This book comes from life. It is the fruit of several years of preaching on the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales, drawn mainly from the Salesian spirituality described by Don Bosco in his Memoirs of the Oratory, in his publications, and in his numerous correspondence. In numerous conferences, seminars, and retreats that I have preached, I have had the opportunity to speak on Salesian spirituality and I have put my thoughts together in these pages. The year 2015, the bicentennial of the birth of Don Bosco, was an opportune occasion to rediscover the heart of Don Bosco and the path he has traveled to make of himself a precious gift to God and to young people.
Don Bosco loved St. Francis de Sales so much that he gave the name Salesian to his spiritual family. He chose him as the model and patron of his Congregation because of the great affinity between himself and his chosen patron. I have entitled this work Is Don Bosco a True SALESian?
My response to this question comes in seven words: (1) friendship; (2) zeal; (3) trust; (4) will; (5) sacraments; (6) sweetness; (7) Mary. An insightful reading of the Memoirs of the Oratory and of the biographies of St. Dominic Savio, of Michael Magone, and of Francis Besucco allows us to discover the qualities of St. Francis de Sales that Don Bosco admired in the saintly Bishop of Geneva since his seminary days.
This book is meant to be an inspiration to its readers. But it is also meant to be a source book for community reading, for preaching, and for giving recollections and retreats. May you find this book truly fruitful.