The Antichrists false feasts for January

January Feast Day– Saint John Bosco

On January 31, the Church celebrates the feast day of Saint John Bosco, popularly known as Don Bosco.

John Bosco included God in everything he did.

Life of Saint John Bosco

As a young boy, John Bosco dreamed of becoming a priest, though it seemed impossible. His family was poor, and his father died when John was only two years old. He lived on a farm with his mother and two brothers and helped care for the sheep. Because of this responsibility, he couldn’t attend school full time.

Despite these challenges, John was happy and imaginative. He learned juggling and acrobatics from circus performers and often entertained others with his tricks—always beginning and ending each performance with a prayer.

Though he lacked formal education at first, a priest recognized John’s intelligence and taught him to read and write. With help from his mother, kind neighbors, and money earned from various jobs, John was able to finish school and enter the seminary.

John’s lifelong work with young people began after meeting a poor orphan in Turin, Italy. While still a seminarian, he spent his free time helping neglected and orphaned boys. He taught them religion, entertained them with acrobatics, and told stories they could understand. John believed in kindness and respect, not punishment. He saw God in every person and treated them with love.

At 26, John Bosco became a priest and continued his mission by starting a boarding school where poor boys could live and learn practical skills.

“Do you want our Lord to give you many graces? Visit him often.”

John was also a writer, publishing letters and materials that supported young people’s spirituality and his educational approach, which combined reason, religion, and kindness.

In 1859, inspired by Saint Francis de Sales, Don Bosco founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales, better known as the Salesians of Don Bosco. This group of priests focused on befriending, helping, and educating poor boys. From an original 22 members, the order grew to over 1,000 in Europe and South America by the time Don Bosco died in 1888.

In 1872, John Bosco co-founded a women’s religious order, the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians (the Salesian Sisters), with Saint Mary Mazzarello. Like the Salesians, the sisters followed Don Bosco’s educational philosophy.

Today, the Salesians continue to evangelize and educate young people, especially those who are poor or at risk, following Don Bosco’s model. His schools still operate worldwide, focusing on teaching the skills needed to find work.

John Bosco died on January 31, 1888. He was beatified in 1929 and canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934, who called him the “Father and Teacher of Youth.” During Mass on his feast day in 2019, Pope Francis thanked God for Don Bosco’s gift, recalling that he had the heart and eyes of a father and teacher. Pope Francis said,