Mailnews_old

World
2018.03.19 11:39

1407_Open Source Don Bosco Part 1

Views 464 Votes 0 Comment 0
?

Shortcut

PrevPrev Article

NextNext Article

Larger Font Smaller Font Up Down Go comment Print
?

Shortcut

PrevPrev Article

NextNext Article

Larger Font Smaller Font Up Down Go comment Print
austraLasia 1497

Open Source Don Bosco Part 1
(This is NOT an entry in 'towards #1500'.  One can hardly claim one's own prize! But keep them coming!)

ROME: 21st March 2006 --  That's correct, 'open source' Don Bosco.  In what sense, you ask?  This is the first of two items that will use the 'open source' idea to say something about Don Bosco.  The second will be a genuine reflection on how some of the features of the 'open source' philosophy were very evident in Don Bosco's approach, without claiming, obviously, that he could have known anything about the term, which has less than twenty years of existence.
    What triggered Part I of Open Source Don Bosco was the idea being noised abroad that Pope Benedict XVI, who mentions 'John Bosco' in his concluding section to Deus Caritas Est (in reference to him 
amongst others as a model of charity), is the first Pope to mention him in an Encyclical.  Are we sure about that? The second trigger was the chance discovery by a confrere in our region (so really, he could claim this as his 'entry' if he wishes!) of a single reference to Don Bosco in an Encyclical by Pius XI.  I decided to look a little further.
    Now, a definition of 'open source' is that one can go to the source code, see it and use it.  In this case the 'source code' is the Papal Encyclicals.  Using a very simple method, open to anybody, I simply went to www.vatican.va, opened up the papal archives in my Open Source Firefox browser, put the word 'Bosco' in the 'Find in this page' box under 'edit' and rapidly, and I mean rapidly, opened each encyclical from Leo XIII onwards.  If 'Bosco' wasn't there, he stayed red.  If he was there, he turned green!  The entire exercise took me 30 minutes and covered 208 encyclicals, of which Leo XIII wrote nearly 90 with nary a mention! Here are the results:
    1929: Pius XI in Mens Nostra, #10 speaking of the importance of the Spiritual Exercises' for the priest.  Pius XI there makes reference to the marvellous example of Joseph Cafasso who passed on this example and practice to 'Blessed John Bosco whose name is beyond all praise'.
    1935: Pius XI in Ad Catholici Sacerdoti, #77 speaking, obviously from the title of the encyclical on the importance and value of the priesthood.  He speaks of 'splendid names on the rolls both of secular and regular clergy' and the names include 'Don Bosco....We Ourselves had the consolation of canonizing'.
    1937: Pius XI in Divini Redemptoris, #63 this time speaking of the poor priest. 'A priest who is really poor and disinterested in the Gospel....a Don Bosco...' (listed along with a Cure d'Ars etc).
    1954: Pius XII in Sacra Virginitas, #20, noting that if certain people had a wife to look after they couldn't possibly have accomplished all they did! 'a zealous educator of youth like St. John Bosco' is amongst such names.
    So there you go, not only is Benedict XVI's the fifth mention of our Founder in a papal encyclical, but the full gamut of five offers a fairly complete range of reference: from Blessed to Saint, from 'a Don Bosco' to 'John Bosco whose name is beyond all praise'.
    And thank God for open sources and simple software!

______________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
    

  1. No Image 20Mar
    by
    in EAO
    Views 468 

    1929_One year on - fruits of the August 2006 EAO Brothers Seminar

  2. No Image 20Mar
    by
    in FIS
    Views 468 

    1783_Pre-Chapters and radical moves

  3. No Image 20Mar
    by
    in ITM
    Views 468 

    1743_Communications Feast of activity in ITM

  4. No Image 20Mar
    by
    in THA
    Views 468 

    1645_Thai Tsunami project complete: Salesian Family to the fore

  5. No Image 19Mar
    by
    in AUL
    Views 468 

    1577_Salesian Family begins preparations for Sydney World Youth Day: Fire in the heart of God!

  6. No Image 19Mar
    by
    in World
    Views 468 

    1406_Slovakian families to assist Solomon Island students

  7. No Image 18Mar
    by
    in KOR
    Views 468 

    1165_Korea: ASC in 38 Centres

  8. No Image 17Mar
    by
    in KOR
    Views 468 

    0857_East Asia Oceania:Korea's turn for ordinations

  9. No Image 16Mar
    by
    in PGS
    Views 468 

    0409_PNG PRIME MINISTER VISITS DON BOSCO IN PORT MORESBY

  10. No Image 15Mar
    by
    in AUL
    Views 468 

    0142_AUSTRALASIAN SALESIAN BROTHERS CONGRESS

  11. No Image 15Mar
    by
    in CIN
    Views 468 

    0082_ CRISIS SPURS RISE IN TEENAGE RUNAWAYS

  12. No Image 22Mar
    by
    in CIN
    Views 467 

    3218_“Do you remember me when you choose?”

  13. No Image 21Mar
    by
    in World
    Views 467 

    3010_A reader asks a question - of all of us

  14. No Image 21Mar
    by
    in KOR
    Views 467 

    2952_Seoul 'Dream' Youth Centre in Salesian hands!

  15. No Image 21Mar
    by
    in GIA
    Views 467 

    2846_Letter from Fr Gaetano Compri, Japan

  16. No Image 21Mar
    by
    in THA
    Views 467 

    2757_Thailand: Don Bosco receives a "thunderous welcome with prayer and songs"

  17. No Image 21Mar
    by
    in ITM
    Views 467 

    2742_ITM: important signs of growth

  18. No Image 21Mar
    by
    in World
    Views 467 

    2324_Some (very) useful material

  19. No Image 20Mar
    by
    in RMG
    Views 467 

    2102_Evangelisation: Thai province shows how to do it in practice

  20. No Image 20Mar
    by
    in World
    Views 467 

    2014_Christmas Eve

Board Pagination Prev 1 ... 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 ... 177 Next
/ 177