JOHN BOSCO was born in August 16th 1815, in the North of Italy. His father died when John was only two. All during his boyhood he knew little, apart from the poverty of a small farm. His desire was to study so as to become a priest, but disappointment met him at every turn. His older brother Joseph was helpful, but his step brother, Anthony, ten years his senior, was violently against the idea.
An old retired priest met young John returning with his mother from a mission at a local village church, and was very impressed by the lad’s brilliant memory. He volunteered to tutor John privately. All went well for a few months and John made fine progress. “Don’t worry” the old priest use to chuckle. “You’ll go to school and to the seminary. I’ll see to that!” John idolized him. But one morning he was called to the presbytery to find the old priest dying. With his last breath the old man thrust a key into John’s hand and muttered, “That cabinet over there… money for your studies…it’s all yours.” However, after the funeral his relatives turned up and John preferred to surrender the key and the money.
Through all these disappointments John kept up his good spirits. Some day he would be a boy’s pries. Just now he was a boy’s boy. He kept the local youngsters together. With patience he learnt lots of tricks by watching the traveling jugglers. He began giving free shows! Walking the tightrope, juggling, spilling coins out of a boy’s ear, pulling rabbits out of hats, making dead chickens come to life, flipping magic cards through the air was all part of a lively, entertainment, cleverly broken in the beginning by the Rosary and towards the end by “last Sunday’s sermon which the parish priest gave and which I am going to repeat.” No one, young or old, dared complain – where else could they get such free entertainment?
An old retired priest met young John returning with his mother from a mission at a local village church, and was very impressed by the lad’s brilliant memory. He volunteered to tutor John privately. All went well for a few months and John made fine progress. “Don’t worry” the old priest use to chuckle. “You’ll go to school and to the seminary. I’ll see to that!” John idolized him. But one morning he was called to the presbytery to find the old priest dying. With his last breath the old man thrust a key into John’s hand and muttered, “That cabinet over there… money for your studies…it’s all yours.” However, after the funeral his relatives turned up and John preferred to surrender the key and the money.
Through all these disappointments John kept up his good spirits. Some day he would be a boy’s pries. Just now he was a boy’s boy. He kept the local youngsters together. With patience he learnt lots of tricks by watching the traveling jugglers. He began giving free shows! Walking the tightrope, juggling, spilling coins out of a boy’s ear, pulling rabbits out of hats, making dead chickens come to life, flipping magic cards through the air was all part of a lively, entertainment, cleverly broken in the beginning by the Rosary and towards the end by “last Sunday’s sermon which the parish priest gave and which I am going to repeat.” No one, young or old, dared complain – where else could they get such free entertainment?
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