John Melchior Bosco was born on August 16, 1815 in a small town near Turin, Italy. His father died when he was two years old. He was raised with tender love yet firm discipline by his mother, Margaret.
   He was ordained to the priesthood in 1841 and went to work in Turin, where the industrial revolution was attracting waves of young people to the city. The misery and abandonment of these youngsters moved him deeply. He dedicated his life to them and began youth clubs for them. He opened hostels and boarding schools where he taught them trades.
   In 1859, Don Bosco (Italian for Father Bosco) gathered a number of priests and lay people together to found a religious congregation in the Catholic Church. He called this congregation the Salesian Society. It was named after St. Francis de Sales who was known for his kind and gentle manner and for a simple spirituality that anyone could aquire. Don Bosco chose Mary, the Help of Christians, as the patroness of the Salesian Society. 
   In 1872 he founded the Salesian Sisters to work for girls. Three years later, he sent the first missionary group to Argentina. His work spread throughout the mission world and today more than half the Society works in mission lands.
   The educational philosophy of John Bosco can be condensed in three words: reason, religion and kindness. The basic principle of his system was a deep understanding and love for young people and their problems.
   John Bosco died on January 31, 1888. Today the Salesian Family numbers or 40,000 members working in over 130 countries.