St. John Bosco or Don Bosco, is hands down my favorite saint ever (next to the Blessed Virgin Mary of course). I am completely intrigued by this holy man, this man who remained fun and youthful at heart even until the day he died. Don Bosco was a friend to children and founded the Salesian order which has now spread throughout the world. He is the patron saint of boys, editors, students, school children, teachers and apprentices.
John Bosco was born in 1815 in Turin, Italy, the home of last year's Winter Olympic games. His family was poor and lived a difficult life, made harder by the death of his father when John was only two years old. Margaret Bosco did her best to raise her three sons, work a farm and run a home. John helped on the farm and tended the animals.
When John was nine years old, he had a dream in which boys were fighting. John stepped in and fought with them to try to get them to stop. A woman took him by the hand and the boys were changed to gentle lambs. She told him that this would be how he would help young people later in life. John decided that he would try to spread joy and happiness wherever he went, rather than fighting. He began to learn acrobatics, juggling and sleight of hand tricks to bring joy to those he knew. He put on shows for friends and townspeople, charging them the "price" of listening to the day's Gospel story. He loved to pray and began to go to school to learn to read and write. He had aspirations to become a priest but no money to pay for seminary.
His brother became jealous of him so John left the farm. He lived with many different families until returning home at age fourteen. He went from house to house asking for money to put himself through seminary. He took on many jobs and learned several trades to help pay his way. He also saw the value of studying music, which he did in his spare time.
In June of 1841, John was ordained a priest. He told his mother that his first Mass would be to ask the Lord to make him "the friend and protector of young people. My only desire is to be the humble and joyful servant of all". Don Bosco met many young boys who were living on the streets in Turin. He wanted to help them by providing them with a place to live, an education and spiritual guidance. Slowly, a few, then twenty, then a hundred boys came to Don Bosco's house to have fun and learn about God.
Don Bosco bought a home on a large piece of land and built a chapel there from an old shed. Workshops and dormitories were built as well. The boys learned trades such as sewing, carpentry, bookbinding and shoemaking to help them survive in the workplace and to give them a purpose and a future. He told them to "run, jump and make noise, just do not sin!"
He did not believe in punishing the boys for their ignorance but rather used a method of discipline called "the preventive system". Essentially, this system kept the boys from sin by spending time with them regularly and keeping them busy with important work. He believed that reason, religion and kindness were to be used when teaching the children. Don Bosco did not think that children should be corrected in the presence of others but that any correction should be done privately with utmost respect for the dignity of the child. He also instilled in them a love for the Sacraments and a strong devotion to Mother Mary to keep them on the right path.
Don Bosco believed that recreation was important for everyone, but especially the young people. He felt that by spending time in recreation each day with the children, he gained their trust and admiration, making catechizing them a much more simple task. He played games, taught them to read and write and taught them about God.
Saint John Bosco spent his life plagued by very upsetting dreams. He dreamt often about the state of his boys' souls and the reality of sin. He was a great confessor. People came from miles and miles around to talk with him, tell their confessions and pray with him. "Give me souls, keep the rest!" he often prayed.
He enlisted the help of some of the older boys and several priests to start a community of religious whom he would come to call "The Salesians" after his favorite saint, St. Francis de Sales, another gentle and kind man. One of the boys, Dominic Savio, went on to become a saint shortly thereafter.
Under Saint John Bosco's guidance, a group of women led by Mary Mazarello became sisters and their official name was the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. Years later, Sister Mary Mazarello was declared a saint. Don Bosco realized that his Salesians could reach farther out into the world and help those people who did not know God. When Don Bosco died on January 31, 1888, the Salesians lived in seven countries with 1,000 members. Today there are 34,000 Salesian sisters and brothers in 85 countries along with 30,000 Salesian lay people who have dedicated their lives to helping children and young people. Don Bosco was canonized in 1934.
Some great books about Saint John Bosco:
Forty Dreams of Saint John Bosco
Saint John Bosco, Friend of Youth
The Educational Philosophy of St. John Bosco (Excellent!)
Saint John Bosco: The friend of children and young people some available here
Bosco links:
Novena to St. John Bosco
Salesians, USA
biography from Catholic forum
from Domestic Church
from Lives of the Saints
from New Advent
from American Catholic
John's Venerable Mama Margaret
