Hajja Salesjana July September 2018

9 the Oratory united the explanation of the catechism with pleasant games and pastimes. Unfortunately, this could only be sustained for a few months. In 1846, the Marchioness ordered Don Bosco to stop working with the boys so as to concentrate all his efforts on the girls at the Refuge. Don Bosco did not comply with her request and replied to her ultimatum with the words: “My life is consecrated to the good of young people. I thank you for the offers you’re making me, but I can’t turn back from the path which Divine Providence has traced out for me.” [John Bosco, Memoirs of the Oratory , trans., D. Lyons, ed. 2 (New Rochelle NY: Don Bosco Pub., 1989), 251.] One observes here that Don Bosco’s “inclination” had solidified into an option by which the spiritual wellbeing of all youth became the captivating concern of his ministry. The distinctive inspiration of all his apostolic endeavours, and of the numerous institutions which he founded, derived from this spirit. The Marchioness’ decision to send Don Bosco and his boys away from the Refuge marked the beginning of a painful time for the Oratory which did not favour order and continuity. After recovering from a grave illness in 1846, Don Bosco moved his Oratory of St Francis de Sales to the Pinardi shed in Valdocco, Turin. This move gave stability to the Oratory. A Credible and Charismatic Spiritual Director In all of Don Bosco’s endeavours, one constantly observes that faith was the core motivation of his efforts in favour of youth. Don Bosco’s faith was characterised by the desire to save souls and help youth achieve holiness, and he sacrificed everything to achieve this goal. As a result, although Don Bosco was a diocesan priest, one observes that he exhibited signs of a lifestyle typical of a religious. Motto notes that: Don Bosco had already accepted a radical form of poverty, he had in fact already refused various offers of pastoral work within the structure of the diocese that would have brought him a lawful salary (...) He practiced chastity beyond all doubt: given that he was working with difficult youngsters who had frequently been victims of negative and unsavoury experiences with companions or with adults. He professed obedience to his Bishop on whom he disposed in everything and for everything. He had a burning love for the young to whom he felt called to dedicate his life. [Francesco Motto, ed., Starting Afresh from Don Bosco 4 (Roma: Acssa, 2006), 69.] Motto’s assessment here clearly exposes Don Bosco’s radical life style. Such an assessment is particularly reminiscent of the charismatic eastern desert fathers who also lived radical lifestyles and thus lured many people into the desert in search of spiritual advice. Comparably, it was precisely this radical living which rendered Don Bosco a credible and inspirational spiritual director to the youth who attended his Oratory. In the same way early Christians left the cities in search of credible spiritual desert fathers, during the 1800s many young people sought Don Bosco because they felt that this priest was somewhat different from the rest and was trustworthy.