austraLasia #3159
ROME: 15 November 2012 -- The most substantial section in Peter Braido's 2nd (1992) edition of Don Bosco Educatore is now available in English. You can download the pdf version from here. Alternatively go to SDL to the English collection and search under the title: Don Bosco, Educator, Policies and Norms (1863-1878).
This third part (the two earlier parts are already available in translation; best search under 'creator'-Braido in that collection if you want all three) is the weightiest, both in the number of pages, close on 90, and for the depth of analysis contained both in Braido's (or Motto's) comments, and then in the footnotes and critical apparatus. As with the earlier translations, an effort has been made to provide English 'hooks' wherever it has been seen necessary to quote original titles or phrases in Italian or French.
But apart from the solid work done on the collection of texts that together make up Don Bosco's original handful of pages on the Preventive System (or original corrections on versions others had written up for him at his request), perhaps one of the most interesting sections in this Part 3 is the brief discussion with Francis Bodrato.
The Bodrato event has largely slipped under the radar, since it took place one evening at Mornese when the main focus (for historians at least) has been on the first encounter Between Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello that led to the eventual founding of the Salesian Sisters. Many of course would realise that Don Bosco had a brief discussion with a certain primary school teacher who lived in Mornese - his name was Francis Bodrato. What people may not realise is the following sequence of events:
- Bodrato had two children; his wife died and left him a widower, but as well as general teaching, running a small cafe, he also helped out with Maria Mazzarello's catechism classes.
- He was very impressed by Don Bosco's 'rag-tag' group of well behaved boys when they came to Mornese; it was actually one of the famous Autumn Walks... maybe the furthest away from Turin DB had attempted. Bodrato accepted Don Bosco's half-joking suggestion that he come up to Valdocco and really see what the boys were like on home turf!
- Having seen Valdocco, he immediately deposited his two boys into Don Bosco's care and stayed on himself - donning the clerical habit. (This all happened between 8th and 29th October 1864; by November 1865 he was a perpetually professed Salesian!).
- Don Bosco got him to upgrade his teaching qualifications to upper instead of just lower primary, then sent him to the newly opened Lanzo Torinese boarding school as Prefect of the house and school. He worked wonders in that role.
- Not too many years later Bodrato was ordained (1869), and continued in his Prefect role at Alassio and Borgo S. Martino. Don Bosco called him back to Valdocco and made him Economer General, but a year later needed someone to lead the second missionary expedition to Argentina - he appointed Francis Bodrato!
- Bodrato was parish priest in Buenos Aires for a year or two then was appointed Provincial of the first 'America' Province. He died two or three years later (1880).
Not a bad vocation story this one! But Braido's interest is more in the fact that despite the conversation between Don Bosco and Bodrato being almost entirely ignored at the time and only written up many years later, after 1880 and probably by John Bonetti, the 8th October 1864 conversation (that much seems certain) might be seen as a prelude to the text on the Preventive System more than a decade later.
It all makes interesting reading. Enjoy.
Part 3 of Braido's Don Bosco the Educator
This third part (the two earlier parts are already available in translation; best search under 'creator'-Braido in that collection if you want all three) is the weightiest, both in the number of pages, close on 90, and for the depth of analysis contained both in Braido's (or Motto's) comments, and then in the footnotes and critical apparatus. As with the earlier translations, an effort has been made to provide English 'hooks' wherever it has been seen necessary to quote original titles or phrases in Italian or French.
But apart from the solid work done on the collection of texts that together make up Don Bosco's original handful of pages on the Preventive System (or original corrections on versions others had written up for him at his request), perhaps one of the most interesting sections in this Part 3 is the brief discussion with Francis Bodrato.
The Bodrato event has largely slipped under the radar, since it took place one evening at Mornese when the main focus (for historians at least) has been on the first encounter Between Don Bosco and Mary Mazzarello that led to the eventual founding of the Salesian Sisters. Many of course would realise that Don Bosco had a brief discussion with a certain primary school teacher who lived in Mornese - his name was Francis Bodrato. What people may not realise is the following sequence of events:
- Bodrato had two children; his wife died and left him a widower, but as well as general teaching, running a small cafe, he also helped out with Maria Mazzarello's catechism classes.
- He was very impressed by Don Bosco's 'rag-tag' group of well behaved boys when they came to Mornese; it was actually one of the famous Autumn Walks... maybe the furthest away from Turin DB had attempted. Bodrato accepted Don Bosco's half-joking suggestion that he come up to Valdocco and really see what the boys were like on home turf!
- Having seen Valdocco, he immediately deposited his two boys into Don Bosco's care and stayed on himself - donning the clerical habit. (This all happened between 8th and 29th October 1864; by November 1865 he was a perpetually professed Salesian!).
- Don Bosco got him to upgrade his teaching qualifications to upper instead of just lower primary, then sent him to the newly opened Lanzo Torinese boarding school as Prefect of the house and school. He worked wonders in that role.
- Not too many years later Bodrato was ordained (1869), and continued in his Prefect role at Alassio and Borgo S. Martino. Don Bosco called him back to Valdocco and made him Economer General, but a year later needed someone to lead the second missionary expedition to Argentina - he appointed Francis Bodrato!
- Bodrato was parish priest in Buenos Aires for a year or two then was appointed Provincial of the first 'America' Province. He died two or three years later (1880).
Not a bad vocation story this one! But Braido's interest is more in the fact that despite the conversation between Don Bosco and Bodrato being almost entirely ignored at the time and only written up many years later, after 1880 and probably by John Bonetti, the 8th October 1864 conversation (that much seems certain) might be seen as a prelude to the text on the Preventive System more than a decade later.
It all makes interesting reading. Enjoy.
