English
FEAST OF DON BOSCO
Don Bosco's Life
FEAST OF DON BOSCO
It’s good to remind some important stages of Don Bosco’s life and to make the link with our own time and life.
John Bosco was born on 16th August 1815 at Becchi, a cluster of homesteads part of the village of Morialdo attached to the town of Castelnuovo d’Asti in the North of Italy. His parents are Francis Bosco and Margaret Occhiena.
In 1817, when John Bosco is two years old, his father Francis died. His mother educated him in the catholic faith and helped him to practise the Gospel. Even today we can find similar situations: orphans have to be helped in good education despite the absence of father or mother or both…
At the age of 9 a mysterious dream revealed to young John God’s mission for him: taking care of abandoned children or of youth going astray. The dream revealed him that he must educate youngsters with gentleness and love.
Despite his very young age John Bosco was generous and helped his friends in playing, praying and catechism. Today too we can see how young people help others to play, to pray or to be instructed in our oratories, in our youth movements or in other circumstances or vital spaces.
With the aid of an old priest, Fr. Calosso, John had the chance to begin his schooling and after the death of that old priest, John enrolled in a public school. Later he moved to the town of Chieri; living in lodgings and on his wits, he finished his schooling. He had to look for school fees and find some jobs; so, he was able to learn several trades that would be very useful later in his life with the boys.
Isn’t it the same nowadays? How many boys and girls have to look for school fees or ask for a job so that they can begin or continue their schooling? Sometimes it’s very difficult.
At school John Bosco founded his first association with his schoolmates: the “Society of Joy”, with two aims: fulfilling one’s duties as a Christian and as a student, and be always cheerful. For John Bosco, it was important to live friendship, to set a good example, to practise Christian life and to give oneself to neighbours. Even today we can find very courageous youngsters who are apostles among their schoolmates and this is very important.
In 1835 then, John Bosco entered the Seminary and decided to be a priest. On the 5h of June 1841 he was ordained priest. His life programme was simple and clear: “Da mihi animas, caetera tolle” that means: “Give me souls, take away the rest” or “give me people, persons, youth and all the rest isn’t necessary”. For Don Bosco these words expressed a very important choice of life!
Don Bosco then started his work as a young priest. On exploring the city of Turin, he discovered the grave problem of abandoned youth following the “industrial revolution” now reaching the city. Is it different nowadays? Youth is looking for formation, for a job, for some money in order to live better.
On the 8th of December 1841 in the church of St Francis of Assisi Don Bosco met a young up-country boy: Bartholomew Garelli, whom he invited to a weekly meeting together with his friends. It was the beginning of the Oratory. The Oratory is a “house” where young people have a “home”, where they can study and work, where they can pray and give themselves, where they can play and live in friendship. And so, every Salesian house breathes a family climate, an atmosphere of joy and friendship.
In his time Don Bosco saw that many young people were in prison. That was the reason for him to work for poor and abandoned youth, to teach them and to educate them in joy and love. Even today many youngsters need instruction, formation and education. A lack of all this means that people are kept in a situation of under-development. For some people such a situation is interesting because they can dominate others and continue to oppress the masses and they have power. Especially when youth are not instructed, formed or educated, they are a very easy target to be manipulated, to be used by powerful men and to do anything, especially evil things. Don Bosco saw this danger in his time and we also must be aware of this dangerous possibility.
Don Bosco also worked for good religious vocations, especially for priestly vocations. He also helped people in general because in that time people were disorientated because of other religious faiths, mainly the Protestants. We too in our time and area are confronted with other faiths and we can see how sects are flourishing in our countries. So, we should ask ourselves: what is the quality of my faith? What do I believe in? For which reasons do I change my religious practice? What am I looking for in other faiths or in some sects? Do I have a strong faith in Jesus my Saviour? Is he really the Treasure of my heart and my life?
With his style of education, Don Bosco helped youth to reflect, to meet Christ and their brothers and sisters, to reinforce their faith and to celebrate it in the sacraments, to be generous in an apostolate and to learn a job. Don Bosco opened schools so that poor boys had the occasion to study, so that they could learn a trade and find a good job. That’s exactly what we are doing now in our Salesian houses.
Don Bosco also founded Catholic Readings, monthly booklets for popular Christian instruction. He wrote many other books or booklets in order to help youth or people in general to know the Catholic faith. It’s the value of a good press. Nowadays we have to use all the possibilities we have in the area of mass-media. That’s very important, because we are constantly overwhelmed with a multiplicity of information and all kinds of tendencies and points of view. How can we find the truth in the complexity of our world today; how can we discern what is right in so many messages and conceptions?
One of the most beautiful fruits of Don Bosco’s education was Saint Dominic Savio, a boy of 15, who was an example for his schoolmates. Dominic Savio founded the Company of the Immaculate Conception. It was a select group of youngsters collaborating with Don Bosco in doing good and assisting their friends. The life of Dominic Savio shows that holiness is possible, even today for us! It’s possible to be a saint in our daily life, in doing well all that we have to do, being joyful and generous.
For Don Bosco the source of his huge activity and the efficiency of his action is to be found in his constant union with God and his confidence without limits in Mary Help of Christians who inspires his whole activity with young people. Don Bosco was a man of God.
It’s among his boys that Don Bosco found the best collaborators for his work with the youth; in this way was born the Society of Saint Francis of Sales or the Congregation of the Salesians of Don Bosco. With Saint Mary Dominic Mazzarello he founded the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians or the Congregation of the Salesian Sisters. And with lay people, generous men and women, he also founded the Salesian Co-operators in order to sustain his work with the youth. And so, we see how the Salesian Family developed during Don Bosco’s life. And even now we need these main branches of the Salesian Family. We need new Salesians of Don Bosco, brothers and priests! We need Sisters of Don Bosco! We need Salesian Co-operators! It’s good to live as Don Bosco, it’s marvellous to follow Christ in the footsteps of Saint John Bosco and to give one’s life for young people, especially for poor boys and girls who need education and evangelisation.
In 1875 Don Bosco sent his first missionaries to South America and from that moment, little by little, the Salesians have been all over the world working for the poorest youth. As Don Bosco, they are fostering the development of the young to their full potential. For Don Bosco it was important to form “honest citizens and good Christians”.
Don Bosco died on 31st of January 1888; he was a “father”, a “teacher” and a “friend” of the young. He was a holy man because he was very close to Jesus; he was a big friend of Jesus. We also can be holy if we are close to Jesus, if we are good friends of Jesus! Let us ask Saint John Bosco that we may be holy today in our situations, that we may be good friends of Jesus and Our Lady Mary Help of Christians.
