Peter Ricaldone

Peter Ricaldone

Peter Ricaldone SDB , Italian Pietro (born July 27, 1870 in Mirabello Monferrato , † November 25, 1951 in Turin ), was an Italian Salesian of Don Bosco and from 1932 to 1951 the fourth successor of Don Bosco as superior general .

Life

He went to school in the Salesian College of Alassio , and later in Borgo San Marino . He got to know Don Bosco personally before his death in 1888 and decided to become a Salesian of Don Bosco himself. In 1889 he entered the novitiate in Valsalice . He made his perpetual vows on August 23, 1890. In September of the same year he was sent to the Salesian College of Utrera in Spain as a teacher and assistant . From there he continued his theological studies in Seville . In 1892 he came to the Salesian Oratory in Seville and was appointed director on May 27, 1893, when he was only 23 years old. In 1898 he was appointed by Michael Rua to visit the Salesian Houses in South America. In 1911 he was a delegate in Turin responsible for the vocational schools, but in the same year he was again a visitor, this time for the branches in North and Central America. In 1919 the houses in Egypt and Palestine followed. In 1922 at the General Chapter, he was elected General Prefect - later called General Economist - of the Congregation. In 1926 he organized a Salesian Mission Exhibition in Valdocco , which included exhibits from India, Japan, Thailand, Burma, and China.

In 1932 he was elected Superior General by the General Chapter. In 1934, the Salesian celebrations for the canonization of Don Bosco by Pope Pius XI took place under his leadership . instead of. He led the Congregation through the difficult times of the Spanish Civil War (1936) and the Second World War (1939–1945), during which numerous, especially young Salesians in Europe were killed. In 1951, the year of Ricaldon’s death, the Congregation counted 1900 Salesians deported, expelled or captured, out of a total of around 15,000 in 1950.

During the Second World War, Ricaldone moved the Salesian Theology Student Council to Rome, thereby establishing the Pontifical University of the Salesians . During this time, the “Salesianum” magazine was founded.

Works

• Formation of the Salesian staff , Munich 1933
• Holiness is purity: the central theme of 1934 , no. C. 1935
• In fidelity to Saint Don Bosco: central theme of 1935 , Munich 1936
• The holy poverty: central theme of the year 1936 , Munich 1937
• The Rendiconto: Circular of July 24, 1947 , Ensdorf 1947
• Our devotion to Maria Helferin der Christians: Central theme of the year 1949 , Ensdorf 1949
• For the beatification of Dominikus Savios in the Holy Year 1950 , Ensdorf 1950
• Saint Johannes Bosco as an educator , Munich 1956
• Salesian piety: From the estate , Munich 1957
• The virtue of love , Ensdorf o. J.

Web links

• Biography from sdb.org (Italian)

predecessor	Office	successor
Philipp Rinaldi	Superior General of the Salesians Don Bosco 1932–1951	Renatus Ziggiotti