History of the Salesian Cooperators

1
History of the Salesian Cooperators
2
The words of Pope Paul VI (November 3,
1976, Centenary Congress.)
We address to you the words which St. Paul
wrote to the Collosians
These are the ones actually working
with me for the Kingdom of God, and they have
been a great comfort to me.
3
It is usually said Don Bosco founded the
Cooperators in 1876.
No. In 1876 he
obtained official recognition for the new
juridical status of the Cooperators and
published the regulations to make it autonomous.
4
For Don Bosco the Cooperators of 1876 were in
unbroken succession the brothers and
sisters of those in 1850.
5
Where did the Cooperators come from? Who ever
recognized or approved them? Archbishop
Gastaldi of Turin asked. He made difficulties
for Don Bosco over the Cooperators and refused
to permit him to organize new groups of them.
6
In Defense, Don Bosco was able to reply.
Excuse me your Excellency. They have existed
for thirty-five years, and for twenty-five years
they have been recognized by virtue of
decrees issued in 1850 and 1852.
7
Reading a seven page document, he read the
document to Archbishop Gastaldi. When the Holy
See benevolently deigned to concede even
more ample favors to the Salesian
Cooperators (with its Brief of May 9, 1876) it
referred to a Pious Union of Christian s
canonically instituted, whose members
propose principally to take care of poor and
abandoned youth..
8
A work which in turn had been
formally approved in 1852. While some
of the Promoters join together in common life
in 1852 (SDBs)., others continued to live at home
with lay status but retain their group membership
( Extern Salesians).
9
Therefore , the Salesian family does not consist
of separate individual groups born separately and
later united to form a whole rather it grew in
the manner of a single vital organism, developing
biologically by division from a single primitive
cell.
10
The history of the Cooperators goes back to 1841
when I began to gather together poor and
abandoned boys in the city of Turin (BM XI, 73).
Now he used the same words when writing
the Salesian Society, It was initiated in
1841 (constitution First Draft 1858 ) For Don
Bosco the beginnings of our Salesian work and
the beginning of the Cooperators were
contemporaneous.
11
The first Salesian Cooperators (ACS) Secular
Priests Joseph Cafasso Lawrence
Gastaldi Peter Merla
Ignatius , Joseph Vola
Francis Marengo John Baptist Borel
Louis Nasi
The lay helpers Count Cays of Giletta (later
became SDB) Marquis Fasatti
Marchioness Fasatti Count Callori of Vignale
Count Scarampi of Pruney
Joseph Gagliardi Mama
Margaret
12
The Congregation of St. Francis de Sales, which
was recognized by the Holy See included the
externs. This was also diocesan since its
members were all from Turin. From these group,
which later was called the Congregation of
Salesian Promoters and Cooperators, were
joined by the day students and the boarders.

The best of these would , in 1859 become the
first members of the Pious Salesian society.
(page 77. Renewal of our Salesian life by
Father Joseph Aubrey, SDB.).
13
Presence of the salesian Cooperators in the Draft
of Salesian Constitutions.
Don Bosco sent all the documents to Rome to
obtain papal approval on February 11,
1864. The following is the text of the famous
Chapter XVI entititled External Members.
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1. Anyone can belong to our society, even while
living at home with the family.
15
2. No vows are made, but everyone undertakes to
put into practice that part of the present
regulations which is compatible with ones age,
state and condition, whether this would
involve teaching catechism to poor boys,
promoting the diffusion of good books, or
working to put on triduums, novenas.
16
3. In order to share in the spiritual
benefits of the society, the external member
must at least make a promise to the
Rector to make use of whatever means and
resources are available for advance of works
for the greater glory of God.
17
4. Such a promise made of the society who
leaves it for whatever reason is
considered an external member and still shares in
the spiritual benefits of the entire society,
provided that he practices that part of the
regulations prescribed for external members
(MB VII, 885).
18
The Sacred Congregation for Bishops and
Regulars issued a Decree of Commendation
recognizing the existence of the new society on
June 23, 1864. Formal approval of the rules was
deferred.
19
Chapter XV1 was disapproved by the Sacred
Congregation.
It is not possible to approve the inscription
by affiliation of the persons outside the Pius
Instiutute. Religious and lay people
amalgamated together in the same institute. It
could never be. It was dangerous.
20
A way of life for secular members which
could somehow resemble the life of a religious
congregation. A kind of third order. So on
May 9, 1876, Don Bosco obtained from Pope Pius
IX the approval of the Union of Salesian
Cooperators.
21
1877 - The first number of Bibliofilo
Salesiano now Salesian Bulletin appeared
as monthly periodical to unite the
spirit of those who have assisted his
works. He also conducted eighty conferences,
twenty eight of these were done in France.
These family reunions are very vital to the
expansion of his works.
22
In 1888, after the death of Don Bosco, the
Salesian Society grew tenfold because of the
Salesian Cooperators.
23
In Italy Father Rua succeeded by using the
following method Whenever a sufficiently
important group of Cooperators became
established in a diocese, he would ask the
bishop to appoint a diocesan director .
The director would recommend the decurioni (group
leaders) to the rector major.( Don Bosco and the
Salesians, page 77)

24
In April 1895, about 2,000
participated in the Bologna Congress. For
three days the work of Don Bosco in the
field of education, social action, the
press, the mission was eulogized.
25
Don Rua also initiated the Manual of Theory and
Practice printed in Turin 1893 - now revised, on
how Cooperators can help the Salesians in their
work. And he stressed that every Cooperator ought
to be a Catechist.
26
The rector majors that followed Blessed
Michael Rua had always been faithful in
following Don Boscos footsteps. . Don Bosco
appealed before he died to support his sons even
after his death.
27
In 1962 for example there were already
one thousand centers under the Rector
Major Ricaldone. He also took seriously the
promotion of the Volunteers o f Don Bosco,
formerly called Oblates, started by
Blessed Rinaldi himself.
28
Don Boscos mother, Mama Margaret is the
First Salesian Cooperator. Her teachings we
know became the pillars of the Salesian Charism.
29
Some Exemplary Salesian Cooperators

• Dorothy Chopitea
• Charles dEspiney (1891)
• Rev. Father Felix Reviglio (St. Augustine Parish,
  Turin)
• Leon Rolland (Toulon 1900)
• Father Bauer (Madrid)
• Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa (Portugal)

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Blessed Alexandrina Maria da Costa
31
What is singular in Don Boscos case is that
his mother was not only present with him at
the actual foundation on his work
but remained there as primary and
principal cooperator and helper, thus taking a
direct and immediate part in the
moulding the charism of this particular
foundation.