Relic of Don Bosco Stolen from Colle Don Bosco
Pilgrims to
Colle Don Bosco venerate Don Bosco’s relic in the basilica built on the site of
his birth. Photo by Andrea Cherchi – Turin.
(ANS – Turin – June 5) – In the evening of
Friday, June 2, the relic of St. John Bosco -- a fragment of his brain -- that had been placed along the rear
wall of Don Bosco Basilica at Colle Don Bosco in Castelnuovo Don Bosco was
stolen.
“We’re very upset, as will be many devotees who will learn what happened.
We are confident that Don Bosco can touch the heart of whoever has done this
and make him retrace his footsteps, just as Don Bosco was able to transform the
lives of the young people whom he used to meet. We are also sure that, although
you can steal a relic of Don Bosco, as has happened, you can’t steal Don Bosco
from us and the many pilgrims who visit these places every day,” said Fr. Ezio
Orsini, rector of the basilica.
Three days after the
sacrilegious robbery, while investigators continued their investigations to
find the stolen relic, the Salesians of the Colle Don
Bosco community, who staff the basilica,
expressed their gratitude for the attention, prayers, and signs of
solidarity received via email and other messages.
Fr. Luca Barone, director of the community, made
special mention of the support expressed by Archbishop Cesare Nosiglia of Turin, the Rector Major and his
vicar, the regional councilor, and the provincial as just some of the “many
from all over the Salesian world” who “have expressed their sympathy.”
 |
| Archbishop Nosiglia |
On Saturday, June 3, Abp. Nosiglia urged all the
priests of the archdiocese to remember the Salesian community during the Masses
of Pentecost. “The news of the theft of a relic of St. John Bosco from
the shrine of Castelnuovo is one that you would never want to hear,” the
archbishop wrote. “It makes us think there must be a profound moral misery in
whoever would take away a ‘sign’ that has been left and preserved for the
devotion and the faith of everyone.
“The Church of Turin is close to the Salesian
community,” the archbishop’s message continues. “Don Bosco was a priest of this
diocese. Only two years ago, we celebrated, along with the exposition of the
Shroud and the visit of Pope Francis, 200 years since his birth.”
After exhorting his priests to remember the
Salesian community in the Masses of Pentecost, Abp. Nosiglia invited those who
took the relic to return it “immediately, and without conditions: so that this
painful page can be turned, and we can duly continue to honor Don Bosco’s
memory in the very place where he was born.” [Ed. note: The basilica was built
on the site of the Biglione farmhouse, in which John Bosco actually was born,
although that fact was not discovered until some years after the construction.]
Meanwhile, the Salesians report that the
Carabinieri are investigating the case. Fr. Orsini, confirms that pilgrimages of
the faithful continue devoutly and calmly.
More details: https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/06/04/shock-outrage-surround-theft-st-john-boscos-brain/
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