Hajja Salesjana

“I’ll be waiting for you all in paradise” Imagine the final hours of Don Bosco’s life. His Salesians with hundreds of boys gathered in and around his room, crying for their father, their friend, their priest, prayingfor one lastminute by his side, hoping to say thank one last time. They wanted to console Don Bosco… but until the very end it was he whoconsoled them. Written in gold on the wall at the foot of his bed are Don Bosco’s last words, addressed to his boys: “Vi aspetto tutti in paradiso” … “I’ll be waiting for all of you in paradise”. The bell By the end of his days, the man who had been so energetic and enterprising in the service of others could do nothing for himself. A reminder of this is the bell hanging on the wall at the foot of his bed. Attached to the bell is a rope that was tied to Don Bosco’sbed so he could ring for assistance as needed… for a drink of water… for a blanket ... for every personal need. From heaven, Don Bosco continues to ring this bell today. Museo Casa Don Bosco is not so much a collection of memorabilia from the past as it is a platform for leaping into the future with Don Bosco’s pastoral charity, faith and ingenuity. If Don Bosco’s story echoes within you, perhaps he is ringing that bell for you, asking you in some way to continue his God-given mission with young people in need. What might he be asking you? As he aged, Don Bosco’s legs grew increasingly swollen and painful. Long gone were his days of running among the boys during recreation. He needed a cane to walk around, and with difficulty at that. Two of these canes are displayed, one shorter than the other. The shorter cane was likely the last one he ever used because like all mere mortals, Don Bosco too became shorter with age, forced to accept increased physical limitations. His leather wallet , small and consumed, speaks of his constant concern of the poor. As a newly ordained priest, his mother Margaret had told him, “John, if by some misfortune you should become rich, I will never set foot in your house”. That misfortune never came! Millions of Italian lire passed through hisOratory, but none of it landed in his pockets. Until the end he reminded his Salesians: “We must render accounts to the poor for every penny we spend. Whatever money we have is not ours; it is entrusted to us on their behalf”. Dying, he asked his Salesians to empty this little wallet of whatever money was inside. “Give it to the poor”, he insisted, “I want to die like I always lived, without a penny to my name”. A giant in a small body At the centre the display is Don Bosco’s long overcoat, which went down to his ankles. He stood only 1.6 metres (5 feet, 4 inches) tall. A small man by physical standards, but as a spiritual and pastoral leader he was and remains a giant. 23 Ottubru-Diċembru 2023