The preventive system (7/7). The retrospective look. The exposition of the Biographical Memoirs
BSOL Editor We continue with the seventh and final instalment on the main texts of Don Bosco’s...
God
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...
Prophecy of 1870: Paris, Church, Italy
St John Bosco Solemn Prophecy: The Future of Paris, Rome, and the Church: A Warning and Encouragement to...
Education and humanism in the time of St. Francis de Sales
P. Wirth MORAND 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...
Venerable Attilio Giordani
Fr Pierluigi CAMERONI The figure of the Venerable Attilio Giordani (1913–1972) bears witness to how the charism of...
The coffee lesson
Fr Bruno FERRERO A group of professors, all successful in their respective careers, met to visit their old...
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...
Saint Francis de Sales in his time
Understanding Francis de Sales means immersing oneself in the heart of seventeenth-century Europe: an era...
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?
P. Fabio ATTARD We too are sent. Our workplaces, neighbourhoods, families, and friendships are the “towns and places”...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Bread
After the First World War, in times of great famine, Professor Breitenbach, a famous doctor,...
Do you want to receive God’s forgiveness?
Don Bosco always held the sacrament of Forgiveness in the highest esteem. Even when...
Don Bosco and Saint Joseph
Among the saints most venerated by Don Bosco, Saint Joseph holds a place of special...
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,...
Conversion
I get up one morning, I leave the house, there is a pothole in the...
The Sorrows and Joys of Saint Joseph
Don Bosco’s devotion to Saint Joseph stemmed from his recognition of Joseph’s powerful intercession. For...
The Wonders of Our Lady of Lourdes
In the heart of the French Pyrenees, in Lourdes, on 11 February 1858, one of...
The Phylloxera (1876)
In 1876, during the third series of spiritual exercises preached in Lanzo, Don Bosco recounted...
Getting to know Don Bosco (2). Margherita, Christian Mother and Educator
The fountain of Mamma Margaret at the foot of Don Bosco Hill (1960s) Young...
Novena to Saint John Bosco
Saint John Bosco, apostle of the young and father of the orphaned, continues to be...
Getting to know Don Bosco (1). The family’s economic situation
We are launching a new column titled “Knowing Don Bosco”. Conceived by the Salesian Fr....
Don Bosco in a stagecoach
P. Natale CERRATO How far and how did the Saint of Youth travel? Let us retrace these paths....
Fr. Giuseppe Tomaselli, apostle of the good press
Fr. Giuseppe Tomaselli (1902-1989) is one of the emblematic figures of the Salesian charism of...
Don Bosco and the Name of Jesus
In the spirituality of Saint John Bosco, the Name of Jesus was not a mere...
A challenge to our humanity
The wealth that risks making us blind and deaf The parable of the rich man...
Christmas with Don Bosco and his boys
At the beginning of the Christmas novena in December 1859, Don Bosco offered the young...
Educating for rest and leisure with Saint Francis de Sales
Life is not only made up of work and serious occupations; it is also punctuated...
Where mission meets the screen: 150 years of salesian evangelisation (video)
In an age where young people communicate through images, videos, social media platforms, and instant...
‘I came to serve and give my life’. Rudolf Lunkenbein (1939-1976)
In July 1976, in the heart of the Brazilian Mato Grosso, a young German Salesian...
Fr. Giovanni Bocchi (1929-2016). A Salesian missionary between Italy and Cameroon
May 2026 will mark the tenth anniversary of the death of Fr. Giovanni Bocchi, a...
Vera Grita, a Woman of Peace
The figure of Vera Grita, a humble Ligurian teacher and Salesian Cooperator, shines as a...
Blessed Philip Rinaldi. A father who brought Don Bosco into the heart of the twentieth century
In the journey of Salesian history, Blessed Philip Rinaldi occupies a special place. The third...
Why don’t you speak? (1868)
In the following recounted speech, delivered by Don Bosco between 30 April and 1 May...
It’s your turn! said the gravedigger (1868)
In the dream that Don Giovanni Bosco recounted to his young people on the evening...
Educating for work and solidarity with Saint Francis de Sales
The child, once grown, is destined to integrate more or less quickly into the social...
Maria Troncatti: woman of reconciliation and peace
Maria Troncatti, Daughter of Mary Help of Christians, is a witness of consecrated life “in...
Letter from Nizza Monferrato
Fr Francesco MOTTO An apparently simple letter, yet rich in spiritual and educational meaning: this is what Don...
Rector Major’s missionary appeal 2025
“An Appeal for Renewed Charismatic Fidelity and Missionary Generosity” Dear Confreres, A fraternal and heartfelt...
150 Years of the First Missionary Expedition. To thank, to rethink, to relaunch
150 years have passed since the First Salesian Missionary Expedition. But the 150th Salesian Missionary...
The Souls in Purgatory. A museum dedicated to their memory [with image gallery]
In the heart of Rome, on Lungotevere Prati, lies one of Christianity’s most unique places,...
A grace obtained, a missed votive offering, an indelible memory
Every unpublished document generally contains something new. Well, the documents we are presenting here not...
Pains of Hell (1887)
In this passage, taken from his 1887 memoirs, Don Giovanni Bosco recounts the most disturbing...
Nostalgia
I am a medical oncologist with long years of professional work. I started attending the...
Let me be alone; I suffer too much (1867)
The following dream, recounted by Don Bosco to his young people in 1867, begins with...
From the Pharisee’s Table to the Heart of Ministry
Humility and Charity in the Education and Evangelisation of Young People In chapter 14 of...
In Don Bosco’s footsteps: Blessed Michael Rua (1837-1910)
“We will always go halves!” At 9 years of age Michael (already fatherless) was admitted...
Discourse of the Rector Major in Catania. Called to be signs of hope
On 27 September 2025, Father Fabio Attard, Rector Major of the Salesians, received honorary citizenship...
Educating the will with Saint Francis de Sales
With the faculties of the spirit, such as intellect and memory, one remains within the...
The Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary: 75 years of mission in Ecuador
The Jubilee Year of Hope offered the Church in Ecuador a special occasion for remembrance...
On 20th October, the Novena of Blessed Michele Rua begins
Blessed Michele Rua (1837-1910) represents an extraordinary figure in the history of Salesian spirituality. As...
Abide by the limit, cross the limit. Blessed Titus Zeman, martyr, and the relevance of his message today
Prof. Lodovica Maria ZANET Don Tito Zeman (1915-1969), a Slovak Salesian, lived his priestly vocation with evangelical radicalism right...
Sister Maria Troncatti, missionary of hope among the peoples
In the photo, Mr. Juwà Bosco, a member of the Shuar people, miraculously healed through...
Being V.I.D.E.S. volunteers to overcome borders
Salesian Missionary Volunteering in France-Belgium is a window open to the world. Through V.I.D.E.S. –...
A Raging Bull; Humility, Work and Temperance (1876)
This vivid dream narrative, recounted by Don Bosco at the end of the 1876 spiritual...
The Divine Folly of the Sower who “sows in the dark”
The parable of the sower, narrated in the Synoptic Gospels, is a powerful and foundational...
The mission has no borders: from East Timor to Japan
The Salesians arrived in Japan in 1927 and, thanks to the commitment of many missionaries,...
Monsters that Hurt Young People (1865)
In this lively account, dated 24 February 1865, Don Bosco speaks to his pupils about...
Family Education
Alongside the “sentiment for the child”, the 15th century saw the development of a sentiment...
Monsignor Giuseppe Malandrino and the Servant of God Nino Baglieri
Monsignor Giuseppe Malandrino, the ninth Bishop of the Noto diocese, returned to the House of...
Apparition of the Blessed Virgin on the Mountain of La Salette
Don Bosco presents a detailed account of the “Apparition of the Blessed Virgin on the...
The Venerable Monsignor Stefano Ferrando
Ángel Card. FERNÁNDEZ ARTIME Monsignor Stefano Ferrando was an extraordinary example of missionary dedication and episcopal service, combining the...
Saint Monica, mother of Saint Augustine, witness of hope
A woman of unshakeable faith, of fruitful tears, answered by God after seventeen long years....
Becoming a sign of hope in eSwatini – Lesotho – South Africa after 130 years
In the heart of Southern Africa, amidst the natural beauty and social challenges of eSwatini,...
The shepherdess, the sheep and lambs (1867)
In the following passage, Don Bosco, founder of the Valdocco Oratory, recounts a dream he...
To the heights! Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati
“Dearest young people, our hope is Jesus. It is He, as Saint John Paul II...
Prophets of Forgiveness and Gratuity
In these times, where day after day the news communicates experiences of conflict, war, and...
Cardinal Augustus Hlond
The second of 11 children, his father was a railway worker. Having received a simple...
The Education of Conscience with St. Francis de Sales
It was most likely the advent of the Protestant Reformation that brought the issue of...
The Seven Joys of the Madonna
At the heart of St. John Bosco’s educational and spiritual work, the figure of the...
Nobody frightened the hens (1876)
Set in January 1876, the piece features one of Don Bosco’s most evocative “dreams,” his...
Salesian House of Castel Gandolfo
Amidst the green hills of the Castelli Romani and the tranquil waters of Lake Albano...
The Tenth Hill (1864)
Don Bosco’s dream of the “Tenth Hill”, recounted in October 1864, is one of the...
Joseph Augustus Arribat: Righteous Among the Nations
1. Biographical Profile The Venerable Joseph Augustus Arribat was born on 17 December 1879 in...
The Little Lambs and the Summer Storm (1878)
The dreamlike tale that follows, recounted by Don Bosco on the evening of 24 October...
Visiting Rome with Don Bosco. Chronicle of his first trip to Rome
The first time Don Bosco went to Rome was in 1858, from February 18 to...
The cricket and the Coin
A wise man from India had a close friend who lived in Milan. They had...
Message from Father Fabio Attard on the Feast of the Rector Major
Dear Confreres, dear Collaborators in our Educative Pastoral Communities, dear young people, Allow me to...
Don Bosco attends a devils meeting (1884)
The following pages take us into the heart of Saint John Bosco’s mystical experience, through...
Educating the Human Heart with Saint Francis de Sales
St. Francis de Sales places the heart at the centre of human formation, as the...
The Venerable Father Carlo Crespi “witness and pilgrim of hope”
ather Carlo Crespi, a Salesian missionary in Ecuador, lived his life dedicated to faith and...
The Evangelical Radicality of Blessed Stefano Sándor
Stefano Sándor (Szolnok 1914 – Budapest 1953) was a Salesian coadjutor martyr. A cheerful and...
The Prophecies of Malachy. The Popes and the End of the World
The so-called “Prophecies of Malachy” represent one of the most fascinating and controversial prophetic texts...
The exegetes
A famous biblical scholar had invited a group of colleagues to his home. They sat...
Educating Beyond Weaknesses
The encounter between Jesus and Peter sheds a special light on our mission as evangelizers...
From CGS20 to GC29. The “interior” journey of the Salesians: between fidelity to God and response to the young
At the conclusion of the 29th General Chapter of the Salesians, we invited Don Pascual...