Page 12 - Salesian Bulletin 2014 [01] January-March

Don Bosco’s WDevotion to the
Blessed Virgin
THE YOUNG PRIEST
hen he was nine years of age, John Bosco had a dream in which an austere
brother was sent to look for food to buy. He returned empty-handed. Their mother made them all kneel down and pray for guidance. Then she took the knife and slaughtered their only calf.
For a young man embarking on a priestly career when the day of his ordination approaches, thoughts of his mother must loom large. The choice of the place of ordination would not be in his hands but the place of his first Mass would be. John Bosco was ordained priest in June 1841 at Turin.
personage spoke to him about his mission in life. The boy asked him who he was. “I am the son of she whom your mother has taught you to greet three times a day.” The ref- erence was to the Angelus prayer and the lady was the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
To John she gave clear advice – aware of other children and what they got up to – “As a baby, I conse- crated you to the Virgin Mary. When you went to school I urged devotion to this Mother of ours. If you should ever become a priest, I urge you to promote devotion to Mary.”
On the following day he said his
A MOTHER’S GUIDING HAND
fuss, in
When John was not quite two years old, his father died. The mother was left with two sons, John and Joseph, a step-son Anthony, much older than the other boys, and an ailing Grannie. The family owned a small portion of land and aspired to become small holders. When it was opportune they had to take whatev- er labouring work was available to supplement their income. They were very poor people.
His mother was a country woman, illiterate as were most women of that time, yet she had this clear sense of values. She knew what influences from companions could be and warned him about bad com- panions. She urged him to avoid like the plague those who indulged in bad talk. He should be aware of the need to avoid and resist temptation.
On the next day, he was still in Turin and went to the Church of Our Lady of Consolation, a popular shrine of Our Lady at that time. About his Mass he said it was “to thank the great Virgin Mary for the innumerable graces she obtained for me from her divine son Jesus.”
The mother was their leader, the arbiter in their disputes, their guide and inspirer in their choices. Once when there was a great drought and a famine in the land, Margaret’s
When there was some talk about the priesthood, she never put pres- sure on him, but urged him that if he should become a priest, ”the salva- tion of your soul comes before all else”.
For his third Mass he made the trip to Chieri and to the Dominican Church and to the altar of Our Lady of the Rosary, a favourite venue of
12 SDB
first Mass quietly , without
the church of St Francis of Assisi, at the altar of the Guardian Angels. He was assisted by his friend and men- tor, Fr Joseph Cafasso. It was the feast day of Our Lady of Graces and he said that Mass.