 St. Dominic Savio
Name: St. Dominic Savio
Date: 6 May
Saint Dominic Savio was born in Riva di Chieri, Italy, on April 2, 1842. He looked sofrail and weak on the morning of his birth that his father rushed him that same evening tothe parish church for Baptism. But Dominic survived and began serving Mass when hewas five years old, one of his greatest joys. He was often seen at five o’clock in themorning in front of the church on his knees in rain or snow, waiting for the doors to beopened. On the occasion of his First Holy Communion he made the resolution to dierather than sin, as he had frequently expressed his determination and ambition to becomea Saint. The village pastor at Mondonio, recognizing in Dominic a soul of predilection, arrangedto have him enter Don Bosco’s Oratory at Turin. Don Bosco soon noted Dominic’sconsuming quest for sanctity, and pointed out to the boy that the path to holiness is notnecessarily among hair shirts and tortures of the flesh, but in the cheerful bearing andoffering of each day’s small crosses. Steering the lad away from artificial practices, hisloved master showed him that for a soul avid of penance, there is a superabundance to behad for the taking, through acceptance of the monotony and tribulations inseparable fromthe perfect fulfillment of the duties of one’s state of life. After a few months of life in the environment of the Oratory and under the saintly care ofSaint John Bosco, Dominic’s soul was fired with the zeal of his master, whose rule oflife, “Give me souls, Lord; You take the rest,” the boy adopted for his own. Followingthe example of Don Bosco, who in season and out of season sought those souls whereverthey were to be found, Dominic also went after them in his own little world. In theOratory he founded and directed the Immaculate Conception Sodality, a group of boyswho by prayer, word and example carried on an apostolate among their classmates andproved to be of valuable assistance to Don Bosco in his work. On one occasion Dominic broke up a vicious “duel with stones.” Standing between theboy-duelists with dramatic suddenness, he flashed a crucifix and said: “This is Friday. Today Christ died for love of us. Can you look at Him and still hate each other?” When Dominic’s health began to fail he was forced to leave the Oratory. Don Bosco andthe boys were very sorry to see him leave; he had been a good friend to all. Don Boscosaid of him: “His cheerful character and lively disposition made him extremely populareven among those boys who were no great lovers of their faith.” His death at his homeon March 9, 1857, was sweet and peaceful. Pope Pius XII canonized him in June, 1954. |
