FAMILY ALBUM OF DON BOSCO

MAMA MARGARET THE MOTHER OF DON BOSCO

In this house, near Becchi, I Don Bosco, lived. Here my mother taught me the things that later became fundamental to me.

At two years of age, I lost my father Francis. My mother Margaret, a widow had to lease my father’s vineyard to keep her three sons (me, Joseph and Anthony).

My mother’s main worry was how to train her children in religious things, make them docile and keep them always busy with the right things they should do at their age.

- “What a strong wind! How great is our God! We don’t have to offend Him at all by our sins. He will help us in all things.”

- “You see how beautiful are these flowers! If God thinks about them, will He not think about us?”

- “You see how many stars there are! God created them for us! Do you see how much He loves us!”

My mother taught us to see God in the poor.

- “Mama can I take this little bread to Maddlena? She is poorer than me!”

Walking round our little town there were many bad people: - My mother said to me: “Look little John! Pray to God that you don’t become like them!”

Returning to the house, I said to her: - “Mama, I would like to become a priest in order to help many young people so that they will not be this bad!”

Mama Margaret was educating me because I was sincere and sceptic. But one day I behaved badly….

- “Get up, come on: pull! Again a little bit...”

- Ah! The bottle of oil!..

Every effort to clean up the mark of oil on the floor didn’t work...

- What a heartbreak, poor mama! A lot of economic difficulty and here I am causing her more sadness! Then I cut a piece of stick and began to prepare a staff...

...going out to meet her when she was coming back from shopping.

- Mama, see this sick, I am going to use it on my shoulders!

I told her in all sincerity what had happened and she forgave me....

I was the most able and active while playing with friends and in imitating the plays in the circus: but at times I returned home “broken”!

And my mother said: - “How come? Everyday you get one wound or another! From today onwards, I will stop you from going out with your friends!”

-“Mama, please can I go out with my friends? When I am with them, they behave better, they don’t curse!” - My mother permitted me to go...

I then understood that it was not enough for them to just be my friends: but I had to bring them to Mass with me to grow better and know the teachings of the Church...

So moved by the desire to learn, one day I decided to attend mass with people in a nearby village.

One day I met Don Calosso, who seeing my ability to remember and recite the homilies, wanted to speak with my mother.

- “Margaret, your son has a prodigious memory! He has to study! Send him to my house: I want to give him private lessons.”

My older brother, Anthony, born from my father’s first marriage, began to do everything possible to stop me from studying, - “Look! I am big and older and have not opened even a book!”

In anger, I responded: - “That’s not true! Don’t you know that our little Donkey is bigger than you but he has never been to school?”

Only my good feet saved me from the rain of blows... Mama didn’t like what was going on and I was crying...

Don Calosso was not happy with what was going on and he invited me to go with him. But that solution lasted for a short while: the priest died and I had to return to my house.

One day the worst happened: - “O you little brat leave that book, or I will make you leave this house immediately!”

My mother’s attempt to talk with him was useless.

- “I will do the work of John! Don’t worry, Anthony.”

Then my mother advised me to look for a house: - “Courage! God’s providence will always be there!”

The separation was very painful.

- “Be careful John! Be a good boy and be devoted to Our Lady! Trust in Her always!”

I ran to the farm of Moglia; I worked and was paid poorly.

When the midday bell rang, I remembered always the words of my mother and I knelt in any place where I am to pray the “Angelus”.

One day my uncle came to tell me to continue with my studies. You can imagine what joy I had. I returned to my house and embraced my mother once again.

To go to school, I had to walk 16 km everyday! At times under rain, snow and wind...

- “Go to bed John, it is late! If you continue this way, you wouldn’t be sleeping at all!” - Give me a little more time, mama! I have to finish what I am doing now!

I was lucky to get a family that accepted me. When my mother came with some little money to pay for the rent as she thought, the owner accepted nothing because he was happy with my behaviour ...

The year after, I continued my studies in another place, in Chieri: because I was thinking of entering the seminary. I felt God’s providence through the many gifts I received...

I left home for the second grade. To keep myself going, I had to learn how to do a lot of things...

I made a lot of friends. With them I began a group, “The Society of Entertainment”: I had the intention of gathering good companions.

- “John, follow your vocation! Remember: if for any misfortune you become a rich priest tomorrow, your mother will not come to visit you!”

After many difficulties and studies, at 26 years, I was ordained a priest. For my mother, it was the best day: to have received Jesus from the hand of her own son!

A night after the celebration, my mother said to me, when we are alone: - “Remember, Father John, to begin to say Mass is to begin to suffer!”

At the beginning of my priestly ministry, I had that dream of when I was 9 years old, again: “here is your garden where you should work!” I was only waiting for an occasion to begin...

It was on December 8 the same year that I met the first poor and abandoned young boy in the sacristy of a church, in Tourin: Bartolomeo Garelli. The oratory has just begun!

The oratory became a “ home that welcomed, parish that evangelized, school that oriented young people to life and playground where to meet as friends and to live joyfully”

Exhausted from hard work with the boys, I had to take refuge once again in my house with my mother. “bring your mother with you”, the pastor suggested. And my mother accepted.

- Here is our new home!

For my mother began a period of 10 years of hard work for the young. She was always at my side.

“It was clear that she was not only the cook or the drycleaner: the young people had a lot of confidence in her; and loved her like orphans who felt loved” (Don. Pascuale Chávez)

Many of the boys where homeless and I was forced to take them with me in the oratory.

At the beginning, the boys where stealing the bed-sheets, covers, and anything they could lay their hands on....

Many-a-time, I tried to keep these young people, but with the same result! My mother and I didn’t know what else to do ...

At last, came the time destined by God. After dinner with a bowl of soup, a poor boy didn’t know where to go to sleep...

- “This night you will sleep here. But you don’t have to do like the others who ran away with everything! Tomorrow the Lord will provide... And before you sleep we have to pray together”.

This is how I started to gather the first two abandoned orphans, in the oratory: I began with 15 in 1849 and got to more than 100 in 1854.

One day mama Margaret ended up losing patience. Her small garden cultivated with a lot of effort and love was destroyed by the boys!

- “I am just tired! Everyday these boys do something else... Leave me to go away immediately. I will cultivate my garden and will finish the rest of my days in peace!”

Afflicted, I was looking into my mother’s eyes. Then my eyes moved toward the Crucifix. My mother understood: - You are right! You are just right!

From that day on, my mother never complained again. (Memorie Biografiche)

My mother’s life became the same as mine and that of the foundation of the Salesian work itself.

To be sure that people will understand what I write, most of the time after writing, I read my work to my mother before sending it out to be printed!

My mother’s advice was of great help and defended me from the attacks of the “ enemies” I had. She was warning me, but ...

...because of my imprudence a “grey” dog blocked my door and wouldn’t allow me to leave the house!

I later understood that somebody was hiding nearby in attempt to kill me...

My mother will always pet this dog...

This was happening most of the time without our knowing from where comes the “Grey”’.

One of the beautiful traditions that my mother kept was to cook chestnuts, in the Spring time. They were to be distributed to the young people.

One day, the calculation was wrong: when I started to distribute them, I understood that they will not be enough for all. What will I do? I calmly continued to distribute what I had and it happened that every boy got something...

Every year I do a long walk with the young people to my house: it became a feast for us and also for the neighboring towns.

It was in one of the towns that a boy 12 years walked up to me, his name was Domenic Savio, a boy of exceptional intelligence and profound interiority.

- “What would you like to do in life?” - If God gives me the grace, I would like to become a priest.

-I will be the designer and you will be the tailor

One year, there was a terrible outbreak of cholera which killed many people. All the boys in the oratory were prepared to help the victims.

Mama Margaret prepared bed sheets and covers even altar cloths: many of which she made herself with the tread she brought over from Becchi.

“Such a long feminine presence is a unique thing in the history of founders of educative congregations.” (Don. Pasquale Chavez)

We can say that the” Salesian Congregation is decorated with Mama Margaret as the ornament’ (Teresio Bosco)

- “God knows how much I love you , but up above, I will be in a better place. I did all I could do ... Tell the young people that I worked for them like a mother.” (Memorie Biogrfiche)

Mama Margaret lived and died poor. She was buried in a common tomb and never had her name written on any tomb, but her name is written in our hearts!

On the occasion of the 150 years anniversary of the death of mama Margaret, the mother of the educative family founded by Don Bosco at Valdocco, Italy. I thought of inviting the Salesian family to:

“Renew the duty of giving a special attention to the family, which is the bed of life and love and the first of humanization

”.

(Don Pasquale Chavez, Strenna 2006)

Designed:

G. Grilli (Torino 1961)

Powerpoint:

P. Luigi De Liberali (Recife 2006)

English transl

:Sister John Bosco, HFSN Bibliografia: -Bosco J., Memórias do Oratório de S. Francisco de Sales, S. Paulo 2005 -Chávez P., Estréia 2006. S. Paulo 2006 -Bosco T., Dom Bosco: uma biografia nova. S. Paulo 2002 -Setti G., Don Bosco: piccolo saltimbanco, Torino 1961 -Setti G., Don Bosco: l’amico dei giovani, Torino 1961 -Setti G., Don Bosco: l’apostolo della buona stampa, Torino 1961