134. The dream of the Salesian Missions in South America, 1885
On the night of January 31 (1885) when a group of Salesian missionaries was preparing to leave for South America, I had the following dream: I dreamed that I was accompanying the Salesian missionaries on their journey to South America and that they asked me to give them some advice. And I dreamed that I said to them: - You will do much good not because you have much science or very good health or abundant riches, but on these conditions: that you have a great desire to save souls, much piety and much enthusiasm to promote the glory of God and the spiritual good of others.
And I dreamed that we had arrived in South America, in a vast plain between Chile and Argentina.
My dear missionaries had dispersed so much in those vast territories that I could hardly distinguish them. When I saw them, I was terrified to see how few they were in each place.
But then I consoled myself thinking that they were few in each place because they were spread out in many mission centers, and that their work was like the small seed that spreads and that later would produce very good spiritual harvests.
And I saw that many transporters were traveling through those lands, flying through the air. In Chile I saw a large house where many Salesians were preparing for the apostolate. In Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil I saw many Salesian houses. How many wonderful things I saw in this dream. I saw the past, the present and the future. If I were to write down everything I saw there, I would fill very thick books. And what a great number of native people of those lands I saw there, waiting for the spiritual work of the Salesians who will lead them.
I noticed that the work of the first Salesians will only be to spread the good seed of evangelization. And that later others will come and reap the spiritual harvest. And it was communicated to me that the Salesians will achieve great apostolic success with humility, with tireless work and with temperance (that is, with knowing how to control themselves in eating, drinking and resting).
And I saw that many workers from Europe will go to the lands of America to seek work and progress in those hospitable regions.
After contemplating the glorious future that God has destined for our Congregation in South America, I boarded a transporter that flew through the air and returned to the city of Turin and over the mountains of the Alps and the people looked very small from up there. And I saw from up there an extraordinary number of Salesians and students and schools that the Congregation was going to have. Many were leaving as missionaries and others were coming to fill the vacancies they had left.
And a young priest, very venerable, showed me immense fields of apostolate and said to me: - Here are the souls and the countries destined to the Salesians, to the religious of St. Francis de Sales.
I was astonished to see the immense crowd of people who were gathered there and who disappeared immediately.
Now, narrating the dream, I realize that I can only recount a few of the things I was able to contemplate there.
The spirit is not capable of narrating everything I saw. The memory falters, the words are insufficient to describe all that.
I saw the present, the past and the future of our missions, with their dangers, their successes, their setbacks and the momentary disappointments that accompany this apostolate.
Then I saw that we were in an immense and very beautiful hall full of splendors and pleasant fragrances and soft smells, and where truly heavenly harmonies could be heard. And I noticed that people from many nations began to arrive there, dressed in white and shouting joyfully: Long live, Triumph! And they accompanied the Salesians and the Sisters of Mary Help of Christians.
And I saw with admiration that many dark-skinned people were entering the hall. And I was told: "They are the descendants of Cam, who will also be evangelized by the Salesians".
And all those crowds shouted excitedly: Long live! Triumph! And they joyfully intoned the following words: - Let heaven and earth rejoice because God reigns in us. God will feed you from the tree of life, and you will never hunger or thirst again. Praise the Lord, all you nations. Sing his praises, all you peoples.
And a great choir repeated, "To God alone be glory and honor forever and ever.
And they sang all this accompanied by such marvelous orchestral harmonies that I turned to Monsignor Cagliero and said to him: - We are in paradise! And he answered me: - It is not paradise. It is a faint figure of what paradise will be.
And when I heard those grandiose choirs singing: "To God alone honor, glory and triumph, alleluia, eternally and forever" I forgot myself and... I woke up.
Note: In those days an expedition of 18 Salesian missionaries and six Salesian nuns missionaries left for South America.
They traveled presided by Monsignor Cagliero, recently consecrated Bishop, and beloved disciple of Don Bosco. When Don Bosco narrated this dream, every time he repeated the words: Triumph, long live! he assumed a tone so vibrant that it moved those who listened to him. From time to time in the narration he would shed tears of emotion when recalling the great triumphs that God had prepared for his religious. In the dream he is told that also the sons of Cam will be evangelized by the Salesians. In the Holy Bible those who are of dark race are called sons or descendants of Cam.
In Chile he saw what is called the Salesian theologate, a large house where many Salesians have been prepared to go out to do apostolate.
Father Lemoyne copied the dream as soon as he heard it from our Saint. And he sent copies to the Salesian Houses in America. Shortly afterwards he received a letter from the Superior of Argentina, Father Costamagna, who told him: "Together with Don Bosco's dream you sent us a letter in which you tell us that it is not necessary to pay much attention to his dreams. Well, tell the beloved Father that we are going to disobey him in this matter, because we are going to pay much attention to his dreams, since we cannot forget that he himself has told us these words: "Among so many religious communities that exist, perhaps ours is the one that has most frequently received messages from Heaven".
This dream has been wonderfully fulfilled in South America.
Currently there are more than 4,000 Salesians in more than 22 countries in Latin America. In Brazil there are 962, with more than one hundred schools and in the year of this dream there was only one school in this country. In Argentina there are 871 Don Bosco religious.
In Colombia 375 with 33 houses of education and many parishes (and in the year of the dream they had not yet arrived in this country). In Mexico there are 346.
Don Bosco saw that many workers from Europe would go to the lands of America in search of work. This happened in an impressive way about 15 years later when millions of Europeans emigrated to America.
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135. The young girl dressed in white, 1885
On the night of October 6 (1885), I dreamed that while I was with a group of Salesians, a young woman dressed in a very white tunic appeared and handed me a pruning knife and said to me: "It is necessary to dedicate oneself to pruning and to cut the weeds that invade the road". I dedicated myself to cut branches and bushes with that sharp pruning shear, although the road was again filled with weeds. The young woman added: "Superiors should always agree among themselves and not leave it too late to make corrections, when it is necessary to do so".
Note: Don Bosco in narrating this dream explained it this way: The weeds that invade the path and that must be continually cut down are bad books, harmful publications, bad conversations and everything that can oppose people's living in the grace of God. In this consists a great part of the wisdom of the superiors of a school, in knowing how to remove from the path of life of our young people all these poisonous weeds that do great harm to their souls. If the superiors strive to be in agreement among themselves, and do not get tired of correcting, even if they do not succeed in removing these weeds completely, they will prevent them from invading the spiritual field of their students.
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