Hajja Salesjana

care. The dome of the Turin’s Basilica of Mary Help of Christians recalls Don Bosco's devotion to the Mother of God and her protection over Salesian work. 1847 Carlo meets Don Bosco. Carlo’s parents, Antonio and Maria Gastini, left their native Casale Monferrato and settled in the outskirts of Turin around 1828. Carlo, born on January 23, 1833, was the second of three children. At 14 years of age, Carlo’s father died (early 1847) and his mother was left alone to raise the three children. Carlo became an apprentice in a barbershop near No. 11 via San Francesco d' Assisi, close to the Convitto which Don Bosco continued to visit regularly. One Saturday morning in June, 1847, Don Bosco ventured into that barbershop and insisted that the young apprentice shave his beard. Young Carlo had never given anyone a shave but Don Bosco insisted. Obedient but quivering like a leaf, Carlo soaped him up, shaved him down, and forged a new friendship. Just a few months later, on a foggy winter night, Don Bosco was walking back to the Oratory when he heard a soft cry piercing the silence of the night. It was Carlo and his sister, huddled against an elm tree at Rondò della Forca, the site of Turin’s ominous gallows. Through his tears, Carlo explained that his mother had just died, and when he and his sister went home after the funeral they found the door bolted shut. The landlord had confiscated all their possessions to cover unpaid rent and evicted the children. Completely alone and living in the streets, Don Bosco without hesitation took them home with him. As they descended into Valdocco, Don Bosco’s words sealed Carlo’s heart with hope: "I am a poor priest. But even if I have only one more piece of bread, I will share it with you." Mother Margaret prepared a bed for the new guests. 1856, The minstrel of Valdocco Having moved into the Oratory, Carlo considered Don Bosco his true father. On February 2, 1852, he began his formation to become a salesian priest but serious health issues caused him to abandon his studies. When he recovered, he specialized in bookbinding. In 1856 he found work in town as a printer-bookbinder and got married, but he spent all his spare time at the Oratory. With his quick wit, dynamic stage presence, and knack for improvisation, he became Don Bosco's beloved minstrel at Oratory celebrations. 1861, The Valdocco printshop One day in 1861 Carlo was at work at the printing press across town from the Oratory. In the tumultuous political climate surrounding the unification of Italy, rumours were flying: “Don Bosco has been imprisoned because of his hostility to the government”. Was this true or fake news? Carlo fled frantically across town, his shirt sleeves rolled up, his work slippers nipping at his heels. Arriving at Valdocco, he found Don Bosco leaving the sacristy of 23 Jannar-Marzu 2025 hajja