It was Joseph Cafasso who was initially instrumental in directing Don Bosco in working with youth in difficulty, who continued to direct him in his weekly confession, who advised him to take up lodgings with Don Borel at the Refuge, who worked closely with him in the foundation of the Oratory, giving him financial support and convincing others to fund his charitable foundation and, when necessary, to defend him from critics even from the clergy.
There is no doubt that the three years that Don Bosco spent at the Convitto were crucial. As Don Ceria testifies, they ‘contributed powerfully to mould his spirit in a definitive manner’. After six years of speculative theology isolated from reality in a seminary, insertion into the active apostolate was not easy. Cafasso exposed the young priests to the pastoral realities of a city fast becoming industrialized, and then helped them in their theological reflection on their experience in a way that this becomes for them the crucial element in their discernment. In reading the Memoirs one can see the impact that Don Bosco’s visit to the prisons left on him and the very important conclusion this led him to: "Who knows?" I thought to myself, "if these youngsters had a friend outside who would take care of them, help them, teach them religion on feast days. Who knows but they could be steered away from ruin?" With Fr Cafasso’s encour¬agement and inspiration I began to work out in my mind how to put the idea into practice… This was the seed that germinated into the Oratory and eventually into the Congregation and Salesian Family.
Knowing the positive impact that the Convitto has had on don Bosco, it does make one reflect on whether we offer a similar opportunity to our young Salesians. Perhaps this is the missing link in our formation process: a year specifically designed for our Deacons and Young Priests in which they have a practical pastoral experience on which they are helped to reflect in the light of Pastoral Theology and the insights gained from human sciences.
It would be worthwhile to invest in such an initiative!
At the School of Cafasso
This extract from the book of Don Ceria Don Bosco Con Dio, [Chapters 4&7] shows the crucial role that Don Cafasso played in the discernment of Don Bosco’s vocation and in recognizing the true spiritual dimension of his initiatives.
Don Bosco could not have had a better preparation for his mission as a zealous apostle of the young. The three years that he spent there contributed powerfully to mould his spirit in a definitive manner. Providence placed him in the hands of that saintly teacher of priestly souls, and the graces he received there bore much fruit.
At the school of Cafasso he eagerly imbibed that spirit of prayer which he had already acquired intuitively in spite of the prevailing fashion of the times he lived in, prayer based on “unlimited trust in the goodness and loving-kindness of God towards us”. From Cafasso’s conferences on theology and his spiritual direction, he learnt how to hear confessions “with prayerfulness, knowledge and prudence”. In the lessons on sacred eloquence he heard emphasized that a priest does not go into the pulpit to show off, but “to preach on observance of the divine commandments, prayer, devotion to Our Lady, frequent reception of the sacraments, avoidance of idleness, fleeing from bad companions and occasions of sin, charity towards one’s neighbour, patience in affliction, and he learned never to end a sermon without reference to the eternal truths.”
He accompanied Cafasso in offering religious assistance to prisoners and took part with him in retreats, growing in fervour as he prepared for his apostolic work. Even in their daily conversations, he heard and took on board wise recommendations on “how to live in society, to deal with the world without becoming a slave of the world, to become true priests armed with the necessary virtues, ministers capable of giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”
…We have a statement made by Don Cafasso in 1853 to clarify things for some learned clerics who were a bit hesitant in regard to Don Bosco, but its value goes far beyond the petty scope for which it was first given. In it Don Cafasso said:
“ How well do you know Don Bosco? For me, the more I study him, the less I understand him. I see him as both simple and extraordinary, humble and great, poor and yet undertaking huge projects that seem impossible. I have seen obstacles in his way and his situation impossible, and yet he succeeds splendidly in whatever he undertakes. For me, Don Bosco is a mystery! I am certain, however, that he is working for the glory of God, that God alone is his guide, that God alone is the motive for all his actions.”
No comments:
Post a Comment