austraLasia #3378
The Becchi, Valdocco
TURIN: 23 February 2014 -- It's all been happening, either at Colle Don Bosco or back in Rome. The Chapter members go to Colle to be reminded of where 'Work and Temperance' had its beginnings for Don Bosco - in the hard work and thriftiness he learned from his mother. And this is how things began too at Valdocco once the oratory had a permanent location there. And what does Don Bosco do? He invites his mother to join him, giving us a 4 point plan (according to Fr Giraudo) for Salesian work and holiness still today: readiness to do God's will, complete trust in Providence, deatchment from human affections, poverty of spirit.
Meanwhile back in Rome ... Pope Francis gives the red biretta and gold ring of office to his new cardinals, amongst whom (pictured below) is Cardinal Riccardo Ezzatti, archbishop of Santiago, Chile. We can recall that this appointment reminds us of two other well-known figures in Salesian history who served in Chile: Don Bosco's Pope, Pius IX, had been Nuncio there - and DB collected stories about that. and Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez, an outstanding figure in the Latin American Church's struggle for the poor, (he died in 1999), was a former Cardinal-archbishop of Santiago.
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It wasn't all happening yesterday, apparently:
The bus arrived late from Rome yesterday, cutting short the time at Valsalice, and due to a transport hitch, 20 people, including 3 General Council members got left behind and didn't get there anyway! Oh well, as Robbie Burns once said, and Fr Cereda probably reflected afterwards (there's bound to be a Milanese version of Robbie Burns):
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
Back to top
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The Giraudo Presentations
"Work and Temperance: its origins at the Becchi and the incipient oratory"
"Work and Temperance: the radical, apostolic life style of the first Salesians"
Fr Giraudo based today's talks largely on the Memoirs of the Oratory. He drew especially on Don Bosco's description of life at home after his father's death and his mother's response of "hard work and thrift" (as well as seeing God's will and providence at work) suggesting that this is where the origins of 'work and temperance' really lie. From here he learned the basics of being an educator to faith, too, as she prepared him for the sacraments.
By the time he establishes a permanent home at Valdocco for the Oratory, Don Bosco is again looking to his mother to come and join him. She sings a little ditty wondering what people would say if they really knew they were penniless. At Valdocco, Don Bosco's charity, apostolic energy translates into detachment, sacrificial availability, hard work, fervour - all summed up in what eventually becomes known as the Da Mihi Animas Cetera Tolle.
If we are to learn something from all this, it is especially to Mama Margaret that we can look for an answer: her readiness to do God's will, her unconditional trust in Providence, her detachment from human affections, and her poverty of spirit.
Moving to Valdocco, Giraudo again draws on the Memoirs of the Oratory, but adds in additional material - positive reports on the Oratory at the time, likening it to a hive of busy bees, ordered, organised and purposeful. He refers to the Lives of Savio, Besucco and Magone (but we could also throw in others - together, the 'mixed bag' of Lives which Don Bosco wrote make interesting reading). A little-known document which readers might like to peruse, and the origins of our Mortuary letters, are the original mortuary letters written by Don Bosco - they illustrate precisely the sort of thing Fr Giraudo expands on in his talk: the typical features of Salesian 'work' which, like the 'busyness' referred to earlier at the Oratory is orderly, organised, suitable, useful, and above all sanctified. He concludes with reference to the dream of the Pergola of Roses.
Back to top
Cardinal Poletto urges Salesian Family to face the challenges
In his homily to assembled GC27 members in the Basilica of Don Bosco at Colle Don Bosco, Cardinal Ugo Poletto, emeritus Archbishop of Turin, put two pertinent questions to the congregation (also the Congregation!): (1) What is the Lord saying, or what would Don Bosco think of the pastoral and spiritual life of today's Salesians? and (2) What are the Church and the world expecting of the great Salesian Family today?
He urged the Chapter members to look to Don Bosco the educator, spiritual director of young people especially in the light of the diversified youth culture today. He saif that Salesians need to be "men of God" and "avoid the idol of activism". His prayer was that:
- the sense of belonging to this great Salesian family in the world may grow in you
- the world is your field; may you leave your enclaves and get out into the midst of it
- may the Holy Spirit enlighten you in the choice of the next Rector Major.
Back to top
Reminder of timetable for these days.
23 February Sunday
8.15 a.m. Morning Prayer in the St Francis de Sales Church, the first church DB built for his incipient permanent oratory after adapting the Pinardi 'shed' for the purpose originally. There simply had not been room for increasing numbers of boys.
9.00 a.m. departure for Colle Don Bosco about 30 kms away.
10.00 a.m. second major reflection by Giraudo: Work and temperance: its origins in Becchi and later at the beginnings of the Oratory. Break into 3 groups once more as above.
12.00 noon Mass in the now minor basilica of Don Bosco at Colle. Main celebrant and homilist is the emeritus Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Poletto.
1.30 p.m. Lunch
2.45 p.m. Back to Valdocco
4.30 p.m. Personal time to reflect in Pinardi chapel, Francis de Sales Church, the 'Camerette' (DB's rooms which he himself built and later extended), today's weekend (festive) oratory, the vault below the Basilica of MHC where the graves of the Rectors Major are.
6.00 p.m. 3rd key talk by Giraudo: Work and temperance: the lifestyle, radical dedication and apostolic zeal of the original Salesians. Again following this, 3 groups.
7.00 p.m. Evening prayer in the Basilica
24 February Monday
8.30 a.m. Off to St John the Evangelist's in Turin, the church built by Don Bosco close to his second oratory of 'San Luigi' (St Aloysius).
10.00 a.m. 4th and final talk by Giraudo: Work and Temperance: Don Bosco's motto as seen by his Successors. And again, 3 groups.
11.00 .a.m. back down towards Valdocco again, but this time to the Church of the Consolata where the Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia, will be main celebrant and homilist at the Mass to be celebrated at 12 noon. Our Lady of Consolation (the 'Consolata') is the Patroness of Turin. It is a fascinating history as to how this came about - check it out on the Internet
1.30 p.m. Lunch at Valdocco and by 2.30 p.m. departure by coach(es) to Rome.
PS: The North American Provinces are running a Facebook page which will also help with information and background.
Back to top
Terminology
If there is any terminology used that you are unsure of, and you don't have the app, look it up in the Salesians A-Z web page
The Becchi, Valdocco
Work and temperance had its beginnings here
TURIN: 23 February 2014 -- It's all been happening, either at Colle Don Bosco or back in Rome. The Chapter members go to Colle to be reminded of where 'Work and Temperance' had its beginnings for Don Bosco - in the hard work and thriftiness he learned from his mother. And this is how things began too at Valdocco once the oratory had a permanent location there. And what does Don Bosco do? He invites his mother to join him, giving us a 4 point plan (according to Fr Giraudo) for Salesian work and holiness still today: readiness to do God's will, complete trust in Providence, deatchment from human affections, poverty of spirit.
Meanwhile back in Rome ... Pope Francis gives the red biretta and gold ring of office to his new cardinals, amongst whom (pictured below) is Cardinal Riccardo Ezzatti, archbishop of Santiago, Chile. We can recall that this appointment reminds us of two other well-known figures in Salesian history who served in Chile: Don Bosco's Pope, Pius IX, had been Nuncio there - and DB collected stories about that. and Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez, an outstanding figure in the Latin American Church's struggle for the poor, (he died in 1999), was a former Cardinal-archbishop of Santiago.
--------------
It wasn't all happening yesterday, apparently:
The bus arrived late from Rome yesterday, cutting short the time at Valsalice, and due to a transport hitch, 20 people, including 3 General Council members got left behind and didn't get there anyway! Oh well, as Robbie Burns once said, and Fr Cereda probably reflected afterwards (there's bound to be a Milanese version of Robbie Burns):
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft a-gley, [often go awry]
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy.
Back to top
---------------
The Beccchi where it all began
The Giraudo Presentations
"Work and Temperance: its origins at the Becchi and the incipient oratory"
"Work and Temperance: the radical, apostolic life style of the first Salesians"
Fr Giraudo based today's talks largely on the Memoirs of the Oratory. He drew especially on Don Bosco's description of life at home after his father's death and his mother's response of "hard work and thrift" (as well as seeing God's will and providence at work) suggesting that this is where the origins of 'work and temperance' really lie. From here he learned the basics of being an educator to faith, too, as she prepared him for the sacraments.
By the time he establishes a permanent home at Valdocco for the Oratory, Don Bosco is again looking to his mother to come and join him. She sings a little ditty wondering what people would say if they really knew they were penniless. At Valdocco, Don Bosco's charity, apostolic energy translates into detachment, sacrificial availability, hard work, fervour - all summed up in what eventually becomes known as the Da Mihi Animas Cetera Tolle.
If we are to learn something from all this, it is especially to Mama Margaret that we can look for an answer: her readiness to do God's will, her unconditional trust in Providence, her detachment from human affections, and her poverty of spirit.
Moving to Valdocco, Giraudo again draws on the Memoirs of the Oratory, but adds in additional material - positive reports on the Oratory at the time, likening it to a hive of busy bees, ordered, organised and purposeful. He refers to the Lives of Savio, Besucco and Magone (but we could also throw in others - together, the 'mixed bag' of Lives which Don Bosco wrote make interesting reading). A little-known document which readers might like to peruse, and the origins of our Mortuary letters, are the original mortuary letters written by Don Bosco - they illustrate precisely the sort of thing Fr Giraudo expands on in his talk: the typical features of Salesian 'work' which, like the 'busyness' referred to earlier at the Oratory is orderly, organised, suitable, useful, and above all sanctified. He concludes with reference to the dream of the Pergola of Roses.
Back to top
Cardinal Poletto urges Salesian Family to face the challenges
In his homily to assembled GC27 members in the Basilica of Don Bosco at Colle Don Bosco, Cardinal Ugo Poletto, emeritus Archbishop of Turin, put two pertinent questions to the congregation (also the Congregation!): (1) What is the Lord saying, or what would Don Bosco think of the pastoral and spiritual life of today's Salesians? and (2) What are the Church and the world expecting of the great Salesian Family today?
He urged the Chapter members to look to Don Bosco the educator, spiritual director of young people especially in the light of the diversified youth culture today. He saif that Salesians need to be "men of God" and "avoid the idol of activism". His prayer was that:
- the sense of belonging to this great Salesian family in the world may grow in you
- the world is your field; may you leave your enclaves and get out into the midst of it
- may the Holy Spirit enlighten you in the choice of the next Rector Major.
Back to top
Reminder of timetable for these days.
23 February Sunday
8.15 a.m. Morning Prayer in the St Francis de Sales Church, the first church DB built for his incipient permanent oratory after adapting the Pinardi 'shed' for the purpose originally. There simply had not been room for increasing numbers of boys.
9.00 a.m. departure for Colle Don Bosco about 30 kms away.
10.00 a.m. second major reflection by Giraudo: Work and temperance: its origins in Becchi and later at the beginnings of the Oratory. Break into 3 groups once more as above.
12.00 noon Mass in the now minor basilica of Don Bosco at Colle. Main celebrant and homilist is the emeritus Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Poletto.
1.30 p.m. Lunch
2.45 p.m. Back to Valdocco
4.30 p.m. Personal time to reflect in Pinardi chapel, Francis de Sales Church, the 'Camerette' (DB's rooms which he himself built and later extended), today's weekend (festive) oratory, the vault below the Basilica of MHC where the graves of the Rectors Major are.
6.00 p.m. 3rd key talk by Giraudo: Work and temperance: the lifestyle, radical dedication and apostolic zeal of the original Salesians. Again following this, 3 groups.
7.00 p.m. Evening prayer in the Basilica
24 February Monday
8.30 a.m. Off to St John the Evangelist's in Turin, the church built by Don Bosco close to his second oratory of 'San Luigi' (St Aloysius).
10.00 a.m. 4th and final talk by Giraudo: Work and Temperance: Don Bosco's motto as seen by his Successors. And again, 3 groups.
11.00 .a.m. back down towards Valdocco again, but this time to the Church of the Consolata where the Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia, will be main celebrant and homilist at the Mass to be celebrated at 12 noon. Our Lady of Consolation (the 'Consolata') is the Patroness of Turin. It is a fascinating history as to how this came about - check it out on the Internet
1.30 p.m. Lunch at Valdocco and by 2.30 p.m. departure by coach(es) to Rome.
PS: The North American Provinces are running a Facebook page which will also help with information and background.
Back to top
Terminology
If there is any terminology used that you are unsure of, and you don't have the app, look it up in the Salesians A-Z web page
