Visiting St. John Bosco’s incorrupt body in Turin, Italy

In Makati, among the most iconic landmarks is St. John Bosco Parish or simply “Don Bosco Church,” a modernistic edifice dedicated in 1978 and designed by National Artist for Architecture Jose Maria Zaragoza, made distinct by its concave façade, starburst tabernacle and vaulted ceiling. 

In Turin, north of Italy, another church dedicated to Don Bosco has been a popular go-to for pilgrims: the Basilica di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice (Basilica of Our Lady Help of Christians).

Originally a part of the safe house for boys under the care of Don Bosco, the church is now the refuge for the saint’s incorruptible remains.

Born in 1815 in a poor area in northern Italy, St. John Bosco, also known as “Don Bosco,” worked as a shepherd and farmhand before leaving his home at 12 years old to seek education, which he funded through working odd jobs. When he became a priest in 1841, he started working on his dream to care for the poor and neglected youth of Turin. 

In 1846, he opened a place for boys to play, learn and grow in their faith, the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales. To attract them to join his mission, Don Bosco used his acrobatics, juggling and magic skills, which is why he has been regarded as the patron saint of young people, apprentices, publishers, editors and even magicians.

In the 19th century, when corporal punishment was commonplace in schools as a form of discipline all over the world, Don Bosco founded the Salesian Society to serve disadvantaged youth and to promulgate the “Preventive System” of education, which highlights love and kindness and not punishment.

Canonized as saint by the Roman Catholic Church in 1934, Don Bosco also co-founded Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, a nunnery that helps in continuing his mission of caring and educating the youth.

During occasions like All Saints’ Day, “It is very characteristic of our Catholic tradition that we honor the saints, look to their lives and witness for inspiration and example, and rely on their prayers in times of need and distress,” Most Reverend Father Timothy Costelloe of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Archbishop of Perth in Australia, said in his homily in St Mary’s Cathedral on 17 September, 2023.

“Each canonized saint brings something special to the Church. Their lives shed light on a particular dimension of the great mystery of Christ and remind us of some aspect of our faith which we might otherwise neglect. They become the source of the new spiritual energy in the Church, enabling us all to be more fully what we are called to be.”

According to the archbishop, in the case of Don Bosco, “It was his realization of the special role young people are called to play in the Church and his recognition of their capacity for greatness, which represent his particular gift to the Church.”

“Jesus often encounters young people in the gospel story. On one occasion, when he was surrounded by young people who were clamoring to be close to him and the disciples were trying to shoo them away, he said to those disciples, ‘Let the children come to me. Do not try to stop them. The kingdom of God belongs to them and those who are like them.’ Jesus welcomed the young. He was not afraid of their energy or boisterousness. He wanted them around him and most of all, he wanted them to know that he loved them.”