Why do the Salesians of Don Bosco organize cultural and artistic events? The answer comes from Don Bosco himself, he who dedicated all his life to the education of the young people, especially the most poor. “He had a humanist approach to education”.
Don Bosco wrote books, published books and had a very organized library because he believed that a good book is the best friend to a young person in the process of his education and maturity. To prove Don Bosco’s concept of his love for books has been demonstrated by Dr. Giovanni Albertotti, his personal Doctor, who wrote about Don Bosco’s Physical, Pathological and psychic life.
He was endowed with boundless energy and drive, coupled with confident submission to the designs of providence, and everything was directed towards the salvation of souls. Whilst he perceived the need for some order of priorities in meeting the various needs, the one thing he could not do was stand idly by as new institutions were created around him. As he himself often stated, the fact that many intellectually gifted boys were being denied an opportunity to achieve their real potential, gave him no rest.
Today, there is an organised battle to throw away books! Forgetting that in that “Vandalised way” they are fighting a horrible battle against an educational approach.
The Salesians of Don Bosco will be organizing various cultural activities in aid of their mission for young people most in need in Malta and Gozo. With this in mind, a Book Fair of Melitensia Books will be organised from Saturday 28th till Sunday 29th October, 2023 from 9.00 am until 7.00 pm both days inclusive. This Book Fair is being held at St. Patrick’s Salesian School, St. John Bosco Street, Sliema. This will include hundreds of rare Melitensia books. The aim is also to stimulate the love for the book and for Maltese History and Culture. Many people throw away books which we Salesians, collect with love and dedication, having in mind what our Founder Don Bosco used to teach us: “A book contains a world of culture, information and knowledge.”
Photo by Polina Zimmerman