St. John Bosco

Believe me...nobody can be truly happy in this world unless he is at peace with God." John Bosco

John Bosco never had the opportunity to experience happiness through the possession of material wealth. When he was born in a small cabin at Becchi, Italy, on August 16, 1815, his family was very poor. His father, Francesco Bosco, worked a tiny farm in the village, providing the family with barely enough to survive.

When John was only two years old, his father died, leaving his mother, Margherita, to raise John and his two older brothers, Anthony and Joseph. Everyone had to work hard to keep food on the table. John helped by tending the cattle and gathering sticks for the fire.

In the evenings, Margherita taught her boys about God. Often, John would follow her around as she performed works of charity for neighbors who were even poorer than her own family. When his mother tended the sick, John would gather the children outside and teach them to pray.

At the age of nine, John had a vision in the form of a vivid dream. Jesus and Mary appeared to him and revealed that his mission in life would be to teach other boys about the evils of sin and the beauty of living a virtuous life. This dream had a vital impact on his future plans.

John studied the street entertainers who were a common sight at that time: jugglers, magicians and acrobats. With persistent practice, he soon learned enough skills to attract other children. After the entertainment, he would teach them prayers and lessons from the catechism.

As he grew older, John continued to support himself by performing farm chores while he continued his studies. He entered the seminary at age 20 and, in 1841, the archbishop of Turin ordained John Bosco a priest.

He began his ministry in the town of  Turin, Italy, where many young men had migrated, hoping to find jobs as the Industrial Revolution commenced. John Bosco searched out those living alone, those sleeping in the streets or languishing in jail. For these needy youths, he opened a youth center, or "Oratorio." Working from the Oratory, John looked for jobs for the unemployed, tried to obtain fairer treatment for those who were working, and taught academics to those willing to study after completing a day's work.

The Oratory expanded to accommodate apprenticeship classes for book-binders, carpenters, printers, mechanics, tailors and shoemakers. John established the order of Salesian Brothers to help with these enterprises.

As the Oratory grew, an ever-present problem was lack of funds. John's mother, Margherita, moved to Turin and sold her wedding ring and the few other jewellery pieces she still possessed to help buy food and necessities. By the early 1860s, the number of boys and young men sheltered by the Oratory was 800.

Some of these youths decided to spend their lives serving other needy young men. Thus began the Salesian Order of priests. John Bosco also founded an order of religious nuns: Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians.

Before his death, John Bosco founded 59 Salesian houses in six nations. Today the Salesians serve others in many countries around the globe.

The saint himself published a series of popular books and invented a education system founded on the values of reason, religion and love. Many educators today recognize it as an ideal system for training young people.

Don Bosco died on January 31, 1888. His last words to the Salesians watching at his bedside:

"Love each other as brothers. Do good to all and evil to none.... Tell my boys that I wait for them all in Paradise."

John Bosco was canonized a saint of the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Pius XI in 1934. He is the patron saint of apprentices, boys, laborers, school children, students and young people.