Purity and ways it can be safeguarded (1884)
St John Bosco In this dream of Don Bosco, a heavenly garden appears: a green slope, festooned trees,...
God
Don Elia Comini: martyr priest at Monte Sole
Prof. Lodovica Maria ZANET On December 18, 2024, Pope Francis officially recognized the martyrdom of Don Elia Comini (1910-1944),...
The dream of the 22 moons (1854)
In March 1854 on a feast day, after evening prayer Don Bosco gathered all the...
Educating the body and its 5 senses with Saint Francis de Sales
P. Wirth MORAND A good number of ancient Christian ascetics often considered the body as an enemy,...
Vera Grita, pilgrim of hope
Vera Grita, daughter of Amleto and Maria Anna Zacco della Pirrera, was born in...
150th anniversary of the first missionary expedition. Missionary Day
BSOL Editor The Mission Sector of the Salesian Congregation prepared the usual materials for Salesian Mission Day...
A Mysterious and Prophetic Wheel (1861)
The wise man’s heart,” we read in Holy Scripture, “knows times and judgments; for there...
“The Roman Stations”. A millenary tradition
The “Roman Stations” are an ancient liturgical tradition that, during Lent and the first week...
Education according to st. Francis de Sales
Education according to St. Francis de Sales is a path of love and care toward...
The Life of St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles
The culminating moment of the Jubilee Year for every believer is the passage through the...
Our guest: Father Alphonse Owoudou, Chapter Moderator
On Sunday, February 16th, 2025, at Valdocco, Turin, the twenty-ninth General Chapter of the Salesian...
The Jubilee and devout practises for visiting churches. Dialogue
Saint John Bosco fully understood the importance of Jubilees in the life of the Church....
The history of the Salesian missions (1/5)
Fr Francesco MOTTO The 150th anniversary of the Salesian missions will be held on November 11, 2025. We...
The handkerchief of purity (1861)
On June 16, Don Bosco gave the boys the spiritual nosegay to pray for...
Hiking to Heaven (1861)
We shall now narrate another inspiring dream of Don Bosco which occurred on the nights...
Good, trustworthy and courageous slaves
P. Stefano MARTOGLIO In this Jubilee year, in this difficult world, we are invited to stand up, restart,...
Faith, our shield and our victory (1876)
“When I devoted myself to this part of the sacred ministry, I intended to consecrate...
Blessed Luigi Variara: 150th Anniversary of His Birth
Fr Pierluigi CAMERONI This year marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Luigi Variara, an extraordinary...
Life of Saint Paul the Apostle, Doctor of the Gentiles
The culminating moment of the Jubilee Year for every believer is the passage through the...
The Jubilee of 2025 and the Jubilee Basilicas
On December 24, 2024, on Christmas Eve, the Pope opened the Bronze Door in St....
Saint Francis de Sales, founder of a new school of perfection
For Francis de Sales, religious life is “a school of perfection”, in which one...
Community of the Mission of Don Bosco, a story of “family” and “prophecy”
The Salesian Family, born from Don Bosco’s intuition, has continued to grow over time...
Fifth missionary dream: Peking (1886)
During the night of April 9th, Don Bosco had a new missionary dream, which he...
Andrew Beltrami virtuous profile (2/2)
(continuation from previous article) 3. Story of a soul3.1. Loving and suffering Fr Barberis sketches...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (13/13)
(continuation from previous article) Graces obtained through the intercession of Mary Help of Christians. I....
St Francis de Sales, personal companion
‘My spirit always accompanies yours,’ wrote Francis de Sales one day to Jeanne de...
The perfume
Fr Bruno FERRERO One cold March morning, in a hospital, due to serious complications, a baby girl was...
Andrew Beltrami virtuous profile (1/2)
The Venerable Fr Andrea Beltrami (1870-1897) is an emblematic expression of a constitutive dimension...
Fourth Missionary Dream in Africa and China (1885)
From time to time, Divine Providence would reveal the future before the very eyes of...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (12/13)
(continuation from previous article) A memento of the ceremony for the laying of the cornerstone...
Third missionary dream: air travel (1885)
Don Bosco’s dream on the eve of the missionaries’ departure for America is an event...
The safe tradition of Blessed Michael Rua (2/2)
(continuation from previous article) 2. Some traits of the theological virtues in Fr Rua2.1. Fr...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (11/13)
(continuation from previous article) Appendix I. Ancient custom of consecrating churches Once a church has...
St Francis de Sales at the service of education
Francis de Sales was convinced that ‘on the good or bad education of the...
The second missionary dream: across America (1883)
Don Bosco told this dream on September 4, at the morning session of the...
Remember the sermon
One Sunday, around noon, a young woman was washing salad in the kitchen, when she...
The safe tradition of Blessed Michael Rua (1/2)
“Be good, trust in God and paradise will be yours” (Blessed Michael RUA) Blessed...
What is the ordinary activity of the devil and how to counter it
The devil’s temptation does not produce its devastating consequences if our human will, with God’s...
One million children pray the Rosary
‘If one million children pray the Rosary, the world will change’ (St Pio of Pietrelcina...
Our annual gift
Traditionally, as Salesian Family we receive the Strenna every year; a gift at the beginning...
The Good Shepherd gives his life: Father Elia Comini on the 80th anniversary of his sacrifice
Monte Sole is a hill in the Apennines near Bologna that until the Second...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (10/13)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter XIX. Funds by which this Church was built. Those who...
St Francis de Sales catechises the children
Formed in Christian doctrine from childhood, in his family environment, then in schools, and...
First missionary dream: Patagonia (1872)
Here is the dream that saw Don Bosco decide to start the missionary apostolate...
The Dream of the Elephant (1863)
Unable to give the strenna to his pupils on the last day of the year,...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (9/13)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter XVII. Continuation and completion of the building. It seems that...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (8/13)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter XV. Devotion and plans for a church to Mary Help...
Correcting “rebellious children” with St Francis de Sales
In September 1594, Francis de Sales, provost of the cathedral, arrived, accompanied by his...
The turning point in the life of St Francis de Sales (2/2)
(continuation from previous article) Beginning of a new stage From this moment on, everything would...
The turning point in the life of St Francis de Sales (1/2)
After ten years of study in Paris and three years at the University...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (7/13)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter XIII. Institution of the Feast of Mary Help of Christians. ...
The hands of God
A master was travelling with a disciple in charge of looking after the camel. One...
St Francis de Sales university student in Padua (2/2)
(continuation from previous article) Francis went to Padua, a city belonging to the Venetian...
St Francis de Sales university student in Padua (1/2)
Francis went to Padua, a city belonging to the Venetian Republic, in October 1588,...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (6/13)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter 9. Battle of Lepanto. Having thus expounded some of the...
Meeting Vera Grita of Jesus, Servant of God
Vera Grita, together with Alexandrina Maria da Costa (from Balazar), both Salesian Cooperators, were two...
Dream of the Ten Diamonds
One of Don Bosco’s most famous dreams was the one called the “Dream of the...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (5/13)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter 7. Mary favours those who work for the faith; while...
What are the requirements for entering the Salesian Society
In various parts of the world the time is approaching when some young people, attracted...
Prayers and invocations attracting indulgences
We sometimes here the question, what is the most powerful prayer?The wording is certainly wrong,...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (4/13)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter V. Devotion of the early Christians to the Blessed Virgin...
Life of Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary Most Holy, earthly father of Jesus Christ (3/3)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter 20. Death of St Joseph. – His burial.Nunc dimittis servum...
Life of Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary Most Holy, earthly father of Jesus Christ (2/3)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter 9. The Circumcision.Et vocavit nomen eius Iesum. (And he named...
Life of Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary Most Holy, earthly father of Jesus Christ (1/3)
Saint Joseph is patron of the Church and also co-patron of the Salesian Congregation. From...
Do holy water, blessings, and other sacramentals still have value?
We are witnessing today an indifference or contempt for sacramentals. Blessings on people, water, religious...
The pleasure of loving God like St Francis de Sales
In his famous Treatise on the Love of God, St Francis de Sales wanted...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (3/13)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter III. Mary manifests her zeal and power with her son...
Salesian Protomartyrs: Aloysius (Louis) Versiglia and Callistus Caravario
Louis and Callistus: the same missionary vocation for the salvation of souls, but a different...
The prophecies of Don Bosco and the kings of Italy
“The family of those who steal from God does not reach the fourth generation.” The...
Message at the end of the 42nd Salesian Spirituality Days
To my dearest Family My dearest sons and daughters, The dream that makes you dream....
The “misunderstood” God of St Francis de Sales
A curious episode In the life of Francis de Sales, a young student in Paris,...
Don Bosco’s nine-year dream. Theological – spiritual nuclei
A commentary on the theological-spiritual themes present in the nine-year dream could have such...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (2/13)
(continuation from previous article) Chapter II. Mary shown to be the help of Christians by...
Wonders of the Mother of God invoked under the title of Mary Help of Christians (1/13)
In 1868 St John Bosco printed a publication entitled ‘Wonders of the Mother of God...
“It was like heaven”. The first Christmas Mass at Valdocco
The first Christmas Mass celebrated by Don Bosco at Valdocco was in 1846. After obtaining...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (10/10)
(continuation from previous article) 10. Shall we plan?As a young student, Francis de Sales (he...
The Exercise for a Happy Death in Don Bosco’s educational experience (5/5)
P. Aldo GIRAUDO (continuation from previous article) 4. Conclusion In the epilogue of Francis Besucco’s life, Don Bosco...
The Exercise for a Happy Death in Don Bosco’s educational experience (4/5)
(continuation from previous article) 3. Death as a moment of joyful encounter with God Like...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (9/10)
(continuation from previous article) 9. Let us come to the pointDear young people,if we look...
The Exercise for a Happy Death in Don Bosco’s educational experience (3/5)
(continuation from previous article) 2. The litany for a happy death in the context of...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (8/10)
(continuation from previous article) 8. Prayer or serviceDear young people,charity and prayer always go together....
The Exercise for a Happy Death in Don Bosco’s educational experience (2/5)
(continuation from previous article) 1. The exercise for a happy death in Salesian institutions and...
Alexandre Planas Saurì, the deaf martyr (2/2)
(continuation from previous article) The Salesian He was close to the sick, the children. The...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (7/10)
(continuation from previous article) 7. Who finds a friend…?Dear young people,the gift and responsibility of...
Alexandre Planas Saurì, the deaf martyr (1/2)
Alexandre Planas Sauri, born in Mataró (Barcelona) on 31 December 1878, was a lay collaborator...
The train timetable
I knew a man who knew the railway timetable by heart, because the only thing...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (6/10)
(continuation from previous article) 6. All is well at homeDear young people,“I think that, in...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (5/10)
(continuation from previous article) 5. After all, can I do it alone?Dear young people,I have...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (4/10)
(continuation from previous article) 4. Where is your heartDear young people,you have written to me...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (3/10)
(continuation from previous article) 3. If I do not know myself, can I be free...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (2/10)
(continuation from previous article) 2. What to do tomorrowDear young people,you are certainly asking yourselves:...
WYD as a synodal experience of Church renewal
Fr Miguel Angel GARCIA MORCUENDE Interrupting the life of a city is always an extraordinary act. Filling the streets with...
Have you thought about your vocation? St Francis de Sales could help you (1/10)
“It is not by the greatness of our deeds that we will please God, but...
Rector Major, Fr Angel FERNANDEZ ARTIME, appointed cardinal
At the end of the Marian prayer on Sunday, 9 July 2023, Pope Francis announced...
Don Bosco’s gaze
P. Natale CERRATO But who would believe it? Don Bosco’s ‘vision’ was such that he… saw so many...
Servants of God John Świerc and eight Companions Martyrs. Pastors who gave their lives
Extremist ideologies, that is, ideas raised to the rank of absolute truths, always bring suffering...
The stork and its duties
The white stork (Ciconia ciconia) is a large bird, unmistakable for its tapering red beak,...
The Heart of Gold of Education
Ángel Card. FERNÁNDEZ ARTIME Why devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is part of the DNA of the...
Who doesn’t pray?
A farmer, on a market day, stopped to eat in a crowded restaurant where even...
There is much more ‘thirst for God’ than you might think
Today there is so much need for listening, for free and open dialogue, for personal...