Who was Saint John Bosco?
John was born in 1815 in Becchi, a tiny farm village in the hills of northern Italy. His father died when he was two, and his mother, Margaret, raised the family on her own, poor but strong and full of faith. At village fairs John watched the jugglers and acrobats, then practiced at home until he could juggle, do magic tricks and walk on a rope tied between two trees. Before every show there was one rule: everyone prayed the Rosary first.
John wanted to be a priest, but his family had no money for school, so he worked on a farm, for a tailor and for a blacksmith, and studied late into the night. In 1841 he became a priest and went to Turin, a big, smoky city. There he saw boys alone in the streets and even in prison, and his heart ached. He began gathering them on Sundays to pray, learn and play, and in 1846 he made an old shed in Valdocco their home. His mother came from the farm to cook and mend for them.
Soon there was a home for boys with nowhere to sleep, a school, and workshops where they learned to make shoes, sew clothes and print books. Father John ran and played with them and never used harsh punishments, because he wanted every boy to know he was loved. One of his students, Dominic Savio, became a saint too. Father John started the Salesians and, with Saint Mary Mazzarello, the Salesian Sisters to care for girls. In 1934 he was declared a saint.
When is Saint John Bosco’s feast day?
Saint John Bosco’s feast day is January 31. It’s the day he died, in 1888, after a whole life spent caring for young people.
Clara tells the whole story at bedtime, in the Little Prayer Stories app.Get the app →
