(ANS – Rome) – The (January-June 2014) n. 62 issue of “Ricerche Storiche Salesiane” (RSS), the half-yearly magazine of Religious and Civil History published by the Salesian Historical Institute (ISS) has appeared.

In the section of Studi  there are three articles:

• The economic management of the Opera Sacro Cuore in Rome at the Extraordinary Visitation in 1908, by Fr Giorgio Rossi, SDB. This is the first historical documented reconstruction of the economic management of a Salesian house. Worth noting is the characteristic Salesian feature of training for education in business skills, especially with the artisans.
• Don Bosco and the figure of the prefect in Salesian houses, by Fr Bruno Bordignon, SDB. According to Don Bosco’s thinking and practice, in the Salesian educational world, the prefect, in addition to being the deputy of the Rector was responsible for the overall discipline and management of the house.  In this way the Rector was able to deal directly with the formation both of the Salesians, and of the boys.
• Effects of Don Bosco’s religious model on the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Points for an enquiry, by Sr Grazia Loparco, FMA. Those characteristic aspects of Don Bosco in relation to the religious life are presented. They are reflected in a feminine style of approach.

In the section of Fonti the following text is published:

• Illness and death of the young cleric Luigi Comollo written by his colleague C. Gio. Bosco, Critical Edition by  Fr Aldo Giraudo, SDB. The original text, written immediately after the events (perhaps between April and May 1839), represents, together with the detailed chronicle of the events and the words of a friend on his death bed, the religious spirit, the spiritual sensitivity, the convictions and the mental framework of the cleric Bosco in those years of seminary formation. The text is preceded by an introduction and the presentation of the critical edition.

Fr José Manuel Prellezo, Director of the ISS, in addition introduces the recent publication, Fonti Salesiane 1 - Don Bosco e la sua opera, produced by the ISS and  published by the  ‘Libreria Ateneo Salesiano’ last February.

This is followed by Ana Maria T. Rodriguez, from La Pampa National University, Argentina, in a note entitled Directrices de la actividad social de la Congregación Salesiana en la Pampa: los Vicarios Foráneo (1896-1934), in which the author presents an account of Salesian social work in the La Pampa Deanery.

The issue concludes with reviews of some writings on Don Bosco, published in Italian; three on the presence of the Salesians in Sicily; and publications on Salesian work in Poland (1898-1989), on the “Poznań Five”, Second World War martyrs, accounts of deceased Salesians in Croatia and on the letters of Blessed Sr. Maria Troncatti FMA.

Published 02/07/2013