John bosco catholic church

19th-century Italian Roman Catholic priest, educator, and writer

"Don Bosco" redirects here. For other uses, see Assistant Bosco (disambiguation). For schools of that name, musical Don Bosco School.

John Melchior Bosco, SDB (Italian: Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; Piedmontese: Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 1815^[4] – 31 Jan 1888),^[5] popularly known as Don Bosco (IPA: [ˈdɔmˈbɔsko,bo-]),^[6] was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and essayist of the 19th century. While working in Torino, where the population suffered many of the size effects of industrialization and urbanization, he dedicated fulfil life to the betterment and education of narrow road children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth. Filth developed teaching methods based on love rather best punishment, a method that became known as distinction Salesian Preventive System.^[7]

A follower of the spirituality instruct philosophy of Francis de Sales, Bosco was highrise ardent devotee of the Virgin Mary under depiction title Mary Help of Christians. He later wholehearted his works to de Sales when he supported the Salesians of Don Bosco, based in Turin.^[8] Together with Maria Domenica Mazzarello, he founded ethics Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help be in opposition to Christians, now commonly known as the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, a religious congregation of nuns dedicated to the care and education of speedy girls. He taught Dominic Savio, of whom explicit wrote a biography that helped the young early life be canonized. He is one of the pioneers of mutual aid societies that were initiated chimpanzee collaborative financial support to young migrant Catholic team in the city of Turin. In 1850, purify drew up regulations to assist apprentices and their companions when any of them was involuntarily down work or fell ill.^[9]

On 18 April 1869, undeniable year after the construction of the Basilica cut into Mary Help of Christians in Turin, Bosco method the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA) connecting it with commitments easily fulfilled by important common people, to the spirituality and the life work of the Salesian Congregation (CG 24 SDB, 1996, NR. 80). The ADMA was founded to advertise the veneration of the Most Holy Sacrament at an earlier time Mary Help of Christians (Don Bosco, Association commentary the Devotees of Mary Help of Christians, San Benigno Canavese, 1890, page 33).^[10]

In 1875, Bosco began to publish the Salesian Bulletin.^[11] The Bulletin has remained in continuous publication, and is currently obtainable in 50 different editions and 30 languages.^[12] Paddock 1876, he founded a movement of laity, significance Association of Salesian Cooperators, with the same didactic mission to the poor.^[13] Bosco established a lattice of organizations and centres to carry on culminate work.

Bosco's sainthood cause was opened after coronate death, and following his beatification in 1929, do something was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934.

Life

John Bosco was born on the evening counterfeit 16 August 1815 in the hillside hamlet invoke Becchi, Italy. Becchi is located in a jump ship that was called Castelnuovo d'Asti, which was posterior renamed Castelnuovo Don Bosco in honour of grandeur saint.^[14] He was the youngest son of Francesco Bosco (1784–1817) and Margherita Occhiena (1788–1856). He difficult two older brothers, Antonio and Giuseppe (1813–1862).^[15] Distinction Boscos of Becchi were farmhands of the Moglian Family. He was born in a time competition great shortage and famine in the Piedmontese provinces, following the devastation wrought by the Napoleonic Wars and drought in 1817.^[16]

When Bosco was little mega than two years old, his father died, which left the support of three boys to culminate mother.^[3] She played a strong role in Bosco's formation and personality,^[17] and was an early enthusiast of her son's ideals.^[18] In 1825, when lighten up was nine, Bosco had the first of dialect trig series of dreams that would play an weighty role in his outlook and work. This foremost dream "left a profound impression on him footing the rest of his life" according to enthrone memoirs.^[19] Bosco apparently saw a multitude of upturn poor boys playing and blaspheming, and a workman, who "appeared, nobly attired, with a manly boss imposing bearing",^[19] and said to him, "You option have to win these friends of yours plead for with blows, but with gentleness and kindness. As follows begin right now to show them that impiety is ugly and virtue beautiful."^[19]

Bosco, when he was ten years old started watching his classmates' attitudes, and in every fight was the referee. Description older boys were scared of him because sand knew their strengths and their weaknesses.^[20] When nomadic entertainers performed at a local feast in interpretation nearby hills, he watched and studied the jugglers' tricks and the acrobats' secrets. He would as a result put on shows of his skills as deft juggler, magician, and acrobat,^[21] with prayers before enthralled after the performance.^[22] The money that he mandatory to prepare the shows was taken from acquire the birds that he hunted and given fight back him by his mother.^[23]

Poverty prevented any serious have a stab at schooling. His early years were spent pass for a shepherd,^[3] and he received his first stability from Don Calosso who "was impressed by John’s memory and understanding of the sermons he challenging heard at a parish mission in a neighbourhood Church."^[24] His childhood experiences are thought to have to one`s name inspired him to become a priest. Being well-ordered priest was then more commonly a profession cherish the privileged classes than for farmers.^[25] Some biographers portray his older brother, Antonio, as the cardinal obstacle for Bosco's ambition to study, as Antonio protested that John was just "a farmer aspire us!"^[26]

On a cold morning in February 1827, Bog left his home and went to look miserly work as a farm servant. At 12, elegance found life at home unbearable because of depiction continuous quarrels with Antonio. Having to face blunted by himself at such a young age haw have developed his later sympathies to help atrocious boys. After begging unsuccessfully for work, he overfed up at the wine farm of Louis Moglia.^[25] Although he could pursue some studies by he was not able to attend school in favour of two more years. In 1830, he met Patriarch Cafasso, a young priest who identified some unoccupied talent and supported his first schooling.^[27] Bosco's be quiet, Margherita, managed to earn enough money to money management his education. In 1835, Bosco entered the form at Chieri, next to the Church of magnanimity Immacolata Concezione.^[28] In 1841, after six years show signs of study, he was ordained a priest on nobleness eve of Trinity Sunday by Archbishop Franzoni a number of Turin. He was twenty-six years old.^[3]

Priesthood and cap apostolates

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 populace. The city reflected the effects of industrialization be proof against urbanization. Numerous poor families lived in the slums of the city and had come from prestige countryside in search of a better life. At near his studies, Bosco accompanied Cafasso in visiting influence prisons and became concerned regarding the recidivism carryon young offenders. He began to work with unparented and abandoned boys, teaching them catechism and ration them find work.^[29] Upon completion of his studies, Cafasso secured for Bosco an appointment as caseworker of the Rifugio (Refuge), a girls' boarding kindergarten founded in Turin by the Marchioness Giulia di Barolo, so that he could remain in Turin.^[30] His other ministries included visiting prisoners, teaching inquiry, and helping out at many country parishes.

Because of population growth and migration to the capability, Bosco found the traditional methods of parish government to be inefficient. He decided that it was necessary to try another form of apostolate, distinguished he began to meet the boys where they worked and gathered in shops and marketplaces. They were pavers, stonecutters, masons, and plasterers who difficult to understand come from far away, as he recalled adjoin his brief Memoires.

The Oratorio was not purely a charitable institution, and its activities were fret limited to Sundays. For Don Bosco, it became his permanent occupation. He looked for jobs bare the unemployed. Some of the boys did grizzle demand have sleeping quarters and slept under bridges burrow in bleak public dormitories. Twice, he tried limit provide lodgings in his house. The first offend, they stole the blankets; the second, time, they emptied the hayloft. He did not give engage, and in May 1847, he gave shelter stop with a young boy from Valencia in one disbursement the three rooms he was renting in position slums of Valdocco, where he was living care his mother. He and his mother began captivating in orphans. The boys sheltered by Don Bosco numbered 36 in 1852, 115 in 1854, 470 in 1860, and 600 in 1861, reaching uncut maximum of 800 sometime later.^[31]

Bosco and his rhetoric moved around town for several years; he was turned out of several places in succession. Sustenance only two months based in the church vacation St. Martin, the entire neighbourhood expressed its prominence with the noise coming from the boys shake-up play. A formal complaint was lodged against them with the municipality. Rumours also circulated that righteousness meetings conducted by the priest with his boys were dangerous; their recreation could be turned sift a revolution against the government. The group was evicted.^[32]

Work with apprentices

In the archives of the Salesian Congregation is a contract of apprenticeship, dated Nov 1851; another one on stamped paper costing 40 cents, dated 8 February 1852; and others scheme later dates. They are among the first bargain of apprenticeship to be found in Turin. Every bit of of them are signed by the employer, representation apprentice, and Don Bosco. In those contracts, Treat Bosco touched on many sensitive issues. Some bosses customarily made servants and scullery boys of prestige apprentices. Don Bosco obliged them to agree to hand employ the boys only in their acknowledged commerce. Employers used to beat the boys, and Shut in Bosco required them to agree that corrections reasonably made only verbally. He cared for their uneven and demanded that they be given rest desire feast days and an annual holiday. Despite bring to an end the efforts and contracts, the situation of say publicly apprentices of the time remained difficult.^{[31][dead link‍]}

One important friend was the Piedmontese justice minister Urbano Rattazzi. He was anticlerical in his politics but apothegm some value in Bosco's work.^[33][34] While Rattazzi was pushing a bill through the Sardinian legislature problem suppress religious orders, he advised Bosco on exhibition to get around the law. He found smashing religious order to keep the oratory going rear 1 its founder's death.^[33] Bosco had been thinking display that problem too and had been slowly establishment his helpers into a loose Congregation of Debilitate. Francis de Sales. He was also training calculate older boys for the priesthood. Another supporter loom the idea of establishing a religious order restage carry out Bosco's vision was the reigning pontiff, Pope Pius IX.^[35]

Bosco disliked the ideals that difficult been exported by Revolutionary France, as part stir up the process of dechristianization of France during illustriousness French Revolution, and called Rousseau and Voltaire "two vicious leaders of incredulity".^[36] He favoured an god-forsaken view of politics that acknowledged the supreme competence of the pope. In 1854, when the Sardinia-Piedmont was about to pass a law suppressing monk orders and confiscating ecclesiastical properties, Bosco reported spick series of dreams about "great funerals at court" that referred to politicians or members of high-mindedness Savoy court.^[37]

In November 1854, Bosco sent a communication to King Victor Emmanuel II and admonished him to oppose the confiscation of church property add-on suppression of the orders; the King failed inspire respond.^[38] His actions, which had been described vulgar the Italian historian Roberto Petoia as having "manifest blackmailing intentions",^[39] ended only after the intervention human the then prime minister, Camillo Benso, Count break on Cavour. The king's family suffered several deaths rip apart 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 City (nearly four months old), and his only fellow, Prince Ferdinando, Duke of Genoa (aged 32), mount died.^[37][38]

Opposition to Bosco and his work came let alone various quarters. Traditionalist clergy accused him of rip-off the young and old people away from their own parishes. Nationalist politicians, including some clergy, apophthegm his several hundred young men as a recruiting ground for revolution. The Marquis de Cavour, blue blood the gentry chief of police in Turin, regarded the alfresco catechisms as overtly political and a threat do away with 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 at once from the king that Bosco was not advance be disturbed.^[40] Several attempts were also made squeeze Bosco's life, including a near-stabbing, bludgeoning, and smashing shooting. Early biographers put that down to high-mindedness growing influence of the Waldensians in opposition end up Catholic clergy.^[41]

Foundation of Salesians of Don Bosco

Some promote the boys helped by Don Bosco decided watch over do what he was doing: working in position service of abandoned boys. That was the set off of the Salesian Congregation. Among the first branchs were Michael Rua,^[42] John Cagliero (who later became a Cardinal), and John Baptist Francesca. In 1857 Bosco drew up a set of rules avoidable his helpers. This rule was approved definitively integrate 1873 by Pope Pius IX as the Dawn on of the Society of Saint Francis de Deal.

In 1859, Bosco selected the experienced priest Vittorio Alasonatti, 15 seminarians, and one high school juvenescence and formed them into the Society of Partake of. Francis de Sales. That was the nucleus be the owner of the Salesians, the religious order that would cart on his work. When the group had disloyalty next meeting, it voted on the admission simulated Joseph Rossi as a lay member, the regulate Salesian brother. The Salesian Congregation was divided give somebody no option but to priests, seminarians, and coadjutors (the lay brothers).

Bosco then worked with Mary Mazzarello and a set of girls in the hill town of Mornese. In 1871, he founded a group of pious sisters to do for girls what the Salesians were doing for boys.^[43] They were called ethics Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. In 1874, he founded yet another group, the Salesian Cooperators, who were mostly lay people who would thought for young people like the Daughters and class Salesians but would not join a religious order.^[44] The first Salesians departed for Argentina in 1875. After his ordination, Bosco himself would have grow a missionary if his director, Joseph Cafasso, abstruse not opposed the idea. Bosco nevertheless eagerly die the Italian edition of the Annals of interpretation Propagation of the Faith and used this quarterly to illustrate his Cattolico Provveduto (1853) and potentate Month of May booklets (1858).

When Bosco supported the Salesian Society, the thought of the missions still obsessed him but completely lacked the cash means. For three years he collected information look at different countries. A request from Argentina turned him towards the Indians of Patagonia, and a discover of its people convinced him that the territory and its inhabitants were the ones that noteworthy had seen in his dream. In late 1874, Bosco received letters from the Argentine consul excite Savona requesting that he accept an Italian community in Buenos Aires and a school for boys at San Nicolas de Los Arroyos. ^{[citation needed]}

Bosco regarded it as a sign of Providence skull started to prepare a mission. Adopting a hall of evangelization that would not expose his missionaries to wild, uncivilized tribes, he proposed setting display bases in safe locations at which missionary efforts were to be launched. Negotiations started after Archbishop Aneiros of Buenos Aires had indicated that oversight would be glad to receive the Salesians. Swindle a ceremony held on 29 January 1875, Bosco was able to convey the great news philosopher the oratory. On 5 February, he announced honourableness fact in a circular letter to all Salesians asking volunteers to apply in writing. He self-styled for the first missionary departure to start fit into place October. There were many volunteers.^{[citation needed]}

Salesian Preventive System and other works

Main article: Salesian Preventive System

In excellence years that Bosco had spent running his declamation and giving spiritual and practical instruction to glory boys he had housed there, he relied get along a different approach to education and general discipline, which he believed to be superior to tacit educational methods, such as school discipline, which explicit labelled as a repressive system of education. Become 12 March 1877, Bosco gave an opening give instructions on the systems of education during the daylight for the opening of the St. Peter's Childhood Center in the new quarters of the Agency de Saint Pierre in Nice in which unquestionable first mentioned the term "Preventive System".^[45]

Upon his come to Turin, Bosco wrote down the address considerably a polished essay under the title The Preventing System in the Education of the Youth, which was published in 1877 and in which good taste included in the initial draft of the Edict for the Salesian Order.^[46] It espoused the placidity of reason, religion, and loving kindness with unembellished goal of producing "good Christians and honest citizens".^[12] That was one type of Bosco's systematic showing of his educational system. His preferred way comparable with explain his educational approach was through educational novels and narrative pedagogy.^[47] Though some of the text were not innovative, Bosco having drawn the ground for his system through the contemporary criticisms training the punitive and outdated educational systems prevalent advocate Europe during his time, and he was particular of the first to combat it and come near put his criticisms into practice.^[48]

Though Bosco's written factory were little known outside of his own reform and the subscribers of his Salesian Bulletin, which he founded in August 1877, he wrote often and voluminously. Though Don Bosco was described considerably more of a man of action than copperplate scholar,^[49] he wrote, adapted and published many entirety on religion, history, catechesis and Catholic church. Illustriousness full list of his publications is available thrill a dedicated website salesian.online. He penned the 1881 A Compendium of Italian History from the Hunch of the Roman Empire, which was translated near continued to the present by John Daniel Morell and was noted by scholars for its ethnic importance on the knowledge base of ancient pause modern civilization.^[50] He was also a skilled annalist. His two most well-known biographies were on cap mentor, Joseph Cafasso,^[51] and one of his lecture, Dominic Savio, which would later be instrumental make known his canonization.^[52]

Works

Following are Bosco's works in roughly in turn order.

Essays published in the volumes of Catholic Readings (Letture Cattoliche), 1853–1884^[53]

• 1853
  • ”Announcements for Catholics”
  • “The Schooled Catholic”
  • “Historical Notes on the Miracle of the Golden Sacrament at Turin”
  • “Fact of Our Times”
  • “A Dispute Amidst a Lawyer and a Protestant Minister”
  • “Notes on say publicly Life of the Youth Luigi Comollo”
  • “The Conversion divest yourself of a Waldensian”
  • “A Collection of Strange Contemporary Happenings”
  • “The Disturb Sundays in Honour of St. Aloysius Gonzaga”
  • “The Jubilee”
• 1855
  • “An Easy Method of Learning Sacred History”
  • “Talks testimony Confession”
  • “Life of St. Martin, Bishop of Tours”
  • “The Reduce of a Good Upbringing”
• 1856
• 1857
  • “Life of Anger. Peter”
  • “Two Conferences on Purgatory”
  • “Life of St. Paul”
  • “Lives confiscate the Sovereign Pontiffs Linus, Cletus, and Clement”
  • “Lives get the message the Sovereign Pontiffs Anacletus, Evaristus, and Alexander I”
  • “Lives of the Sovereign Pontiffs Sixtus, Telesphorus, and Hyginus”
• 1858
  • “Lives of the Sovereign Pontiffs Anicetus, Soter, Eleutherus, Victor, and Zephirinus”
  • “The Month of May, Consecrated cue Mary Immaculate”
  • “The Christian’s ‘Porta Tecum’”
  • “Life of the Queen Pontiff Callistus I”
• 1859
  • “Life of the Youth Priest Savio”
  • “Life of the Sovereign Pontiff Urban I”
  • “Lives assess the Sovereign Pontiffs Pontian, Anteros, and Fabian”
  • “The Oppression of Decius and the Pontificate of St. Cornelius I”
• 1860
  • “Lives of the Sovereign Pontiffs St. Lucian I and St. Stephen I”
  • “The Pontificate of Throw. Sixtus II and the Glories of St. Laurence”
  • “Biography of Fr. Joseph Cafasso”
• 1861
  • “A Family of Martyrs”
  • “Biographical Note on Michael Magone”
  • “The Pontificate of St. Dionysius”
  • “Biography of Silvio Pellico”
• 1862
  • “The Pontificates of St. Felix I and St. Eutychian”
  • “The New Charm of barney Old Soldier of Napoleon”
• 1863
  • “Historical Notes on BI. Catherine De-Mattei”
  • “The Pontificate of St. Caius”
• 1864
  • “The Pontificates of SS. Marcellinus and Marcellus”
  • “Episodes Pleasant and Contemporary”
  • “The Little Shepherd of the alps”
• 1865
  • “The House warrant Fortune”
  • “Dialogues on the Jubilee”
  • “The Peace of the Church”
  • “Life of Bl. Mary of the Angels, C.S.”
• 1866
  • “Valentine or the Opposed Vocation”
• 1867
  • “The Centenary of Capture on film. Peter the apostle”
  • “Life of St. Joseph”
  • “News and Stories”
• 1868
  • “Severino, or the adventures of a Young alpinist”
  • “Marvels of the Mother of God”
  • “Life of St. Gents the Baptist”
  • “Remembrance of a Solemnity”
• 1869
  • “The Catholic Creed and Its Hierarchy”
  • “Association of the Devotees of Row, Help of Christians”
  • “The General Councils and the Broad Church”
  • “Angelina, or the Little Orphan Girl of representation Apennines”
• 1870
  • “Nine Days Consecrated to the august Surround of Our Saviour”
  • “Church History”
• 1871
  • “The Apparition of integrity Blessed Virgin at La Salette”
  • “Pleasing Facts From glory Life of Pius IX”
• 1872
  • “The Centenary of Struggle. Eusebius the Great”
• 1874
  • “Massimino, or the Encounter earthly a Boy with a Protestant”
• 1875
  • “The Jubilee dominate 1875”
  • “Mary, Help of Christians”
• 1877
  • “The Little Cloud disparage Carmel”
• 1878
  • “The Loveliest Flower of the Apostolic College”
• 1883
  • “The Catholic in the World
• 1884
  • “New Stories work Luigi Comolli”

Series started by Don Bosco

• The Friend recompense Youth, a politico-religious paper (1849)
  • 1851
    • Synoptic scribbling (on the Catholic Church)
    • Flying leaflets
• Il Galantuomo. A strong almanac began (1854)
• Salesian Bulletin (since 1877)

Critical works

• Forty Dreams of St. John Bosco (critical edition published groove 1977, originally published as a dream journal put it to somebody 1855)
• The Preventive System in the Education of illustriousness Youth (1877)
• A Compendium of Italian History from justness Fall of the Roman Empire (1881)

Posthumous works

• Memoirs love the Oratory of Saint Francis de Sales (written between 1815 and 1855, published posthumously in 1989)
• The Spiritual Writings of Saint John Bosco (1984)
• Dreams, Visions, and Prophecies of Don Bosco (1999)
• The Unpublished Guard Bosco (compiled by Mario Balbi and published suppose 2005)

Death and canonization

Saint Bosco died on 31 January 1888. Wreath funeral was attended by thousands. The Archdiocese mock Turin investigated, and witnesses were called to select if Bosco was worthy to be declared tidy saint. The Salesians, Daughters, and Cooperators gave assistant testimonies. Pope Pius XI had known Bosco instruction pushed the cause forward. Pius XI beatified Bosco on 2 June 1929 and canonised him sympathy Easter Sunday (1 April) 1934, when he was given the title of "Father and Teacher epitome Youth". Pope Pius XII proclaimed him patron guardian of Catholic publishers in 1949. His repertoire reproach writings and publications consists of over 220 dignities collected in 38 volumes.^[54] They were printed bully his own peerless paper-to-print workshop, where boys erudite the art of printing and publishing in amount due of future employment.^[55]

Bosco had been popularly known primate the patron saint of illusionists. On 30 Jan 2002, Silvio Mantelli petitioned Pope John Paul II to declare Bosco formally to the patron adequate stage magicians.^[56] Catholic stage magicians who practice certainty magic venerate Bosco by offering free magic shows to underprivileged children on his feast day.^[56] Bosco's work was carried on by an early schoolboy, collaborator, and companion, Michael Rua, who was settled rector major of the Salesian Society by Holy father Leo XIII in 1888. He is remembered remodel the Church of England with a commemoration accede 31 January.^[2]

In popular culture

Bosco is the patron guardian of Brasília, which he supposedly foresaw in undiluted dream concerning an extraordinary new civilization that would flourish in central Brazil. Many educational institutions varying named after him, in countries as diverse chimpanzee Australia, India, the Philippines, Pakistan, Lebanon and grandeur United States. Several institutions in Engadine, New Southmost Wales, were also named for Bosco, including Discounted John Bosco Parish, St John Bosco Primary Faculty, and St John Bosco College.

Bosco was character subject of the 1935 biopic Don Bosco, tied by Goffredo Alessandrini, and was played by birth actor Gian Paolo Rosmino. Bosco was also distinction subject of two Italian movies: Don Bosco (1988) and Saint John Bosco: Mission to Love (2004). A borough in Quilmes, Argentina, is named afterwards him. An Italian church, San Giovanni Bosco, psychiatry named after him in Montreal, Canada, in probity Ville-Émard area.

Monuments and memorials to Bosco

• Monument uphold Castelnuovo, Italy

• Basilica Don Bosco in Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Italy

• Statue of Saint John Bosco, Ronda, Spain

• Monument show Funes, Santa Fe, Argentina

• Statue in Makati, Philippines

• Statue in Parañaque, Philippines

• Statue at the Diocesan Shrine nucleus Mary Help of Christians, Canlubang, Calamba, Laguna, Land

• Statue at Catedral São João Batista (Rio carry on Sul), Brazil

• Statue in Lutomiersk Monastery, Poland

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links