Our Lady and Don Bosco 10

The many works started and completed by our Venerable Father and Founder are admired by those who read their history. But what most strikes the mind of those who carefully examine them is seeing how these prodi-gious enterprises were conceived and carried out by the son of a humble peasant from Becchi, who not only was without any access to wealth and needed the help of several benefactors to become a priest, but also found himself impeded at every step on his journey by obstacles that seemed insurmountable.

Therefore his life, to those who consider it from a purely human and natural angle, appears to be an inexplainable enigma. It can be understood and relished only by those who know how he was lifted on the wings of faith into the spheres of the supernatural, and who with a Christian spirit see a miserable, deficient human project helped by the omnipotent hand of Divine Providence. That alone is capable of overcoming the difficulties and barriers so often placed in the way by human weakness and malice. Don Bosco could have no doubts regarding the continuous intervention of God and the Most Holy Virgin Help of Christians in the various events of his very busy life. It is enough to look at the large volumes of his biography [the Biographical Memoirs] to find countless convincing proofs.

At the age of nine, he saw in a dream a great crowd of poor boys whose ignorance and vice had made them like animals, and he received from a mysterious person, who was Jesus Christ himself, the order to take care of them and form them into good Christians. Protesting himself incapable of carrying out this challenging mandate, he was given as a guide and teacher the august Queen of heaven and earth. It was precisely her precious and sublime teachings that set him on the way to transform those unhappy boys

10 From the circular letter “On the 50th Anniversary of the Consecration of the Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Valdocco” (31 March 1918), in LC, pp. 258-274, at

into so many docile lambs.

From that day the Mother of God guided him in all the most important events of his calling, made him a learned and zealous priest, prepared him to be the father of orphans, the teacher of countless ministers of the altar, one of the greatest educators of youth, and finally the founder of a new religious society, which was to have the mission of spreading every-where its spirit and devotion to her under the beautiful title of Mary Help of Christians.

Speaking to his spiritual sons, he never tired of repeating that the work to which he had put his hand had been inspired by Mary Most Holy, that Mary was his strong support, and that therefore there was nothing to fear from the opposition of his adversaries.

Let me just remind you of the conference he gave on Sunday, 8 May 1864, to the Salesians in Turin.¹¹

In that meeting he revealed things he had never recounted before, made a summary of the history of the Oratory, of the various painful wanderings carried out before it settled in the house of Valdocco. He narrated how the hand of the Lord had struck down all those who had opposed his undertakings, revealed the dreams in which he had seen his future priests, clerics, and coadjutors, and even the very large number of young people whom Providence would entrust to his care. He also recounted what would be better called a vision, in which a lofty, magnificent church had appeared to his gaze, bearing on its pediment the inscription, Hic domus mea; inde gloria mea (“This is my house; from it my glory will go forth”). He listed the difficulties that arose from the beginning and were overcome with the help of God.

He added that he had revealed all of this to the Holy Father Pius IX, who had encouraged him to found our Pious Society. Then proposing to himself the objection that perhaps he should not have manifested such things, which seemed to resound to his own glory, he refuted the objection peremptorily and forcefully, protesting that, far from having anything to boast about, he should even have had to render [to God] an awful account, if he had not done what depended on him to accomplish God’s will. Father Lemoyne says, “This revelation deeply impressed all and engendered tremendous enthusiasm.” (BM VII, 398)

In those same days, we saw the excavations begin by Don Bosco’s order for the foundations of the majestic new shrine with which he intended to

11 BM VII, 397-398.

attest to Mary Help of Christians his deepest gratitude for the graces and favours received from her.

Only those who witnessed it can get the right idea of the labour and sacrifices that our Venerable Father imposed on himself for three years to carry this work to its conclusion. He went knocking like a beggar from door to door, not only in Turin, but also in almost all the main cities of Italy, to collect the funds necessary for that construction, which many considered a rash undertaking, far above the strength of the humble priest who had set out to do it. His marvellous energy was supported by the certainty that what had already been done came from the protection of the Madonna, and that the Salesian Society, just getting started, would see a prodigious development when Mary Most Holy, Help of Christians, had a suitable shrine and throne in the meadows of Valdocco. Thus he showed himself to be a true disciple of our Saint Francis de Sales, who had written:

“I fully understand how blessed it is to be the son, however unworthy, of so glorious a Mother. Entrust yourself to her protection. Let us put our hand to great things: if we love her with ardent affection, she will obtain for us everything we desire.”

On 9 June 1868, to the amazement of everyone, our majestic basilica was consecrated by Archbishop Alexander Riccardo di Netro of Turin.

I remember as if it were today the solemn moment in which Don Bosco, radiant with joy, his eyes veiled with tears of deep emotion, was the first to go up to the high altar to celebrate the holy sacrifice of the Mass, under the compassionate gaze of his great Help of Christians. At those most solemn festivities, which lasted a good eight days, eight bishops increased the splendour with their sublime dignity, celebrating pontifically and proclaiming the divine word eloquently and profitably to the extraordinary crowd of the faithful, who came even from distant towns.

To those of us who were already older, it did not escape how the face of our Venerable Father seemed almost transfigured, and how he was tireless in speaking of his Madonna. We jealously preserved the memory of what he, reading into the future, told us on that occasion about the wonders that Mary Help of Christians would work on behalf of her devotees. How it consoles us now to see his predictions have come true!

Nor was all this enough to satisfy fully his great desire to attest his gratitude to Mary Most Holy, since, besides this inanimate material monument, he wanted to raise another living, spiritual one to her by establishing the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. To them he gave the mission of forming young girls in piety and virtue and

of spreading devotion to their powerful patroness throughout the world.

The prodigious development assumed in a short time by this institute, and the great good it wrought everywhere, are the best proofs that it, too, was founded by Don Bosco under heavenly inspiration.

But returning to our dear shrine of Mary Help of Christians, it is a fact that immediately after its consecration, we saw vocations multiply prodigiously in the Salesian Society, and rising at short intervals, as if by magic, many schools, festive oratories, and vocational schools, true arks of safety for many youngsters thus rescued from the danger of corruption and wickedness. The serious difficulties delaying the approval of our humble Congregation by the Holy See disappeared suddenly; and many missionary expeditions were sent to the Americas. Thus the prediction of Mary Most Holy was coming true that her glory would go forth from that shrine: inde gloria mea.

We can therefore rightly affirm that its consecration truly marked an epoch in the history of Don Bosco’s works; and that our most sweet Mother also wanted in this way to reward her faithful servant for the sacrifices he had made in order to provide for her in Valdocco a dwelling more fitting.

It will soon be fifty years since we witnessed the events briefly mentioned here. Our hearts rejoice that this whole period was nothing but an uninter-rupted series of wonders wrought by Mary Help of Christians on behalf of her devotees, just as our Venerable Don Bosco had predicted to us.

Due to the protection of our powerful patroness, the humble Salesian Society crossed mountains and seas, extending over almost the whole earth. This marvellous spread cannot be attributed only to the activity and spirit of initiative of Don Bosco’s sons. We who by experience know the weakness of our own powers must be convinced that we are indebted for everything to the Virgin Help of Christians more than to anyone else. So what shall we do to show her our gratitude?

This: The strong desire we have to make known to the entire world, if it be possible, that all Salesian works owe their origin and development solely to the protection of Mary, together with our hope that she will continue to support, guide, and defend us for the future, suggest to us the bold plan of placing in the hand of our most powerful Help of Christians a rich golden sceptre, adorned with precious stones. By this act we intend to proclaim with the greatest possible solemnity that she is our August Queen. …

This external ceremony, it is easy to guess, will be accompanied by the solemn consecration of our Pious Society to our heavenly Queen. The Rector Major will pronounce a prayer before her miraculous image, in

which he will present to her every single Salesian, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the Pious Union of Cooperators, and all our institutes, begging her to accept this offering, always to consider all Don Bosco’s works as her own, and always to keep them worthy of her protection and affection.

This consecration will be renewed in each of our houses, in the manner that the local superiors will consider most appropriate. I believe I am not mistaken in thinking that this homage will be appreciated more than any other by our Queen, and will make her graces and blessings rain in the greatest abundance on our works.

This will not be a novelty for us, since for a good twenty-five years in each of our houses a most devout prayer entitled “Consecration to Mary Help of Christians” has been recited every morning after meditation. For quite a while everyone felt the need to have, besides the common vocal prayers, a special prayer of the Salesians in which we set forth our particular needs and asked for the graces that best suit our state and mission. In 1894 the unforgettable Father Rua, from whose insight escaped nothing that could prove useful to our souls, thought it appropriate to fill this gap, and he proposed the aforementioned “Consecration”, which everyone welcomed enthusiastically and, being short, was easily learned by heart.

How sweet it is for the Salesian, in whatever nation he may be and whatever language he should speak, to hear every morning, at a fixed time in the day, a numerous choir of devout voices repeating this offer to our heavenly Mother, imploring her protection over our houses and our labours! Now, what we are accustomed to do every day in the humble, holy chapels of our communities, it is quite right that on the fiftieth anniversary of the consecration of our church it be done with all possible solemnity and fervour before the image of Mary, proclaimed our august Queen, and adorned with the golden sceptre, symbol of her royal dignity and power!