THE STUDENT SOCIETIES

We have already mentioned the young groups that were established among both externs and interns o f the Oratory. An outline of the educative work o f Saint John Bosco would be incomplete if we did n o t point out that they were an “essential and indispensable part” 1 of the whole enterprise.

The Merrymakers One thing is certain: Don Bosco loved youth associations and the spontaneous formation of friendly groups. Witness the part he played in founding the Merrymakers Society at the boys’ school in Chieri.

He himself formulated the rules of this “society.” 2 “ It was each member’s duty,” he wrote, “to seek such books and to introduce such topics and amusements as would contribute to joy and cheer­

fulness and to avoid anything that might cause sadness, especially trespasses against the law of God. The M emorie delVOratorio quotes two basic rules:

1. Each member o f the society must avoid talk or action unbecoming to a good Christian;

2. Exact fulfillment o f scholastic and religious duties.

50 D O N BOSCO Their similarity to articles 1,3,5,6 of the Rules of St. Aloysius Sodality is surprising. There is much evidence that the group founded by Don Bosco as a student was a forerunner of the societies.

Birth o f the Societies Although one can find many points o f similarity in Don Bosco’s youth or in kindred movements (such as the Jesuit “ congregations”) the societies have to be viewed in the context o f Don Bosco’s work in the Oratory in Turin. “The birth of the religious societies,” writes John Marocco, “is inextricably connected with the work of Saint John Bosco.” 3

They arose in a certain environment as a response to definite spirit­

ual needs, as the story o f their foundation will show.

Saint Aloysius, 1847 As we have seen, the first society was that of Saint Aloysius. It sprang up among the day pupils in 1847.

Don Bosco had just settled in the Pinardi house and, after the difficult years o f the “ wandering O ratory,” he felt a growing impa­

tience to do something solid and permanent, above all, in the area of religious formation. The young apostle asked himself how he could give spiritual strength to the hundreds of boys who flocked to Valdocco on Sundays and holy days. He wanted “ to join together the more virtuous ones, awaken a holy emulation among them, and strengthen them by sheer force o f numbers against unwholesome forms o f peer pressure.”

The Sodality of St. Aloysius was the answer to these concerns. His choice o f this saint as patron showed not only the esteem in which

“his holy and restrained way o f life” should be held, but also that others could aspire toward it. It was to help each member to become, in gospel terms, “salt o f the earth and shining light among his com­

panions.” The rules established by Don Bosco emphasized these two aspects. They were subm itted to the Archbishop of Turin, who ap­

proved them on April 12, 1847.

Don Bosco’s requirements for membership were simple. He insisted especially on the duty of setting a good example (article 1), on fre­

quenting the sacraments (article 2), avoiding bad companions (arti­

cle 3), charity (article 4), work and obedience (article 6). He had to add eight “points” to these regulations, to define the organization of the society. The fourth is interesting: “ A priest with the title of spiri­

tual director will be moderator. A layman will be their leader.”4 The new group was received with “great enthusiasm.” Faced with a flood of applications for membership, Don Bosco imposed a m onth’s

“trial period.” The first enrollment took place on May 21, 1847, before a crowd o f oratorians who came to be present at the inception o f this new happening. The feast o f Saint Aloysius, celebrated on the following June 29, was made memorable by the visit of Archbishop Fransoni.

During the following years this society made rapid progress. The best boys of Valdocco were the first members and, by 1851, all the boarders were members. Don Bosco himself presided at the m onthly meetings.

Once a year he invited a few chosen members to lunch. In the mean­

time it was also established in the other oratories in the city. Don Bosco was able to enroll some very illustrious “honorary members.”

The list included Pius IX, Cardinal Antonelli, the Apostolic Nuncio at Turin, and various im portant persons in the Piedmontese capital. Even the great Cavour was seen taking part in one procession with a candle in his hand, singing the hym n in honor of Saint Aloysius.

During the cholera epidemic which raged in Turin in 1854, the boarding members of the society worked wonders.5 Spurred on by Don Bosco, who promised them that their lives would be safe if they avoided sin, they set out to nurse the sick and dying in the hospitals and in their own homes. The courage o f these fifteen or sixteen-year- old boys, all poor, aroused tremendous admiration among the people and the Armonia newspaper praised them highly in an article on Sep­

tember 16. In fact, no death occurred at the Oratory, while 2,456 people died in the city o f Turin, forty of them in houses close by.

Saint Aloysius was the first o f the Salesian student-societies. It served as the model for the others which were to follow.

52 D O N BOSCO the future saint was the determining force in the launching and success of this new association.6

According to Don Bosco’s account, Dominic, “ in agreement with his friends,” drew up the regulations which he presented to his director, who approved them. On June 8, 1856, before the altar o f Our Lady, the group read the regulations and promised to observe them. The most interesting articles concern the “absolute confidence” of the members in their superiors (article 1), the word of God (article 12), “the exact

by “ all the means that Christian charity suggests.” 10

Finally, the meetings were held once a week; they were kept secret.

Other Societies The development of the two groups of interns brought about the birth of three new ones.

On the advice of Don Bosco, in 1857, the cleric Bongiovanni founded the Blessed Sacrament Sodality. This society catered principally to the more mature members o f the two higher grades. Don Bosco himself had described the origin of this association: “After having helped Dominic Savio, to whom he was bound in holy friendship, found the Company of Mary Immaculate, Bongioanni, although still only a cleric, founded with his superior’s permission, another society in honor o f the Blessed Sacrament which sought to promote devotion.” 11

The same enterprising cleric also founded the Piccolo Clero, which aimed at “training the more virtuous pupils to serve at the sacred functions.” This second group remained a subsidiary o f the Blessed Sacrament Sodality. He wanted to foster in the students any inclination for an ecclesiastical vocation “brought out by the majesty and decorum of the sacred functions” which it sought to emphasize. Don Bosco states that this enterprise of Bongiovanni produced “excellent results”

with regard to emerging vocations.

Soon, however, it became evident that the artisans were overlooked.

In fact, the existing societies were either reserved for the students or not suited to the mentality and ability of the artisans. Don Bosco there­

fore decided that they should have their own association.

At this time (March 1859) it was the cleric Bonetti who adopted his idea and founded the Sodality of St. Joseph which quickly gained many followers. The regulations, drawn up by the first members and revised by Don Bosco, were primarily concerned with “the sm ooth running o f the Oratory” (article 5). We could say that Saint Joseph (like the Blessed Sacrament) merely adapted for its members the regulations of Saint Aloysius.

Father Ceria includes a sixth group among the societies, i.e., the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul, as a tiny cell of th at family of

54 D O N BOSCO

“ conferences” of the same name begun by Frederick Ozanam in Paris, in 1833. Don Bosco was very much in favor o f the Conference at Turin, and in 1857 he himself founded one among his boys at Val- docco. Its members had two goals: to teach catechism to the boys o f the Oratory and to help those who most needed material or moral assistance.

The Societies Outside Valdocco Don Bosco felt that the societies that had sprung up at the Valdocco Oratory were not m eant to be limited to that house. On several occa­

sions he had expressed the wish to transfer them to the other Salesian houses he had founded.

In 1863 he asked Michael Rua, whom he had appointed rector of a college at Mirabello, to see to it that “ the Piccolo Clero, the Sodality o f St. Aloysius, The Blessed Sacrament Sodality, and the Company o f Mary Immaculate were supported and encouraged.” 12

In a letter to the Salesians on January 12, 1876, he declared: “In every house give the greatest care to promoting the little associations. . . Let no one hesitate to talk about them, to recommend them, encourage them, and to explain their origin and purpose.” In the “Confidential Recommendations” addressed in 1886 to all rectors he once again insisted on starting the societies, especially the ones mentioned above in every new house o f the Congregation.13

Scope o f the Societies These few examples will suffice to show how much importance Don Bosco attached to the “little associations.” They fulfilled the purpose he had in mind, by making a valuable contribution to the personal and social development of the boys of the Oratory.

The role assigned by him to the societies can be summed up as follows: The associations serve to develop an elite; they are a “ seedbed”

of apostles; and eventually, they will contribute to the transformation of society.

Formation o f an Elite The associations serve, above all, to develop an elite; they are there­

fore not open to everybody. Even the St. Aloysius Sodality, which was the least exclusive, set certain basic standards for membership. This shows how carefully members were selected. A trial period o f one m onth was imposed for observing the regulations, setting a good example, receiving the sacraments frequently, and avoiding bad talk.

All the members, in fact, bound themselves to an exemplary life that was directed primarily towards acquiring the “virtues.” Since even the members o f the Conference of St. Vincent de Paul were bound to spiritual improvement, more so, therefore, were the others who were members o f more advanced groups.

The means o f personal development (and of attaining sanctity!) offered to the individual members are well known. They are those th at the apostle of Turin proposed to all his spiritual sons: fulfillment o f the duties of their profession, setting a good example, sociability, obedience, care regarding purity, frequent and beneficial reception o f the sacraments, and other devotions. For the members o f the Company of Mary Immaculate, however, special exercises were prescribed such as spiritual reading, direction o f conscience, fraternal correction. Next to following the example o f Don Bosco, who saw in the saints examples for Christians concerned about growing towards perfec­

tion,” 14 the members chose their model according “to their own age and circumstances,” i.e., Louis Comollo, John Bosco’s fellow semi­

narian, for the Company of Mary Immaculate; for St. Joseph’s, and for St. Vincent de Paul’s group, the two saints for which the associations had been named; St. Aloysius was chosen for the other three.

As to individual development, another interesting aspect m ust be pointed out, i.e., emphasis on responsibility and initiative,15 the impor­

tance of which was a major concern of Don Bosco for he wanted the societies to be “the work of the boys themselves.” His advice to the new rector of Mirabello was to make himself the “ prom oter, n o t the director,” of the societies. Naturally, they generally had a spiritual director who was a priest, but the rest was to be the affair o f the members themselves. It was up to them to get involved in the various activities of the group. The life of such an association involves num er­

56 D O N BOSCO ous activities and obligations such as organizing meetings, elections, choice of topics for discussion, the obligations o f practicing them­

selves w hat they had recommended to others, the importance of making decisions, abiding by them, and carrying them out, etc. By accepting responsibility, these associations developed their own human and Christian character.

Apostolic Formation In practice Don Bosco never used the term “ apostolate” with his boys, but it is clear from his spirit that personal development must lead necessarily to the human and Christian ideal o f service to others.16 One little phrase found in the biography of Dominic Savio is very sig­

nificant in this regard: “ The first thing I advised him to do in order to become a saint was to gain souls for God.” That was Don Bosco’s usual way o f thinking.

In order to gain souls for God, members were asked to perform good deeds for their fellow companions’ physical and spiritual well­

being. As to the first, various menial tasks such as making beds, polish­

ing shoes, brushing off clothes, as well as nursing the sick had already been performed by Dominic and Michael Magone who had proved themselves exemplary companions. As to the latter, members were asked to lead their fellow companions towards the practice of virtue and the reception of sacraments as well as to beware o f disorder, especially moral laxity. To achieve these objectives each member had to practice the real if somewhat restricted apostolate of setting a good example. The true member o f the society was to be “ a model for his companions,” and in order to be that he had to overcome the ever­

present peer pressure.

The higher the standard o f his companions the more committed he had to be himself. It was, said Father Rua, “A kind o f scale to be ascended little by little by his boys on the road to perfection.” Hence Don Bosco sent them, after a trial period of several months, to join the Sodality of St. Aloysius (students), or that of St. Joseph (artisans);

then came the Sodality o f the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the Piccolo Clero, and the Company of Mary Immaculate, where accord­

ing to regulations, the best and most mature boys were received, so th at they may take care of the spiritual welfare of their less perfect com ­ panions, especially the new arrivals.” 17

Many apostles had come along this road: Savio, Magone, Rua, Cagliero, Orione, etc. It is sufficient to recall that, with the exception of Francesia, the first Salesians all came from the ranks of the Com­

pany of Mary Immaculate which had served them as a sort of appren­

ticeship for the religious and apostolic life. Very skillfully, Don Bosco guided a boy from a less demanding society to one o f higher rank, and then higher still, until he came to the threshold of the Salesian novitiate in such a state of mind that the proposal to go yet a step further seemed the most natural thing in the world.

Transformation o f Environm ent Finally, these associations were intended to prom ote a healthy Christian atmosphere at the houses o f Don Bosco. Always concerned about the spiritual atmosphere in his houses, these groups provided a wonderful incentive for Don Bosco.

Passively, their members did their utm ost to prevent sin. Actively they sought to create and preserve an atmosphere of charity, piety, and purity in their own particular group or class by their own example, advice, and personal ingenuity.

There are not many documents extant to help us judge the fruits of their work at Valdocco. However, there is a passage in the Biographical M emoirs dealing with the year 1865 th at can give us a fair idea. Beneath the military terminology of Father Lemoyne it is possible to glimpse the task of student societies in a house that then counted several h un­

dred pupils: “ among them, as is often the case, there were a few who could n ot bear to be corrected, who did not want to obey instructions, and who sought secretly to make mischief and to sow discord . . . Scattered among them like phalanxes, the members sought to keep as many as possible on the right road, admonishing them and trying to keep them out of mischief and danger . . . ” Thus Don Bosco succeeded in maintaining order and morality in the O ratory.18 Nevertheless, it sometimes happened that the director of the Oratory had to bring to

58 D O N BOSCO bear the full force o f his authority to defend one or another of the associations, as for example when a group attacked the “bongioannisti”

in 1866.19

On the other hand, it is evident that these societies played an impor­

tant part in the system of education, as practiced by Don Bosco, a system that was based on confidence between teachers and pupils arrived at in an atmosphere o f openness and informality which pro­

m oted trust and m utual cooperation.

With the exception o f the St. Vincent de Paul Conference which was for the older, nearly adult boys whose range o f activities extended to the surrounding district, the societies were limited in action to a well-defined sphere. Moreover, their sole object was to support the work o f Don Bosco for the young, and he had great faith in them:

“I believe th at such associations can be called the keys to piety, the keepers o f morality, the support o f ecclesiastical and religious voca­

tions.” 20 The memory o f the example of Dominic Savio played an im portant part in establishing this confidence.

NOTES ON CHAPTER 5

1. This is the opinion of P. Braido. It will be useful to consult his chapter: P. Braido, II sistema preventivo di Don Bosco, 2nd ed., Zurich 1964, pp. 377-87. See also the very practical work of G.

Bozzo, Organizziamo le Compagnie, Turin 1954, and the almost entirely complete work of G. Marocco, Compagnie Gioventu Sale- siana. Origini, sviluppi, realizzazioni, Turin 1964.

2. Memorie delVOratorio, p. 52, 54.

3. G. Marocco, Compagnie Gioventu Salesiana, p. 1.

4. G.B. Lemoyne, Memorie biografiche, III, 214-21; 225-35;

407; and IV, 299-300. (English ed., Ill, 149-53; 154-60; 288; and IV, 208-09.)

5. E. Ceria, San Giovanni Bosco nella vita e nelle opere, ed.

cit. pp. 127-32. (The authors of these “ prodigies” were probably all members of the company.)

6. Joseph Bongioanni, one of the assistants of Dominic, places him only fourth among the founder-members. (Letter to Don Bosco in Beatificationis et canonizationis Servi D ei D om inici Savio . . . Summarium, Rome 1913, p. 241). We agree with A. Caviglia, Savio Dom enico e Don Bosco, Turin 1943, pp. 441-59. The date of 1855 for the foundation seems most likely. See G. Marocco, op. cit., pp.

26-31).

7. S. Giovanni Bosco, Vita di San D om enico Savio, 5th ed., Turin 1963, p. 73. (English ed., p. 99).

8. M. Rua, in Beatificationis . . . D om enico Savio . . . Summar­

ium, pp. 27-28.

9. E. Ceria, Annali della Societa salesiana, I, 642.

10. G.B. Lemoyne, Memorie biografiche, V, 484. (English ed., p. 316).

11. S. Giovanni Bosco, Vita di San D om enico Savio, ed. cit., p. 79. (English ed., p. 99). For these “other companies” see refer­

ences in the Memorie biografiche, [the Biog. Memoirs], and in the books of Bozzo and Marocco, both containing the text of the various regulations.

12. E. Ceria, Annali, I, 52.

60 D O N BOSCO 13. G. Bozzo, Organizziamo, pp. 18, 19, 22.

14. F. Desramaut, Don Bosco e la vita spirituale, p. 87. (English ed., p. 90).

15. This aspect is emphasized by P. Ricaldone in Don Bosco, Educatore, Turin 1951, II, 218-19.

16. G. Marocco, op. cit., pp. 55-60. On the theme of “ active charity and spiritual perfection” in Don Bosco, see F. Desramaut,

16. G. Marocco, op. cit., pp. 55-60. On the theme of “ active charity and spiritual perfection” in Don Bosco, see F. Desramaut,