| The History |
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In December 1879 Fr. Luigi Casati, an Italian Jesuit Missionary, concerned at the number of homeless boys running around the streets of his parish in Plaisance knowing "only the bad and very little of the good", decided to give them shelter. This simple yet momentous decision heralded the small but significant beginning of St. John Bosco Orphanage at Plaisance. It does seem coincidental that this centenary celebration falls in the International Year of the Child. Fr. Casati could hardly have foreseen such a development. Yet for men like Fr. Casati and so many of his counterparts in other parts of the world every year was the Year of the Child. The care of children in homes and institutions has a long history dating back to the council of Nicaea in 325 which made provision, among its other resolutions, for the establishment of homes to give shelter to the sick and poor, and those homes soon became places of refuge for abandoned children. In 787 Dalthus, Archbishop of Milan, established institutions for the care of children who were being wantonly abandoned, some being thrown into rivers and sewers. It was this same spirit of Mercy to all those neglected by family and society in general that led St. Vincent de Paul to find homes for abandoned children in 1633. And down through the ages and into the nineteenth century when certain organisations began to establish almshouses and poorhouses for the "Oliver Twists" of the day the Church inspired by Christ's love for children continued her concern for all neglected ones. Thus in that month, so specially the children's, December 1879, Fr. Casati gathered together the street urchins and gave them a place to sleep in a school-cum-chapel near the Church in Plaisance. They slept on the floor and in the morning they rolled up their blankets and put the desks for school. In order to keep the boys out of mischief, and above all, to give them some worthwhile leisure activity, Fr. Casati formed "The Orphan Boys' Band". In Fr. Casati's words: "When I came to this colony I did not even know how to put the mouth in the trumpet or in the bugle, but now as a miracle, I must teach, compose, write music, etc. I have now started an orchestra with violins, celloes, guitars. ..." This orchestra became Plaisance's pride and joy, enlivening many an occasion, both religious and secular, 3nd certainly bringing out the hidden talents, not only in Fr. Casati but in the boys. Whether this religious "Pied Piper" attracted the boys or the need for a place to sleep was the key attraction, by 1885 the number of boys had increased to 25. As Fr. Casati cared single-handedly for the "little rascals" as he lovingly called them, his health and energy began to wane. He turned for help to Don Bosco, la~r St. John Bosco,founder of the Salesian Brothers in Italy, for support in running the Orphanage. But the Salesians were in demand throughout Europe and were already tuming their thoughts to America. It seemed no brothers could be spared for the Guiana mission. These were difficult years as the number of boys increased from 25 to 40. Yet Fr. Casati dreamed of and planned for a large building in which to teach the boys the trades of printing, carpentry, tailoring, and shoemaking. Fr. Casati was well aware of the need for industrial as well as spiritual training for his boys and in this he won the support of some Protestant gentlemen whom he gratefully acknowledged in his letters. But finances were always at a low ebb; moral and physical support were not forthcoming and thus, much to Fr. Casati's distress, the Orphanage had to be closed between 1894 and 1895. The arrival of the Sisters of Mercy in
British Guiana in 1894 and the closing of the Orphanage later in the year
seemed another coincidence. Founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by an
heiress, Catherine McAuley, the MercyOrde~soon became the "fire-brigade" of
the Church rushing in to serve, wnerever needed, "the dispossessed, the
poor, sick, uneducated and all those who in any way were wounded by
contemporary society". The care of the boys has always evoked the
interest and concern of many. In the 1960s their comfortable bunk beds, an
improvement on the camp cots, were donated by the Lions' Club. Every year
the Lions' Club hosts a gala Christmas party for both the boys of St. John's
and the girls of St.Ann's. Through the years the members of the St. Vincent
de Paul The boys attend the Village Schools, Plaisance Community High (St. John's) and St. Paul's and most of them do fairly well in the Common Entrance Exam. Some of the successful candidates gain places at leading secondary schools. The sound mind is indeed the result of the sound body. Anyone passing their playground in the afternoon cannot miss hearing the laughter and excited shriek of the boys as the cricket game warms up. Through the generous giving of their time,
Mr. Horace Willison and Mr. Joe Cunje not only coach the boys in cricket,
but take them on outings to the Zoo, the National Park and along the East
Coast. The boys also participate in the outings planned by the schools. Ever
ready to sing, dance and do acrobatic stunts, the boys, with a decided flair
for showmanship plan and perform little concerts on their own which, if not
in the class of Theatre Guild, are vastly entertaining and rich in comic
element. They unhesitantly perform for visitors of whom there is always a
fair number. During the past years the boys used to exhibit their crafts but
the lack of personnel for the teaching of leatherwork, pottery, etc" as well
as the The word "Orphanage" in regard to St.
John's is probably a misnomer. Fr. Casati's original idea was to get the
boys off the streets-suggesting they were "homeless" but not necessarily
orphans in the strict sense of the word. Today the accent is on the care of
"poor, neglected boys". Sociological study made a few years ago by Rosaliene
Fung indicated that the majority of boys were not orphans but were from
families where then The only criterion for accepting a boy in the Orphanage is NEED. Boys between the ages of 4 -14 of every race, colour and creed are taken in. It was felt that to contribute to their psychological needs there should be a separate home where boys between the ages of 11 and 15 or 16 could be taught a trade and trained preferably by Brothers -a vision originally projected by Fr. Casati. In the 1950's and 1960's this was also the vision of Dr. J.A. Gomes who, together with other members of the S.V.P., worked towards this goal. However, for a number of reasons, mostly financial, this vision never materialized. The compromise was the opening of the David Rose Boys' Hostel in Princes Street which gives accommodation to the boys of St. John's when they leave the Orphanage at 14. Despite the rising cost of food and
clothing every effort is made to keep the boys well fed and clothed. But to
feed, clothe and house the boys is not enough. A child deprived of love is a
later adult scarred for life and for living. As one of the slogans of the
International Year of the Child states:
"Every child has a right to smile". A smile comes to the lips from the heart
and it can only come from a heart that experiences love. So the accent in However, the material needs must be
supplied and between 1879 and
1979 there has been very much the same problem. To feed, clothe and
house a bevy of boys with big appetites during the present time of high
prices and scarce items becomes quite a feat. In 1977 the annual cost of
running the Orphanage was $19,786. In 1978 it increased to
approximately $26,000. The 1979 figures are already over those of the
previous year's. An annual government of $3,005 forms a welcome help. It
is still difficult to recruit the necessary help, religious as well as lay
and we
can well understand and sympathize with Fr. Casati as he faced similar
problems over one hundred years ago. But as he did for Fr. Casati, God
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