By Collin Thompson ’27
At nine years old, Don Bosco had a dream that would leave a profound impression on him and would act as the basis of his ministry. In the dream, Bosco tried to take control of a group of rowdy and belligerent boys by using violence. A mysterious man appeared in front of Bosco telling Bosco to use kindness. The man offered him a teacher whom we now know as Mary Help of Christians. In celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of Don Bosco‘s dream at age nine, several Don Bosco Prep families and several administrators visited Italy on a pilgrimage to learn more about Don Bosco’s origin. The pilgrims visited Turin, the location of Bosco’s ministry. After staying in Turin for five days, the group visited Rome and stopped by several religious sites including Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. The pilgrims also visited several historical sites, including the Roman forum and Roman Colosseum.
On Holy Thursday, The pilgrims landed in Milan and took a bus ride to the city of Turin. The pilgrimage began in Valdocco, a small neighborhood in Turin that is home to Don Bosco’s original oratory, now known as the Oratory of Francis de Sales. Valdoco also houses the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians.
The facade of the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians
The group was guided by Father Mike Pace, a Salesian priest originally from Toronto who lives in Valodoco. Father Mike held Holy Thursday Mass for the group, and afterwards the pilgrims got to celebrate their first day in Turin with a group dinner. The following day, Good Friday, the group was guided by Father Mike on a tour of the city of Turin, as he taught the pilgrims the history behind many holy places in the city, including the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, the location of Bosco’s first Mass, and the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, home of the Holy Shroud of Turin.
The box in which the Holy Shroud is contained
At the end of the day, the pilgrims joined a large gathering at the Cathedral for the Stations of the Cross and walked through the streets of Turin in prayer.
Gathering outside the Cathedral of of Saint John the Baptist
On Holy Saturday, The group took a bus to Chieri and Becchi. The group began in Chieri which was home to Don Bosco during his younger life in high school and the seminary. The pilgrims visited a bar he used to work in and live in and admired Bosco’s persistence through the rougher moments.
Recreation of Don Bosco’s bed in the bar
After Chieri, the Pilgrims visited Becchi, home to Bosco’s childhood life. The pilgrims visited Colle Don Bosco which is the location of Don Bosco’s original home. Bosco’s original home was unfortunately torn down, but the Basilica of Don Bosco stands there in honor and even houses the holy relic of his brain.
Basilica of Don Bosco
The region also contains Bosco’s childhood home, the same home he had the dream at age nine in.
The place where Bosco had the dream at nine
The following day, the pilgrims woke up early on Easter Sunday to join Father Mike for Mass in the Chapel of Saint Francis DeSales. Afterwards, Father Mike gave an extensive tour of the Oratory of Francis DeSales and the Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians. At the Oratory, Father Mike revealed the complexities of Bosco’s hard work and perseverance. The Oratory, which is underground, is still mostly original and now houses a museum for visitors. The Basilica was commissioned by Don Bosco in honor of Mary Help of Christians and is now his resting place.
Don Bosco’s resting place
Afterwards, the pilgrims took a bus ride to the Sacri Di San Michele, a religious complex located on Mount Pirchiriano which is dedicated to Michael the Archangel. The pilgrims got to climb to the peak of the mountain and were rewarded with a beautiful view of the city of Turin.
View of Turin
That night during dinner, the pilgrims said goodbye to Father Mike and prepared to visit Rome.
After having Monday to themselves, the pilgrims arrived in Rome on Tuesday after riding on an Italian bullet train. The pilgrims were given a brief tour of Rome by their tour guide and then settled down into their hotels. The next day was the most eventful day of the trip. On Wednesday, the pilgrims visited the Roman Forum, the Roman Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, and most importantly, the Pope Francis’ wake.
The Roman Colosseum
The line to the wake started from the location of the hotel. After a grueling three- hour wait, the pilgrims entered Saint Peter’s Basilica, among the hundreds and hindreds of devoted people paying their respects to the late Pope.
Pope Francis’ wake
The following day, Thursday, the group took a tour of the Vatican museum. The museum houses many historical artifacts, including many Greek and Roman sculptures. After a short tour of the museum from the tour guides, the pilgrims entered the Sistine Chapel, home to the renowned frescoes of Michaelangelo. After several minutes of admiration of Michelangelo’s work, the group left the museum and visited the ancient Appian way, an ancient Roman road, and admired many ancient artifacts from the Romans. The next stop was the catacombs, a place of burial during the time of the Christian persecution in Rome, where the group was given a tour of all the idiosyncrasies of each tunnel and then brought back up for Mass by Fr. Pascual Chavez, the former Rector Major of the Salesians, the 9th successor to Don Bosco.
Friday was the last day of the pilgrimage. The pilgrims finished their journey by visiting three major Basilicas of Rome – they had already visited Saint Peter’s Basilica during the Pope Francis’ wake, so the visits began with Saint Paul Outside the Walls which houses the tomb of Saint Paul.
The tomb of Saint Paul
The group continued on to the Arch-Basilica of St John Lateran.
The Arch-Basilica of St John Lateran
And finally, the pilgrims visited The Basilica of Mary Major. At Mary Major, the pilgrims of Don Bosco were interviewed by ABC News. To finish off the wonderful trip, the group had a farewell dinner and discussed the great memories they had made on the trip. The following morning, the pilgrims packed and boarded their plane.
As one of the pilgrims, the trip will be one I remember for the rest of my life. I not only learned more about Don Bosco and the Salesian community, but I was able to grasp a deeper understanding about the community at Don Bosco Prep. Throughout the ten days we were together, I got to learn what it really means to be a part of a community. Everyone was extremely kind, and I got to experience true brotherhood among my fellow classmates. Even through the harder moments, like waiting for Pope Francis’ wake, everyone was cheerful and surprisingly stayed that way even after the long night. Those are the moments you will remember for the rest of the rest of your life.