Catholic Schools Week

“I want to stay with Father”

“John, you no longer have a father.”

Sadly this exchange happened between John Bosco and his mother, Mama Margaret, when John’s father died of pneumonia. He was just three years old.Born on a small farm in Becchi, Italy, school was a luxury. Mama Margaret was the primary educator for her children, teaching them their Catholic Catechism. She saw an aptitude and desire in John for an education, but John’s step brother Anthony, who as the oldest became head of the household after the death of John’s father, forbade it. Anthony’s expectation was that John would work on the farm like the rest of the family.

Not giving up on the dream that her child would be educated, Mama Margaret, asked her sister, who was the housekeeper for the head of school, to consider taking John. The pastor agreed but John could not attend school during peak farming season and had to walk the three miles to and from school every day. Often, he would walk barefoot to save the leather of his shoes for school.

Sadly, John was not able to spend much time at school, as Anthony increasingly wanted him to stay home and work. As the boys grew older and John’s desire to become educated increased, there was much tension in the household. It came to a boiling point when Anthony chided John that he never went to school and was still strong enough to make a living. John’s response to Anthony was that the donkey didn’t attend school either and was much stronger.

Out of fear for John’s safety if he stayed at home, his mother had to send him away at the age of 14. He found work in a nearby town doing odd jobs for a widow. This allowed him to earn money and go to school. Because of his inconsistent schooling, John was placed in a lower school and attended classes with students five or six years younger than him. Despite the embarrassment and challenges presented at school, John Bosco worked hard and improved at a rapid pace, quickly moving from grade to grade. Eventually he was able to enter the seminary and fulfil his desire to study to become a priest at the age of 20. 

It is amazing to believe that this man, who received such an inconsistent and non-traditional education, would later establish a system of education that is still practiced today in our Salesian Schools. John Bosco had very little choice in his education and struggled. However, he had a goal and never gave up on his pursuit of the priesthood. As we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, it is important to remember that someone made the choice to send our students to a Catholic school. Here they are given the opportunity to earn a consistent, faith-based, and academically challenging education. That is a blessing. Our students’ mission this week is to find someone each day that has contributed to their Catholic education—a parent, grandparent, teacher or support staff member—and say, “Thank you.”

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support of Catholic Education.

*Much of the biographical information about John Bosco’s life was taken from the book Saint John Bosco by F.A. Forbes.