| Description of the Centre (CSDM) |
This centre, called "Salesian" because of its position and origin, could also be described as, some places where visitors and researchers are offered everything that can be gathered and catalogued regarding direct and marginal documentation of the history of devotion that the Christian people have shown towards the Mother of God, as well as all that has served and still serves "popular piety".
The driving force behind this centre was Fr. Pietro Ceresa, who died 19 April, 1997. For this reason it bears his name.
This is how he described its origins:
"In 1918, in the crypt of the sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians, their was the inauguration of the "Museum of the Worship of Mary Help of Christians" in the World. The origins of this museum date back to 1915, when the sanctuary wanted to celebrate the first hundred years since the institution of the liturgical celebration of Mary Help of Christians, initiated by Pope Pius VII, 15th September, 1815. At that time and among the many undertakings, it was thought of to prepare and equip an "exhibition of the worship of Mary Help of Christians in the world".
However, as a result of the outbreak of the First World War (1914-1918), nothing was done. The expanded project becomes the "Museum exhibition of the devotion of Mary Help of Christians" and becomes reality, even if in a reduced form, in 1918, the year of the fiftieth jubilee of the consecration of the Sanctuary of the Help of Christians in Turin.
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The spirit behind
this initiative was the blessed Fr. Filippo Rinaldi, who then became the third successor
of Don Bosco and Rector Major of the Salesian Congregation. The
project was however completed by the Salesian missionary, Fr. Maggiorino Borgatello. This missionary gains credit for having documented the life and civilisation of some of the peoples of Latin-America. On returning to Italy, worn-out by 26 years of missionary work, he became guardian of the Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians and enthusiastically dedicated himself to the collecting, study and exhibition of material that had arrived from various quarters in the meantime. The inauguration of the museum took place 23rd May, 1918, the eve of the feast of Mary Help of Christians. Fr. Borgatello lived a further 11 years during which his work would be further enhanced and valued. After his death, everything entered into shadow and silence until, |
But Mary wanted the sanctuary to have a "lower sanctuary" that would document the value and vigour of popular Marian piety.
This happened in 1978, sixty years after the inauguration of the first Marian collection. As a result there came the visual testimony to the Virgin's prophetic words to Don Bosco:
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From Here Comes My Glory ". |
In October 1978,
the documentation was transported from
Bologna to Turin and placed in the crypt
of the Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians. "The Historical
Marian Archive" thus becomes the Turin "Salesian Centre
of Marian Historical and Popular Documentation".
The Salesian missionary Fr. Demetrio
Zucchetti, for many years the
energy behind the missionary magazine, "Missionary Youth",
provided this initiative not only the rooms it occupies, but
also his glass cabinets and other equipment. This made it possible
to immediately organise the centre and get it working.
Since that date, the Sanctuary
of Mary Help of Christians has once more had a documentation
centre.
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