BSOL Editor 
P. Wirth MORAND 
Fr Bruno FERRERO Do you want to receive God’s forgiveness?
Don Bosco always held the sacrament of Forgiveness in the highest esteem. Even when...
Interview with Fr. Ignacio José Laventure Otegui, the new superior of Ethiopia
From Uruguay to Ethiopia, via Ireland: the journey of Fr. Ignacio José LAVENTURE OTEGUI is...
St. Francis de Sales discovers the Song of Songs
At seventeen, in the heart of the Parisian carnival, Francis de Sales was looking for...
Getting to know Don Bosco (17). Giuseppe Buzzetti
Joseph Buzzetti, a young bricklayer captivated by Don Bosco, was among the first and most...
“Prayer is the air I breathe”. Interview with Fr. Peter Chinweike Morba, new Provincial of Africa Nigeria Niger
He did not grow up in a Salesian environment. A maternal uncle, passing through Onitsha...
A long history with real faces. Salesian missions in Malaysia (1/1)
Salesian missions are not a chapter of history: they are names, faces, biographies in progress....
The preventive system (7/7). The retrospective look. The exposition of the Biographical Memoirs
We continue with the seventh and final instalment on the main texts of Don Bosco’s...
The preventive system (6/7). To a formator of priests. The reply to the rector of the Seminary of Montpellier, Dupuy
We continue with the sixth instalment on the main texts of Don Bosco’s preventive system....
The preventive system (5/7). Invitation to read the book by Alberto DU BOYS, “Don Bosco and the Pious Salesian Society”
We continue with the fifth instalment on the main texts of Don Bosco’s preventive system....
The preventive system (4/7). The letter to the Minister of the Interior Francis Crispi
We continue with the fourth instalment on the main texts of Don Bosco’s preventive system....
The preventive system (3/7). Appendix to the Inauguration of the Patronage of St. Peter in Nice
We continue with the third instalment on the main texts of Don Bosco’s preventive system....
The preventive system (2/7). The dialogue with the teacher Francesco Bodrato
We continue with the second instalment on the main texts of Don Bosco’s preventive system....
The preventive system (1/7). The conversation with the Minister of the Interior Urbano Rattazzi
Introduction to the series on the main texts of the preventive system A method...
Getting to know Don Bosco (16). Giovanni Cagliero
The story of John Cagliero begins in 1851 when, as a young boy, he asked...
Prophecy of 1870: Paris, Church, Italy
St John Bosco Solemn Prophecy: The Future of Paris, Rome, and the Church: A Warning and Encouragement to...
The evidence
A priest was having a conversation about faith and religion with a friend who professed...
Season of Creation: 1st September – 4th October
From 1 September to 4 October, from the Day of Prayer for Creation to the...
Focusing our “vision”
P. Fabio ATTARD Reflection on Mk 10:46-52 – Blind Bartimaeus The account of the healing of Bartimaeus,...
Don Bosco’s surname
P. Natale CERRATO A surname can tell a story, evoke a place, and even become a source of...
We get to know Don Bosco (15). The definitive choice for the poor
At the most critical moment of the origins of the Oratory, Don Bosco finds himself...
Education and humanism in the time of St. Francis de Sales
When Francis de Sales was born in 1567, the world was changing its face. Gutenberg’s...
Don Bosco in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican
On 31 January 1936, the Vatican Basilica welcomed the monument to St John Bosco. A...
The Salesian coat of arms. A programme of life enclosed in an image
There are images that do not limit themselves to representing an institution: they tell its...
Oceania calls us: the Vanuatu Project
On 13 December 2025, three Salesian missionaries landed in Vanuatu, an archipelago of 83 islands...
Four name days in ten days
Fr Francesco MOTTO And what name days! Don Bosco never forgot the name-day of religious authorities and benefactors,...
Venerable Attilio Giordani
Fr Pierluigi CAMERONI The figure of the Venerable Attilio Giordani (1913–1972) bears witness to how the charism of...
Let us get to know Don Bosco (14). The Marchioness of Barolo
Giulietta Colbert di Barolo, a French noblewoman marked by exile and by profound family trials,...
Three laces to lead to perdition (1869)
In the dream that Don Bosco recounted to his young people on the evening of...
An old man
A 92-year-old man, neatly dressed and taking great care of his appearance, was moving into...
The Leisure of Don Bosco
The concept of “doing nothing” didn’t exist in Don Bosco’s mind, not even when he...
Cina 1926-2026: A Hundred Years of Grace
On 28 May 2026, Salesian China Province of Mary Help of Christians (CIN) became 100...
Getting to know Don Bosco (13). The theologian Giovanni Borel
Anonymous, Portrait of Don Giovanni Borel (1801–1873), late 19th century, tempera on copper, 37.5 ×...
Don Bosco and Saints Joachim and Anne
Saints Joachim and Anne, oil on canvas by Guido Guidi, 1914. Basilica of the Sacred...
Saint Francis de Sales, Missionary
Don Bosco saw in Saint Francis de Sales not only a master of gentleness, but...
Holiness of the Salesian Bishop
St Luigi VERSIGLIA, sdb (1873-1930) Don Bosco’s charism, centred on an educational fatherhood imbued...
The Catacombs of San Callisto and the Salesian presence: An encounter between history and faith
Along the Via Appia Antica, in the heart of early Christian Rome, the Catacombs of...
Don Bosco and the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel
On 16 July, the Church celebrates the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount...
Called, sent, committed. A Salesian life in service of the mission
In the life of a Salesian missionary, the mission rarely stems from a project built...
For a sport without a homeland and without colour
Don Bosco knew it well: play and music are the simplest paths to enter the...
Get to know Don Bosco (12). Saint Joseph Cafasso
Saint Joseph Cafasso, Piero Dalle Ceste (1938), above the altar dedicated to him in the...
Nino Baglieri: on the wings of the Spirit
This is the story of Nino Baglieri, a bricklayer from Modica whose life changed drastically...
Three Illustrious Judges (1860)
It is to this divine goodness that Father Bonetti alludes when...
The coffee lesson
A group of professors, all successful in their respective careers, met to visit their old...
Don Bosco and the devotion to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus
The relic of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus, kept behind the altar of the...
Who will separate us from the love of Christ?
Beheading of Saint Paul, fresco, Tre Fontane Abbey, Rome. In this place the Apostle of...
We know Don Bosco (11). I saw the holiness and humanity of Don Bosco
Giovanni Battista Bertagna was born in Castelnuovo d’Asti on 26 October 1828. He graduated in...
Mary … Mary … Mary Peter and Paul (1884)
Teresio BOSCO El Greco, Saint Peter and Saint Paul, 1595-1600, oil on canvas, Museu Nacional d’Art de...
Saint Francis de Sales in his time
Understanding Francis de Sales means immersing oneself in the heart of seventeenth-century Europe: an era...
24 June, the feast of the Rector Major
For over a century and a half, on the day of the Nativity of St...
Łosiówka: Don Bosco’s heart beats in Krakow
In the Dębniki district, along the banks of the Vistula, stands one of the first...
Fr. Costantino Vendrame: Apostle of the Sacred Heart in India is Venerable
On 22 May 2026, Pope Leo XIV authorised the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints...
One Hundred Years of Charity. The Salesians in Japan (1926–2026) [Video]
Don Vincenzo Cimatti, SDB, leading a group of young disciples The year 2026...
Get to know Don Bosco (10). Don Bosco at the crossroads
The vocational discernment of John Bosco, initially attracted to the Franciscan religious life as a...
When science knocks on the heart of Jesus. The cardiologist Franco Serafini and Eucharistic miracles
The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, Italy – Silver monstrance of the Holy Relics (1713) ...
Salesian Missions. A long history of 150 years
A few months later, on the feast day of Mary Help of Christians, the proceedings...
The Bank
There is a Bank that credits the sum of eighty-six thousand four hundred euro to...
The “Little” Priest of Valdocco
Over time, there has been no shortage of caricatures and superficial judgments about Don Giovanni...
Salesian martyrs who gave their lives for the faith
Salesian spirituality, received from St John Bosco, has generated an extraordinary flowering of holiness. A...
Light in the dark: the testimony of the nine Polish Salesian martyrs
On 6 June 2026, in the Sanctuary of St John Paul II in Krakow, the...
Are we too among the 72?
We too are sent. Our workplaces, neighbourhoods, families, and friendships are the “towns and places”...
Get to know Don Bosco (9). A loving father
Don Bosco was able to win over poor young people not only because of his...
Interview with Borja PÉREZ, new World Coordinator of the Salesian Cooperators
Borja Pérez Galnares is the new World Coordinator of the Salesian Cooperators. The appointment was...
Loving one’s neighbour with St. Francis de Sales
“Philotheas are philanthropic”, wrote Francis de Sales, wishing thereby to demonstrate that there was no...
Association of Devotees of Mary Help of Christians
The booklet by Don Bosco, “Association of the Devotees of Mary Help of Christians canonically...
Novena to Mary Help of Christians 2026
Saint John Bosco nourished a profound devotion to Mary under the title of Help of...
Salesian holiness in history: emerging aspects in the beatification processes of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians
To speak of Salesian holiness in history is to engage with a tangible experience, one...
Carlo Braga brought Don Bosco’s heart to China
Die Gestalt von Don Carlo Braga (1889–1971) nimmt einen einzigartigen Platz in der salesianischen Missionsgeschichte...
Is holiness in youth possible? Domenico Savio and Carlo Acutis
Two young men, two distant eras, a single passion: to live their friendship with God...
VI World Congress of Salesian Cooperators
From 6 to 10 May 2026, the VI World Congress of the Association of Salesian...
Vision of St Dominic Savio (1876)
The following text recounts the “Vision of Saint Dominic Savio”, as told by Don Giovanni...
The eagle and the falcon
A Sioux legend says that once, Brave Bull and Blue Cloud came holding hands to...
Getting to know Don Bosco (8). The spirit of Saint Francis de Sales
Between Don Bosco’s Oratory and Saint Francis de Sales, there was a bond that progressively...
Saint Joseph and work
In the panorama of Christian spirituality, Saint Joseph occupies a unique place: a silent, just,...
Mary. Example of an open and available heart
Inhabited by God, like Mary, we see ourselves as called and sent Mary...
The month of May dedicated to Mary Immaculate for the use of the people
In 1858, St. John Bosco published “The Month of May dedicated to Mary Immaculate for...
Salesian missionary solidarity, theme of the Salesian Missionary Day 2026
The theme of this year’s Salesian Missionary Day (SMD) is Salesian missionary solidarity: a journey...
The Servant of God Carlo Crespi: a heart for the least among us
The figure of the Servant of God Carlo Crespi (1891–1982) stands as one of the...
Getting to know Don Bosco (7). Don Bosco’s eyes
The story of Don Bosco’s eyes reveals a surprising and deeply human trait of the...
Don Bosco in the house of Nino Baglieri: the voice of the saint of the young continues to speak
Last month, the house of the Servant of God Nino Baglieri in Modica welcomed the...
Educating in the spirituality of daily life with Saint Francis de Sales
Christian spirituality is often perceived as the exclusive heritage of privileged souls, far removed from...
Ignatius Stuchlý and his virtuous habitus
Prof. Lodovica Maria ZANET The life of the Servant of God Ignazio Stuchlý (1869–1953) allows us to observe, within...
Bread
After the First World War, in times of great famine, Professor Breitenbach, a famous doctor,...
Getting to know Don Bosco (6). A will of steel and a heart of gold
Don Bosco’s personality was the result of a blend between his impulsive, fiery nature and...
A prodigious bidente (1875)
In the dream recounted by Don Bosco on the night of 25 April 1875, the...
Missions. From Africa to Europe
The story of Ilodigwe Emmanuel Chekwube is that of a young Nigerian man who, raised...
To Jerusalem, passing through Emmaus
The story of the disciples of Emmaus (Luke 24) is one of the most beautiful...
Happy Easter!
On this day of grace, may the joy of the Resurrection bring peace to your...
Don Bosco’s Invitation to Confession
Confession holds a central place in the life and mission of Saint John Bosco. For...
Teaching Civil Devotion with Saint Francis de Sales
Francis de Sales, Bishop of Geneva in the 17th century, revolutionised Christian spirituality by proposing...
Don Bosco and Saint Joseph
Among the saints most venerated by Don Bosco, Saint Joseph holds a place of special...
Getting to know Don Bosco (5). “I was always in his company” Giorgio Moglia, farmer
Cascina Moglia, where Giovanni Bosco lived for about two years. Giorgio Moglia testified at...
The spirit of St Francis de Sales in Don Bosco
Stained glass window of Saint Francis de Sales, Church of Saint Nicholas (Église Saint-Nicolas), Combloux,...
A beautiful and tall church (1844)
In 1844, a time full of questions about the future of the Oratory, Don Bosco...
Vallecrosia: 150 years of Salesian presence between memory and future
In 2026, the Salesian community of Vallecrosia will celebrate a significant milestone: 150 years of...
No place is far away…if there is a bridge
This year’s Salesian missionary theme is Salesian missionary solidarity and the precious work of the...
Getting to know Don Bosco (4). Black bread swapped for white bread
We present the testimony of Don Secondo Marchisio, a Salesian priest, which was gathered during...
The Martyrdom of the Servants of God Jan Świerc and 8 Companions
Among the most painful and luminous pages in the history of the Church during the...
‘Nobelitis’, or when you start to believe you’re an expert in everything
The Nobel Prize is the most prestigious award a scientist can receive. Yet, this supreme...
Cardinal Repole: the square kilometre of solidarity
There is a Turin that doesn’t match the baroque postcards, the Savoyard avenues or the...
Mathilde Salem. A strong and virtuous woman
The story of Matilde Salem is that of a woman who combined deep faith, social...