Hajja Salesjana November December 2017

1 1 The first pages of the Memoirs of the Oratory are mostly a tale of poverty and hardship and the famine and drought of 1816-1818 are given great importance by Don Bosco. [John Bosco, Memoirs of the Oratory, 8-9.] Mamma Margherita was left a widow, with the duty of providing for three children, Antonio, Giuseppe and John. His Strong Personality John Bosco in his youth was by no means an easy character. Although he was gifted with splendid human qualities, the young John Bosco was not by nature the patient and gentle man we know. According to Pietro Brocardo, from Mamma Margherita’s two sons, one could say that of the two, Giuseppe was the most Salesian. [Pietro Brocardo, Don Bosco, Profondamente Uomo, Profondamente Santo (Roma: LAS, 2007), 22.] Giuseppe is remembered as a “gentle and serene soul, good, patient, and prudent.” [EBM I, 72.] On the other hand, John is described as a serious, reserved young man. At times, he was rather suspicious and distrustful of others. He avoided being caressed, he spoke little and was a very attentive observer. Lemoyne states that: “John was by nature at once quick to flare up and rather inflexible, so that he had to make great efforts to achieve self-control.” [EBM I, 72.] Testimonies during the beatification process illustrate the many qualities and traits of John’s personality. His parish priest Fr Antonio Cinzano described John Bosco “like all saints, was always individualistic and headstrong.” [Brocardo, Don Bosco, Profondamente Uomo, Profondamente Santo , 23] Theologian Ascanio Savio speaks of Don Bosco’s ability in “controlling his fiery temperament.” [EBM IV 390.] Fr Bertagna, a moralist and great friend of John Bosco, also testified that Don Bosco was hard-headed and was not always open to advice that differed from his own plans. [Sacra Rituum Congregatione, Transumpti Processus Ordinaria auctoritate constructi in Curia ecclesiastica Taurinensi super fama sanctitatis vitae, vol. I (Roma: Typ. Salesiana, 1899) f. 259 r.] He did indeed “find it difficult to obey and to submit himself and was at times like an obstinate baby.” [Giacomo Dacquino, Psicologia di Don Bosco (Torino: SEI, 1988), 84.] John Bosco’s doctor, Giovanni Albertotti, describes himas of a “strong and fiery character” who was “profoundly convinced of his own concepts and ideas.” [Giovanni Albertotti, Chi era Don Bosco, Biografia Fisio, Psico, Patologico (Genova: Poligrafica San Giorgio, 1929), 47.] A seminary companion of John Bosco, Fr Giacomelli, also testified that John had a sensitive nature and could easily lose his temper. Sensitive as he (John Bosco) was even in minor things, he would easily have been carried away by anger if he had been less virtuous. No other seminarian (and there were many) was so prone to flare up. It was evident, nevertheless, that John fought earnestly and steadily to keep his temper under control. [EBM I, 302.] Fr Michael Rua [Don Bosco’s successor] also highlights the efforts Don Bosco made to control his temperament. Notwithstanding his personality, John Bosco worked hard and showed great psychological maturity. Giacomo Dacquino states that: Achieving psychological maturity does not mean not having inner tensions, but means