(ANS – Varazze) – An exhibition entitled “A Dream that Lasted100 Years” was one of the many initiatives organized to celebrate the centenary of the Salesian Oratory and the Local Union of the Past Pupils of Varazze. Historic documents were on display, among them some letters from the Honourable Sandro Pertini (1896-1990), past pupil of the Salesian Institute of Varazze, former partisan, outstanding exponent of Italian socialism, and President of the Italian Republic from 1978 to 1985. In these letters the former President testified to his profound gratitude for the education he received.

The celebrations for the centenary of the Oratory at Varazze lasted more than two weeks, from 19 April to 5 May last. There were many initiatives: round table conversations with civil and religious authorities, religious ceremonies, popular festivities, youth performances and band displays, talks on the Salesian contribution to the city…

One event that aroused particular interest was the exhibition on 20 and 21 April which included a photographic history of the Salesian Oratory from the time of its foundation to the present, and many other documents. Visitors were able to see a letter written by Don Bosco to his collaborators after a visit to the house in Varazze, and some original copies of correspondence over a period of several years between the Honourable Pertini and his former teacher, Fr Umberto Borella, SDB. The letters show the deep emotion with which the Honourable Pertini remembered his years at the college and the rich human formation he received.

Here is the text of the most interesting of the letters displayed, dated 1946, when Pertini was serving his country as a member of the Constituent Assembly.

Rome, 11 July 1946

My dear Don Borella,
Thank you for your kind fatherly words which touched me deeply.
Believe me, my unforgettable Don Borella, I am still the same Sandro that you knew in the quiet peace of the College. The memory of the days spent close to you between these walls is always alive in my heart.
Now I understand that the love without limit which I feel for all the poor and oppressed began to awaken in me when I was living in this haven of peace. The wonderful life of the Saint was what aroused this love in me. St John Bosco, like St Francis of Assisi, loved the oppressed and the disinherited, and generously sacrificed the whole of his noble life for them.
You see, we are closer than appearances and political stances often allow us to be seen. We are close now, as we were close then. What nostalgia I often feel for that time! The feverish activity of the present allows me only brief visits.
Do not forget me, my very dear friend.
My ardent good wishes to your congregation. I am very happy if I can be of help to all of them. (emphasis by the writer).

With a warm embrace,
Yours,
Sandro

Subsequently, the Honourable Pertini wanted to award Don Borella the Chevalier’s Cross in recognition of his contribution to Education, and he requested it from the then Minister, Honourable Giuseppe Medici. The Minister was pleased at the request and said, “If you want to make him a Chevalier, he must be a special priest …” and Pertini replied “He was my very demanding and unsurpassable teacher in fifth class in Primary School!”

Published 8/05/2013