{"id":43743,"date":"2025-06-06T09:02:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T09:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exciting-knuth.178-32-140-152.plesk.page\/?p=43743"},"modified":"2025-07-25T10:05:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T10:05:22","slug":"saint-francis-de-sales-teaches-him-future-of-vocations-1879","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/dreams-of-don-bosco\/saint-francis-de-sales-teaches-him-future-of-vocations-1879\/","title":{"rendered":"St Francis de Sales instructs him. Future of vocations (1879)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the prophetic dream Don Bosco recounted on 9 May 1879, Saint Francis de Sales appeared as a caring teacher and gave the Founder a booklet full of warnings for novices, professed members, directors, and superiors. The vision was dominated by two epic battles: first young men and warriors, then armed men and monsters, while the banner of \u201cMary Help of Christians\u201d guaranteed victory to those who followed it. The survivors set off for the East, North, and South, foreshadowing the Salesian missionary expansion. The Saint\u2019s words emphasised obedience, chastity, educational charity, love of work, and temperance, indispensable pillars for the Congregation to grow, withstand trials, and leave its children a legacy of active holiness. It concluded with a coffin, a stern reminder to be vigilant and prayerful.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Think as we may of this particular dream, Don Bosco had another dream which he narrated on May 9. In it he saw the fierce battles which faced the men called to his Congregation, and he was given several valuable instructions for all his sons and sound advice for the future.<\/p>\n

[I saw] a hard-fought, long-drawn-out battle between youngsters and a varied array of warriors who were armed with strange weapons. Survivors were few.
\nA second fiercer and more terrifying battle was being waged by gigantic monsters fully armed, well-trained tall men who unfurled a huge banner, the center of which bore an inscription in gold,\u00a0Maria Auxilium Christianorum.\u00a0<\/em>The combat was long and bloody, but the soldiers fighting under the banner were protected against hurt and conquered a vast plain. The boys who had survived the previous battle linked forces with them, each combatant holding a crucifix in his right hand and a miniature of the banner in his left. After engaging together in several sallies over that vast plain, they split, some heading eastward, a few to the north, and many for the south. Once they all left, the same skirmishes, maneuvers and leave-takings were repeated by others.
\nI recognized some boys who fought in the first skirmishes, but none of the others, who nevertheless seemed to know me and asked me many questions.
\nShortly afterward I witnessed a shower of flashing, fiery tongues of many colors, followed by thunder and then clear skies. Then I found myself in a charming garden. A man who looked like Saint Francis de Sales silently handed me a booklet. I asked him who he was. \u201cRead the book,\u201d was the reply.
\nI opened it, but had trouble reading, managing only to make out these precise words:
\n\u201cFor the Novices<\/em>: Obedience in all things. Through obedience they will deserve God\u2019s blessings and the good will of men. Through diligence they will fight and overcome the snares set by the enemies of their souls.
\n\u201cFor the Confreres<\/em>: Jealously safeguard the virtue of chastity. Love your confreres\u2019 good name, promote the honor of the Congregation.
\n\u201cFor the Directors<\/em>: Take every care, make every effort to observe and promote observance of the rules through which everyone\u2019s life is consecrated to God.
\n\u201cFor the Superior<\/em>: Total self-sacrifice, so as to draw himself and his charges to God.\u201d
\nThe book said many other things, but I couldn\u2019t read any further, for the paper turned as blue as the ink.
\n\u201cWho are you?\u201d I again asked the man who serenely gazed at me.
\n\u201cGood people everywhere know me. I have been sent to tell you of future events.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat are they?\u201d
\n\u201cThose you have already seen and those which you will ask about.\u201d
\n\u201cHow can I foster vocations?\u201d
\n\u201cThe Salesians will harvest many vocations by their good example, by being endlessly kind toward their pupils, and by urging them constantly to receive Holy Communion often.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat should we bear in mind when admitting novices?\u201d
\n\u201cReject idlers and gluttons.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd when admitting to vows?\u201d
\n\u201cMake sure that they are well grounded in chastity.\u201d
\n\u201cHow are we to maintain the right spirit in our houses?\u201d
\n\u201cLet superiors very often write, visit and welcome the confreres, dealing kindly with them.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat of our foreign missions?\u201d
\n\u201cSend men of sound morality and recall any who give you serious reason to doubt; look for and foster native vocations.\u201d
\n\u201cIs our Congregation on the right path?\u201d
\n\u201cLet those who do good keep doing good. [Rev. 22, 11] Not to go forward is to go backward. [St. Gregory the Great] The man who stands firm to the end will be saved.\u201d[Mt. 10, 22]
\n\u201cWill the Congregation grow?\u201d
\n\u201cIt will reach out so that no one will be able to check its growth, as long as the superiors meet their obligations.\u201d
\n\u201cWill it have a long life?\u201d
\n\u201cYes, but only as long as its members love work and temperance.
\nShould either of these two pillars fall, your entire edifice will collapse and crush superiors, subjects and followers beneath it.\u201d
\nJust then four men showed up bearing a coffin and approaching me.
\n\u201cWhom is that for?\u201d I asked.
\n\u201cFor you.\u201d
\n\u201cHow soon?\u201d
\n\u201cDo not ask. Just remember that you are mortal.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat are you trying to tell me with this coffin?\u201d
\n\u201cThat while you are still living you must see to it that your sons practice what they must continue to practice after your death. This is the heritage, the testament you must bequeath to them; but you must work on it and leave it [to your sons] as a well-studied and well-tested legacy.\u201d
\n\u201cCan we expect roses or thorns?\u201d
\n\u201cMany roses and joys are in store, but very sharp thorns also threaten.
\nThey will cause all of you acute distress and sorrow. You must pray much.\u201d
\n\u201cShould we open houses in Rome?\u201d
\n\u201cYes, but not hurriedly; proceed with extreme prudence and caution.\u201d
\n\u201cIs the end of my mortal life near at hand?\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t be concerned. You have the rules and other books. Practice what you preach and be vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wanted to ask more questions, but muffled thunder rumbled through the air with flashes of lightning. Several men, rather horrid monsters, dashed toward me as if to tear me to pieces. But then a deep darkness enveloped me, shutting everything out. I felt that I must be dead and started to scream frenziedly. I awoke and found I was still alive. It was a quarter to five in the morning.
\nIf we can draw some good from this dream, let us do so. In all things let honor and glory be given to God forever and ever.
\n(BM XIV, 88-90)<\/em><\/p>\n

Photo on the title page. Saint Francis de Sales. Anonymous. Sacristy of Chieri Cathedral<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the prophetic dream Don Bosco recounted on 9 May 1879, Saint Francis de Sales…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":43744,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":23,"footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[1745,1763,1823,1967,2628,1955,1961,2621,1811],"class_list":["post-43743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dreams-of-don-bosco","tag-councils","tag-don-bosco","tag-graces-obtained","tag-saints","tag-salesian-charism","tag-salesians","tag-salvation","tag-vocations","tag-youth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43743"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44209,"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43743\/revisions\/44209"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.donbosco.press\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}