Generala workhouse can be substantiated with additional information.771
John Bonetti in the History of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales wrote that “ever since the
government had opened the penitentiary and handed its administration over to the Society of St. Peter in Chains, Don Bosco received permission to visit those poor youngsters, worthy of every compassion, every once in a while. With permission from the prisons director, Don Bosco gave the boys catechism instructions, preached to them, heard their confessions, and many times mingled with them in recreation in a friendly manner, just as he used to do with his children at the Oratory”.772
This is thecontext for the legendary outing to Stupinigi, which Don Bosco had with detainees during the spring of 1855 organised by Don Bosco alone, with the consent of Urban Ratazzi, then minister of the interior. This event had no guards at all and relied only on mutual trust, the conscientious commitment of the detainees and the spellbinding influence of the educator.773
An event such as this, rather more limited, was likely to have happened according to the regulations of
the correctional institution. In fact, t he institution foresaw the possibility that outings as a reward be
granted to youngsters who made the 'honour roll'. From a letter by Canon Fissiaux to the minister of the
interior and dated April 22, 1846, we come to know that a small group of worthy deta inees around Easter time had been accompanied on an outing to Stupinigi. “The youngsters”, writes the Canon “enjoyed themselves a lot and after dinner in a wooded area, all went back home without not even a hint of setback”.774
But besides these sporadic forms of assistance, continued regularly or by exception, we have personal testimony from Don Bosco himself in the Memoirs of the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, and even before that, recorded as a preface to the already quoted Historical sketches on the Oratory of St. Francis De Sales. These statements establish an immediate relationship between Don Bosco's activity among the young detainees and the beginnings and development of the work on behalf of the Oratories. However, there is still a lingeringlegitimate suspicion that dates and recollections may have actually overlapped, with the usual addition of some padding.775
At any rate, we have to recognise the fact that for a certain period of time the Oratory remained
sensitive to the problem of anybody, especially the young, released from prison or from a correctional
institution.
It was then that I had first -hand experience that youngsters released from jail were able to
live an upright life, forget the past and become good Christians and upright citizens, if they
found a kindly hand to take care of them, be with them at weekends and try to find
employment for them with some employer or visit them sometime during the week.
776
771On the Generala, see what was said in Chap 5, § 6.
772BS 6 (1882) no. 11, Nov pp. 180-181
773BS 6 (1882) no. 11, Nov pp. 180-182; MB V 217-238.
774Cf. C Felloni, and R. Audisio, 'I giovani discoli...', in G. Bracco (Ed.), Torino e Don Bosco, Vol I, p. 118.
the first publication, chronologically, that talks about the excursion to Stupigini is the brief work Opere religiose e
sociali in Italia. Memoria by Count Carlo Conestabile. Translation from French, Padua, Seminary Press 1878. Others
depend on this source: L. Mendre (1879), C. d'ìEspiney (1881), Fr Bonetti, Bollettino Salesiano (1882), Du Boys
(1883). from the general tone with which Count Conestabile describes the personality and work of Abate Bosco a
Torino (pp. 4-39) and from repeated approximations one could legitimately conclude that the way the event happened
(pp. 23-26) might have been notably padded out almost to the point of being legend. Without legitimising this legend,
the testimony of Eugene Ceria in his Preface to MB XV 7-8 might confirm the event in its real shape.
775The significant discrepancy on this issue between the Memoirs of the Oratory and the more controlledStoria
dell'Oratorio has already been emphasised. The latter was written for the Bolletino Salesiano by Fr John Bonetti, who
also had the manuscript for the former. We see that he softens the links between the Oratory and concern for ex-
prisoners.
776MO (1991) 122-123.