austraLasia #3377
Valsalice
TURIN: 22 February 2014 -- If you come from the EAO Region think of names like Versiglia, Caravario, Cimatti, Braga (but they will be just as familiar worldwide). What do they have in common? Holiness, you say (and we could add Comini, Variara, Beltrami, Czartoryski, Swierc ... to this list) and you are right, and the other thing they have in common is that they all studied at Valsalice. No wonder Fr Giraudo launched GC27 preparatory reflections with reflections on Don Bosco's spiritual testament: work and temperance, and concluding with these words: "By meditating on this mandate from the Founder, which we have listened to at the place he was buried – aware of the moral and historic responsibility coming from our position and the service the Lord has entrusted us with – let us begin the journey of the 27th General Chapter."
1857-61: Built and run by the De la Salle Brothers.
1863: They are forced to abandon it under the very legislation Don Bosco was getting help to work around, from the likes of Rattazzi - suppression laws relating to Religious. The running was taken over by a group of Turin's diocesan clergy who did not fall under those laws. It muddled along, student numbers down, money problems. Clientele was middle to upper class.
1872: Under much pressure from Archbishop Gastaldi, Don Bosco accepts the running of the place, thinking it might help with vocations, despite it being a bit out of his league in terms of clientele. It still struggles but he buys it outright in 1879 and amongst other things sets up the first Salesian museum (natural history - ornithology) there.
1887: He turns it into a 'seminary for foreign missions', hence names like Versiglia and Caravario, Cimatti, Variara etc. who did their postnovitiate (philosophy, teacher training) and some even their novitiate there. Cimatti incidentally became Rector there on 15 october 1922 (the link is to a letter he wrote a month later announcing the Golden Jubilee celebrations for Valsalice; he notes one Salesian who'd been there the full fifty years!)
1888: With no place in the municipal cemetery and no permission to bury him at Valdocco, the city authorities themselves suggests Valsalice (beyond city limits) as DB's burial place.
1898: See photos above. This year the church was built and the vault containing DB's body was given new embellishments.
Valsalice today is a Liceo classico e scientifico and possibly more still - in other words offering a wide range of secondary studies through to university entrance.
"The holiness of the sons is the proof of the holiness of their father": Presentation
This is the line that Don Rua ran when he entrusted Don Bosco's body to the Salesians at Valsalice. The appeal to these early Salesians to be holy, in imitation of their Father and Founder. His body was to remain there 40 years - what a blessing for those generations of young Salesians who could pray daily at his resting place. It is also one of the key ideas in today's presentation of the significance of Valsalice for the Congregation (the full text of the presentation is available here or search SDL English collection under 'Title' = Pilgrimage - Valsalice).
Don Bosco's immediate successor asked the Salesians who were looking after the founder's remains to show themselves worthy by practising his virtues, shouldering his work, faithfully following his method, seeking to imitate him as a model, and by saying this also laid down his own programme as Rector Major. These are themes that will come up again and again in GC27.
But importantly, the presentation draws on an important address that Don Bosco gave after the retreat at Lanzo Torinese, when he retold a dream. This dream focused on Work and temperance as the motto of the Society. You can re-read that dream here. It is the second one in the list you will find on that link.
Reminder of timetable for these days.
22 February Saturday:
3.30 p.m. departure for Valsalice (not far from Valdocco, across the Po on a hill looking back over the city of Turin. Stunning position, really).
4.00 p.m. gathering at the vault which held Don Bosco's remains after his burial there on 4 February 1888. First reflection by Fr Aldo Giraudo, noted scholar on the Salesian origins, Professor at the UPS: Work and Temperance in Don Bosco's Spiritual testament. Following this the Chapter members will split into 3 language groups for further commentary: Italian (Giraudo himself), English (Fr Joe Boenzi), Spanish (Fr Horacio Lopez).
5.15 p.m. back to Valdocco
6.00 p.m. Mass at the Basilica and after supper, a performance by the Postnovices from Nave. This has been a long tradition at Nave, where the postnovices put on a major performance based on Don Bosco's life.
Rector Major congratulating postnovices from Nave for their outstanding performance of the 10 Diamods in the Theatre at Valdocco a few minutes ago (as we write this).
Want to read the Dream?
23 February Sunday
8.15 a.m. Morning Prayer in the St Francis de Sales Church, the first church DB built for his incipient permanent oratory after adapting the Pinardi 'shed' for the purpose originally. There simply had not been room for increasing numbers of boys.
9.00 a.m. departure for Colle Don Bosco about 30 kms away.
10.00 a.m. second major reflection by Giraudo: Work and temperance: its origins in Becchi and later at the beginnings of the Oratory. Break into 3 groups once more as above.
12.00 noon Mass in the now minor basilica of Don Bosco at Colle. Main celebrant and homilist is the emeritus Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Poletto.
1.30 p.m. Lunch
2.45 p.m. Back to Valdocco
4.30 p.m. Personal time to reflect in Pinardi chapel, Francis de Sales Church, the 'Camerette' (DB's rooms which he himself built and later extended), today's weekend (festive) oratory, the vault below the Basilica of MHC where the graves of the Rectors Major are.
6.00 p.m. 3rd key talk by Giraudo: Work and temperance: the lifestyle, radical dedication and apostolic zeal of the original Salesians. Again following this, 3 groups.
7.00 p.m. Evening prayer in the Basilica
24 February Monday
8.30 a.m. Off to St John the Evangelist's in Turin, the church built by Don Bosco close to his second oratory of 'San Luigi' (St Aloysius).
10.00 a.m. 4th and final talk by Giraudo: Work and Temperance: Don Bosco's motto as seen by his Successors. And again, 3 groups.
11.00 .a.m. back down towards Valdocco again, but this time to the Church of the Consolata where the Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia, will be main celebrant and homilist at the Mass to be celebrated at 12 noon. Our Lady of Consolation (the 'Consolata') is the Patroness of Turin. It is a fascinating history as to how this came about - check it out on the Internet
1.30 p.m. Lunch at Valdocco and by 2.30 p.m. departure by coach(es) to Rome.
PS: The North American Provinces are running a Facebook page which will also help with information and background.
Back to top
Terminology
If there is any terminology used that you are unsure of, and you don't have the app, look it up in the Salesians A-Z web page.
-------------
Valsalice - a Liceo classico e scientifico: what on earth is that all about?
The "Liceo" concept was created by the Gentile education reform in 1923 and indicated a specific type of secondary school. You really can end up with any number of schools here, e.g. :
• Liceo Classico, which features Latin, Ancient Greek, Italian, history and philosophy
as its most important subjects.
• Liceo Linguistico puts emphasis on modern foreign languages learning and the lan-
guages usually taught are English, French, Spanish and German — although re-
cently Russian, Arabic and Chinese have been introduced as well.
Education terms that cause translators from Italian to English most problems today are ones like scuola media, liceo, ginnasio, and their various levels or approaches (liceo classico, scientifico, and not only, since they include art, technology also today in this list; see above for Liceo linguistico, for example). Many of these terms go back to the original Casati legislation, and are still with us, even though by now, 2014, there are entirely different ways of describing things: secondary education is now divided into two stages:
Scuola secondaria di primo grado (lower secondary school), also known as Scuola media, which corresponds broadly to the Middle School grades, and Scuola secondaria di secondo grado(upper secondary school), which corresponds to the senior school level.
The Scuola secondaria di primo grado lasts three years (roughly from age 11 to 13), and provides further education on the subjects studied at the scuola primaria (primary school, obviously), with the addition of technology and a language other than English (typically French, Spanish or German). The curriculum is the same for all schools. At the end of the third year students sit an exam which enables them to continue their education. The Scuola secondaria di secondo grado today lasts five years even though some istituti professionali (vocational training centres) might offer a diploma after only three years. Every tier involves an exam at the end of the final year, called Esame di Maturità, required to gain a diploma and have access to further education.
The main division for school types is between the Liceo, the Istituto Tecnico and the Istituto Professionale (which is not 'professional institute' in English, but Vocational Training Centre, or similar).
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Valsalice
Don Bosco's spiritual testament: work and temperance
Valsalice - details Presentation Timetable Other
Terminology
10 Diamonds - Nave
Terminology
10 Diamonds - Nave
TURIN: 22 February 2014 -- If you come from the EAO Region think of names like Versiglia, Caravario, Cimatti, Braga (but they will be just as familiar worldwide). What do they have in common? Holiness, you say (and we could add Comini, Variara, Beltrami, Czartoryski, Swierc ... to this list) and you are right, and the other thing they have in common is that they all studied at Valsalice. No wonder Fr Giraudo launched GC27 preparatory reflections with reflections on Don Bosco's spiritual testament: work and temperance, and concluding with these words: "By meditating on this mandate from the Founder, which we have listened to at the place he was buried – aware of the moral and historic responsibility coming from our position and the service the Lord has entrusted us with – let us begin the journey of the 27th General Chapter."
1857-61: Built and run by the De la Salle Brothers.
1863: They are forced to abandon it under the very legislation Don Bosco was getting help to work around, from the likes of Rattazzi - suppression laws relating to Religious. The running was taken over by a group of Turin's diocesan clergy who did not fall under those laws. It muddled along, student numbers down, money problems. Clientele was middle to upper class.
1872: Under much pressure from Archbishop Gastaldi, Don Bosco accepts the running of the place, thinking it might help with vocations, despite it being a bit out of his league in terms of clientele. It still struggles but he buys it outright in 1879 and amongst other things sets up the first Salesian museum (natural history - ornithology) there.
1887: He turns it into a 'seminary for foreign missions', hence names like Versiglia and Caravario, Cimatti, Variara etc. who did their postnovitiate (philosophy, teacher training) and some even their novitiate there. Cimatti incidentally became Rector there on 15 october 1922 (the link is to a letter he wrote a month later announcing the Golden Jubilee celebrations for Valsalice; he notes one Salesian who'd been there the full fifty years!)
1888: With no place in the municipal cemetery and no permission to bury him at Valdocco, the city authorities themselves suggests Valsalice (beyond city limits) as DB's burial place.
1898: See photos above. This year the church was built and the vault containing DB's body was given new embellishments.
Valsalice today is a Liceo classico e scientifico and possibly more still - in other words offering a wide range of secondary studies through to university entrance.
"The holiness of the sons is the proof of the holiness of their father": Presentation
This is the line that Don Rua ran when he entrusted Don Bosco's body to the Salesians at Valsalice. The appeal to these early Salesians to be holy, in imitation of their Father and Founder. His body was to remain there 40 years - what a blessing for those generations of young Salesians who could pray daily at his resting place. It is also one of the key ideas in today's presentation of the significance of Valsalice for the Congregation (the full text of the presentation is available here or search SDL English collection under 'Title' = Pilgrimage - Valsalice).
Don Bosco's immediate successor asked the Salesians who were looking after the founder's remains to show themselves worthy by practising his virtues, shouldering his work, faithfully following his method, seeking to imitate him as a model, and by saying this also laid down his own programme as Rector Major. These are themes that will come up again and again in GC27.
But importantly, the presentation draws on an important address that Don Bosco gave after the retreat at Lanzo Torinese, when he retold a dream. This dream focused on Work and temperance as the motto of the Society. You can re-read that dream here. It is the second one in the list you will find on that link.
Reminder of timetable for these days.
22 February Saturday:
3.30 p.m. departure for Valsalice (not far from Valdocco, across the Po on a hill looking back over the city of Turin. Stunning position, really).
4.00 p.m. gathering at the vault which held Don Bosco's remains after his burial there on 4 February 1888. First reflection by Fr Aldo Giraudo, noted scholar on the Salesian origins, Professor at the UPS: Work and Temperance in Don Bosco's Spiritual testament. Following this the Chapter members will split into 3 language groups for further commentary: Italian (Giraudo himself), English (Fr Joe Boenzi), Spanish (Fr Horacio Lopez).
5.15 p.m. back to Valdocco
6.00 p.m. Mass at the Basilica and after supper, a performance by the Postnovices from Nave. This has been a long tradition at Nave, where the postnovices put on a major performance based on Don Bosco's life.
Rector Major congratulating postnovices from Nave for their outstanding performance of the 10 Diamods in the Theatre at Valdocco a few minutes ago (as we write this).
Want to read the Dream?
23 February Sunday
8.15 a.m. Morning Prayer in the St Francis de Sales Church, the first church DB built for his incipient permanent oratory after adapting the Pinardi 'shed' for the purpose originally. There simply had not been room for increasing numbers of boys.
9.00 a.m. departure for Colle Don Bosco about 30 kms away.
10.00 a.m. second major reflection by Giraudo: Work and temperance: its origins in Becchi and later at the beginnings of the Oratory. Break into 3 groups once more as above.
12.00 noon Mass in the now minor basilica of Don Bosco at Colle. Main celebrant and homilist is the emeritus Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Poletto.
1.30 p.m. Lunch
2.45 p.m. Back to Valdocco
4.30 p.m. Personal time to reflect in Pinardi chapel, Francis de Sales Church, the 'Camerette' (DB's rooms which he himself built and later extended), today's weekend (festive) oratory, the vault below the Basilica of MHC where the graves of the Rectors Major are.
6.00 p.m. 3rd key talk by Giraudo: Work and temperance: the lifestyle, radical dedication and apostolic zeal of the original Salesians. Again following this, 3 groups.
7.00 p.m. Evening prayer in the Basilica
24 February Monday
8.30 a.m. Off to St John the Evangelist's in Turin, the church built by Don Bosco close to his second oratory of 'San Luigi' (St Aloysius).
10.00 a.m. 4th and final talk by Giraudo: Work and Temperance: Don Bosco's motto as seen by his Successors. And again, 3 groups.
11.00 .a.m. back down towards Valdocco again, but this time to the Church of the Consolata where the Archbishop of Turin, Cesare Nosiglia, will be main celebrant and homilist at the Mass to be celebrated at 12 noon. Our Lady of Consolation (the 'Consolata') is the Patroness of Turin. It is a fascinating history as to how this came about - check it out on the Internet
1.30 p.m. Lunch at Valdocco and by 2.30 p.m. departure by coach(es) to Rome.
PS: The North American Provinces are running a Facebook page which will also help with information and background.
Back to top
Terminology
If there is any terminology used that you are unsure of, and you don't have the app, look it up in the Salesians A-Z web page.
-------------
Valsalice - a Liceo classico e scientifico: what on earth is that all about?
The "Liceo" concept was created by the Gentile education reform in 1923 and indicated a specific type of secondary school. You really can end up with any number of schools here, e.g. :
• Liceo Classico, which features Latin, Ancient Greek, Italian, history and philosophy
as its most important subjects.
• Liceo Linguistico puts emphasis on modern foreign languages learning and the lan-
guages usually taught are English, French, Spanish and German — although re-
cently Russian, Arabic and Chinese have been introduced as well.
Education terms that cause translators from Italian to English most problems today are ones like scuola media, liceo, ginnasio, and their various levels or approaches (liceo classico, scientifico, and not only, since they include art, technology also today in this list; see above for Liceo linguistico, for example). Many of these terms go back to the original Casati legislation, and are still with us, even though by now, 2014, there are entirely different ways of describing things: secondary education is now divided into two stages:
Scuola secondaria di primo grado (lower secondary school), also known as Scuola media, which corresponds broadly to the Middle School grades, and Scuola secondaria di secondo grado(upper secondary school), which corresponds to the senior school level.
The Scuola secondaria di primo grado lasts three years (roughly from age 11 to 13), and provides further education on the subjects studied at the scuola primaria (primary school, obviously), with the addition of technology and a language other than English (typically French, Spanish or German). The curriculum is the same for all schools. At the end of the third year students sit an exam which enables them to continue their education. The Scuola secondaria di secondo grado today lasts five years even though some istituti professionali (vocational training centres) might offer a diploma after only three years. Every tier involves an exam at the end of the final year, called Esame di Maturità, required to gain a diploma and have access to further education.
The main division for school types is between the Liceo, the Istituto Tecnico and the Istituto Professionale (which is not 'professional institute' in English, but Vocational Training Centre, or similar).
Back to top
