“Don Bosco was very much a man of God, continually united to God in prayer” (Fr. Philip Rinaldi).
Don Bosco designed and closely followed the construction of oratories and professional schools. He saw to the opening of 52 Salesian houses (in Italy, France, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, England and Ecuador). He wrote about 4000 letters and 150 books and pamphlets. He devoted many hours to hearing confessions, talking with several youngsters, spending several hours with them on the Oratory playgrounds. He received ecclesiastical dignitaries and hundreds of people from all walks of life who came to him for advice. He made dozens of trips throughout Italy, two to France (one to Paris and the other to the South of the country), a long journey to Barcelona in Spain. He made twenty trips to Rome (in those days it took about three days and various modes of transport, a coach, a train and even a boat). He founded two religious Congregations (The Salesians of Don Bosco and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians). He organized twelve missionary expeditions (on which he sent 152 Salesians and 50 Salesians Sisters abroad). In the midst of these multifarious activities did Don Bosco have the time to pray?
His cause of Beatification was fraught with obstacles because of the scarce mention of prayer in his life. Explicit’ prayer is an essential element of the Christian life, because it demands that a Christian suspends all external activity to focus, to meditate, to find a suitable place and time for this; all of which in a life dominated and permeated by action, as in the case of Don Bosco, seemed impossible.
Don Bosco certainly prayed, but according to some, that was not enough.
Moreover, his mode of action was very different from that of other saints. He was being continually asked by everyone and by situations to establish and develop his works. He relied very much on his own activity and initiative and he used every human means possible. More than on divine assistance, he sought human support or so it seemed. And on the subject of prayer, there is little or nothing found. Moreover, because of a persistent ocular ailment that tormented from 1843, Pius IX dispensed Don Bosco from praying his breviary.
Don Bosco was different from the traditional model of other saints, even those of his contemporaries in Turin, such as Joseph Cafasso (1811 – 1860) his mentor and Leonardo Murialdo (1828 – 1900), who took four hours for his preparation and thanksgiving before and after Mass.
But to have one’s own way of praying is not to say that one does not pray or prays very little.
Don Bosco’s process of beatification and canonization was dogged with the difficulty of verifying the depositions of witnesses. The third successor of Don Bosco, Fr. Philip Rinaldi said: “Don Bosco was very much a man of God, continually united to God in prayer. In his last years, after spending the mornings receiving people who came to him from every class and social strata for advice and to receive his blessing, he withdrew to his room from 2 to 3 in the afternoon and the superiors did not permit anyone to disturb him. But because from 1883 to the time of Don Bosco’s death, I was assigned to take charge of a house for the formation of aspirants to the priesthood, he had said that I could meet him whenever I needed his help. Perhaps, indiscreetly, I met him at my convenience and several times I disturbed him during that hour not only at the Oratory but at Lanzo, at San Benigno where he often went, at Mathi and the at house of St. John the Evangelist in the city of Turin. Several times I reached there exactly at that hour during which I always found him recollected with his hands joined in meditation.”
The testimonies of the processes presented in this booklet have revealed an unexpected and continuous activity of prayer. Even without the externals and grand gestures, Don Bosco’s prayer was profound and frequent. One day Don Bosco himself disclosed: “I call this house the Oratory to indicate clearly how prayer is the only power on which we ought to rely.”
To further demonstrate how important prayer was for Don Bosco, here are some lines from his spiritual testament: “I must also apologise if anyone has noticed that several times I have made too brief a preparation and thanksgiving before and after Holy Mass. In some way I was forced by the crowd of people around me in the sacristy who deprived me of the opportunity to pray before and after Holy Mass.
For Personal Meditation
Do I pray?
Do I have the time necessary for it?
When I am unable to pray, what are my reasons?
What can I do to devote more of my time to dialogue with God?