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 Saint John Bosco, Educator 100th Anniversary of Death Scott 806 (1988) The memorial for Saint John Bosco is celebrated on January 31. He was the founder of the Society of Saint Francis De Sales, known as the Salesians, and the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. He is most remembered for his dedication to the education of and support for young people, especially the poor. Born in 1815, and raised in extreme poverty, Saint John Bosco entered a seminary in 1831 and was ordained priest in 1841. Initially serving as a chaplain, he resigned to live with his mother and approximately forty destitute boys, later opening workshops to train shoemakers and tailors. Biographer of saints David Farmer writes: “his attractive charismatic personality soon drew many to his oratory and his evening classes.” Farmer states that by 1856 there were 150 resident boys and another 500 children attracted to the oratories, along with ten other priests as teachers. Some of the young men were difficult to manage but Bosco treated them with “gentle firmness” rather than punishment. On Sundays, he took boys on expeditions to the countryside for games, a picnic, and catechism, followed by Vespers.  Saint John Bosco in Turin (photo from 1880) From Wikimedia Commons, in the Public Domain An official Congregation of the Salesian Fathers was approved in 1874 and the type of schools developed by John Bosco spread to other locations in Europe as well as North and South America. The types of training increased to include technical and agricultural skills, as well as seminaries. The Daughters of Our Lady, Help of Christians, was established to provide training for girls. John Bosco died in 1888 and he was canonized in 1934 by Pope Pius XI. "Don Bosco" is one of the most popular saints of the modern era, as evidenced by his presentation in five stamp sets issued by Vatican City over the last 90 years. He first appears on two stamps from the 1936 Catholic Press Conference set: 
Saint John Bosco Scott 49 and 52 (1936) He also appears on two of the stamps from the 1957 set commemorating the centennial of the death of Saint Dominic Savio. Savio was a student of John Bosco, and he would write his biography, The Life of Dominic Savio. Shown here are the ornamental corner blocks for the stamps picturing the two saints: 
Saint John Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio Scott 220I & 222I (1957) The 1988 triptych, issued for the 100th anniversary of his death, is shown at the top of this article (Scott 806). In 2015, a stamp commemorating the bicentenary of his birth was issued jointly with Italy. The stamp design is a modern sketch of the saint, surrounded by abstract figures representing young people. Issued as a miniature sheet of six €0,80 stamps, the left border of the sheet selvage includes a line drawing of the Basilica of Don Bosco in Castelnuovo in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is a major pilgrimage site located at the birthplace of Saint John Bosco and it is where the saint is entombed. Citations from John Bosco are also listed in the selvage, passages which summarize his loving attitude toward children. One passages states: "My dear, I love you with all my heart, that you are young and just because I love you very much." Such a statement is emblematic of Don Bosco's insistence that children know that they are loved, combining "education and something of the heart."  Saint John Bosco: Bicentennial of Birth Minisheet, Scott 1589M (2015) Most recently, in 2024, a stamp was issued to remember the 200th anniversary of the prophetic "Dream of Saint John Bosco": The stamp illustrates the dream he had at age nine which revealed his mission to use gentleness and love (not blows) to guide troubled youth. This is one of the many dreams and visions he experienced.  Bicentennial of the Dream of Saint John Bosco Scott 1848 (2024) On a personal note, Boston served as the home of a school named in honor of Saint John Bosco. Don Bosco Technical High School was founded in 1946 as a school for immigrant boys by the Salesian Order. It closed in 1998. REFERENCES: |
