Hajja Salesjana April-June 2021

20 H AJJA S ALESJANA His was the mind and the heart of Don Bosco and Don Rua THE “LITTLE DON BOSCO” DON ALBERA by Fr. Bruno Ferrero, SDB OUR FATHERS Everyone felt unlimited affection for Don Bosco and they were all concerned about his health. Still, his energy reserve seemed inexhaustible. He never stopped - night and day, he kept going. This eventually enfeebled his strong constitution. Something was needed! Something which the technology of his day permitted even if it were still largely experimental: a photograph. They absolutely had to have a "true-to-life" portrait of their Don Bosco. The real difficulty lay in convincing Don Bosco of this - only after insisting 1000 times did they succeed. The big day came on March 21, 1861. In those times, the subjects in a photograph had to remain immobile for a very long time. Don Bosco asked to pose with a group of his clerics and students as though hearing confessions, with them kneeling down around him in a devout manner. Don Bosco had to choose one of his boys to kneel on the praedieu and act as though he were making his confession. He looked about and, with a smile, called out: "Paolino, come here. Kneel down and lean your forehead against mine so that we do not move!" This "Paolino" was Paul Albera. He stayed in that position, resting his head on Don Bosco's, for a long time. The result was magical. Don Bosco had an intuition and, therefore, wanted this picture (retouched a bit) to be hung in the waiting area of his office. That young and polite lad with his head pressed against his own, little Paul Albera, would be his second successor. Don Bosco had met him in the autumn of 1858 in None, a small town on the Torinese plain, because the parish priest and his good friend had spoken to him of a little 13-year-old parishioner who wanted to become a priest. Don Bosco wanted to meet him and found Don Bosco had to choose one of his boys to kneel on the praedieu and act as though he were making his confession. He looked about and, with a smile, called out: "Paolino, come here. Kneel down and lean your forehead against mine so that we do not move!"