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61-504: John Melchior Bosco , SDB ( Italian : Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco ; Piedmontese : Gioann Melchior Bòsch ; 16 August 1815 – 31 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco ( IPA : [ˈdɔm ˈbɔsko, bo-] ), was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer of the 19th century. While working in Turin , where the population suffered many of the ill effects of industrialization and urbanization , he dedicated his life to

122-489: A cold morning in February 1827, John left his home and went to look for work as a farm servant. At 12, he found life at home unbearable because of the continuous quarrels with Antonio. Having to face life by himself at such a young age may have developed his later sympathies to help abandoned boys. After begging unsuccessfully for work, he ended up at the wine farm of Louis Moglia. Although he could pursue some studies by himself, he

183-416: A juggler, magician, and acrobat, with prayers before and after the performance. The money that he needed to prepare the shows was taken from selling the birds that he hunted and given to him by his mother. Poverty prevented any serious attempt at schooling. His early years were spent as a shepherd, and he received his first instruction from Don Calosso who "was impressed by John’s memory and understanding of

244-451: A mission. Adopting a way of evangelization that would not expose his missionaries to wild, uncivilized tribes, he proposed setting up bases in safe locations at which missionary efforts were to be launched. Negotiations started after Archbishop Aneiros of Buenos Aires had indicated that he would be glad to receive the Salesians. In a ceremony held on 29 January 1875, Bosco was able to convey

305-787: A missionary if his director, Joseph Cafasso , had not opposed the idea. Bosco nevertheless eagerly read the Italian edition of the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith and used this magazine to illustrate his Cattolico Provveduto (1853) and his Month of May booklets (1858). When Bosco founded the Salesian Society, the thought of the missions still obsessed him but completely lacked the financial means. For three years he collected information about different countries. A request from Argentina turned him towards

366-467: A priest on the eve of Trinity Sunday by Archbishop Franzoni of Turin. He was twenty-six years old. After ordination, Bosco went to Turin, where Cafasso headed the Institute of Saint Francis of Assisi, which provided higher education for the diocesan priests. Turin then had a population of 117,000 inhabitants. The city reflected the effects of industrialization and urbanization. Numerous poor families lived in

427-418: A religious order to keep the oratory going after its founder's death. Bosco had been thinking about that problem too and had been slowly organizing his helpers into a loose Congregation of St. Francis de Sales. He was also training select older boys for the priesthood. Another supporter of the idea of establishing a religious order to carry out Bosco's vision was the reigning pope, Pope Pius IX . Bosco disliked

488-557: A repressive system of education. On 12 March 1877, Bosco gave an opening address on the systems of education during the day for the opening of the St. Peter's Youth Center in the new quarters of the Patronage de Saint Pierre in Nice in which he first mentioned the term "Preventive System". Upon his return to Turin , Bosco wrote down the address as a polished essay under the title The Preventive System in

549-539: A series of dreams about "great funerals at court" that referred to politicians or members of the Savoy court. In November 1854, Bosco sent a letter to King Victor Emmanuel II and admonished him to oppose the confiscation of church property and suppression of the orders; the King failed to respond. His actions, which had been described by the Italian historian Roberto Petoia as having "manifest blackmailing intentions", ended only after

610-550: A set of rules for his helpers. Bosco admired the simple spirituality and philosophy of kindness of Francis de Sales and established the Society of St. Francis de Sales in his honor in 1859. The rule was approved definitively in 1873 by Pope Pius IX as the Rule of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales. The Society grew rapidly, with houses established in France and Argentina within a year of

671-412: Is a globe to represent the worldwide reach of the Salesians, and a stylized "S" in white is formed within the globe, resembling a snaking road representing an educational journey for the youth. In the foreground is an arrow pointing upwards, resting on three perpendicular legs on top of which are three closed circles, making a stylized image of three people: the first of these in the middle and taller than

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732-776: Is appointed to a three-year term and can be renewed for a second three-year term. From 2014 to 2024, the Rector Major of the Salesians was the Very Reverend Father and later Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime . Salesian communities primarily operate shelters for homeless or at-risk youths; schools; technical, vocational, and language instruction centers for youths and adults; and boys' clubs and community centers. In some areas they run parish churches. Salesians are also active in publishing and other public communication activities, as well as mission work, especially in Asia ( Siberia - in

793-556: Is named after him. An Italian church, San Giovanni Bosco, is named after him in Montreal , Canada, in the Ville-Émard area. Salesians of Don Bosco The Salesians' charter describes the society's mission as "the Christian perfection of its associates obtained by the exercise of spiritual and corporal works of charity towards the young, especially the poor, and the education of boys to

854-518: Is one of the pioneers of mutual aid societies that were initiated as collaborative financial support to young migrant Catholic workers in the city of Turin. In 1850, he drew up regulations to assist apprentices and their companions when any of them was involuntarily without work or fell ill. On 18 April 1869, one year after the construction of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin , Bosco established

915-425: Is ugly and virtue beautiful." Bosco, when he was ten years old started watching his classmates' attitudes, and in every fight was the referee. The older boys were scared of him because he knew their strengths and their weaknesses. When travelling entertainers performed at a local feast in the nearby hills, he watched and studied the jugglers' tricks and the acrobats' secrets. He would then put on shows of his skills as

976-573: The Salesian Bulletin . The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently published in 50 different editions and 30 languages. In 1876, he founded a movement of laity, the Association of Salesian Cooperators , with the same educational mission to the poor. Bosco established a network of organizations and centres to carry on his work. Bosco's sainthood cause was opened after his death, and following his beatification in 1929, he

1037-615: The Salesians of Don Bosco , based in Turin. Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello , he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians , now commonly known as the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, a religious congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of poor girls. He taught Dominic Savio , of whom he wrote a biography that helped the young boy be canonized . He

1098-514: The Yakutsk area), Africa , and South America ( Yanomami ). The Salesian Bulletin is now published in fifty-two editions, in thirty languages. In 1988, the Salesians branched to create the Salesian Youth Movement. Then in the 1990s, the Salesians launched new works in the area of tertiary education, and today have a network of over 58 colleges and universities. The official university of

1159-685: The Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) connecting it with commitments easily fulfilled by most common people, to the spirituality and the mission of the Salesian Congregation (CG 24 SDB, 1996, NR. 80). The ADMA was founded to promote the veneration of the Most Holy Sacrament and Mary Help of Christians (Don Bosco, Association of the Devotees of Mary Help of Christians, San Benigno Canavese, 1890, page 33). In 1875, Bosco began to publish

1220-625: The Education of the Youth , which was published in 1877 and in which he included in the initial draft of the Rule for the Salesian Order. It espoused the values of reason, religion, and loving kindness with a goal of producing "good Christians and honest citizens". That was one type of Bosco's systematic exposition of his educational system. His preferred way to explain his educational approach was through educational novels and narrative pedagogy. Though some of

1281-560: The Indians of Patagonia , and a study of its people convinced him that the country and its inhabitants were the ones that he had seen in his dream. In late 1874, Bosco received letters from the Argentine consul at Savona requesting that he accept an Italian parish in Buenos Aires and a school for boys at San Nicolas de Los Arroyos. Bosco regarded it as a sign of Providence and started to prepare

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1342-644: The Moglian Family. He was born in a time of great shortage and famine in the Piedmontese countryside, following the devastation wrought by the Napoleonic Wars and drought in 1817. When Bosco was little more than two years old, his father died, which left the support of three boys to his mother. She played a strong role in Bosco's formation and personality, and was an early supporter of her son's ideals. In 1825, when he

1403-740: The Philippines, Pakistan, Lebanon and the United States. Several institutions in Engadine, New South Wales , were also named for Bosco, including St John Bosco Parish, St John Bosco Primary School, and St John Bosco College . Bosco was the subject of the 1935 biopic Don Bosco , directed by Goffredo Alessandrini , and was played by the actor Gian Paolo Rosmino . Bosco was also the subject of two Italian movies: Don Bosco (1988) and Saint John Bosco: Mission to Love (2004). A borough in Quilmes , Argentina,

1464-492: The Rector Major and the society's general council, while each of the ninety-four geographical provinces is headed by a Provincial. These officers serve six-year terms; the Rector Major and the members of the general council are elected by the General Chapter, which meets every six years or upon the death of the Rector Major. Each local Salesian community is headed by a superior, called a Rector (or more commonly, "Director"), who

1525-513: The Rifugio (Refuge), a girls' boarding school founded in Turin by the Marchioness Giulia di Barolo, so that he could remain in Turin. His other ministries included visiting prisoners, teaching catechism , and helping out at many country parishes. Because of population growth and migration to the city, Bosco found the traditional methods of parish ministry to be inefficient. He decided that it

1586-586: The Salesian Society is the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome. A number of schools and churches established under the Salesians have been at the center of child sex abuse scandals, including Mary Help of Christians in Tampa, Florida . Due to ongoing sexual assault lawsuits and settlements, several boarding schools were closed. Don Calosso Giovanni Melchiorre Calosso (1759 – 21 November 1830)

1647-454: The Salesians were established throughout the world, including Colombia , China , India , South Africa , Tunisia , Venezuela and the United States . The Society continues to operate worldwide; in 2021, it counted 14,232 members in 1,703 houses. As of 2023, Salesians are present in more than 130 countries. The Salesian coat of arms was designed by Professor Boidi. It was published for

1708-416: The Society of St. Francis de Sales. That was the nucleus of the Salesians, the religious order that would carry on his work. When the group had its next meeting, it voted on the admission of Joseph Rossi as a lay member, the first Salesian brother. The Salesian Congregation was divided into priests, seminarians, and coadjutors (the lay brothers). Bosco then worked with Mary Mazzarello and a group of girls in

1769-584: The Society's formal recognition. Its official print organ, Salesian Bulletin, was first published in 1877. Over the next decade the Salesians expanded into Austria , Britain , Spain , and several countries in South America . The death of Don Bosco in 1888 did not slow down the Society's growth. The Salesians arrived in Mexico and established their first institution in 1892 and in 1894 arrived in Portugal. By 1911

1830-421: The art of printing and publishing in view of future employment. Bosco had been popularly known as the patron saint of illusionists. On 30 January 2002, Silvio Mantelli petitioned Pope John Paul II to declare Bosco formally to the patron of stage magicians . Catholic stage magicians who practice gospel magic venerate Bosco by offering free magic shows to underprivileged children on his feast day. Bosco's work

1891-578: The betterment and education of street children , juvenile delinquents , and other disadvantaged youth. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System . A follower of the spirituality and philosophy of Francis de Sales , Bosco was an ardent devotee of the Virgin Mary under the title Mary Help of Christians . He later dedicated his works to de Sales when he founded

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1952-453: The efforts and contracts, the situation of the apprentices of the time remained difficult. One influential friend was the Piedmontese justice minister Urbano Rattazzi . He was anticlerical in his politics but saw some value in Bosco's work. While Rattazzi was pushing a bill through the Sardinian legislature to suppress religious orders, he advised Bosco on how to get around the law. He found

2013-580: The first contracts of apprenticeship to be found in Turin. All of them are signed by the employer, the apprentice, and Don Bosco. In those contracts, Don Bosco touched on many sensitive issues. Some employers customarily made servants and scullery boys of the apprentices. Don Bosco obliged them to agree to employ the boys only in their acknowledged trade. Employers used to beat the boys, and Don Bosco required them to agree that corrections be made only verbally. He cared for their health and demanded that they be given rest on feast days and an annual holiday. Despite all

2074-407: The first members were Michael Rua, John Cagliero (who later became a Cardinal), and John Baptist Francesca. In 1857 Bosco drew up a set of rules for his helpers. This rule was approved definitively in 1873 by Pope Pius IX as the Rule of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales. In 1859, Bosco selected the experienced priest Vittorio Alasonatti, 15 seminarians, and one high school boy and formed them into

2135-431: The first time in a circular letter of Don Bosco on 8 December 1885. It consist of a shining star, the large anchor, and the heart on fire to symbolize the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. The figure of Saint Francis de Sales recalls the patron of the society. The small wood in the lower part refers to the founder of the society; the high mountains signify the heights of perfection towards which members strive;

2196-617: The great news to the oratory. On 5 February, he announced the fact in a circular letter to all Salesians asking volunteers to apply in writing. He proposed for the first missionary departure to start in October. There were many volunteers. In the years that Bosco had spent running his oratory and giving spiritual and practical instruction to the boys he had housed there, he relied on a different approach to education and general instruction, which he believed to be superior to traditional educational methods, such as school discipline , which he labelled as

2257-615: The hill town of Mornese . In 1871, he founded a group of religious sisters to do for girls what the Salesians were doing for boys. They were called the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians . In 1874, he founded yet another group, the Salesian Cooperators , who were mostly lay people who would work for young people like the Daughters and the Salesians but would not join a religious order. The first Salesians departed for Argentina in 1875. After his ordination, Bosco himself would have become

2318-588: The ideals that had been exported by Revolutionary France, as part of the process of dechristianization of France during the French Revolution , and called Rousseau and Voltaire "two vicious leaders of incredulity". He favoured an ultramontane view of politics that acknowledged the supreme authority of the pope. In 1854, when the Sardinia-Piedmont was about to pass a law suppressing monastic orders and confiscating ecclesiastical properties, Bosco reported

2379-594: The ideas were not innovative, Bosco having drawn the inspiration for his system through the contemporary criticisms of the punitive and outdated educational systems prevalent in Europe during his time, and he was one of the first to combat it and to put his criticisms into practice. Though Bosco's written works were little known outside of his own order and the subscribers of his Salesian Bulletin , which he founded in August 1877, he wrote frequently and voluminously. Though Don Bosco

2440-528: The intervention of the then prime minister, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour . The king's family suffered several deaths in a short period. From January to May 1855, the king's mother Maria Theresa of Austria (aged 54), his wife Adelaide of Austria (aged 32), their newborn son Vittorio Emanuele, Count of Genoa (nearly four months old), and his only brother, Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa (aged 32), all died. Opposition to Bosco and his work came from various quarters. Traditionalist clergy accused him of stealing

2501-457: The interwoven palm and laurel that enfold the shield on either side are emblematic of the prize reserved for a virtuous and sacrificial life. The motto Da mihi animas, caetera tolle ("Give me souls, take away the rest") is featured at the bottom. The Salesian logo is made up of two superimposed images. The logo combines elements from those of the German and Brazilian provinces. The idea of combining

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2562-484: The king that Bosco was not to be disturbed. Several attempts were also made on Bosco's life, including a near-stabbing, bludgeoning, and a shooting. Early biographers put that down to the growing influence of the Waldensians in opposition to Catholic clergy. Some of the boys helped by Don Bosco decided to do what he was doing: working in the service of abandoned boys. That was the origin of the Salesian Congregation. Among

2623-514: The noise coming from the boys at play. A formal complaint was lodged against them with the municipality. Rumours also circulated that the meetings conducted by the priest with his boys were dangerous; their recreation could be turned into a revolution against the government. The group was evicted. In the archives of the Salesian Congregation is a contract of apprenticeship, dated November 1851; another one on stamped paper costing 40 cents, dated 8 February 1852; and others have later dates. They are among

2684-522: The others is the point of the arrow, and the other two beside it appear as it were to be embraced by the central figure. These three stylized figures represent Saint John Bosco reaching out to the young, and his call for Salesians to continue his work. The three stylized figures with the arrow pointing upwards can also be viewed as a house dwelling with a sloping roof and three pillars holding it up, represents John Bosco's pedagogy of Reason, Religion and Loving Kindness. The Salesians of Don Bosco are headed by

2745-574: The priesthood". Its associated women's institute is the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco , while the lay movement is the Association of Salesian Cooperators . In 1845 Don John Bosco (" Don " being a traditional Italian honorific for priest) opened a night school for boys in Valdocco , now part of the municipality of Turin in Italy . In the following years, he opened several more schools, and in 1857 drew up

2806-412: The sermons he had heard at a parish mission in a nearby Church." His childhood experiences are thought to have inspired him to become a priest . Being a priest was then more commonly a profession for the privileged classes than for farmers. Some biographers portray his older brother, Antonio, as the main obstacle for Bosco's ambition to study, as Antonio protested that John was just "a farmer like us!" On

2867-409: The slums of the city and had come from the countryside in search of a better life. During his studies, Bosco accompanied Cafasso in visiting the prisons and became concerned regarding the recidivism of young offenders. He began to work with orphaned and abandoned boys, teaching them catechism and helping them find work. Upon completion of his studies, Cafasso secured for Bosco an appointment as almoner of

2928-571: The two came out of suggestions from an enquiry about the new logo conducted throughout the Congregation and from contributions by the General Council. It is designed with the central theme "Don Bosco and the Salesians walking with the young through the world." The artistic work of combining the two was carried out by the designer Fabrizio Emigli, from the Litos Company, in Rome. In the background

2989-458: The unemployed. Some of the boys did not have sleeping quarters and slept under bridges or in bleak public dormitories. Twice, he tried to provide lodgings in his house. The first time, they stole the blankets; the second, time, they emptied the hayloft. He did not give up, and in May 1847, he gave shelter to a young boy from Valencia in one of the three rooms he was renting in the slums of Valdocco, where he

3050-497: The young and old people away from their own parishes. Nationalist politicians, including some clergy, saw his several hundred young men as a recruiting ground for revolution. The Marquis de Cavour, the chief of police in Turin, regarded the open-air catechisms as overtly political and a threat to the state and was highly suspicious of Bosco's support for the powers of the papacy. Bosco was interrogated on several occasions; no charges were made. Closure may have been prevented by orders from

3111-558: Was an Italian priest . He is significant due to his mention in John Bosco 's memoirs for having assisted Bosco greatly in becoming a priest himself. Little to nothing is known concerning Calosso's youth. In 1872, he graduated from the University of Turin with a degree in theology . In 1813, he became a guest of his brother and the priest of the town Berzano di San Pietro . LaIn 1829, aged 70, he relocated and became Murialdo 's chaplain. It

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3172-691: Was attended by thousands. The Archdiocese of Turin investigated, and witnesses were called to determine if Bosco was worthy to be declared a saint. The Salesians, Daughters, and Cooperators gave supportive testimonies. Pope Pius XI had known Bosco and pushed the cause forward. Pius XI beatified Bosco on 2 June 1929 and canonised him on Easter Sunday (1 April) 1934, when he was given the title of "Father and Teacher of Youth". Pope Pius XII proclaimed him patron saint of Catholic publishers in 1949. His repertoire of writings and publications consists of over 220 titles collected in 38 volumes. They were printed at his own peerless paper-to-print workshop, where boys learned

3233-468: Was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. John Bosco was born on the evening of 16 August 1815 in the hillside hamlet of Becchi, Italy. Becchi is located in a region that was called Castelnuovo d'Asti, which was later renamed Castelnuovo Don Bosco in honour of the saint. He was the youngest son of Francesco Bosco (1784–1817) and Margherita Occhiena (1788–1856). He had two older brothers, Antonio and Giuseppe (1813–1862). The Boscos of Becchi were farmhands of

3294-556: Was carried on by an early pupil, collaborator, and companion, Michael Rua , who was appointed rector major of the Salesian Society by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. He is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on 31 January. Bosco is the patron saint of Brasília , which he supposedly foresaw in a dream concerning an extraordinary new civilization that would flourish in central Brazil. Many educational institutions are named after him, in countries as diverse as Australia, India,

3355-510: Was described as more of a man of action than a scholar, he wrote, adapted and published many works on religion, history, catechesis and Catholic church. The full list of his publications is available in a dedicated website salesian.online . He penned the 1881 A Compendium of Italian History from the Fall of the Roman Empire , which was translated and continued to the present by John Daniel Morell and

3416-431: Was living with his mother. He and his mother began taking in orphans. The boys sheltered by Don Bosco numbered 36 in 1852, 115 in 1854, 470 in 1860, and 600 in 1861, reaching a maximum of 800 sometime later. Bosco and his oratory moved around town for several years; he was turned out of several places in succession. After only two months based in the church of St. Martin, the entire neighbourhood expressed its annoyance with

3477-437: Was necessary to try another form of apostolate, and he began to meet the boys where they worked and gathered in shops and marketplaces. They were pavers, stonecutters, masons, and plasterers who had come from far away, as he recalled in his brief Memoires . The Oratorio was not simply a charitable institution, and its activities were not limited to Sundays. For Don Bosco, it became his permanent occupation. He looked for jobs for

3538-522: Was nine, Bosco had the first of a series of dreams that would play an influential role in his outlook and work. This first dream "left a profound impression on him for the rest of his life" according to his memoirs. Bosco apparently saw a multitude of very poor boys playing and blaspheming, and a man, who "appeared, nobly attired, with a manly and imposing bearing", and said to him, "You will have to win these friends of yours not with blows, but with gentleness and kindness. So begin right now to show them that sin

3599-467: Was not able to attend school for two more years. In 1830, he met Joseph Cafasso , a young priest who identified some natural talent and supported his first schooling. Bosco's mother, Margherita, managed to earn enough money to finance his education. In 1835, Bosco entered the seminary at Chieri , next to the Church of the Immacolata Concezione . In 1841, after six years of study, he was ordained

3660-426: Was noted by scholars for its cultural importance on the knowledge base of ancient to modern civilization. He was also a skilled biographer. His two most well-known biographies were on his mentor, Joseph Cafasso , and one of his students, Dominic Savio , which would later be instrumental in his canonization . Following are Bosco's works in roughly chronological order. Saint Bosco died on 31 January 1888. His funeral

3721-474: Was there that he met young Bosco. He was impressed by the youth's ability to memorize and recite that day's sermon, so much so that he decided to instruct Bosco personally, so that Bosco could become a priest as he wished. One year later, on 21 November 1830, Calosso was struck by apoplexy , while Bosco was out on an errand. On his death bed, he asked to see Bosco one last time. Bosco ran to Calosso's house, where, just before he died, unable to speak because of

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