Ave Maria! Today the Church honors St. John Bosco. In the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, the above verse from Scripture is the Introit, or what is called the Entrance Antiphon in the Novus Ordo. How aptly it describes St. John Bosco, who dedicated his life to helping the young! The Salesian family that he began with 17 men in Italy during 1859, now, 152 years later, numbers in the hundreds of thousands and is spread throughout the entire world. Its three largest groups are the Salesians of Don Bosco, priests and brothers who serve in 128 countries; the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians (also known as the Salesian Sisters), consecrated women religious who serve in 85 countries; and the Salesian Cooperators, married and single lay men and women who live their Catholic faith and the Salesian spirit in the normal situations of their life and work, according to their lay state. While numbers can be impressive, of far greater importance is the love that wisdom, understanding and largeness of heart generate, the love of God and of all His people that we see so clearly in the life, witness and ministry of St. John Bosco and the Salesian family today.
O God, who raised up the Priest Saint John Bosco as a father and teacher of the young, grant, we pray, that, aflame with the same fire of love, we may seek out souls and serve you alone. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ~The Roman Missal, Collect, St. John Bosco
O God, who raised up the Priest Saint John Bosco as a father and teacher of the young, grant, we pray, that, aflame with the same fire of love, we may seek out souls and serve you alone. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. ~The Roman Missal, Collect, St. John Bosco
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