will in his work for the poor and abandoned young
boys. Despite the text being crowded with accounts of activities, it gives us
an insight into the growth of spiritual maturity and clarity in apostolic
mission of young Fr. Bosco. The research moreover has shed light on the gradual
process through various experiences – feeling abandoned, anxious, uncertain,
disapproval from authority and friends, divine providence - that has led him to
his spiritual maturity and mission. Being a member of his family, we could
always learn from him to steer clear in our life and mission. In fact, it forms
part of his aims, in writing these events.
[1] Memoirs of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales: From 1815 to 1855 The Autobiography of Saint John Bosco,
trans. Daniel Lyons, Indian edn. (Bangalore: Kristu Jyoti Publications, 2009) 131.
The number here refers to the page number of this edition. Henceforth it would
referred as MO.
[2] MO, 116 see also 131 and 99.
[3] MO, 104 and 105.
[4] MO, 104 and 106.
[5] MO, 108.
[6] MO, 116.
[7] MO, 135.
[8] MO, 130.
[9] MO, 135-136.
[10] MO, 134-135.
[11] MO, 130.
[12] MO, 133.
[13] MO, 132 and 124.
[14] MO, 124.
[15] The task is no
less difficult given the text being an autobiography composed for purposes no
less than proving the divine origin of the apostolate. Despite the genuine
expressions of his life, more than once we find holy old Don Bosco (the author)
trying to put things in order, shed light on the event or make a summary statement on the issue. Take for example
Fr. Bosco following the advice of Fr. Joseph Caffasso joins Convitto Ecclesiastico
on 3 November, 1841. He makes a mention that the priests of the Convitto, Fr.
Caffasso more directly, introduce him to the young prisoners. But in the next
two chapters describing the beginning of the Oratory situated around feast of
the annunciation in the following year (March, 1842), within four to five months
you would find text speaking of full-fledged oratory with its type of
activities, type of boys participating and young Fr. Bosco full of strategies
meeting the poor urchins. See pages MO,
96 -106. A careful reader recognizes the
Old Man Don Bosco speaking in such texts. Thus here lays the danger to confuse
the maturity of young Fr. Bosco to the experienced Don Bosco writing his
autobiography almost in final decade or two in his life. In this summary hence the fire is kept alive
to discern young Fr. Bosco his spirituality and his clarity about his priestly
mission; to present the man running around than the one who is now penning down
his life.
[16] MO, 91.
[17] Don Bosco is particular and
choosy about his spiritual director. Usually he selects one a friend, teacher
or guide only after a careful analysis of their life and virtues with a
magician eyes. He is inclined to Fr. Caffasso because of Fr. Caffasso integral
life. He would speak of him as ‘pure’, holy’, and ‘MO,del of virtue’. See MO,
24-25.
[18] MO, 98. See also 96.
[19] MO, 130-132.
[20] MO, 132.
[21] MO, 136.
[22] MO, 136.
[23] MO, 137.
[24] MO, 105.
[25] MO, 130-141.
[27] MO, 97-98.
[28] MO, 99 and 107-108.
[29] MO, 109.
[30] MO, 115.
[31] MO, 116.
[32] MO, 124-126.
[33] MO, 130-132.
[34] MO, 104-106.
[35] MO, 110-113.
[36] MO,117.
[37] MO, 118.
[38] See MO, 104-105.
[39] MO, 103.
[40] MO, 103. Further on this point a close reading of his negotiation
with Arch-Bishop, fellow priests and Mayor would help us understand the mind of
young Fr. Bosco. See MO, 115, 124-126
and 130-132.
