St. John Bosco Teacher of the Youth

SAINT OF THE MONTH

MORE THAN ANYTHING, St. John Bosco He realized that if wanted to bring young people to Jesus. he attracted others He was born to a family of Italian farmers to him through in 1815 and was only two years old when kindness and fun, his father died. His mother took him to they would be willing to church, and John Bosco loved Jesus with hear him talk about God his whole heart. When he was only nine and pray with him. He years old, he had a powerful dream. He performed many shows like saw a large group of boys, many his age, this and realized that he should who played rough and swore. Beside be a priest. them stood a man and a woman, majestic John Bosco was ordained in 1841, and tall. The man told him that with and his first assignment was in the city meekness and love he would “conquer of Turin. The city was full of slums, and these, your friends,” and the woman told when John Bosco visited the prisons, he him to be strong and humble. When John noticed many boys between the ages of Bosco awoke, he understood this dream 12 and 18. These boys reminded him of to mean that he was to win these boys the rough boys in his dream. John Bosco over to Jesus. The memory of this dream knew he must do everything he could to would stay with him for the rest of his life. keep more boys from going to prison. He Soon after, John Bosco watched a went to the streets and performed his group of traveling circus actors perform magic tricks. The boys came to watch the amazing magic tricks. He was fascinated. tricks and then stayed to listen to him He wanted to learn how to perform speak about Jesus. He started a home for magic tricks as well. John Bosco studied boys who had no other place to live. His the magic tricks and performed them for mother came to help him and became a group of friends. After their applause, known as “Mamma Margherita.” At first he then told them the homily he had there were only 6 boys at the home, but heard at Mass and led them all in prayer. eventually there would be 800. One of

CHRISTIAN PRAYER, January 91 St. John Bosco

the boys who came to study under John working conditions, and gave them places Bosco was Dominic Savio. John Bosco to stay. For John Bosco, kindness was saw that he was very holy, even though he better than punishment in changing the was so young. Dominic Savio died when lives of those in need. He died in 1888 and he was only 12 years old, and John Bosco was given the title “Father and Teacher of wrote a short biography of his life. Later the Youth.” His feast day is on January 31 Dominic Savio was canonized a saint. and he is the patron saint of magicians, John Bosco spent the rest of his life schoolchildren, and juvenile delinquents. working for the boys in his care. He He is an example of preaching about helped find them jobs, improved their Jesus to others with love.

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