John Bosco

Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco, more commonly known as Don Bosco, was a Piedmontese priest, educator, and founder of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (Salesians) and the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. He was born in 1815 in Castelnuovo d'Asti, in the Kingdom of Sardinia (now Italy). Ordained a priest in 1841, he dedicated himself entirely to the education and evangelization of poor and abandoned youth, particularly in Turin, where industrialization had created many social challenges. He developed an educational method based on reason, religion, and kindness (the 'preventive system'), aiming to form 'good Christians and honest citizens'. His works included oratories, vocational schools, boarding schools, and publishing houses. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. His immense educational and pastoral legacy continues to inspire the Salesians and many other educational institutions worldwide.