As he walked along at the head of the animals, they gradually turned into lambs. At a certain point in the dream there was before him a lofty church. Inside the church, a white banner carried the inscription in large characters: “Hic domus mea; inde gloria mea,” that is: “This is my house; from it my glory shines forth.” The Blessed Virgin told Don Bosco, “You will understand everything when, with your material eyes, you will see in actual fact what you now see with the eyes of your mind.”
In another dream, which Don Bosco had in 1845 Blessed Virgin showed , the him a large gathering of children, a field, and then three churches in Valdocco. At the third church, the Blessed Virgin told Don Bosco, “In this place, where the glorious martyrs of Turin, Adventor, Octavius, and Solutor suffered martyrdom, and on these clods soaked and sanctified by their blood, I wish that God be honored in a very special manner.” So saying, she put out her foot and thus indicated the exact spot where the martyrs had fallen.
The vast and magnificent Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin, built by St. John Bosco, received its heavenly inspiration and encouragement from those dream-visions of 1844 and 1845. For nineteen years, Don Bosco carried this idea in his mind and, finally, in 1863 he set to work. As a result of the directions which the Blessed Virgin had given him, he chose for his church in honor of Mary Help of Christians the actual spot of the martyrdom of Saints Adventor, Solutor, and Octavius. They were Roman soldiers who were martyred under Maximianus early in the fourth century and whose commemoration used to be on November 20.
How to Pay for the Church
After the authorities had issued a permit to build the church, Don Bosco decided at once to begin the excavation. Father Angelo Savio, the financial administrator, objected, saying: “But, Don Bosco, this is no chapel. It is a huge, costly church. This morning we did not have enough money to buy even postage stamps.”
“Never mind,” replied Don Bosco. “We’ll get started! Did we ever begin anything with money on hand? Let us leave something to Divine Providence!” Father Savio obeyed.
When the foundations of the church were laid, Don Bosco approached the contractor, Charles Buzzetti. “I want to pay you for this fine work,” he said. “I don’t know if it will be much, but it will be all I have.” He then took out his little purse and emptied the contents into the hands of the contractor, who thought he was about to receive a handful of gold coins.
The contractor’s jaw dropped in dismay when he saw in his hands only eight cents. “Do not be alarmed!” Don Bosco quickly added with a smile. “The Madonna will see to the payment for her church. I am just the instrument, the cashier.” And to those standing by, he concluded, “You will see!” Meanwhile Don Bosco had a big problem, because several wealthy townspeople, who had promised generous donations, were changing their minds, while others were not going to come through until later. A bill for one thousand lire for the first two weeks of excavation was due within days.
Extraordinary Cures
Don Bosco said that the cost of building the church was paid for to the last cent, and that ti was al the result of graces and favors received through the intercession of Mary Help of Christians. Space does not allow an account of all those favors, but two outstanding ones are recounted here:
Don Bosco was suddenly called to the bedside of a woman who had been racked for three months by fever and a persistent cough. “If I could feel even a little better,” she gasped, “I’d make any sacrifice. Just to get out of bed would be a vast relief.” “What would you do for that?” asked Don Bosco. “Whatever you say. “Make a novena to Mary Help of Christians.” “What prayers must I say?” “For nine days say three times the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and the Glory Be to the Father in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, and three times the Hail, Holy Queen to the Blessed Virgin.”
“Fine! And what work of mercy?” “If you should truly feel better, make a contribution to the Church of Mary Help of Christians now being built in Valdocco.”
“Most willingly, if during the novena I can leave my bed and walk about my room a little.” In the evening of the last day of the novena, Don Bosco had to have one thousand lire for wages. He called on the sick woman. A maid met him at the door and joyfully told him that her mistress had recovered completely, had taken two walks, and had been to church to thank God.
While the maid told him all this, the woman herself came to meet him. “I am cured,” she exclaimed. “I’ve already gone to church. Here is a little something I promised. There will be more.”
Don Bosco took the little package and, back at the Oratory, he found in it fifty gold napoleons worth a thousand lire. From then on, Our Lady granted so many and such varied graces to those who contributed to the construction of her church, that one might well say that she built it herself.
Work on the church then continued, but the day came when the work had to be suspended due to lack of money. Unexpectedly, Senator Anthony Cotta called on Don Bosco one day and urged him to go ahead with the work. Some days later, Don Bosco called on the senator and found him nearly dying. “A few more minutes and I’ll be gone,” the senator whispered.
“Not yet,”, replied Don Bosco. “Our Lady still needs you here. You must live to help me build her church. ‘I’d gladly do so, but my time is up. There is no longer any hope.” “What would you do if Mary Help of Christians were to cure you?” Struck by the question, the senator replied, “If I am cured, I promise your church two thousand lire monthly for six months.”
“Good,” Don Bosco continued, “I’m going back to the Oratory and will say so many prayers offered to Mary Help of Christians that I hope you will be cured. Have trust in her. She is called Virgin Most Powerful.” He then prayed for the senator and blessed him.
Three days later, Senator Cotta returned the visit. “Here I am,” he said. “To the amazement of everyone and contrary to all expectations, Our Lady has cured me. Here are the two thousand lire I promised for this month.” He paid the same amount regularly for the next five months and lived three more years in fairly good health, grateful to Our Lady. The senator often brought other donations to Don Bosco remarking, “The more I support your work, the more my business prospers. God actually gives back to me, even in this life, a hundredfold for what I give for His sake.
On July 3, 1867, Don Bosco declared in the presence of some of his intimate friends: “The whole church was built by means of graces granted by Mary Help of Christians.” One-sixth of the cost, about one million lire in those days, was borne by the generous contributions of devout persons. The rest came from the small offerings of those who had been aided by Mary Help of Christians either in health, in business, in family matters, or in some other way. “Every stone, every ornament, represents one of her graces,” insisted Don Bosco. The building contractor, who had originally received only eight cents for his work, later testified that “the Church of Mary Help of Christians was paid for to the last cent!”
