the Sarria Hospice and its workshops which had been built in Catalonia earlier. Father Branda and Minister Lastres had gone to Sarria to be informed about the educational approach being used there. Father Branda had told him to read the book on Don Bosco written by a Frenchman, Despiney. But Don Bosco interrupted him and said that it would have been better to have get him to read Dubois. The reason for this was that “Du Bois’ book makes our system known and he correctly intuited the spirit of our society”. The people in Madrid kept on talking about a reformatory school, while Father Branda kept on saying that this was not our aim: “if it is correction we are talking about, that is not our objective”. “Then”, Fr. Branda went “the Madrid people came back. They spent the whole day at the hospice to examine how it was run, the rules and ways of doing things in the home, and concluded by saying that they would have to write to Don Bosco”. A month later, at the insistence of the Papal Nuncio, Bishop Mariano Rampolla had been invited to Madrid. At the railway station the Bishop was welcomed by Minister Lastres798 and by Minister Francis Silvela (1845 -1905) or, more exactly, by his brother, Senator Manuel Silvela, the one who had signed the requ est letter.

799

The following day, Father Branda was present at the meeting held by the committee members. The

meeting was to discuss whether or not to entrust the school to Don Bosco. The objection was raised

that committee members' thinking was not c onsonant with what Father Branda had defined as “our system”, but the answer was “as long as the objective is reached, we leave freedom of action. The intention is only that youth be saved”. They wrote to Don Bosco, following these guidelines. A debate followed the report by Father Branda. The position held by Chapter members turned out to be varied, but they all agreed to defend Don Bosco’s system. Fr Durando urged that the foundations be stopped. Fr Cerruti, the 'ideologue’ of the Chapter, invited everyone to reflect “on the compatibility or not of the project with our system, which had to be made known to the Madrid people who are asking us”. Father Rua remarked that the people from Madrid were ready to grant concessions. Father Branda reminded everyone of the fact that both the Nuncio and Minister Silvela were waiting for an answer.800 Don Bosco first pointed out how much of an unforeseen good had been done, directly or indirectly ,by

undertakings almost born by chance. The he invited the chapter members to study 'the possibility of

carrying out 'the undertaking' and of 'sending someone to Madrid, of having him stay there to know, to

see and come to a decision'. Practically speaking, it was decided to form a Committee, made up of Fr.

Durando, Fr. C erruti and Fr. Branda to examine the Madrid project and the manner of changing it to

meet the demands of our system."

Finally Don Bosco said: "We too will agree with all that does not touch the substance (of our system)

provided that the means do not turn out to be an obstacle”. Then Fr. Rua concluded by saying: “we should hold on to our custom of always having two kinds of boys, namely academic students and working boys”.801

The following are the minutes of the meeting held two days later on Sept. 24, 1885.

Father Cerruti read out the response to the Madrid Committee in charge of the Reformatory

School. The Chapter gives its approval and decrees that the answer be kept in the archives

to serve as a norm for similar cases. Don Bosco will sign it. Likewise a letter was sent to

798Francisco Lastres y Juiz (1848-1918), disciple of Manuel Silvela, deputy from 1884 to 1896, then senator from 1896 to

1903 senator for life: “His very active and prolonged efforts led to the establishment in Carabanchel (Madrid) of the

first reform school for idle youth and the hospice for paternal correction” (Encyclopedia Espasa, t. XXIX 958), in fact

St. Rita's.

799Manuel Silvela (1830-1892) was deputy of the Cortes from 1863 to 1883 and senator for life from 1883.

800On 11 October 1885 the Nuncio would send Don Bosco a letter of recommendation, reported in MB XVII 828. 801Verbali del capitolo superiore, quad. I, fol. 79r-81r. Minutes were taken by Fr G.B. Lemoyne, secretary of the superior

chapter.