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Letter from St. John Bosco to the Oratory boys:
My beloved sons,
I know you want to hear news from me, and I had to leave without saying goodbye so, feel the need to speak to you. I will speak frankly as a father to his beloved children.
I was a little under the weather on the evening of July 15, so, I traveled to St. Ignatius via coach. Along the journey to Caselle, I could enjoy the sun, which gave me a free steam bath because I was seated on top of the coach. But on the road from Caselle to St. Maurice, the weather was cold, and stormy with thunder, lightning, and rain; during the journey from St. Maurice to Ciriè, the rain mixed with a bit of hail. But from Ciriè to Lanzo, which is a span of five miles, we encountered a downpour, hail, thunder, and a very cold wind that almost prevented us from breathing.
My dear boys, you should have seen Don Bosco coming down from the carriage drenched like one of those big rats you often see coming out of the ditch behind the courtyard.
When I arrived, the parish priest, Don Frederick Albert, kindly gave me all I needed. Not having a cassock my size, he dressed me in a frock that made me look like an Abbot.
Having dried off and then refreshened with soup, I went to bed. But I was fatigued by the journey and a headache, so I could not sleep, even though I had a good bed and was well covered.
In the morning at 7:00, I arose and hired a donkey to continue on my way. After a steep, 3-mile climb, I arrived at St. Ignatius. I was very ill on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday after the journey. Then, Wednesday evening, I rested a little. By Saturday, I was much better, and the Blessed Virgin helped me so much that I returned to my old self on Sunday.
Up to now, in this letter, I have spoken of myself. Now it is good for me to talk to you. Let us begin with Bernardo Casalegno, our beloved companion. After much suffering, he died on Friday, July 18, having received the Holy Sacraments in a truly exemplary manner without letting himself be frightened by death. He was full of confidence in the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He had been preparing for this step for a long time. His preparation for Heaven gives us hope that he visited Dominic Savio in Heaven. He was buried in Chieri, where people prayed for him, and you did the same for him in the Oratory. From the first day of this month, I directed all the good that we did in the house for the need of our companion, whom the Lord wanted to call to himself. May God help us also to have a good death.
I have visited the Oratory several times and found a little good and a little bad. I saw four wolves running here and there among the boys, and some of them were bitten. Perhaps these rapacious wolves will no longer be found in the Oratory. But if they are still there, I want to tear from them the lambskin in which they clothe themselves.
On another visit, I saw some chatting on the terrace during the evening prayer. Others were playing on the small staircase of the new house. Provera saw some on the ground floor but did not see those on the floors upstairs. I also saw some go out on Sunday mornings and miss part of the church services. I was outraged that some boys fled to swim when it was time for evening services! Poor young men; how little they think of their souls!
I also saw many young men with snakes twisted around their bodies and biting into their throats. Some of them wept, saying, “We have sinned.” Others laughed and sang, “We have sinned, yet what has befallen us?” But their throats swelled, and they had trouble breathing. So today, I see the devil turning idleness into carnage.
I will soon be with you. I will unite with Don Alasonatti and all the other priests and clerics to drive the wolves, snakes, and idleness out of our house, and I will then tell you everything.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us always, and may the Blessed Virgin preserve us. Amen.
Yours affectionately in the Lord,
Don Bosco
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