Don Bosco's Annual Strenne

Don Bosco’s Annual Strenne

(ANS – Rome – Dec. 13, 2023) – The initiator of the strenna (New Year Message) tradition in the Salesian Family was, of course, Don Bosco. Already in his time the strenna had a message of pedagogical and educational value, and Don Bosco also used to take up the theme during the year, on several occasions, in meetings with his boys, just as today the strenna accompanies the entire course of the pastoral activities of the Congregation.

At the same time, there were also differences: for example, Don Bosco, especially in the early years, not only delivered a strenna, but he used to diversify his messages for those who received them. Some were personal, or others were related to individual groups (Salesians, clerics, students, trade boys, boys attending the oratory, etc.). And, unlike today, there were also “continuous” ones, in the sense that they were presented by Don Bosco over several evenings.

Among the particularities of Don Bosco’s strenne that have been traced, and in reference to Fr. Santo Russo’s book La Strenna di Don Bosco e dei suoi successori, we can recall those that originated from dreams (1863-64-68-77); the one in 1862, not dictated by him but personally by our Lady and which he gave each one on a card; and others containing omens for the future, such as various predictions of the death of a boy or other people (1859-60-62-68-77) –  all presented, however, not as something terrifying but as a necessary step in the joyful encounter with the Father.

The recurring themes of Don Bosco’s strenne are his fatherly approach to young people; the passing nature of time on earth, aimed at highlighting their ultimate goal—eternal life; as well as references to useful tools for the life of faith (confession, Communion, Marian devotion, prayer).

Although biographies report that Don Bosco offered the strenna as early as 1849, the first to be documented was in 1858, although only some of the personal strenne dedicated to clerics and priests are preserved from that year. In the following years it was not always possible to trace the messages of the strenne and some messages are doubtful. However, for 23 years we are sure that they were dictated or written personally by him.

Below are the messages of the strenne offered by Don Bosco with reference, except in cases where otherwise indicated, to the generic ones valid for everyone:

1859: “Good confessions, open your heart candidly to the confessor....” (Prediction of the death of Michael Magone).

1860: “For my part, I give you all of myself; it will be little, but when I give you everything, it means that I reserve nothing for myself.”

1861: “Frequent and sincere confession, frequent and devout Communion.”

1862: “Make a great effort to listen well to the Holy Mass and each one for his part should strive to promote devoutly assisting at it” (Then our Lady's strenne to each young person at the Oratory, on an individual card for each).

1863: Dream of the elephant and the Virgin Mary. “Venite ad me omnes; all of you have recourse to her, in every danger invoke Mary, and I assure you that you will be heard.”

1864: “At the beginning of this new year, what should I ask you? What to promise you and what advice to give you? Three things. As for something to ask of you, I can only ask of you what is written in my room as the program for this house: Da mihi animas, caetera tolle: I do not ask for anything except your souls; I desire nothing but your spiritual good. Something to promise you? I promise and give you everything I have. For you I study, for you I work, for you I live, and for you I am also willing to give my life. Something to recommend? Listen carefully so you can understand me (he tells them about a large globe suspended by the two poles attached to two columns) ... The globe represents the world. The two columns are: one the Blessed Virgin Mary, the other the Blessed Sacrament. They are the ones who really support the world....”

1865: For all Salesians. “Save many souls and among them your own soul”; for the students: “Et erit fides in temporibus suis: divitiae salutis, sapientia, et scientia: timor Domini ipse est thesaurus ejus" (and faith will be the stability of your times,  abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge;  the fear of the Lord is his treasure.)

1866 (of uncertain attribution): Dream: Flood - Mill – Raft ... Mary’s promise: “If you are devoted children to me, I will be a merciful mother to you.”

1867: For the students: “Wear the medal of the Blessed Virgin around your neck continuously, and invoke this Mother of mercy several times a day with some fervent prayer.”

1868: “Frequent and devout confession and Communion is a great means of saving our souls.”

1869: For the students at the Oratory (spoken): “Do what for Don Bosco? While you see to the good of the souls of others, do not forget your own.” (Others followed for the various members of the Oratory and, through letters, for the houses at Mirabello and Lanzo).

1872: “Good example and obedience.”

1873: “For everyone, then, an example to imitate, a guide to be taken, a protector, and be like St Aloysius; for everyone a friend to be honored - Jesus in the Sacrament; a mother to be invoked, and let this be Mary Help of Christians.”

1875: We can recognize a strenna behind the words in a letter to Fr. Bonetti. “For the boys: Frequent Communion. For everyone: do your duty precisely.”

1876: “One thing to do, and two friends. The two friends: Good example and Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The one thing to do: cherish those small sodalities.”

1877: “Let us always act in such a way that, whatever time death comes, it always finds us prepared” (prediction of a death).

1878: In a letter to Fr. Rua written from Rome on December 27, 1877: “We are at the end of the year, and I am painfully far from our dear boys. Greet them all from me, and recommend for the new year: 1. Fight the habit of smoking and complaining. 2. Be precise in your duties of state, starting from Fr. Rua up to Giulio [a family member]. 3. Let us go to Communion and pray very much for the houses that have just opened and that are opening up in the missions, where God has prepared abundant harvests for us.”

1879: He instructs Fr. Rua to give everyone, in his name, the message (strenna) for the new year. “Unity.”

1880: To all without distinction: “Promote good example by word and deed; put aside even relatively harmless habits in unnecessary things.”

1883: A strenna in the form of a circular addressed to the individual directors and one in particular to Fr. Lemoyne: “For all the boys. ‘Frequent confession and devout Communion.’”

1884: For the students: “Do not steal other people's things, not their time, not their innocence, not their anima verbis et operibus. For the Salesians: “Your first act of charity is for your own soul.”

1886: “Prayer... Frequency of Holy Communion: obedience.”

1888: Among other recommendations for Bishop Cagliero in December 1887, he included: “Strenna: devotion to Mary and frequent Communion.” Then he agreed that it would also serve as a more general strenna.