On the third
and last day of our pilgrimage – “Pellegrinaggio Sui Luoghi Salesiani” (24/2)
we visited the church of St. John the Baptist and the Consolata. Both have a
great history and significance.
The Church
of St. John the Baptist (built by Don Bosco) is in the vicinity of Porto Neuova
– the old railway station in Turin. This is the place where migrant youth
arrived searching for job. They were vulnerable to unscrupulous men and women
looking for recruitment especially into the flesh trade that was quite rampant
in that area (something that continues even today).
The young
Don Bosco was very concerned about these vulnerable youth. He set up the
Oratory of St. Aloysius (the name is very significant) on December 8, 1947 to
give some protection and help to these youth. Later he also set up a school to train
these youth in some trade.
The girls
and young women were even more vulnerable and Don Bosco was concerned about
them too. He looked for women collaborators. Sr. Louisa Clara, a Daughter of
Charity from Savoy, began to work for the girls on the same lines as Don
Bosco.
When Savoy
separated from Italy Louisa Clara was recalled by her congregation like all the
other members of her congregation working in the area of new Italy. Clara
refused to leave her work and founded a religious congregation of her own and
continued her work for vulnerable women.
Later, Benedetta
Savio, from the village of John Bosco, and with whom John was on very friendly
terms, decided to join Don Bosco in his work.
Don Bosco planned to start a religious congregation for women with her
as leader, even before he had considered Maria Mazzarello.
Don Bosco
sent two Salesians to fetch her from Becchi and bring her to Porto Neuvo. But
that very day her married sister died and Benedetta decided to take care of her
deprived nephews and nieces and stay back at Becchi.
Don Bosco’s
work at Porto Neuvo flourished and he felt it important to set up a Church
there and he named it after the “young” St. John the Evangelist, and patron
saint of his great friend and benefactor, Pius the IX (his larger than life
statue is prominent at the back of the church).
Pius IX also
had great affection for this church named after his patron. He donated to this
church the chalice offered to him on the occasion of the 50th
anniversary of his consecration as bishop.
The
foundation stone of the Church of St. John the Baptist was laid on 14 August
1878 with the blessing of Msgr. Gastaldi. The construction was completed in
1882 and consecrated on 28 October by the Archbishop of Turin.
Don Bosco
always had a great affection for this church he always referred to as the
church of Giovannini (the young John.) It
is also one of the more beautiful churches in and around Turin.
The Salesian
community at St. John Baptist today continues the work for the migrants,
especially from Africa.
The
Chaplaincy for the 10,000 strong Philippino community is headquartered here.
A number of
saints have worked at St. John the Baptist. These include: Blessed Michael Rua,
the first successor of Don Bosco; Saint Leonardo Murialdo; Blessed Luigi
Guanella; Venerable Philip Rinaldi; Servant of God Vincent Cimatti; and Saint
Callisto Caravario (martyred in China).
After a tour
of the Church and the facilities and some refreshments we set off for the
church of the Consolata (Comforter
and Patron of Turin), walking distance from the Salesian Mother House at
Valdocco.
The Church
of the Consolata is considered the “nerve centre of the spiritual life of the
people of Turin.” It is one of the most beautiful churches I have seen and the
one I really liked. It provides a very intimate sacred space for the worshippers.
The sanctuary is hexagonal in shape. The main altar is right in the centre and
people can sit very close to it in all the six spaces around it.
Artistic
works abound on the walls.
The body of St. Joseph Caffaso, the Confessor and Spiritual Director is kept in a casket under a side altar.
Don Bosco
often used to walk into this Church to pray. It is here that he found
“consolation” after the death of his mother, Mama Margaret.
Like Don
Bosco, all the Bishops of Turin too often visited the church and sought
consolation from the Mother of God.
The statue
of “The Consolata” stands on a very tall pillar in the piazza next to the Church.
The Consolata
was the last stop on our “pellegrinatio.”
The
pilgrimage ended with Mass presided over by Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia,
Archbishop of Turin. During his homily the Archbishop said that there will be
an extraordinary exposure of the Shroud (burial cloth) of Jesus (the patrimony of the Archdiocese of Turin)
during 2015, the bicentenary (Jubilee) year of Don Bosco’s birth, for the
veneration of the thousands of pilgrims expected that year in the city of
Turin.
The
archbishop also said that Pope Francis will be visiting Turin during this
Jubilee year.
After the
Mass, most of us walked over to the Mother House for another sumptuous lunch (I
gorged on the salmon, a favourite!)
For those
with a gustatory interest here is the menu of that farewell lunch: Spada
Affumicata All’Agro Con Valeriana; Insalata Nordica: Russo Salmone Tonno; Riso Al Vapore; Misto di Verdure All’Olio:
Carciofini Pomodori Funghi; Tagliere di
Salumi; Raviolini di Magro; Pomodoro e Basilico; Filetto di Pollo alla
Mandorla; Spinaci al Parmigiano; Bunet; Cestino di Frutta; Vine del Novarse; Acqua;
and Café (Mouth watering, right! Wish I had a better stomach to do justice to all the food.)
After lunch,
around 2.30 pm we got into our buses and returned to the Generalate in Rome reaching
there a little before midnight.
Thus ended
our glorious and very enriching “Pellegrinaggio Sui Luoghi Salesiani”
(Pilgrimage to the Salesian Places) Turin, 22-24 February 2014.
I went to
bed that night with a sense of gratitude and privilege, with an increased love for and appreciation
for Don Bosco, and the great Salesians of that early era and
proud to be a Salesian.
Deo Gratias! and to Don Bosco
No comments:
Post a Comment