1815-1888
Feast Date: January 31
Born to a poor family in Italy, this patron saint of editors and laborers is considered one of the great social saints. Ordained a priest in 1841, he was sent to study theology in Turin, where he became a magnet for neglected youths during a turbulent period of rapid industrialization and revolutionary politics. Don Bosco, who once hoped to become a foreign missionary, founded the Salesians in 1854. The order sheltered more than 800 orphan boys, then opened workshops for shoemakers, tailors, bookbinders and other trades. Don Bosco was also a prolific writer, and co-founded a women’s congregation to work among girls. When he died, more than 40,000 people in Turin filed past his coffin to show their love and respect.