Don Bosco

After his ordination to priesthood Giovanni Bosco (1815-1888), a native of Piedmont, took care of the young and poor children in Turin by means of charity work. He said: „These children are jewels which lie on the streets, all you have to do is pick them up and they will glow“. As a base for his juvenile labour Don Bosco founded an organisation together with a dozen employees and seminarians in December 1859. He called it “The Society of St. Francis de Sales”. Already in 1874 this Catholic Order was officially approved of by Pope Pius IX.

Referring to its founder the organisation is called „Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB)“ today. It counts more than 16’000 members and is therefore, after the Jesuits the second largest Catholic Male Order. In 129 countries the Salesians operate by means of more than 7000 organisations, including an own university in Rome. As to this day this orders main function is still juvenile counselling, education and social work. On Easter 1934 (75 years ago) the founder Don Gionvanni Bosco was canonised and thereby received the title „Father and Teacher of Youth“.