Day 1 | Renewed Hope | Novena to St. John Bosco

Day 1: Renewed Hope (Don Bosco’s early life and dream at nine)

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” The Lord’s words in Jeremiah 1:5 echo how He has plans for all of us from before we were born and even conceived. So when young John Bosco was born to Francesco Bosco and Margherita Occhiena Bosco on August 16, 1815, in Piedmont, he was already on his mission for the salvation of souls.

Don Bosco was born nearly two months after the Battle of Waterloo, the last of the Napoleonic Wars that put Europe through turmoil throughout the beginning of the nineteenth century. Little did this little boy or his family know as he grew up that many would know his name both in his lifetime and long after his death as they’d know the name Napoleon, albeit for many different reasons.

Little Johnny was a special child who was blessed with the gift of mysticism from a young age. His mother, Mama Margaret, taught him how to pray. When he was only nine years old, he had his famous dream that laid the foundation of his life’s work. This would be the first of several key, prominent dreams that Don Bosco would have throughout his lifetime. This dream conveyed hope for the youth of the world, when things seemed bleak in the wake of wars that nearly tore the continent apart for many years. This dream–and Don Bosco himself–was a renewed hope for the children of Europe and the world that God was a blessing. God prepared someone ahead of his time to pave the way to educational and social reform and bring souls to come to know Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to love Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady Help of Christians, and entrust all things to the Lord and His love.

Therefore, on this first day of our novena, let us remember the renewed hope over two centuries ago in young Don Bosco, as well as our own hopes and aspirations during this Jubilee year.