Hajja Salesjana - Oct-Dec 2021

In his Apostolic Letter “ Patris Corde - With a Father’s Heart”, Pope Francis designated 2021 as the Year of St. Joseph. Why? To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. In his letter, our Holy Father is generous in his use of adjectives to describe St. Joseph: “beloved father,” “tender and loving,” “obedient”, “accepting”, “creatively courageous”, “a working father”, “a father in the shadows”. All of these attributes resonate with the spirit of Valdocco. St. Joseph’s altar When the title of Universal Patron was bestowed on St. Joseph in 1871, Don Bosco was 56 years old, his Oratory was 25 years old and the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians was just three years old. In 1874, six years after the Basilica was consecrated, Don Bosco commissioned one of Turin’s leading artists, Tommaso Lorenzone – the same artist he had chosen for the Basilica’s iconic image of Mary, Help of Christians - to create a painting of St. Joseph for the side altar dedicated to him. It H AJJA S ALESJANA Views from Valdocco 30 Fr. Mike Pace, SDB, Vice-Director, Casa Don Bosco Museum, Turin With a Father’s Heart: The Year of St. Joseph and His Altar In Valdocco