(ANS – Castelnuovo Don Bosco) – On the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Unity of Italy the Piedmontese section of the Association of Consecrated Life (AVC)  organised a series of Conferences and Conventions entitled: “Men and Women of Faith in the Risorgimento,” in order to present the contribution made by consecrated religious to Italian society during the years of unification and subsequently. On Friday 23 September Don Bosco’s home town hosted a Convention on the Founder of the Congregation and Salesian works.

The only speaker was Fr Francesco Motto, Director of the Salesian Historical Institute who gave a talk entitled “Builders of unity in spite of everything. Don Bosco, the Salesian Family and the Founding Fathers’: two different faces of the Risorgimento and of the unification of Italy.”

Having clarified the context in which the unification of Italy took place,– the relationships between the lay, and in some cases anticlerical, forces and the Catholic  culture and population – Fr Motto described the  contribution made by Don Bosco to the cause of making Italy, with particular reference to historical texts or writings in a language accessible to all.

With regard to the subsequent contribution of the Salesian works launched by Don Bosco, Fr Motto gave specific  illustrations  and described the nature of the Salesian activities in Italy through oratories and youth  centres, through vocational training centres, schools, studentates, hostels and parishes, as well other forms of special assistance in certain situations such as the support provided by Salesian communities for Italian immigrants overseas, or the support offered by individual Salesian houses in Italy on the occasion of national emergencies (natural disasters, two world wars and the Resistance movement…).

In conclusion, he observed, “the Salesian model of education expanded establishing close contacts with civil society and playing its own special role in the life of the new Italy, (…) where it was in general appreciated and given support, collaboration and its own role.”

In October there will be two other significant events on the same subject:

• As part of the AVC-Piedmont series, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians have organised for Saturday 15 October at Nizza Monferrato a Convention with the title “Write ‘Italy…’. And the school began its revolution. – Women in culture and education. From Nizza Monferrato to Sicily” Prof. Massimo Introvigne and Prof. Grazia Loparco FMA will be the speakers.
• On Wednesday 26 October in the Sala Promoteca in Rome there will be a Convention “Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians for 150 years at the side of the young.”

Published 06/10/2011