St. John Bosco

"Enjoy yourself as much as you like -- if only you keep from sin.".

"Do you want our Lord to give you many graces? Visit him often. Do you want him to give you few graces? Visit him seldom. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are powerful and indispensable means of overcoming the attacks of the devil. Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil will be powerless against you."

St. John Bosco was born in 1815 at Becchi, Castelnuovo d'Asti, Piedmont, Italy. John's father died when the boy was 2 years old, and as soon as he was old enough to do odd jobs, he did so for extra money for his family. Bosco would go to circuses, fairs and carnivals, practice the tricks he saw magicians perform, and then present one-boy shows. After his performance, while he still had an audience of boys, he would repeat the homily he had heard earlier in church.

He worked as a tailor, baker, shoemaker, and carpenter while attending college and the seminary and was ordained in 1841. John Bosco worked with youth, finding places where they could meet, play and pray, teaching catechism to orphans and apprentices. He was the chaplain in a hospice for girls. He wrote short treatises aimed at explaining the faith to children, and then taught children how to print them.

John Bosco founded the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in 1859. They are priests who work with and educate boys, under the protection of "Our Lady - Help of Chistians", and Saint Francis de Sales. He also founded the "Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians" in 1872, and the "Union of Cooperator Salesians" in 1875.

St. John Bosco died in Turin, Italy in the year 1888 and was cannonized in 1934 by Pope Pius XI. He is known as the patron of apprentices, boys, editors, young people, laborers, schoolchildren, and students. St. John Bosco is also known as Don Bosco, Giovanni Bosco, Giovanni Melchior Bosco,and John Melchoir Bosco.