Sunday, January 31
ST. GIOVANNI (John) BOSCO, (Italy, 1850-1888) - Priest, Founder of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, 'Father and Teacher of Youth'
Familiarly known around the world as Don Bosco, which is how he was best known in life ('Don' is the Italian honorific for a Catholic priest), his first assignment
as a priest was as chaplain of a girls' boarding school in Turin, when he first started tending to poor children on the side through an 'oratory' he named for St.
Francis de Sales and which did not find a fixed home until much later. His first co-worker was his mother, who became known to everyone as Mamma Margherita
[and who was declared Venerable in November 2006], who spent the last 10 years of her life helping him care for his wards. In 1846, they started taking in orphans.
Don Bosco's philosophy was to educate young boys with 'reason, religion and kindness', not forgetting music and sport, as well as practical vocational training -
all this continue to be the distinguishing marks of Salesian schools all over the world. By 1859, Don Bosco's work had attracted the attention of Pope Pius IX who
supported him when he decided to establish his Salesian order of priests and lay brothers, now better known as the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB). Eventually,
an order of Salesian sisters was also established. In life, Don Bosco already had a reputation for holiness and working miracles. Shortly after his death, there was
a popular movement to make him a saint. But the hearings for his cause brought out all his adversaries in the Church hierarchy who thought he was a loose cannon
and wheeler-dealer. Pius XI, who had known him personally, pushed his cause in the 1920s, beatifying him in 1929 and canonizing him in 1934 with the title 'Father
and Teacher of Youth'. He is buried at the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin.
Readings for today's Mass: www.usccb.org/nab/readings/013110.shtml
OR today.
No papal stories in this issue. A front-page editorial by Ettore Gotti Tedeschi,
advocates a Marshall Plan effort to help developing countries solve the root
causes of mass migration. Other Page 1 stories: US rules out negotiating with
Taliban extremists; and 5.6% rise in the US GDP in the last quarter of 2009
is seen as artificial and not to be misread as the end to recession.
THE POPE'S DAY
Angelus today - The Holy Father spoke about the famous 'hymn to love' in St. Paul's First Letter to
the Corinthians from today's readings, stressing that love is the essence of Christianity, and paid
homage to St. John Bosco as a model in this Year for Priests. After prayers, he had several special
messages concerning the Day for Lepers today; the Day of Prayers interceding for peace in the Middle
East; joining the Italian bishops' appeal for job creation to help Italians hurt by the crisis; and
the annual Caravan for Peace of the youth arm of Italian Catholic Action, which ended with two children
helping the Pope to release symbolic doves of peace.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 31/01/2010 17:16]