To provide refuge for the poor and abandoned boys, he established an oratory within the premises of the Convitto. An oratory is a place that offers the youth a place where they can play and pray. Guided by some of his friend- priests, Don Bosco started his first undertaking to secure the future of the young, not only in this world, but more especially, in the life yet still to come.
Among the objectives of the oratory at the Convitto were the following:
- To inculcate the practice of religion and virtues among the boys;
- To educate the boys in the realm of morality; and
- To save their souls.
Don Bosco would realize that without singing and reading of interesting and wholesome books. His encounter with the boys would have been lifeless. Hence, he taught them how to sing.
On the Feast of Purification, February 2, 1842, he had a choir of about 20 voices.
This number grew more as they celebrated the Feast of Annunciation on March 25 that same year. Both Fr. Guala and Fr. Cafasso were pleased about the progress of Don Bosco’s work. Every Sunday, there was a marked improvement in terms of number. They, too, contributed something to the development of the work at the oratory.
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