St. Dominic Savio Feast Day: May 6 (Used to Be March 9)
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St. Dominic Savio Feast Day: May 6 (used to be March 9) Birth: April 2, 1842 Death: March 9, 1857 Beatified By: March 5, 1950 by Pope Pius XII Canonized By: June 12, 1954 by Pope Pius XII Patron: choirboys, juvenile delinquents, falsely accused Dominic Savio was born in Riva, Italy in 1842 into a poor but very pious Catholic family. He had nine brothers and sisters. By age 4, Dominic knew all of his prayers by heart. He would often pray before the tabernacle. Every time he passed a church, he knelt in prayer even if it was raining or snowing. He had a special devotion to Mary and her 7 Sorrows. His motto was “Death rather than sin.” In his day, children did not receive the Holy Eucharist until age 12. But Dominic’s request to receive it at age 7 was granted since he was very intelligent in the faith and very pious. He said that his First Communion was the happiest day of his life. There are many stories of Dominic’s piety. For example, two classmates filled the woodstove with garbage and snow and blamed it on Dominic. Dominic was severely reprimanded for something he did not do. When the teacher learned the truth, he asked Dominic why he didn’t explain that the other two boys were responsible. Dominic said he was imitating Jesus who, though innocent, took punishment for the sins of others. Dominic wished to study under Fr. John Bosco, who also became a saint. Fr. Bosco gave Dominic study material on apologetics and asked for a report the next day. However, Dominic was able to recite the text and explain it’s meaning within ten minutes. He left home to study in Turin under Fr. Bosco. When Dominic grew sick, he was sent back to his family. Everyone expected him to recover. But Dominic knew he would die. He asked for the local priest to give him Last Rites. He said goodbye to his family and died at age 14. Fr. Bosco was so impressed with Dominic’s short but pious life that he wrote the boy’s biography, “The Life of Dominic Savio”. Dominic Savio was declared venerable in 1933 by Pope Pius XI, beatified in 1950, then canonized in 1954 by Pope Pius XII. “Ask Jesus to make you a saint. After all, only He can do that. Go to Confession regularly and to Communion as often as you can.” .