The Feast of St. John Bosco

Christopher Ketelaars

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Today is the feast day of St. John Bosco.

Tomorrow morning at 9am ET S+L TV will air the feast day mass from the direct Italian feed of Telepace.

A little bit on St. John Bosco:

Growing up John wanted to become a priest, but he kept it a secret as he knew his mother couldn’t afford the seminary education.

Years later a priest, (Saint Joseph Cafasso) learned of John’s desire, and helped him enter the seminary. John worked many jobs learning all kinds of trades to work his way through the seminary.

In 1841 John Bosco became Don Bosco (meaning Father Bosco) and began his ministry teaching homeless boys the same trades he had learned. These trades gave them a way of survival other than stealing, and kept them out of trouble. Don Bosco started his own religious order of priests and brothers. They were called the Salesians, after St. Francis de Sales. An order of Salesian sisters was also established with the help of St. Mary Mazzarello. Don Bosco died on January 31, 1888. Pope Pius XI, who as a priest had met Don Bosco, had the joy of declaring Don Bosco a saint in 1934.

"Education is something from the heart, and God alone is its master; we cannot succeed in anything unless God gives us the key to the hearts of these children."-St. John Bosco