Hajja Salesjana April-June 2021

Don Bosco and Mary Immaculate One of my favorite pieces in the new Casa Don Bosco Museum in Valdocco honours Mary as the Immaculate Conception. It was commissioned by Don Bosco in 1882 for St. John the Evangelist Church at his second Oratory, dedicated to St. Aloysius. Mary is depicted with classical attributes of youthful feminine beauty: free flowing, waist-length hair, and obvious, if understated, bodily contours. These details were added at Don Bosco’s insistence after he failed to approve Giuseppe Rollini’s sketch for the painting in which both details were lacking. One Woman, Many Dresses Although Don Bosco is best known as the apostle of Mary, Help of Christians, his devotion to Mary transcended all titles and shifted over time. For the Father and Teacher of Youth, Mary is always the Madonna , Our Lady, always Theotokos , Mother of God and H AJJA S ALESJANA Views from Valdocco 30 Figure 1 Rollini's original sketch Mother of Jesus, always present in the Church to guide, defend and intercede for her children as a loving mother, always faithful to her God- given role in his plan of salvation, always the object of a tender, personal relationship. Perhaps a summary for Don Bosco’s constant love of Mary under different titles might be: “the same woman, in a different dress”. At various moments in Don Bosco’s personal and pastoral life, a particular Marian devotion rose to prominence. This is certainly true of Mary as the Immaculate Conception. Fr. Mike Pace, SDB, Vice-Director, Casa Don Bosco Museum, Turin Figure 2 Rollini’s finished masterpiece, modified as per Don Bosco’s specifications