By Fr. Pascual Chávez, SDB –
Excerpt from ON THE 150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE SALESIAN CONGREGATION
“With a religious society eventually in mind, Don Bosco was not able and did not want to bring a significant nucleus of adult collaborators together choosing them from among those who were already working in the three oratories.” [17]He realized that rather than have a group of volunteers who were here today and gone tomorrow, it was more effective to found a stable Society of people consecrated to God forever to be of service to him among those young people in serious difficulty. And to succeed, he finally thought of his young men, those who “had spent the previous years, some for more time some for less, at the Oratory with Don Bosco.” [18]
2.1 The event
That year December 18, 1859 was a Sunday. Don Bosco concluded the busy feast day spent among a thousand youngsters, as on the feast of the Immaculate Conception and every Sunday. Then he called together those who had decided to be part of the Pious Society of Saint Francis of Sales.
It was 21.00, after evening prayers. They were to meet in Don Bosco’s room. In a few minutes there were 18 of them there including Don Bosco. Only two had not come. The seventeen assembled around Don Bosco: a priest (47 years of age), a deacon (24 years of age), a subdeacon (22 years of age), thirteen clerics (between 21 and 15 years of age), a very young student.
The precise set of minutes, signed by Fr Alasonatti and with Don Bosco’s signature attached, [19] “is a document of delightful simplicity, which contains the first official record of the Salesian Society”[20] ; in it one reads:
“All [present were] united in one and the same spirit with the sole purpose of preserving and promoting the spirit of true charity needed for the work of the Oratories on behalf of neglected young people at risk. For in these disastrous times of ours such young people are liable to be corrupted and plunged into godlessness and irreligion to the detriment of the whole of society.
“The Gathered group then decided to form a society or congregation with the aim of promoting the glory of God and the salvation of souls, especially of those most in need of instruction and education, while providing the members with mutual help toward their own sanctification. The project met with unanimous approval. Hence, after a short prayer and the invocation of the light of the Holy Spirit, the group proceeded to elect the members that would make up the central body of the Society and would lead this and future communities, if it should please God to grant increase.
“The group then unanimously requested Him [Don Bosco] who has been the initiator and promoter [of the work] to accept the office of Major Superior, as is becoming in every respect. He accepted the office on condition that he should have the power to choose for the office of prefect (Vicar and Administrator) the present writer [Fr Alasonatti], who has held that office in the house up to the present.
“The group then considered the method to be followed in electing the other embers of the central governing body, and it was decided to hold the election by secret ballot. This was deemed the speediest way of setting up the council, which was to consist of a spiritual director, of a financial administrator, and three councilors, in addition to the two already mentioned officers (the Major Superior and the Prefect).
“[…]the Seminarian, the Subdeacon Michael Rua was unanimously elected spiritual director, and he accepted [the appointment]. The same procedure was followed for the financial administrator, with the result that Deacon Angelo Savio was elected. He also accepted, pledging to discharge the duties of that office.
“Three councilors remained to be elected. The balloting for the first of these resulted in the election of the Seminarian John Cagliero. The second councilor to be elected was John Bonetti. The balloting for the third and last [councilor] resulted in a tie between seminarians Charles Ghivarello and Francis Provera. A second balloting produced a majority favoring Seminarian Ghivarello. Thus the central administrative body of our Society was definitively established. (which was later called the “Superior Chapter”)
“The report of these proceedings, as summarily described herein, was read before the assembly of all the members and elected officers and was approved as true to fact. It was then unanimously resolved that this original document should be kept on file, and to guarantee its authenticity the Major Superior and the Secretary affixed their signatures
Sac. Bosco Gio.
Alasonatti Vittorio Sac. Prefetto.”
2.2 Our young ‘founding fathers’
So the Salesian Congregation came into existence. So we came into existence. Those eighteen are our ‘founding fathers’, most of theme extremely young; with the exception of Fr Alasonatti, 47 years of age, and Don Bosco, 44 years of age; Fr Rua, spiritual director was 22 years of age; Fr Savio, the economer, 24; the councillors, still clerics, were all in their twenties.
The Notebook with the Names of the First Young People who Formed the Salesian Congregation
December 18, 1859, was a Sunday, and that day, at 9 PM, the 17 members gathered at the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales and wrote their names in a notebook.
It was a notebook printed in a Turin printing house with 24 sheets sewn together and horizontal lines to facilitate writing.
Here the 18 names of the first members of the Congregation were written. Their average age was 20 years.
The small notebook still exists and is exhibited in the rooms of the Casa Don Bosco House Museum in Turin.
Source: ANS