Chapter 18

Educational institutions

Don Bosco spoke and wrote about his projects on behalf of youth and his pedagogical approach to the most diverse range of people: collaborators, cooperators, benefactors; popes, cardinals, bishops and priests; authorities, politicians, financiers, civil servants, managers of state and local corporations... He also looked at various possibilities for applying the preventive system in education: in prisons, with Urban Rattazzi, Minister for Justice in 1854; in recovery institutions, with the Italian Minister for the Interior in 1878; in the classroom, with Francis Bodrato, school teacher in 1864; in private educational institutions and families via the Salesian Bulletin.

However what he gave us, the writings he left us, the experience he handed down to us, refers more explicitly to the very many institutions that he himself founded, ran or led.

We can divide them into two main categories:

1. Institutions of an open nature such as recreation parks, daily and weekend oratories, youth centres, Sunday and Night schools, other schools of various levels and degrees, popular and youth press, missionary residences.

2. Comprehensive (in the sense of offering overall care) institutions such as hospices, hostels for young workers or students, technical schools for the technical and professional training of youth, boarding schools for students and ecclesiastical seminaries.

All these categories of institution with the exception of the missions which began in January 1880, are all listed and officially codified in the Salesian Constitutions, officially approved in April 1874, and translated into Italian in 1875.1248

1. The aim of the Salesian society is the Christian perfection of its members, the

performance of any work of spiritual and corporal charity towards the young, especially the

poor and also the education of the young clergy...

3. The first exercise of charity will be that of gathering together poor and abandoned boys to instruct them in the holy Catholic religion, particula rly on feast days.

4. Since young people are often so totally abandoned that any care ecercised on their behalf

would prove useless if they were not given shelter, as far as possible houses will be opened

in which lodging, food and clothing will be provide d for them with the means which Divine Providence provides; and while they are instructed in the truths of the Catholic faith, they

will also be introduced to learning some art or craft.

5. Since the dangers our youth encounter are many and serious, whenev er they aspire to enter the ecclesiastical state this Society of ours will do its very best to foster the piety of

the ones who show special aptitude for study and are commendable for their good morals.

When it is a question of accepting youngsters for stu dies, let the poorest boys be accepted by preference, precisely because they would not be able to pursue their studies elsewhere....

6. Support for the Catholic religion is a need felt mostly among Christian people,

particularly in small towns. Therefore S alesian members will do their best to zealously

1248 Cf. Regulae seu Constitutiones Societatis S. Francisci Salesii juxta Approbatioanis decretum die 3 aprilis 1874.

Augustae Taurinorum, ex officina Asceterii Salesiani An. MDCCCLXXIV, pp. 6-7, OE XXV 416-417.