Today, January 31, the Catholic Church celebrates the liturgical memory of St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesians.
Newsroom (31/01/2022 12:30 PM, Gaudium Press) Saint John Bosco was born in the Italian city of Turin on August 16, 1815. He entered the seminary in 1835 and was ordained a priest in June 1841. Don Bosco had many prophetic dreams that confirmed his vocation.
Feeling a strong call to evangelize youth, in 1859, with the help of Pope Pius IX, he founded the Salesian Congregation, whose patron saint was Saint Francis of Sales. Through catechesis in his oratory, he guided young people in the path of religion and morals.
St John Bosco died on January 31, 1888. He was beatified by Pope Pius XI on June 2, 1929, and canonized by the same Pontiff on April 1, 1934. In 1988, on the feast marking 100 years of his death, Pope Saint John Paul II declared him father and teacher of youth.
Phrases of Saint John Bosco
01 – “Be devoted to Mary Most Holy, and you will certainly be happy.”
02 – “Whoever trusts in Mary will never be deceived.”
03 – “In every danger, call upon Mary; I assure you that She will hear you.”
04 – “Mothers never abandon their children. So does Mary, who loves her children so much throughout their lives; with what tenderness, with what goodness will she not protect them in the last moments, when the need is greatest?”
05 – “We are in this world as in a stormy sea, as in an exile, in a valley of tears. Mary is the star of the sea, the comfort of our exile, the light that shows us the way to Heaven by wiping away our tears.”
06: “Be courageous on your faith and your convictions. Evil must fear before good, and not the good before evil.”
07: “Be with God like the little bird that feels the branch shaking but continues to sing because it knows it has wings.”
08 – “Our life is a gift from God and what we make of it is our gift to Him.”
09 – “No one goes to Heaven alone; no one goes to Hell alone.”
10: “Never forget your daily visit to the Blessed Sacrament, even if it is very brief, as long as it is consistent. Do you want the Lord to give you many graces? Visit him often. Do you want Him to give you few graces? Visit Him seldom. Do you want the devil to assault you? Visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament rarely. Do you want the devil to flee from you? Visit Jesus often. Do you want to overcome the devil? Always take refuge at the feet of Jesus. Do you want to be defeated? Stop visiting Him.”
Prayer to Saint John Bosco
O Father and teacher of youth, St. John Bosco, who worked so hard for the salvation of souls, be our guide in seeking the good of our own and the salvation of our neighbour, help us to overcome human passions and respect, teach us to love Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, Mary Most Holy Helper and the Pope, and obtain for us from God a holy death, so that we may one day find ourselves together in Heaven. Amen. (EPC)
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
