BORN 1842; DIED 1857 mates who tried to include him in their mischief, vandalism, and theft, even when he was taunted FEAST DAY: MARCH 9 by name-calling. He nearly succumbed to the �t. Dominictemptation toSavio swim in the nude with classmates ANY PEOPLE undergo a great conversion of in the summertime. This seems not to have been heart before they achieve holiness. Other an innocent boyhood recreation, and he realized Msouls seem to respond fully to God’s grace it before he joined them. from birth. Among these privileged few is St. ’s Oratory of St. Francis de St. . Sales was designed for the care and education The second of ten children (an older brother of neglected street-boys of . He wished to had died) of a poor blacksmith, Carlo Savio, and begin training some young men for a future as his wife, seamstress Brigitta Agagliate, Domi- to help in this ministry. Dominic, then nic was born at Riva di near Turin, . twelve, had already been inspired by this holy His parents lived their faith devoutly and taught man. Dominic’s recommended him their son how to love and follow the will of God. to St. John who, when he interviewed the boy, By five, he could be found praying at the village understood that his soul was already a wonder- church and, in an age when eleven was the usu- ful work of grace. al age for , he was permitted St. John was an excellent influence on Dom- to receive at seven. He made four written inic, keeping him spiritually balanced. promises to himself at that time: frequent One cold night, Dominic tried to sleep and Communion, giving Sun- covered with only a sheet; from then days and holy days wholly to God, on St. John allowed him to undertake having our Lord and his moth- mortifications (such as fasting) only er as his best friends, and to with permission. St. John insist- prefer death to sin. ed that cheerfully putting up with Dominic desired to be- the everyday unpleasantness of come a priest, and he life was mortification enough, walked many miles and used obedience daily to continue in as one of his chief school. Once, when ways to school an accusation against Dominic to great- him at school only er sanctity. St. later became known John taught that it to be false, he explained his was not hard to become a and silence by his desire to pre- Dominic, for his part, sought vent the true culprits to obey to the best of his from being ex- ability. He want- pelled, plus ed, with all his his recol- heart, to be a lection that saint. Jesus, too, D o m i - was unjustly nic was full of accused. He laughter and a

avoided class- KERRIS PAUL wonderful sto-

The Association for Catechumenal Ministry (ACM) grants the original purchaser (parish, local parochial institution, or individual) permission to reproduce this handout. ryteller. The younger boys especially enjoyed special attention to boys who were misfits even his stories about the Blessed Mother, to whom among the unfortunates St. John had taken Dominic was devoted, and about the . He from the streets into his care. Every original became a mentor and teacher to them. His force member of the Company was among the twen- of personality was such that once he prevented ty-two men with whom St. John founded the a rock fight between two boys. Unable to talk religious order of the Salesians two years after them out of it, he persuaded them to agree to Dominic’s death. a secret condition. He held up a crucifix, re- Dominic was a mystic, experienced ecstasies, minded them of and had the spiri- the price of their tual gift of proph- redemption, told “He held up a crucifix, reminded ecy — and yet them that they them of the price of their redemption, hated the idea of were about to being the object make an outrage told them that they were about of scorn from the against Jesus, and to make an outrage against Jesus, other boys, and then — his condi- struggled to keep tion — told them and then told them to begin the fight his deep spiritu- to begin the fight al life from their by throwing the by throwing the first stone at him.” view. Pope Pius first stone at him. IX was influenced When they protested, Dominic asked why they by one of Dominic’s visions to reestablish the could hurt God when they did not want to hurt Catholic bishoprics in , which due to him. The fight never happened. He also tried persecution had not existed for over two hun- to persuade others to walk away from tempta- dred years. tion — listening to dirty jokes, profanity, look- Never in good health, Dominic was eventual- ing at unchaste magazines, leering at girls. He ly sent home from the Oratory, hopefully to re- himself was tempted to truancy from school to cover. He was subjected to the standard medi- avoid some of the boys’ taunts, which he resisted cal practices of the day, including bloodletting, only with difficulty. which most likely accelerated his illness. He Dominic formed the Company of the Immac- died a month later, shortly before his fifteenth ulate Conception to assist St. John’s work, both birthday, a radiant example of how sanctity spiritually and practically. The Company did can be attained at any age, if one is only willing menial jobs such as sweeping floors, and paid wholeheartedly to answer God’s call.

St. Dominic Savio ~ Page 2