Corpus Christi Blog

St. John Bosco -- Father and Teacher of Youth

01-28-2018Weekly ReflectionChristi Deg

This Wednesday, January 31, we celebrate the feast of St. John Bosco. Many in the parish may recognize his name from St. John Bosco Catholic School here in Ahwatukee, but fewer may be familiar with his life.

He was born in Italy as Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco on August 16, 1815 to a poor family of farmers during a time of famine and drought. His father, Francis, passed away when John was only two years old, leaving his mother, Margherita, to raise John and his two older brothers on her own.

Even though the family was very poor, John learned the importance of charity through the example set by his mother. She would often give food and other assistance to the homeless and others in need. She was a tender-hearted woman with a devout faith. Those who knew her referred to her as “Mama Margherita.”

In addition to providing for other’s material needs, John understood from a very young age, that he was called to help provide for their spiritual needs as well. John had learned how to juggle, do magic tricks and some acrobatics from a traveling circus and would put on performances for the children in the area. After the show, John would recite the homily he had heard that Sunday. When he was nine years old, he had a dream that he was fighting with a group of boys who were cursing and acting unruly. He tried to stop them, but they wouldn’t listen. In the dream, Jesus and Mary appeared to John. Jesus told John, “Not with blows will you help these boys, but with goodness and kindness!” The boys turned into growling wild animals and then into lambs when Mary put out her hand. She told John, “This is the field of your work. Be humble, steadfast, and strong!”

John knew he was being called to the priesthood, but that would require an education, which the family couldn’t afford. John’s oldest brother Anthony was also against the idea as he thought John should be a farmer like the rest of the family. He was very hostile toward John, so at age 12, John left home to attend public school and stayed with a family that Margherita knew. He worked as a farmhand and had various trade jobs after school to help support himself.

In 1835, John was finally able to enter the seminary at age 20. He completed his studies and preparation for the priesthood in six years and was ordained on June 5, 1841 in Turin. He is sometimes referred to as “Don” Bosco, as that was a traditional title of honor for priests in Italy.

Working in Turin, Fr. Bosco couldn’t help but notice the deplorable conditions of the city brought about by the industrial revolution. The city’s slums were overrun with people looking for work in the factories and sweatshops despite the hazardous conditions and poor wages. While visiting the prisons, he was shocked to see how many boys between the ages of 12-18 ended up there. His mission became clear; he knew he had to help prevent other boys from the same misfortune.

Fr. Bosco began gathering with boys and young men that he had met on the streets for weekly prayer, instruction, and recreation. He called the group the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales. They didn’t have a regular meeting place at first, as they kept growing in size and people were weary of such a large group of boys. Every Sunday, Fr. Bosco would hear their confessions, say Mass for them and then provide an hour of religious instruction. Afterwards, he would take them out the country to play games for the rest of the day and then close with a final talk before sending them home. Eventually, Fr. Bosco was able to purchase some land in an area of Turin called Voldocco. The lot was practically empty except for a dilapidated building that had been used as a shed. He managed to convert it to a chapel to provide a permanent meeting place for the Oratory.          

As membership in the Oratory grew, Fr. Bosco realized that many of the boys needed additional help. Assisted by Mama Margherita, Fr. Bosco expanded the work of the Oratory to find and provide education and work opportunities, and even lodging for boys who needed it.

In 1859, Fr. Bosco established the Society of St. Francis de Sales, commonly known as the Salesians, to help continue his charitable works of caring for youth, both spiritually and physically. This was no small task, for at the time, the nationalist movement in Italy was very anti-clerical. However, while other orders were being shut-down, the Salesians continued to expand. In the 1870s, Fr. Bosco worked with St. Mary Dominic Mazzarello to establish a religious order for women as a female counterpart to the Salesians, known as the Salesian Sisters.

In addition to all his charitable work, St. John Bosco was well known for his sanctity and the many miracles he performed. When he died the morning of January 31, 1888, the call for his canonization was immediate. He was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929 and canonized in 1934 on Easter Sunday.

One of St. John Bosco’s prized students, Dominic Savio, is also a saint. Dominic died when he was only 14 years old and St. John Bosco spoke at his canonization. Fr. Chad chose St. Dominic Savio as his confirmation saint and wanted to share this reflection on St. John Bosco’s response to a question St. Dominic had asked:

One day, St. Dominic, with his youthful zeal, asked St. John Bosco, “how can I become a Saint?”  St. Bosco looked at him and smiled. It must have warmed his heart to hear a student so ardently desire to be a saint, just as it warms my heart when I see so many of you truly striving for holiness.

He answered that there were three things one must do: “Pray devoutly, do your chores exactly, and do everything with great joy”

If you and I think about it, doing those three things will truly set us on the path to sanctity, as well. 

How often do we pray devoutly, with all of our hearts, each and every time? For most of us, including myself, when we do pray it is easy to kind of go through the motions; we might pray, but not always with heartfelt devotion. 

Secondly, do your chores exactly.  It is also easy for us to take short cuts, whether at work or with other things we do. But to do our chores, whatever we are supposed to do, first of all, takes humility to be obedient. Furthermore, we are to accomplish our tasks to the best of our ability.

Finally, do everything with great joy. Shouldn’t all of us live with a sense of joy to do everything with happiness, satisfaction, and contentment? All of us are children of God that are not supposed to let the pressures, anxieties, and depression of the world get to us. Instead, we should do everything with joy and love, knowing that our lives belong to a God who is bigger and more powerful than the world.

May each of us reflect on how well we are living these three instructions and ask God to help us in these areas, so that we, too, can live more saintly lives.

 

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