Chapter 9

The option for the young: social and psycho-pedagogical typology

Don Bosco's first contacts in Turin with isolated groups of young people during his years at the Convitto Ecclesiastico coincided with the beginning of the industrial, demographic and building expansion of the city which would be accentuated in decades following by the inevitable phenomenon of immigrants, the uprooted and the 'abandoned'.679

According to John Baptist Lemoyne, Don Bosco felt strongly about the early impact of Turin on him

and the often very many hidden miseries, the worst of which were made known to the authorities in

charge of public order from the point of view of the ones which were m ost socially dangerous.

680 Naturally, the young priest coming from a world largely removed from problems of the urban reality,

was deeply affected and wanted to especially understand the religious and moral aspects of the various

kinds of needs and distressi ng situations. He walked along the streets and through the squares, visited

prisons and hospitals, entered hovels and climbed into attics, the ultimate refuge especially for young

immigrants.

681

In the 1879s and 80s the scenario of 'poor and abandoned youth' was seen by Don Bosco to be

substantially unchanged, that is, still describable in those terms but there were more of them and the

situation was worse. His viewpoint, which began with Turin and some regional experience expanded to

national, international and intercontinental horizons, either through direct knowledge or thanks to

information garnered from his helpers, newspapers, civil and Church authorities etc. He embraced this

broader perspective as a commitment through his 'dreams', the entire 'planet o f young people' seeing them in need of 'salvation' and 'assistance'. Not only individuals' fortunes were at stake but the future

of society.

This was the dominant motif of his words, speeches, addresses to families, individual letters, circulars

and the m any conferences he gave in the past period of his life to benefactors and Cooperators.

You must help according to your possibilities”, he exhorted them, you must come to Don

Bosco's aid in order to more easily and broadly achieve the noble purpose proposed, to the

advantage that is of Religion, the wellbeing of civil society, by nurturing poor youth. You

certainly should not overlook the adults; but don't forget that these, with few exceptions,

are not so much our concern today. So we go out to the little ones, remove them far from

danger, bring them along to Catechism, invite them to the Sacraments, look after them, or

bring them back to virtue. Doing this you will see our ministry become fruitful, you will

cooperate in forming good Christians, good families, good populations; and you will

construct a barrier, a dyke in the present and the future against impiety and the flood of

vice.682

679Cf Chap 1, § 3; also P. Stella, Don Bosco nella storia della religiosità cattolica, Vol 1. pp. 103-109; P. Spriano, Storia di

Torino operaia e socailista da De Amicis a Gramsci, Turin, Einaufi 1972, pp. 3-17.

680Documented information on the situation is available in U. Levra, 'Il bisogno, il castigo, la pietà, Torino 1814-1848', in

Torino e Don Bosco, ed. G.Bracco, Vol 1 Saggi. Turin, Archivio Storica della Città 1988, pp. 13-97; Idem, L'altro volto

di Torino risorgimentale 1814-1848. Turin, Institute for the history of the Italian renaissance 1988, 204 p.; C. Felloni

and R. Audisio, 'I giovani discoli', in Torino e Don Bosco..., Vol 1 Saggi, pp. 00-119. For the 1860s, P. Spriano Storia di

Torino operaia e socialista, pp. 3-36

681Cf. G.B. Lemoyne Vita del venerabile servo di Dio, Giovanni Bosco..., Vol 1. Turin. Libreria Editrice Società

Internazionale 'Buona Stampa' 1913 [the first edition was 1911], pp. 233-234. There is a more extensive reconstrcution

in MB II 59-67.

682A friendly talk given to past pupil priests of the Valdocco Oratory on 29 July 1880, BS 4 (1880) no, 9 Sept. p. 11; he

spoke similarly, again to past pupil priests, on 19 July 1883: “take special care of the youth in your towns because they