D on B o sco ’s activity was not ju st the expression o f purely tem peram ental activism. Itw asaconscious, willed ‘consecration’;a ‘mission’ w ithaprecise objective:
85 Letter toFrR ua, Jan. 2 4 ,1 8 6 9 , E I I 7.
86 Letter to Fr Dalmazzo, Dee. 9,1 8 8 0 , E III 639.
87 Cf. Appeal for a lotteiy, Dee., 2 0 ,1 8 5 1, Em 1 139-141; Em 1 141.140,186,222,314,317-319, 476-478,478-48 0; Em I I 130-131; E III 94-95,99-100etc.
88 Letter to Mrs. Broquier, Nov. 2 7 ,1 8 8 7 , E IV 386.
89 For example, Countess Charlotte Callori, E I I 183 (called ‘mamma’ the first time on Oct. 3, 1871), 191, 192, 225, 227, 230, 252, 259, 290, 306, 318, 487, 513, 523; Countess Girolama Uguccionim E I I 84 (called ‘mamma’ for the first time Aprii 13,1870), 1 5 8 ,188,197,203,228,243, 280, 324, 377, 488; E IV 63 ( ‘Our Good M amma in JC’); Countess Luigia di Viancino, E II 192; M archioness N ina Durazzo Pallavicino, E II 201 ( ‘merciful mother o f the poor’);
Countess Gabriella Corsi, EII 263,264; E III2 1 8 ,3 9 7 ,3 9 8 ,5 1 2 .
“The full accom plishm ent o f the salvation o f the young”. “The young’, as he put it to people “can really count on him as their Capital Resource; he is entirely consecrated to those to be educated, as he w ould w rite for all the educators in the pages o fh is
1877 The Preventive System in the education o f youth, Precisely for this reason Don B osco’s dedication to youth has a rhythm w hich is entirely distinet from the rhythm o fh is physical life: it even seems to grow with the declining or weakening o f his physical life.
Right from the first years o fh is apostolate, we find Don Bosco sick and forced to spend some months during the sum m er and autum n at his native village, to restare his already w eaiy body, m ainly because o f excessive work. And for the same reason, during the sum m er o f 1846, an alm ost fatai disease strikes Don Bosco.
A cknow ledgem ents o f being tired, o f having health problem s, o f suffering physically and m orally, are not so rarely scattered throughout his letters and to an increasing degree: “I am so overloaded with w ork this Lenten season, that I can take no m ore.” This is w hat Don Bosco wrote to his friend Canon De Gaudenzi in 1853.90 To Countess Callori on July 2 4,1 84 5 , after a series o f sad events, Don Bosco m ade this confidence: “D uring these days, ju st im agine how m any expenses, how m any troubles, how many responsibilities have fallen on Don B osco’s shoulders. However you should never think that I am down; I was only tired, and nothing else” .91
Don B osco’s condition became more precarious after the serious illness which struck him atth e end o f Decem ber 1871, at Varazze, and he would have more or less serious relapses later on, “As for the V illavernia business”, Don Bosco w rote to a Canon requesting a new foundation, “ I cannot even think o f it; we have no money nor have we ‘ad hoc’ personnel to staff it; and above all, my poor head has become tired and has no enterprising energy at all”92 “ 1 cannot even go to A lassio now ”, Don B osco w rote to B ishop G astaldi’s niece, “but everything will pass” .93Practically everything was due to excessive w ork, to a persistent eye problem , to early physical deterioration as he him self rem arked: “I am (extrem ely) tired, non plus ultra (C an’t do anything anym ore)” .94 “I am at Alassio, in pieces” .95
W hat defìnitely contributed to his poor condition w as his continuous m oving around, looking for charitable contributions, and his desk work. “It has been months now since I go to m y desk at 2 pm and get away from it at 8:30 pm for supper tim e” .96
90 Letter March 6 ,1 8 5 3 , Em 1 193.
91 EmII 152.
92 Letter March 18,1872, E I I 200.
93 Letter July 2 2 ,1 8 7 3 , E I I 294..
94 Letter toFr Rua, July 1877, E I I I 198.
95 Letter to Fr Rua, July 1877, E III 201.
96 Letter to Fr Bodrato, May 1877, E III 172.
N aturally, this was done after the ordinary w ork o f a long m orning; it was often prolonged into late evening hours, by lamp light, when his eye ailment allowed him.
“This latest (missionary) expedition has made both my legs and my purse quite tired”.97
“ In spite of so many projects, 1 was not able yet to have an hour’s vacation this whole year... Sum m ing things up I no longer know w here to start and where to stop”.98
To thè end o f his life, Don Bosco was bothered by his eyes, often recorded in references in his letters. “ M y consultations with the oculist came up with the following verdict: as far as the right eye is concerned, there is a little hope; the lefit eye may be kept a tth e statas quo, by stopping to read and w rite” .99 “M y eyes are gone and I can no longer w rite” .100 “ My eyes have som ehow im proved”.101 “PS. lt ’s the first handwritten letter for four m onths”.102
Added to his eye troubles was reference to his generai health during the last years o f his life: “I cut it short because my stomach is very tired”.103 “M y health is not bad but it is not very good either. I’m always very tired” .104“My health has ups and dow ns”.'05 ‘T m here at San Benigno Canavese: very tired” .106“1 am half blind and I can hardly write, therefore bear with my bad handw riting”.107 “ I have become very old and half blind”.108 “ I have waited to write for several months but my old lazy hand kept forcing me to delay this pleasure. N o w I feel that the sun is about to set; and so I thought it best to leave you some written thoughts as the will and testam ent o f one who has always loved you and stili loves you”.109 “I am almost blind, almost unable to walk, w rite, speak”. 110 “ 1 am here at Lanzo, h alf blind and h alf or entirely lame and alm ost dumb... I cannot use my hand to w rite”.1" “I find it hard to write; my days are running fast toward their end”.112 Even the very last letters we have repeat the same
97 Letterto FrFagnano,N ov. 14, 1877, E III236.
98 Letter to Countess Corsi, Oct. 2 2 ,1 8 7 7 , E III397.
99 Letter to Countess Callori.Nov. 14,1873, E II 318.
l00Letter to the bishop o f Vigevano, Mons. D e Gaudenzi, Dee. 1,1878, E III420.
101 Letterto Mrs. Saettone, Dee. 20, 1878, E III423.
102 Letter to Canon Guiol, March 2 9 ,1 8 7 9 , E III462.
103 Letterto Fr De Agostini, Jan. 4, 1884, E IV 248.
104Letterto Countess Bonmartini, Feb. 4 ,1 8 8 4 , E IV 253.
105Letterto Card. Alimonda, May 3 ,1 8 8 4 , E IV 259.
106 Letter to Fr D e Agostini, Sept. 2, 1885, E IV 338.
107Letterto Mrs, M aggi Fannio, Sept, 15,1 8 8 5 , E IV 339.
108 Letter to Fr Allavena, Sept. 24, 1885, E IV 340.
109 Letterto Fr Lasagna, Sept. 3 0 ,1 8 8 5 , E IV 340.
"“Letterto a young elerie, Oct. 5 ,1 8 8 5 , E IV 343.
111 Letter to Baronness A zelia Fassati Ricci, July 2 4 ,1 8 8 7 , E IV 382.
112 Letter to Mrs. Pilati, July 2 6 ,1 8 8 7 , E IV 382.
refrain: “I can no longer write. These are the last efforts o f my poor hand” .li3‘T can no longer walk or write and ifl do iti do it badly”.114
2.6 A man with a heart
Don Bosco’s heart never stopped loving to the very end. His pedagogy is identifìed with all his activity; all his action is identifìed with his personality; and all o f Don B osco’ personality is definitively summed up in one word: heart!
It is the heart as Don Bosco him self understood it: not only as the organ o f love, but as the centrai part o f our being, both at the level o f nature and the level o f grace.
“The heart w ants; the heart desires, com prehends, understands, listens to all that is being said; it is inflam ed with love, reflects and is m oving”.115 And a very intense feeling o f affection envelops all this. This affection is deeply rooted and always propetiy in check, but it is also an affection which, following the canons o f his own pedagogy, is expressed, shared and therefore visible and perceptible. This feeling o f affection moves in all directions but naturally and especially in the direction o f youth: this affection takes on, then, the tone o f an educative fatherliness. This is one o f the first w ords found in Don B osco’s vocabulary. A nd w hen Don Bosco wrote to the Father Borei, his first collaborator, this is what he said: “ Before leaving, we did not have much time to talk to each other. But may I ask you to act as a good father o f the family, in a house which isyours and m ine”.116
The community, the many communities o f boys, were Don Bosco’s family, Don B osco’s house, and Don B osco’s unique and great patriarchal family. This can be perceived intuitively from the thousands ofexpressions which emerge from his attitudes, words and writings, and particularly from his correspondence, often overflowing with nostalgie barely restrained feelings, affectionate recollections, concerns for others, willingness to be always present.
W riting once again to Fr Borei during the first m onths o f the Oratory, Don Bosco added: “It is OK for Fr Trivero to help at the Oratory. But keep an eye on him, because he deals w ith the little children too harshly and I know that som e o f the children have already shown their dislike. Make sure that oil is used to season everything we eat at the O ratory” .117
The thought insistently expressed in Don B osco’s letters is that o f w anting to hear news about his own boys, their teachers and to reassure them , one by one, that
113 Letter to Mrs. Zavaglia.M ancina,Nov. 7 ,1 8 8 7 , E IV 385.
114 Letter to Mrs. Broquier, Nov. 2 7 ,1 8 8 7 , E IV 386
115 P. Stella, Don B osco n ella sto ria d ella re lig io sità cattolica, voi 2, 37-38-116Letter, Sept. 3 0 ,1 8 5 0 , E m i 114.
117 Letter to Fr Borei, Aug. 3 1 ,1 8 4 6 , Em 171.
he keeps them in mind. “Give me plenty o f detailed news about my dear children and teli them that at every church I visited I never failed to say some prayers for them . But ask them also to pray for their poor Don B osco”.118 “Even though I cannot be exclusively concerned for the w ell-being o f the O ratory and our youngsters there while here in Rome, my thoughts always fly to w here m y treasure is, in Jesus Christ namely, to m y dear children a tth e Oratory. Several tim es during the day P m paying them a visit”." 9
A fter his illness, and w hile at Varazze, D on B osco m ade this announcem ent:
“N ext Thursday, God willing, I will be back in Turin. I feel a strong need to get there.
I live here in body, but my heart, my thoughts and even my w ords are alw ays at the Oratory in your midst. This is one o f my weaknesses and I cannot overcome it.. While you communicate this news to all our dear children teli them also that I thank them all, from the bottom o f my heart, for all the prayers they have said for me; teli them that I thank all those youngsters who have written to me and particularly those who have offered their lives on my behalf. I know their names and I shall never forget them”.120
“Teli our youngsters th at it looks to m e as though h alf a century has gone by since 1 saw them. I very much long to see them and teli them so many things” .12' “ We are at the end o f the year: sadly I find m y self away from my dear children; you will greet them all on my b eh alf’.122 “Extend my most cordial greetings to all our dear youngsters and teli them that I love them very much, that I love them in the Lord, and that I bless them”.123 “Teli all our dear youngsters and confreres that I w ork for them and that my last breath shall be for them. But they should pray for me; they should be good, and avoid sin, so that we may all reach salvation fo rali eternity. All o f it!” 124
A s we can see, Don B o sco ’s love w as shown equally for the young and their teachers who w ere also ‘his children’. We have frequentand affectionate references to his children’s teachers also. “Yesterday, (13(h) we had had a theatrical performance.
The play w as the fam ous debate between a lawyer and a Protestant Minister. It was a brilliant perform ance. M ino sang the IIfiglio delle esule and it was brilliantly successful but the thought that the very author o f the m usic was far away has deeply moved me; and so, all during the song in the performance I did nothing but think o f my dear Sons in South A m erica”.125 “You left me and you have really racked my heart. I
118 Letter to FrRua, Dee. 13,1865, Em I I 189.
119 Letter to Fr Rua, between Jan and Feb. 1870, EII 70-71.
120 Letter to FrRua, Feb. 9 ,1 8 7 2 , E I I 193.
121 Letter to FrRua, M a r c h 5 ,1 8 7 7 ,E H I 155.
122 Letterto Fr Rua, D ee. 27, 1877, E III 254.
123 Letterto Fr Rua, Feb. 2 5 ,1 8 7 9 , E III 447.
124 Letter to FrFrancesia, Aprii 12,1885, EIV 323.
125Letterto FrCagliero, Feb. 14,1876, E III 19.
picked up courage, but I suffered and could not sleep the w hole night. Today I feel m ore relaxed. M ay God be praised”.126
Don B osco’s thinking was alw ays accom panied by the particular tone o f his educative love, cheerfulness and an em phasised cheei'fulness for salce o f the youngsters who carne from poor fam ilies, often underfed, and often attracted by the prom ise o f festivities in the dining room , the theatre and the playground. Am ongst many, the following example will be p roof enough: “ Speak like this to your children:
Don Bosco loves you always, with all his heart, in the Lord. Don Bosco will remember you in a special way during his M ass on the Feast o f St Joseph. Since he cannot be present am ong you, he prom ises that there will be a party the first tim e he has the chance to visit you” .127