schools were at a rather embryonic stage.1315
In the document approved in 1886, there is a preliminary remind er about the threefold goal which led the Salesians to take care of young artisans, working boys:
To have them learn a trade, so they can honestly earn the bread they need to live on; to have
them instructed in religion; to provide them with the knowledge required by and suited to,
their state. From this threefold goal we can draw the threefold orientation to be followed in
setting up programs and methods to be used in professional schools .
Naturally, the first orientation is the religious and moral one; t he second is an intellectual orientation which includes the necessary wealth of literary, artistic and scientific
knowledge, as well as knowledge of drafting and of French; the third orientation is the
professional one which aims at training the artisan in everything pertinent to his trade, not only theoretically but also practically. For this reason the artisans shall be trained to a level
of competence in their trade which includes step -by -step procedures carried out quickly.
This was a demanding requisit generally last five years.
e which foresaw that the duration of the practical training period would
1316
4.3 Religious education
As for religious education, it is self-evident that well-formed religious culture is the stronghold of holistic education for Don Bosco. But other elements characterise his activity in this field.
We have a document, which goes back to Don Bosco's final years, which sheds light on the exceptional importance he gave to religious instruction: it is the basis of any reform both in society and
education.This document is a hand-written note left for Fr Dalmazzo, the Procurator General in Rome. The note contained ideas, proposals which he intended to have presented to the Pope and which, probably, were given to Pope Leo XIII in the audience he had on April 5, 1880.
Urgent matters for which only the Vicar of Jesus Christ can provide appropriate solutions:
1. Children: Catechism should be taught to children at least every feast day. There are few towns and very few cities where such catechism classes are generally being held - and even fewer for poor and abandoned boys. Very little attentive concern is expressed in inviting the boys to make their confession.
2. Clergy: Greater care in instructing the faithful according to the norms established by the 'Catechism for Pastors' published by order of the Sacrosanct Council of Trent. It is hard to find a parish with such instructions, if we exclude the towns of Northern Italy. Greater eagerness and greater charity in hearing the confessions of the faithful. Most of the priests never carry out the ministry of hearing confessions, since they only hear confession during Easter time and then no more.
3. Ecclesiastical vocations...
4. Religious Orders: religious orders are undergoing a terrible crisis. Two things should be
1315 Cf. L. Pazzaglia, Apprendistato e istruzione...., in Traniello (Ed.), Don Bosco nella storia della cultura popolare...,
p. 63; J.M. Prellezzo, Don Bosco e le scuole professionali...., in M. Midali (Ed.), Don Bosco nella storia..., p. 349. 1316 Deliberazioni del terzo e quarto capitolo generale..., pp. 18-22, OE XXXVI 270-274 (Dei giovani artigiani...).
Deeper research on the genesis of this document can be found in a critical edition by J.M. Prellezzo, La «parte operaia»
nelle case salesiane. Documenti e testimonianze sulla formazione professionale (1883-1886), RSS 16 (1997) 353-391.