St. John Bosco

Saint John Bosco (born in Becchi di Castelnuovo d’Asti, 8-16-1815, died in Turin, 1-31-1888) had as his motto: “Da mihi animas, cetera tolle – Give me souls and keep the rest.” Source: tfp.org

Who is St. John Bosco?

John Melchior Bosco popularly known as Don Bosco (Don is the title given to priests in Italy), dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children and other disadvantaged youth. He was a Roman Catholic priest in Turin, and while working he saw human misery in all of its forms. The living standard of the workers were miserable and the youth were aimlessly wandering the city streets unemployed, lost and prone to crime and evil.

Source: http://www.donboscowest.org/saints/donbosco

His encounter with the juvenile delinquents (unlawful behavior like theft and violent crimes as a minor that otherwise would have been charged as a crime if they were an adult) had a great impact on him. Many of the priests at that time expected the youth, who swarmed into the city from the countryside, to find work and come to church on their own. That was, however, very unlikely. A new way had to be developed that allowed one to contact the youth in the streets, town squares and cafes. Many priests, including Don Bosco, experimented with new methods to do this as many suffered the ill-effects of industrialization and urbanization. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System.

Venerable Margaret Bosco, Mother of Don Bosco.

He needed help, so he called his poor and illiterate mother Margarita. She left the comfort of her village home and came to Turin to cook and clean for Don Bosco’s boys. Amongst the boys for whom Don Bosco was father and teacher, there were those who wanted to follow him. Hence, the beginning of the Salesian Society – The Society of St. Francis de Sales was launched. Together with St. Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters).

As there are many stories from the life of Saint John Bosco, we will follow his life from his childhood and carry on his stories in a series of short episodes.

Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Italy - 1957 - The "Biglione" house, where Giovanni Bosco was born in 1815. The house was demolished in 1957 to build the temple dedicated to the saint. Source: https://www.infoans.org/

Part 1 - Humble Beginnings

Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco was born of poor parents in a little cabin at Becchi, a hill-side hamlet near Castelnuovo, Piedmont, Italy, 16 August, 1815. His parents were poor farmers and his father died when he was only two years of age, leaving his mother Margaret to raise three boys by herself. Little John and his older brother Joseph, supervised by their step brother Anthony, tackled the endless work with energy. Margaret was a woman of character and tenderness. All who knew her called her ‘Mama Margaret’ and was declared 'venerable’ by the Church in 2006.

Once when Margaret and John were walking along the countryside, they met one of the local priests.

"Hello, Father," cried the boy, to be acknowledged only by a curt bow of the head. Deeply hurt, he complained that the priest had hurt his feelings.

"When I grow up," he told his astonished mother, "I'm going to be a priest, and I'll talk to children all the time, and I'll do everything for them!"

John's early years were spent as a shepherd. He possessed a ready wit, a retentive memory, and as years passed his appetite for study grew stronger. However, owing to the poverty of his home he was often obliged to turn from his books to the field, but the desire of what he had never left him.

He learned the tricks of magic from traveling showmen. He juggled and walked the tightrope. Then he opened his own carnival show. Admission: one rosary to be recited by all spectators; added attraction: the Sunday sermon, repeated by the little ringmaster. The show grounds were the field in front of his house, where Margaret often watched her son at work and wondered what might come of it all.

Dream At Age Nine

When John was nine years old, he had the first of several vivid dreams that would influence his life. In this dream, he encountered a multitude of rowdy boys who swore and cursed as they played. He tried to stop them, but they refused to listen to him.

Suddenly, a ‘Man’ (of great majesty) appeared, who motioned to John and said, "Not with punches will you help these boys, but with goodness and kindness!"

"Who are you?" gasped the astonished boy.

Then a ‘Lady’ appeared. Putting her arms around him, she said, "Watch what I do, John." John looked. The boys changed to a pack of snarling wild animals whose growls sent terror to his heart. Then the Lady put out her hand. The beasts changed again, to a frolicking flock of lambs.

"But what does it all mean? I'm just a farm boy. What can I do?" He burst into tears.

The Lady's answer came to him, ever to resound in his heart, to be repeated audibly several times in his life, "This is the field of your work. Be humble, steadfast, and strong!”

John now knew his vocation. But the priesthood meant studies, and there was no money on the farm. His first schooling came the next year, when he hiked some three miles every morning to the country school of a priest. But the increasing hostility of his stepbrother, not pacified by John's attempts to put in extra hours on the farm, made life at home unbearable.

In 1830 his beloved friend and teacher, Fr Calosso, died (later declared as Saint). As a result, John had to return home. Margaret, in order to keep the peace, divided up the farm and gave Anthony his own share. She allowed John to go to Castelnuovo to attend public school and board with a good family she knew. John soon worked after school to support himself. Though he was only 15, he labored in a blacksmith shop, then as a tailor, a waiter, a pin-boy in a bowling alley, a shoemaker--anything to get a few pennies and ease his mother's burden. He used this knowledge later, to help the boys he fathered.

At school he did exceptionally well. Teachers and classmates had looked upon him as a country dolt in the beginning, but his brilliant memory and steadfast application soon won him everyone's respect. In one year, he was ready for secondary studies. Looking back over the records, John did three years of high school in one scholastic year and one summer. How he ever succeeded is quite unimaginable, unless we take into account his exceptional memory and intensive study habits.

Throughout his school work John did not lose sight of his vocation which was now, more than ever, an actual conviction. "I'm going to be a priest," he told his friends, "and I'm going to give my life to the care of boys."

By 1835, when John was 20, he was ready for the seminary, taking with him an enviable record for excellence in studies, a reputation for solid piety, and the friendship of countless people in many walks of life.

Movie of St. John Bosco

There are many movies made on the life of Saint John Bosco, however, this movie will truly capture your heart: Saint John Bosco - A Mission to Love (2004).

The movie was originally made in Italian and then dubbed in many languages including Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam. It's a movie worth watching with family and children. Look out for the movie sometimes played on EWTN and also available to buy on Amazon.