Faithful Friday: Saint John Bosco

By Ian Wilson

John Bosco was perhaps one of the more eccentric saints of the Catholic Church, though can one truly be a saint without being a bit odd?

As a young lad in Sardinia (Italy), Bosco saw a performance by a circus troupe and was instantly obsessed. He began training himself in acrobatics and magic tricks – the latter skill would mark his later career in the priesthood. 

His childhood was hard; the fact that he survived at all is a miracle, but we often find that great difficulty breeds great men. It was 1815, and Europe was rebuilding after the years of chaos produced by the Napoleonic wars. Sardinia was undergoing a severe drought and the accompanying famine. John Bosco’s father died when he was only six, but still the boy persevered. He used his skills as a magician and acrobat to entertain other children and ended his performances with a prayer or a homily. 

Though he wanted to join the priesthood, John Bosco, being the son of poor shepherds, lacked the necessary education to go to seminary. However, he found a sympathetic priest, who taught him the skills he needed. At only twelve, John Bosco left home and began a career as a farm laborer, wandering through the Italian countryside. He then came under the tutelage of another future saint, Joseph Cafasso, who educated him further and taught him the spirituality of Francis de Sales. 

As a priest, John Bosco’s personal mission was to help the poor and overlooked. He founded two religious communities; the Salesians of Don Bosco and, with his friend and fellow laborer Saint Maria Domenica Mazzarello, The Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco. 

John Bosco went to his eternal rest in 1888. Thousands attended the funeral of the beloved priest and investigations for his canonization began immediately. He was not canonized, however, until 1931. He is remembered as a talented orator and entertaining illusionist who often included magic tricks in his homilies. 

May we, like John Bosco, put all of our skills to the work God calls us to.