Bishop Louis Versiglia

By Our Own Correspondent

EAO, 6 October, 2018 -- During the missionary month of October it might be very useful to return to the moment when some Salesian missionary vocations were born. The biography of our China Martyrs - Bishop Versiglia and Fr Caravario - can offer us deep insight. For the first EAO Salesian who came to Macau in 1906 with another five confreres, the first inspiration for this missionary vocation arose through the missionary expedition at Valdocco, as we read in the letter addressed to Fr Guilio Barberis by young Salesian Versiglia:

“My dear Fr Rector,




I have already manifested by spoken word and also in writing my desire for the missions. And now, as advised by you, I am clearly expressing what I feel within me.




Above all I am telling you that the desire for the missions was the allurement which the Lord used to draw me to himself; it was precisely in '88 when I was still in Third Year at the Oratory, that at the departure of the expedition led by Fr Cassini, I was aided and indeed really struck by the Lord’s grace. I abandoned any prior ideas I had, in order to become a Salesian, with the hope of becoming a missionary.




But then this desire disappeared out of the hope, indeed the presumption, of going ahead with my studies and also doing something good here in Italy; even more so, knowing the life of sacrifice that the missionary must make, I did not feel so ready for this sacrifice.




But when I came here to Valsalice from Foglizzo, the example of the confreres gave me new heart; and especially when Fr Rua, in the academy for the Immaculate, spoke of Africa and other places, it re-ignited even more the desire to go to Africa. For some time this desire preoccupied me so much that it besieged me in church, at school, at recreation and also when I went to bed.




But I was often aware that these urgings were mixed up with self-love. I was aware that I wanted the salvation of souls, but this flowed out of love of self. I did not have the resolve to work and suffer for Jesus Christ alone.




Then, almost discouraged, there were many times when I offered my life to the Lord, especially before our Father’s tomb, even if I could help in some way those who were to go to Africa, or through the immediate sacrifice of my life, or even by remaining hidden for the rest of my life in some workshop or in some other humble role which the Lord might entrust to me.




Now I no longer feel those raptures I felt then; yet the desire still continues; indeed it seems to me to be even steadier, because when I think about it, it no longer stirs my soul poetically, but when my mind quickly thinks of the sacrifices one must make there, rather do I feel urged to make some effort to acquire some virtues, not allow myself to be laid low by tiredness or boredom at work or in recreation.

[Lettere a Don Giulio Barberis, Archivio Salesiano. 9, 3, Versiglia].

The letter reveals the origin and defines the nature of Versiglia’s vocation: with Don Bosco, for the missions; the Salesian vocation as a missionary vocation.

'CHINA MARTYRS' ENGLISH version of the biography, by Fr. Guido Bosio (LDC 1983) is being gradually made available on Boscolink, chapter by chapter.

• The first two chapters (of twenty four in total)

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