1860. 22nd
October of this year the first door to the left of this church
witnessed an
extraordinary event.
Francesco
Dalmazzo
arrived at Valdocco at the age of 15. He had a tremendous will
but a weak health. He told Don Bosco: "I wish you well but if I stay here, I
will get ill. With your permission, I will write to my
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mother and tell
her to come and get me". This he did. But the morning on which he was to leave, he wanted to make his last confession to Don Bosco. While awaiting confession behind the altar, while he was confessing and  during
the prayers after confession, he saw the bread boys return three times
and tell Don Bosco that there was no more bread for breakfast. First, Don Bosco sent
them to the baker, Magra; then, on discovering that the baker
did not want to give any more credit to him, told them to gather
all the bread there was in the Oratory and that he himself would
distribute it at the door. Francesco
understood that something extraordinary was about to happen.
Leaving
first, he signalled to his waiting mother to have a bit more
patience. |
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"When Don Bosco arrived - reads his sworn testimony - he first took a loaf, looked inside the basket and saw that it contained fifteen to twenty rolls. Unobserved I then movedbehind Don Bosco, on the stairs with my eyes wide open. Don Bosco began distributing the bread. The young people formed a queue in front, happy to receive the bread of him, and they kissed his hand while he gave each of them a few words, he smiled. All the pupils, about 400, received their bread. When the distribution was over I wanted to re-examine the bread basket. In the basket there was the same quantity of rolls as before. I was astonished. I ran straight to my mother and said:
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"I'm not coming home any more. Here, you don't eat much but Don Bosco is a saint". |
This was the only reason that I stayed at the Oratory and became a Salesian (MB 6,777). Francesco Dalmazzo became a priest and, for eight years was the director of the Torino-Valsalice Salesian Institute, as well as being the first Responsible of the Salesian Congregation at the Holy See.
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