ST. JOHN BOSCO AND THE CHILDREN'S SAINT, DOMINIC SAVIO

John Bosco, known for the many Italian boys' schools and organizations he started, was a man of the 19th century, born near Turin in 1815 and raised in the small village of Becchia. His father died when he was young and he lived on a farm with his mother and two brothers. A serious and morally concerned boy, he spent much of his time trying to persuade his companions to do good, often by fighting them rather than using the gentler methods of which he later became aware through a vision. John learned juggling and some showmanship too, and ingeniously used his skill as an attraction for prayer meetings. Though he was far too poor to pay for schooling, he met Don Calosso, another priest, who befriended him and gave him the opportunities to earn scholarships that could start him on a religious life. Later when the boys' schools were a reality, one of John's pupils, Dominic Savio, showed the selflessness of a saint and though he died when he was only 15, he was made a saint in 1934.