{"id":21968,"date":"2025-06-17T18:22:51","date_gmt":"2025-06-18T01:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=21968"},"modified":"2025-06-18T14:41:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-18T21:41:28","slug":"origins-of-the-salesian-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2025\/06\/17\/origins-of-the-salesian-style\/","title":{"rendered":"How Did Bosco Do It? Secrets of the Salesian Style"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bro. Leo Adrian Imbert, SDB<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Jerusalem, Israel)<\/strong> – My recent pilgrimage to Turin, Italy, was truly a blessing. Staying at Valdocco, the first Oratory established by St. John Bosco, reinvigorated my Salesian vocation and served as a retreat of sorts in preparation for my perpetual vows in August. It also addressed a recurring question I and many others have asked about the mission: How did Don Bosco do it? How did he turn street boys, many neglected by society, into a well-formed group of good Christians and honorable citizens? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 19th-century Turin, political strife, wars, and job opportunities saw many families flee the rural landscape. This led to an overpopulation of families in many big cities, and Turin was no exception. The streets were run amuck with abandoned boys neglected by society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don Bosco saw how these boys were treated\u2014seen as street animals, thieves, and parasites. It was then that he realized his purpose: to be a beacon of hope for these boys, reveal God’s love for them, and convert them into good Christians and honest citizens.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how should he proceed? It was then that Don Bosco developed the principles that would later become the four pillars of the Salesian Oratory:  Home, Church, School, and Playground. Even before they were articulated into a coherent system, one might refer to them as a \u201cproto-model.\u201d Hear me out on this development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Festive Oratory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

All agree that Don Bosco began by attracting the boys with joy – entertaining them with magic tricks, organizing games, and bringing them laughter and goodhearted fun. So, I ask you, which of the four \u201cproto pillars\u201d did Don Bosco start with? The Proto- Playground<\/strong>. This starting point made the most sense and revealed his practicality. What if he had begun with the Proto-Church, as it were? That is, how successful would he have been if these mistreated boys were approached by a random priest who started preaching to them about God? To have someone telling them to repent from their sins despite their everyday struggles and constant hunger would have been cruel and unproductive. Instead, Don Bosco tapped into what the boys desperately needed – the joy and laughter that should accompany adolescence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Pinardi Shed<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After attracting them with games, Don Bosco invited the boys to come sit and eat some food. As they sat together and shared a meal, he prompted them with questions about their current state and discovered the reality of their lives. For many of them, it was the first time that anyone had asked about their situation and how they ended up on the cold streets of Turin. They felt comfortable opening up to Don Bosco because they began to believe that he actually cared about them. This moment of unity, sharing a meal, and exchanging stories revealed the second proto-pillar of the Salesian Oratory: the Proto-Home.<\/strong> Notice that Don Bosco had yet to evangelize them. He first attended to their needs, listened to their stories, and earned their respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Once he had demonstrated care and concern for their lives, the boys were ready to receive his message – the good message about the love of God and the precious value of their lives. Thus began the Proto-Church<\/strong>.  They were open to listening to Don Bosco because of how he treated them, revealing an authentic love for them. Bosco would later say to his first followers, \u201cIt is not enough for you to love them; they must know <\/em>that you love them.” In revealing the Gospel to the street boys, his approach demonstrated great intelligence and empathy for their current state. Don Bosco did not emphasize \u201cGod your Father\u201d so much as \u201cJesus your friend.\u201d Many of them were without families and could not relate to a loving father. But they did understand friendship. They would depend on each other. When one of them was able to steal bread from a store, their close street comrades would eat that day as well. When one was in danger, the other boys would come to his aid. Despite their crude and often criminal behavior, these alliances had a core of goodness within them. Don Bosco noticed and convinced them that Jesus wandered the streets with them. He was not only a friend but the most loyal friend. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bosco then taught them reading and writing and gave them practical talents that they could use in the workplace. The fourth and final pillar of the Proto-School<\/strong> was underway. The skills he taught them were invaluable, building their confidence and providing them with a firm foundation for success in the increasingly secular world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, the word spread throughout Turin that a priest nourished the street boys physically and spiritually. However, many did not like the idea of a priest wandering the streets with a band of wild animals. Many citizens felt that the boys were too loud and would ruin their clean and quiet lifestyle. Nonetheless, the number of boys grew exponentially. They would follow Don Bosco everywhere he went. Soon, Bosco was running out of places to gather and play.  He would later admit that there were times when the boys were following him, and he had no idea where he was going. In those moments, he would look up to the sky and plead with the Blessed Mother Mary. His prayers would never go unaided. \u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d he would say, \u201cOur Lady will provide all that is necessary.\u201d When he was most desperate, somehow, he would come across the bread and space he would need to provide for the boys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, the Pinardi shed became available to Don Bosco and he was able to rent it out at a fair price. Almost 200 years ago, the Oratory of St. Francis De Sales was established here, and the four pillars of PLAYGROUND, HOME, CHURCH, <\/strong>y SCHOOL <\/strong>were realized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over time, these rough and wild street boys would become upstanding citizens, hard workers, faithful Catholics, and virtuous men. The seeds Bosco planted early on (and then rinsed and repeated within the Oratory) would slowly grow within them and change their lives forever. Most boys would become loyal husbands and fathers, raising their children in strong Christian households. Some, however, wished to stay with Don Bosco and became the first Salesians. And a few of them even became recognized by the Catholic Church as saints in their own right. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Standing before the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians on the grounds of the Oratory of St. Francis De Sales, which grew out of a humble shed, I ponder in awe at the magnificent history and charism we are heirs to. We Salesians must always remember the secrets to his success that formed rough boys into upstanding men, husbands, fathers, and religious. The Oratory Model is that legacy that is unique to our congregation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Psychologists today almost unanimously believe that the key to mental and emotional stability is living a balanced life of study and recreation, meaning and relationships. Given this discovery by the secular world (which Don Bosco discovered two centuries ago), we lovingly welcome the world into the gates of the Salesian Oratory. During an age of brokenness and youth so disillusioned, Don Bosco’s legacy must and will live on. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bro. Leo Imbert, SDB, is doing theological studies at the Studium Theological Salesianum in Jerusalen,Israel. He will make his perpetual profession this summer at San Luis Rey Church in Laredo, Texas.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bro. Leo Adrian Imbert, SDB (Jerusalem, Israel) – My recent pilgrimage to Turin, Italy, was truly a blessing. Staying at Valdocco, the first Oratory established by St. John Bosco, reinvigorated my Salesian vocation and served as a retreat of sorts in preparation for my perpetual vows in August. It also addressed a recurring question I and many others have asked about the mission: How did … Continuar leyendo How Did Bosco Do It? Secrets of the Salesian Style<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":21993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[782003439,20310044],"tags":[35890],"class_list":["post-21968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formation","category-province-news","tag-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/19e0e01a2ce2f60776519f1f6edd0b86_xl-1.jpg?fit=600%2C400&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-5Ik","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10336596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21968"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22009,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21968\/revisions\/22009"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}