St. John Bosco grew up as a poor farmer. He helped his family raise sheep and grow food. Despite having very little of their own, John’s mother would always find extra to share with those who had less. Her example would influence John throughout his life.
During his life, St. John Bosco had many dreams sent from Heaven. The first occurred when he was only nine years old. He dreamed that he was playing in a field with other boys. They began to act badly, and John tried to hit them to get them to stop. A man and a woman suddenly appeared. They told him that he was to help the boys not with violence, but with kindness, and that he was meant to help these young boys.
After this dream, John realized that God was calling him to be a priest. He left home and worked to earn money to attend school. After years of hard work and study, he became a priest in 1841.
Fr. Bosco was assigned to work in Turin, Italy. At this time, many of the people of Turin were very poor. They were desperate to survive, leading many to break laws to find food, shelter, or clothing. Many of those caught and jailed for this were young boys. Fr. Bosco saw this problem and remembered the dream he had as a young boy. He realized that these were the boys which he was to care for and help with kindness.
His ministry to these young boys began with Sunday gatherings. He would spend the day with them, celebrating Mass, teaching them, and playing games. Though it started with just a few boys, soon hundreds of young men would gather each Sunday. Fr. Bosco found enough money to purchase some land to give his ministry a home.
That home soon began to house many orphans. Fr. Bosco’s goal was to help them before they got into trouble, so they could stay out of prison and learn a better way of life. He began to teach the boys woodworking, shoemaking, and how to use a printing press (what they used instead of a printer for books and newspapers.) He worked to educate the boys so that they developed a strong faith and skills to be successful as they grew up and left his ministry.
Inspired by the work of St. Francis de Sales, Fr. Bosco formed a new religious order known as the Salesians. Their mission was to continue the work Fr. Bosco had started in helping teach and help the young men. A group of Sisters was also founded to help young girls.
Among his many dreams, one stands out with a message to all Catholics.
Fr. Bosco dreamed of a battle at sea. Many enemy ships were attacking a large ship which was captained by the Pope. This ship represents the Catholic Church. The enemies kept attacking, threatening to sink the large ship. There were also two tall pillars coming out of the water. On top of one was Mary and the other ha a Host. When the large ship reached the pillars, the enemy ran away. The enemy in this dream is all of those things that keep us far from God. Fr. Bosco then taught that the way to stay strong in our faith is “devotion to Mary and frequent Communion".
Today, there are thousands of Salesians around the world still working to help those in need physically and spiritually. Many of the young men they help continue to follow St John Bosco’s steps into the priesthood.
