BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//On Fire Media//On Fire Media//EN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME;VALUE=TEXT:Salesians of Don Bosco BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD DTSTART:20201101T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 RDATE:20211107T020000,20221106T020000,20231105T020000,20241103T020000,20251 102T020000,20261101T020000 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20210314T020000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 RDATE:20220313T020000,20230312T020000,20240310T020000,20250309T020000,20260 308T020000 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1083@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210407T124300Z DESCRIPTION:Optional Memorial\n\nArrival at Valdocco four months before Don Bosco died\n\nLouis Variara was born in Viarigi in the province of Asti o n January 15\, 1875 to a deeply Christian family. His father\, Pietro\, ha d heard Don Bosco speak in 1856 when he had arrived in the village to prea ch a mission.\n\nHe decided to take Louis to Valdocco to continue his stud ies. The saint would die four months later. However\, the fact that young Louis had got to know him was enough to mark him for life.\n\nWith Fr. Bel trami\n\nWhen he finished high school\, he asked to become a Salesian. He entered the novitiate on August 17\, 1891. Louis studied philosophy at Val salice\, where he met Fr. Andrew Beltrami\, who impressed him with the joy with which he faced his illness. In 1894\, Fr. Unia\, the famous missiona ry of the lepers at Agua de Dios\, was in Valsalice to choose a cleric to look after the young lepers. Among the 188 companions who had the same asp iration\, fixing his gaze on Variara\, he said: “This one is mine.”\n\nAgu a de Dios\n\nLouis arrived in Agua de Dios on August 6\, 1894. The mission had 2000 inhabitants\, of whom 800 were lepers. As soon as he arrived\, h e became the soul of all the patients\, particularly children. He organize d a band\, which animated the sick with an unexpected festive atmosphere. In 1895\, Fr. Unia died\, and Luigi was left alone with Fr. Crippa.\n\nCon gregation of the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary\n\nIn 18 98\, Louis was ordained a priest. He soon turned out to be an excellent sp iritual director. In 1905\, the construction of the “Asilo don Unia” concl uded\, a place capable of hosting up to 150 orphans and lepers\, and guara nteeing them education in a trade and future insertion into society. In Ag ua de Dios\, the Sisters of Providence had started the Association of the Daughters of Mary\, a group of 200 girls. He served as their confessor and identified some calls to religious life in the group. Thus\, the bold pro ject was born—a unique thing in the Church—of an Institute that would allo w the acceptance of leprosy patients. Inspired by the spirituality of Fr. Beltrami\, he developed the Salesian “victimal” charism and founded the Co ngregation of the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary\, which today numbers 600 religious.\n\nExemplary in obedience\n\nDue to this fou ndation\, he had much to suffer from the misunderstanding of the people an d some superiors\, who thought it best to remove him from Agua de Dios sev eral times. Like Don Bosco\, he was exemplary in obedience. Faced with sla nder\, he did not say a word. Therefore\, he was credible because he was o bedient.\n\nFr. Rua from Turin encouraged Luigi before he died. Today\, Lu igi rests in Agua de Dios\, in the chapel of his Daughters.\n\nDeclared Ve nerable: April 2\, 1993\; Beatified: April 14\, 2002\, by St. John Paul II Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220115 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220116 LAST-MODIFIED:20230127T150405Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=15;BYMONTH=1;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Louis Variara URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-louis-variara END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:2525@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20250930T144605Z DESCRIPTION:  DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260115 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260119 LAST-MODIFIED:20250930T144605Z LOCATION:Turin\, Italy SUMMARY:Salesian Family Spirituality Days 2026 URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/2026-01-15/salesian-family-spir ituality-days-2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1084@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210407T125015Z DESCRIPTION:January 23*\, Optional Memorial\n\nFrom Chile to Argentina\n\nL aura Carmen Vicuña was born in Santiago\, Chile\, on April 5\, 1891\, to J oseph and Mercedes Pino. The Vicuña family\, Chilean aristocrats\, were fo rced into exile by a revolution. They took refuge in Temuco in a poor hous e\, but Joseph died soon after. Suddenly\, Mercedes had to take refuge wit h her two daughters in Argentina. They came to Junín de los Andes. Mercede s came to know the rather pushy Manuel Mora and accepted working for—and l iving with—him.\n\nBoarding with the Sisters\n\nIn 1900\, Laura went to bo ard at the school run by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians along wi th her sister\, Julia. She was a model pupil: prayerful\, obedient to the sisters\, available to her companions\, and always happy and ready to make sacrifices.\n\nThe following year\, she made her first Communion with the same fervor and ideals as St. Dominic Savio\, whom she had taken as a mod el. She entered the Children of Mary. While one of the sisters was explain ing the sacrament of marriage during catechism\, Laura began to understand her mother’s sinful state and fainted. She also understood because\, duri ng the holidays on the farm\, her mother made her pray in secret\, and nev er went to the sacraments. From then on\, Laura increased her prayers and sacrifices for her mother’s conversion. During the holidays in 1902\, Manu el Mora threatened Laura with a sexual assault\; she firmly refused him\, sending him into a rage.\n\nRequest Denied | Prayer for Mother\n\nShe went back to school as a student assistant because Mora would no longer pay he r fees. With all her heart\, she asked whether she could become a Salesian sister\, but she was denied this because her mother lived in sin. She off ered her life to the Lord for her mother’s conversion\, became more self-s acrificing\, and\, with the consent of her confessor\, Fr. Crestanello\, m ade private vows. Her health suffered from sacrifices and from other sickn esses\, and she was beaten by Mora for having refused him yet again. On he r final night\, she confided: “Mama\, I am dying! For a long time\, I have asked Jesus\, offering my life for you\, so you will return to God. Mama\ , before I die will I have the chance to see you repent?”\n\nA Prayer Answ ered\n\nMercedes answered\, “I promise I will do what you ask.” With this joy\, Laura died on the evening of January 22\, 1904. Her body lies in the chapel belonging to the Salesian Sisters in Bahia Blanca. At the centenni al of Don Bosco’s death\, this chosen daughter\, who had given her life fo r the virtue dearest to the Master\, was proclaimed Blessed by St. John Pa ul II on September 3\, 1988.Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org.\n \n*Nota Bene: In the USA\, Jan. 22 is an obligatory “Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children” by directive of the USCCB\, with two options for the Eucharist (see the Ordo).\n\nThe Salesian Family has two options concerning the observance of the memorial of Blessed Laura. The si mpler option is to transfer the entire observance to an open day in the li turgical calendar\, e.g.\, Jan. 23 or Jan. 20. The other option is to rest rict the observance on Jan. 22 to only the Liturgy of the Hours\; the Mass of Blessed Laura may not be used on the 22nd.\n\nIn Canada\, the observan ce of the memorial remains on Jan. 22. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220122 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220124 LAST-MODIFIED:20210407T125015Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=23;BYMONTH=1;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Laura Vicuña URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-laura-vicuna END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1085@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210407T125818Z DESCRIPTION:Optional Memorial\n\nAlready a priest\, he felt attracted by ma rginalized youth\n\nBronisław Markiewicz was born on July 13\, 1842 in Pru chnik in Galicia (south Poland)\, sixth of eleven children\, to a religiou s lower-middle-class family. Bronisław faced hunger\, poverty\, and persec ution at school because of his Christian ideals. His spirit of faith was s uch that he decided to enter the seminary.\n\nOn September 15\, 1867\, he was ordained a priest. He devoted himself intensely to the teaching of cat echism and to the apostolate among prisoners\, he loved being with people especially if they were poor. He felt attracted by marginalized youth who suffered all kinds of poverty. He wanted to study pedagogy so he could hel p them in the best way to save their soul. Providence led him to ardently desire to enter a religious institute dedicated to the care of youth.\n\nF ascinated by the spirituality of Don Bosco\n\nHe left for Italy\, where he was fascinated by the spirituality of Don Bosco who\, without knowing it\ , already carried him in his heart. He asked to be a member of the Salesia n Congregation\, and\, in 1887\, he made his perpetual vows before Don Bos co himself. He\, therefore\, had the good fortune to listen to the saint’s recommendations and to assimilate his spirit directly.\n\nWork and temper ance… and a new religious family\n\nIn 1892\, he returned to Poland as a S alesian\, as parish priest at Miejsce\, Galicia\, where he was able to dev ote himself to poor and abandoned Polish youth. To respond in the best pos sible way to the concrete needs of the poor in Galicia\, Bronislaus felt t he need to live Don Bosco’s principles more radically and\, advised by his collaborators\, he founded the Work and Temperance Society. Nine years af ter his death the society\, in its male and female branches\, was recogniz ed by the Church giving rise to two Congregations placed under the protect ion of St Michael the Archangel. Its members took the name of Michaelites. \n\nA great devotion to the Eucharist and to Our Lady\, as well as to Sain t Michael\n\nFather Bronisław\, like Don Bosco\, recommended to the young people he encountered that they have great devotion to the Eucharist and t o Our Lady as well as to Saint Michael\, whom he indicated as a protector in the daily struggle against evil. The union with the crucified Christ an d the virtue of temperance characterized his apostolic activity on behalf of his neighbor.\n\nHe died in Miejsce Piestowe (Poland) on January 29\, 1 912.\n\nDeclared Venerable July 2\, 1994\; beatified June 19\, 2005\, unde r the pontificate of Benedict XVIBiography taken and edited from www.sdb.o rg. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220130 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220131 LAST-MODIFIED:20210407T125818Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=30;BYMONTH=1;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Bronisław Markiewicz URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-bronislaw-markiewicz END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1716@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20230127T145854Z DESCRIPTION:August 16\, 1815 - January 31\, 1888\n\nBorn: August 16\, 1815\ , Castelnuovo d’Asti (now Castelnuovo Don Bosco)\, Italy\nOrdained: June 5 \, 1841\, Turin\nDied: January 31\, 1888\, Turin\nCanonized: April 1\, 193 4\nFeast day: January 31\n\nPopularly known as Don Bosco\, St. John Bosco is one of the most beloved of modern saints. From his childhood\, he wante d to dedicate his life to keeping youngsters close to God. As a boy\, he u sed to repeat to his friends stories he had read or sermons he had heard a nd lead his listeners in the Rosary. From traveling jugglers\, acrobats\, and magicians he learned tricks and put on his own shows\; the price of ad mission was joining in the common recitation of the Rosary.\n\nAs a young priest\, Don Bosco went to Turin. Hordes of boys were descending on the ca pital\, looking for work in the factories and construction projects. Many of these youths were orphans\, many were seasonal workers from the outlyin g farmlands\, and those with families were usually poor and often had fami ly problems. Don Bosco devised a plan to care for delinquents after their release and to keep boys out of trouble. He called the institution that he envisioned an “oratory\,” a place of prayer. It was much more than that\; it was a place to play and make friends\, a school\, an employment servic e\, and a home. Every Sunday and feast day Don Bosco gathered the poor and the abandoned youths of Turin\, heard their confessions\, said Mass for t hem\, preached in a language they could understand\, led them in games and hikes\, told them stories\, and listened to their problems. He found them places to stay\; before long he opened a hospice that eventually housed h undreds. He found them jobs with reputable employers. He opened a night sc hool\, and later a trade school and what we would call a college prep prog ram.\n\nAll of this work Don Bosco put under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales\, who was known for his patience and gentleness\, qualities essen tial to educators. Hence the institution was called the Oratory of St. Fra ncis de Sales.\n\nAround 1850 Don Bosco began singling out youngsters who might become good priests\; in return for helping him with catechism lesso ns and supervision\, he offered them an education. Some of these youths de cided to stay with him\, and in 1859 with 22 of them\, he formed the Socie ty of St. Francis de Sales—the Salesian Society. In the 1870s\, with St. M ary Domenica Mazzarello he founded the Salesian Sisters to do the same sor t of work for poor girls.\n\nThe first Salesian work outside Turin opened in 1863\; by the time Don Bosco died his Salesians\, men and women numbere d 1\,400 and were in nine countries in Europe and South America. Today the y labor for poor and abandoned young people on all 6 continents\, in about 130 countries\, and number about 28\,000. In addition\, there are tens of thousands of members of the wider Salesian family: cooperators\, alumni\, a secular institute\, and several small religious congregations. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230131 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230201 LAST-MODIFIED:20230127T145854Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=31;BYMONTH=1;WKST=SU SUMMARY:St. John Bosco URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/st-john-bosco END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1086@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210407T130404Z DESCRIPTION:Optional Memorial\n\nFuture pope as a missionary\n\nGiovanni Ma ria Mastai Ferretti (Pio IX) was the ninth child of Count Girolamo and Cat erina Sollazzi. He was born in Senigallia on May 13\, 1792. Between 1803 a nd 1808\, he was a pupil at the College for noblemen in Volterra. Due to s udden attacks of epilepsy\, he had to pause his studies to become a priest . In 1815\, at Loreto\, he obtained the grace of a full recovery. He resum ed his theological studies in 1819 and was ordained a priest. In 1823\, he went as a missionary to Chile for two years.\n\nYoung bishop of Spoleto | Pope at 54\n\nAt just 35 years of age\, he was appointed Archbishop of Sp oleto\, and then of Imola in 1832. In 1840\, he was created Cardinal\, and \, on June 16\, 1846\, on the fourth vote\, with 36 votes out of 50 Cardin als at the Conclave\, was elected Supreme Pontiff at just 54 years of age. As soon as he became Pope\, he undertook a number of reforms within the P apal State (freedom of the Press\, freedom to Jews\, beginning of a railwa y\, promulgation of the Statutes\, etc.). However\, his “persecution” bega n in 1848\, when he refused to support the war against Austria.\n\nAdvises Don Bosco on his Society\n\nSt. John Bosco had his first audience with Pi us IX on March 9\, 1858. Both of them had the feeling they had encountered a Saint. Pius IX supported and guided Don Bosco in the founding of the Sa lesian Congregation. It was he who suggested calling it a Society in step with the times\, of having vows\, but not solemn vows\, and he suggested a simple habit and an intense\, but not too complicated\, practices of piet y. Moreover\, he convinced Don Bosco to write his memoirs to leave the Sal esians a spiritual legacy.\n\nDon Bosco’s Pope\n\nDuring his Pontificate\, he approved the Constitutions and the Salesian Society\, the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians\, and the Pious Union of Salesia n Cooperators\, and was amongst the first to enroll as a member. Don Bosco had a great love for Pius IX and accepted all his advice\, even when it c ost him great sacrifice. “I am ready to face any difficulty\,” he would sa y\, “when dealing with the papacy and the Church.” But the Pope\, too\, ha d great esteem for Don Bosco and called him to Rome often to ask his help on delicate issues.\n\nPapal acts of importance\n\nOn December 8\, 1854\, he defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. In 1869\, he called Vat ican Council I\, and on December 8\, 1870\, proclaimed St. Joseph Patron o f the Universal Church. On June 16\, 1875\, he consecrated the Church dedi cated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He died on February 7\, 1878\, after 3 2 years of Pontificate. John Paul II beatified him on September 3\, 2000\, together with Pope John XXIII.\n\nDeclared Venerable July 6\, 1985\; Beat ified September 3\, 2000 by St. John Paul IIBiography taken and edited fro m www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220207 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220208 LAST-MODIFIED:20210407T130404Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=7;BYMONTH=2;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Pius IX URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-pius-ix END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1087@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210407T131116Z DESCRIPTION:Work\, prayers\, and love\n\nEusebia Palomino Yenes was born in Cantalpino in the province of Salamanca\, in western Spain\, on December 15\, 1899. The family of Agostino Palomino\, a true man of faith\, was ver y poor. At times during the year\, Eusebia and her father were forced to a sk for alms in the neighboring areas but they did so with a truly unique j oy and faith. On those long journeys\, Augustine explained the catechism t o his daughter\, who was eager to learn the mysteries of the Lord. In Euse bia’s family\, there was work\, prayer\, and love for each other.\n\nMyste riously led to the Sisters’ oratory\n\nThe day of her first communion was one Eusebia experienced with great intensity. Immediately afterward\, she went to work with a wealthy family. She did not yield to the temptations o f adolescence\, always putting her friend Jesus first. She was sent to Sal amanca\, first as a nanny\, then as an assistant in a hospice. She so much wanted to become religious. One day\, while hoeing\, she found a medal of Mary Help of Christians. Shortly afterward\, a mysterious friend took her to the Sisters’ oratory.\n\nThey invited her to stay with them as a co-wo rker. Strangely\, the kitchen then became the destination of all the board ers\, who went to find the ignorant cook who always had a good word for th em.\n\nBecomes a Daughter of Mary Help of Christians\n\nThe Mother Vicar a rrived in Salamanca and accepted her among the postulants. Eusebia made he r novitiate in Barcelona\, ​​edifying her companions with her humility and her smile. She became a Daughter of Mary Help of Christians in 1924 and w as sent to Valverde del Camino with the assignment as a cook and domestic helper. She began to live her ordinary service extraordinarily well\, as D on Bosco wanted\, so much so that the Lord wanted to fill it with gifts.\n \nShe predicts the civil war\n\nHere\, too\, the girls began to approach h er\, attracted by her spiritual charm. She started working in the oratory. Seminarians\, adults\, and priests ask her for advice\, stimulated by her spirit of prayer and her convinced and convincing faith. She propagated d evotion to the Holy Wounds of the Lord and the so-called “Marian slavery” of St. Louis M. Grignion de Montfort. Many special facts are told that hap pened in her life. Like Don Bosco\, she received the gift of prophecy from the Lord. She predicted the Spanish civil war and offered herself as a vi ctim for Spain. She began to feel ill. Her superior\, Sister Carmen Moreno \, later martyr and declared Blessed\, looked after her while she gathered her thoughts. Then\, Sister Eusebia prophesied her martyrdom.\n\nBefore s he died\, she had moments of ecstasy and visions. She reached the Lord on February 10\, 1935. Her body lies in Valverde del Camino.\n\nDeclared Vene rable December 17\, 1996\; Beatified April 25\, 2004 by St. John Paul IIBi ography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220209 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220210 LAST-MODIFIED:20210407T131116Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=9;BYMONTH=2;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Eusebia Palomino URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-eusebia-palomino END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1088@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210407T134800Z DESCRIPTION:Feast\n\nSt. Louis Versiglia: The Early Years\n\nLouis Versigli a was born in Oliva Gessi (Pavia) on June 5\, 1873. From his earliest year s\, he used to serve Mass\, so much so that the people already thought he would be a priest. At the time\, Luigi never wanted to hear talk of that\, because he wanted to be a vet. However\, he wanted to change his mind aft er he was taken in by Don Bosco at the age of 12. In 1888\, soon after Don Bosco’s death\, Luigi was much taken by the ceremony\, where seven missio naries received their mission cross\, and he decided to become a Salesian with the hope of going to the missions.\n\nHe gained a degree in philosoph y and was soon ready for priestly ordination\, which took place in 1895. F r. Rua appointed him as director of novices at just 23 years of age at Gen zano in Rome\, a task he carried out for ten years with kindness\, firmnes s\, and patience.\n\nSt. Louis Versiglia: Becoming a Bishop\n\nAfter much insistence from the bishop of Macao\, in 1906 six Salesians arrived in Chi na\, led by Fr. Versiglia. Thus a prophecy of Don Bosco’s came true. In Ma cao\, he established the Salesian “mother house” and also opened a mission at Heungchow. Fr. Versiglia gave life to the area as Don Bosco would have done\, setting up a music band which was much appreciated\, and opening o rphanages and oratories.\n\nIn 1918\, the Salesians received the mission o f Shiuchow from the Vicar Apostolic of Canton\, and\, on January 9\, 1921\ , Fr. Versiglia was consecrated its bishop. Wise\, tireless\, and poor\, h e constantly set out to visit and encourage the confreres and Christians i n his diocese. Whenever he arrived\, the villages held a feast especially the children.\n\nHe was a true pastor\, completely dedicated to his flock. He gave the Vicariate a solid structure with its own seminary\, house of formation\, and planned residences and hospitals for the elderly and those in need.\n\nHe looked after the formation of catechists with much care. I n his notes\, he wrote: “The missionary who is not united to God is a cana l detached from its source.” “The missionary who prays a lot achieves a lo t.” Like Don Bosco\, he was an example of work and temperance.\n\nSt. Call istus Caravario: Humble Beginnings\n\nCallistus Caravario was born at Cuor gné\, in the province of Turin\, on June 18\, 1903. From his earliest year s\, everyone thought of him as an excellent child for his meek and reflect ive nature. He seemed naturally inclined to prayer and loved his mother ve ry much\, as witnessed by the many letters he wrote. At five years of age\ , he and his family moved to Turin close to the Porta Nuova Oratory.\n\nAs a child\, Callistus was amongst the first in his class at school and serv ed each morning Mass. On the advice of Fr. Garelli the Rector of the Orato ry\, he entered the Novitiate and became a Salesian. In 1922\, Bishop Vers iglia was in Turin who spoke of the missions to the Brothers. Callistus to ld him: “Bishop\, you will see me in China.”\n\nSt. Callistus Caravario: H onoring God’s Call\n\nFr. Garelli left for China\, and Callistus insisted so much that after a short time he followed him there. He kept his word. H is mother told Fr. Garelli: “I am willing to leave my son in Don Bosco’s h ands.” “With all the affection I am capable of\,” Callistus would write\, “thank you\, Lord\, for having given me such a good mother.” “Mother\, her e is news that will make you happy: This morning I gave my first catechism lesson in Chinese.”\n\nCallistus was sent to Macao\, and then for two yea rs to Timor where he edified everyone\, including the rector\, for his goo dness and apostolic zeal. “My good mother\,” he wrote\, “pray that your Ca llistus may not be just a half priest\, but completely a priest.”\n\nOn Ma y 18\, 1929\, he returned to Shiuchow\, where Bishop Versiglia ordained hi m a priest and entrusted him with the mission at Linchow. In a short time\ , he had visited all the families and earned the sympathy of the school ch ildren.\n\nSts. Louis Versiglia and Callistus Caravario: True Salesians to the End\n\nMeanwhile\, in China\, the political situation had become very tense\, especially for Christians and foreign missionaries\, as persecuti ons began.\n\nOn February 13\, 1930\, Fr. Caravario was in Shiuchow to acc ompany Bishop Versiglia on his pastoral visit to the Linchow mission. Some young boys and girls went with them\; they had been studying in Shiuchow. On February 25\, a group of Bolshevik pirates stopped the bishop’s boat\, wanting to take the girls. Bishop Versiglia and Fr. Callistus stopped the m.\n\nThey were taken by force and ultimately shot\, but before they were killed they heard one another’s confessions. Their last breath was spent f or their beloved China.\n\nPope Paul VI declared them martyrs in 1976. St. John Paul II declared them Blessed in 1983 and canonized them on October 1\, 2000.Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220225 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220226 LAST-MODIFIED:20230127T143812Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=25;BYMONTH=2;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Sts. Louis Versiglia and Callistus Caravario URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/sts-louis-versiglia-and-callist us-caravario END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:2526@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20250930T144800Z DESCRIPTION:  DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20260228 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20260301 LAST-MODIFIED:20251020T131253Z LOCATION:National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians\, 174 Filors Lane\, Sto ny Point\, NY 10980 SUMMARY:Province-Wide Salesian Family Spirituality Day URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/2026-02-28/province-wide-salesi an-family-spirituality-day END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1075@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210401T135300Z DESCRIPTION:1907-2008\n\nWhile we do not know much about her childhood and adolescence\, this biographical data give us the idea of a united family\, joyful and full of faith lived in everyday life. Antonietta was the penul timate of ten children\, born September 22\, 1907 in Bottrop\, Germany. He r hometown was in the north between the Rhineland and Westphalia. In that historical period\, the cities of the Ruhrgebiet area\, known for coal min ing and the textile industry\, had a promising development.\n\nAn emblemat ic family\n\nIt can be said that without realizing it\, the educational sy stem of Don Bosco was already being lived in her large and beautiful famil y. Respect\, trust\, and mutual support were evident\, along with the joy of being together. It was expressed in song and music\, their faith in God  and trust in Mary's motherly intercession. Praying the Rosary was part of the daily rhythm of the family that gathered in the evening to pray toget her and sing popular songs. Participation in the Sunday Eucharistic celebr ation was not only a Christian duty\, but it was also lived through inner joy. The father went to the men’s Mass at 6:00 AM with his sons\; the daug hters with their mother participated at 8:00 AM. The day of the Lord had t o be different from the other days. After Mass\, they ate a good breakfast at home\, then partook in music and singing.\n\nA heart for the people\n \nAntonietta began her apostolic experience at the age of five. When a pri est was called to bring the sacrament of the anointing of the sick\, the l ittle girl took part in the short procession carrying a candle. Her presen ce was appreciated in the families. It is said that those present made roo m for her so that she could give the lit candle to the sick. One time\, as she was combing her hair\, her mother told her\, 'When you were baptized\ , the priest gave you a candle like the one you bring into those houses. I t is a small flame that indicates the great light of Jesus—the light we mu st always carry in our hearts. Our life should be a light for the Lord and for all the people we meet.' This recalled Mama Margherita\, the mother o f Don Bosco\, who taught catechism to her children in a practical way. Ant onietta was not only a bearer of light\, but said words of faith to the si ck helping them to build a bridge to heaven.\n\nIn 1914\, the First World War broke out. During that time\, Antonietta had her first experiences as a nurse in her home. Her mother was a model for her. She never made distin ctions between friends and enemies\, but saw in the soldiers young men who needed help. Therefore\, she helped them by bandaging their wounds.\n\nTh e first great trial for Antonietta was her father’s death in 1916. He work ed as a chimney sweeper in a huge factory. One night\, he returned home fr om work very wet due to a heavy hailstorm. He caught a fatal pneumonia tha t brought on his death after just about a week\, on September 8. The happy years of Antonietta’s childhood vanished with this blow. Two years later\ , she became seriously sick with tuberculosis and was received in a sanato rium in Holland. As soon as she got better\, her family received another h arsh blow. Their beloved mother died on February 2\, 1919 after a short il lness and an emergency surgery. Antonietta received this terrible news whi le she was in Holland\, in a school where she had remained to study after recuperating from her illness. Her brother\, Hermann\, and his wife\, Anna \, received her in their home in Essen.\n\nDecisive years at Essen-Borbeck \n\nThe first FMA arrived in Germany in November 1922. At Essen-Borbeck\, they opened the first community. The Salesians had arrived the year before and were taking care of the boys. The Sisters\, three Italians and three Germans\, were soon able to animate a flourishing oratory for girls. They reached hundreds\, between girls and adolescents who played happily in the large courtyard.\n\nDuring that time\, Antonietta frequented school in an other religious Institute. One day\, the students were invited to a litera ry afternoon open to other people of the city. She was given a seat next t o an FMA. Although she did not understand what they were saying among them selves\, she noticed the cheerfulness of those young sisters and felt attr acted to them. Upon her return home\, she asked her brother for informatio n because she wanted to know there they lived and what the sisters did. Th us\, on the following Sunday\, she went to the oratory. She immediately as ked how much it cost to go in. Smiling\, the sister replied that the orato ry was free! Antonietta was immediately struck by the joyful atmosphere in the courtyard\, where many girls and sisters were enjoying themselves tog ether. What a spectacle! Those sisters were so different from the ones she had known until now. She felt that the happiness of the FMAs came from a deep love for God. Antonietta later wrote\, “The typical Salesian characte ristic that struck me was the loving kindness of the sisters. They played in the courtyard\, sang like angels\, they were simple and spontaneous\, a nd showed deep joy\, and we felt like we were the friends of the superior. '\n\nOne Sunday\, Antonietta joined a group gathered around a sister who w as animating a game of questions and answers. One of the questions was\, “ Which of you wants to be a missionary?” Some of the girls raised their han d\, including Antonietta. The sister wrote down the names of the girls. Li ttle by little\, the seed germinated in Antonietta\, the deep desire to be come like these sisters. Some Sundays later\, Sr. Alba Deambrosis\, who wa s the Superior of the Preprovince\, came to visit the community. Some girl s were called to speak with her. Sr. Alba did not know German\, only Itali an. The conversation\, if it could be called such\, was carried out with g estures. She indicated the cross that hung on the wall\, opened her arms a nd made the gesture of carrying the cross on her shoulders. Antonietta und erstood at once that following Jesus as a missionary meant carrying the Lo rd’s cross with a big heart and a happy face.\n\nFirst steps in the FMA In stitute\n\nOn January 19\, 1926\, Antonietta left her family and was recei ved by the FMA at Eschelbach in Baviera to begin her formation journey. He r brother gave the blessing for this choice of life. A short time later\, on January 29\, Antonietta was admitted to the Postulancy. She was among t he first 24 young women from Germany to enter the Institute\, seven of who m came from Essen\, including her. In the summer of that year\, the novice s left for Nizza Monferrato. Sr. Alba Deambrosis accompanied them. There t hey found more than a hundred young women coming from different European c ountries. The special closeness to the Motherhouse of the Institute and kn owing the Superior General and the Councilors strongly influenced her form ation. She received news of other countries from the sisters where the FMA were educating the young.\n\nOn August 5\, 1928\, Sr. Antonietta made her first Profession together with 69 young sisters. Among them was Sr. Ersil ia Canta\, a future Superior General.\n\nShe worked for some years in vari ous communities of Italy both to study Music at Turin and Pisa\, and to te ach at Novara and in the novitiate of Casanova\, where she was also the as sistant. On the day of her Perpetual Profession on August 5\, 1934\, she r eceived the news that she had been chosen as a missionary for Patagonia\, Argentina. After the blessing of the Pope at Rome\, she left with three yo ung sisters from Genoa on a ship bound for Latin America. She arrived at h er first missionary destination in Argentina on September 24\, 1934.\n\nTh e guides of her vocational journey\n\nThe vocation of Sr. Antonietta certa inly matured in the years she lived in her family and then with her contac t with the FMA at the oratory\, a real forge of Salesian religious vocatio ns. Her mother was an innovative woman in her actions and in her words. Sh e was her model especially for her generous and gracious giving. The entir e family environment fostered the maturation of faith and this was strengt hened after the loss of her parents\, when she was just a pre-adolescent i n a mysterious weaving of death and of fruitfulness. The encounters with t he first FMA at Essen Borbeck found in Antonietta an open heart and awaken ed in her the desire to give her whole life to God. The sisters\, with the ir joyful\, contagious lifestyle\, showed her how to serve the Lord by tak ing care of the girls to be educated.\n\nEven the question asked during a game\, certainly contributed to light in her the ideal of witnessing to th e faith in distant lands. The years lived at the FMA oratory were importan t and decisive for her. In that environment she also found the gift of a f riendly relationship with the community superior\, as Sr. Antonietta herse lf wrote\, “…we felt like friends.' Yes\, she felt herself really accompan ied in her discernment journey to know God’s plan for her life.\n\nSr. Ant onietta left as a missionary for Latin America\, where she lived for over 68 years and died at over 100 years old\, enriched by the experiences of t he first decades of her life. Her characteristic maternal attitude\, her p redilection for the poor and for the salvation of the world\, her ardent l ove for Jesus\, the call to be the transparency of Mary Help of Christians and to be her blessing hand everywhere\, all this had laid secure foundat ions in her adolescence and youth.\n\nBibliography\n\nCollino\, Maria\, Su or Antonietta Böhm. Un'eco sommessa della Vergine Maria\, Gorle (BG)\, Vel ar 2013. Translation in German\, Spanish\, Polish.\n\nCameroni\, Pier Luig i\, Antonietta Böhm\, Figlia di Maria Ausiliatrice\, Serva di Dio\, in ID. \, Come stelle nel cielo. Figure di Santità in compagnia di Don Bosco\, Go rle (BG)\, Velar 2014\, 310-314.\n\nSr. Birgit Baier\n\nBiography taken an d edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210427 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210428 LAST-MODIFIED:20220419T160433Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=27;BYMONTH=4;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Servant of God Antonieta Böhm URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/servant-god-antonieta-bohm END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:2653@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20260318T125558Z DESCRIPTION:Credit: Fr. Abe Feliciano\, SDB\, Director\, Ramsey Community\n \n  DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260502T180000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260502T180000 LAST-MODIFIED:20260318T125558Z LOCATION:Don Bosco Prep\, 492 N Franklin Tpke\, Ramsey\, NJ 07446 SUMMARY:Ramsey: Dreams in Due Time: The Story of Don Bosco’s Oratory URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/2026-05-02/ramsey-dreams-due-ti me-story-don-boscos-oratory END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:992@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210503T162900Z DESCRIPTION:April 2\, 1842 – March 9\, 1857\n\nPromise of holiness\n\nDomin ic was born on April 2\, 1842\, in San Giovanni di Riva\, near Chieri (Tur in).\n\nOn the occasion of his First Communion\, at the age of seven\, he set out his life's program. 'I will go to Confession frequently and Commun ion as often as my confessor allows. I want to make Sundays and feast days holy. My friends will be Jesus and Mary. Death\, but not sin\,' he remark ed. At age 12\, he was accepted by Don Bosco into the Oratory in Turin\, a nd Dominic asked his help in order to 'become a saint.' Gentle\, serene\, and happy\, he put great effort into fulfilling his duties as a student an d helping his companions in every way he could\, such as teaching them Cat echism\, assisting the sick\, and settling quarrels.\n\nRoad to holiness\n \nOne day he said to a companion\, who had just arrived in the Oratory\, ' You should know that here we make holiness consist in being always cheerfu l. We just try to avoid sin\, which is the great enemy that robs us of the grace of God and peace of heart\, and we try to fulfill our duties exactl y.' He was very faithful to his program of work\, sustained by intense par ticipation in sacramental life\, by a filial devotion to Mary\, and by joy ful sacrifice. God enriched him with many special gifts.\n\nLove for Mary \n\nOn December 8\, 1854\, when Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immacu late Conception\, Dominic consecrated himself to Mary and began to advance rapidly in holiness. In 1856\, he founded the Immaculate Conception Sodal ity among his friends. This was a group dedicated to apostolic action and peer ministry.\n\nLove for the Eucharist\n\nMamma Margaret\, who had come to Turin to help Don Bosco\, one day said to him\, 'You have many good boy s\, but no one surpasses the beauty of heart and soul of Dominic Savio.' A nd she explained\, 'I see him always praying\, even remaining in Church af ter the others\; every day he leaves recreation to visit the Blessed Sacra ment\; when he is in Church\, he is like an angel in Heaven.' He died in M oriondo on March 9\, 1857. His remains are in the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin. His feast is celebrated on May 6. Pope Pius XI defin ed him as 'A little\, or rather\, a great giant of the Spirit.' He is the patron of young choir singers.\n\nBiography taken and edited from www.sdb. org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210506 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210507 LAST-MODIFIED:20220419T160453Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=6;BYMONTH=5;WKST=SU SUMMARY:St. Dominic Savio URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/st-dominic-savio END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:993@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210513T121400Z DESCRIPTION:May 9\, 1837 – May 14\, 1881\n\n'I entrust them to you'\n\nMary Domenica Mazzarello was born in Mornese\, in the province of Alessandria\ , on May 9\, 1837 to a large peasant family. Equipped with an uncommon phy sical strength\, since she was a girl she worked in the fields with her fa ther\, Giuseppe. He often remarked\, 'Because God does not let us lack bre ad\, we must pray and work.' Thanks to the deeply Christian education rece ived in the family\, Mary made great sacrifices to meet Jesus daily in the Eucharist. 'Without him I could not live\,' she said. \nIn 1860\, typhus arrived in Mornese. Her confessor\, Fr. Pestarino\, asked her for help in treating some relatives of the Mazzarello family. Mary accepted but fell i ll. She recovered unexpectedly\, but lost the physical strength of the pas t\, yet not her faith. Walking along the road\, she saw a mysterious visio n: a big building with lots of girls running in the courtyard\, and a voic e that told her 'I'm giving them to you.'\n\nThe Holy Spirit formed a moth erly heart in her\n\nUnable to be a farmer anymore\, she decided to become a seamstress and to teach poor girls to sew in agreement with her friend\ , Petronilla. The Holy Spirit formed a motherly heart in her. Prudent and wise\, she educated the girls with preventive love. The small workshop ope ned and—as also happened to Don Bosco—the Lord sent her the first orphans to welcome. The first collaborators arrived\, whom Fr. Pestarino would cal l the Daughters of Mary Immaculate.\n\nDon Bosco arrived in Mornese with h is youth in 1864 to open a college for the boys of the town. Mary looked a t him and exclaimed\, 'Don Bosco is a saint\, and I feel it.' Don Bosco vi sited the small workshop run by the Daughters of the Immaculate and was ve ry impressed.\n\nDaughters of Mary Help of Christians\n\nPius IX asked Don Bosco to found a female institute. Summoning Fr. Pestarino\, he chose the Daughters of Mary Immaculate\, sending them to the newly built college. M ary and her companions suffered hunger\, also because of the initial hosti lity of their fellow villagers\, but they were always cheerful and their f aith never wavered.\n\nIn 1872\, the first 15 Daughters of Mary Immaculate became the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Mary was called to gover n the group but initially\, she called herself the Vicar\, because\, she s aid\, 'the true superior is Our Lady.'\n\nThe Institute grew\, and the fir st houses were opened\, the first missions in America. Mary was called 'th e mother.' Despite everything\, she remained simple and caring with everyo ne\, and always gave the example even in the most humble jobs.\n\nWith her wisdom\, she directed the spirituality of the Institute\, incarnating the charism given to Don Bosco in the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.\n \nShe died at Nizza Monferrato on May 14\, 1881\, at the age of 44. At her death\, the Institute already had 165 sisters and 65 novices scattered ac ross 28 houses (19 in Italy\, 3 in France\, and 6 in America).\n\nShe was beatified by Pius XI in 1938 and canonised by Pius XII on June 24\, 1951.B iography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210513 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210514 LAST-MODIFIED:20220419T160506Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=13;BYMONTH=5;WKST=SU SUMMARY:St. Mary Mazzarello URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/st-mary-mazzarello END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:999@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210401T140600Z DESCRIPTION:June 23\, 1872 - March 12\, 1940\n\nHe met Don Bosco at the col lege of Valdocco\n\nLouis Orione was born in Pontecurone\, in the diocese of Tortona\, on June 23\, 1872. In his early adolescence\, he helped his f ather as a road paver up to the age of 13. Louis wanted to study to become a priest and was welcomed in the Franciscan convent of Voghera. However\, he had to put his plans on hold due to severe pneumonia.\n\nHe was then a ccepted in the college of Valdocco\, where he met Don Bosco\, now an old m an. He succeeded in obtaining the privilege of confessing to him and\, hav ing prepared three whole books of sins\, he saw them snatched from the sai nt\, who among other things told him: 'We will always be friends.' In Turi n\, he breathed the Salesian spirit and knew the nearby Opera del Cottolen go.\n\nHe opened an oratory\, then was ordained a priest\n\nIn 1889\, phil osophy studies began in the Tortona seminary. In 1892\, still a cleric\, h e opened an oratory in Tortona\, and the following year a college. In 1895 \, he was ordained a priest. In the same celebration\, the bishop imposed the clerical habit to six students of his college.\n\nThe male religious c ongregation of the Little Work of Divine Providence\n\nHe began to open wo rks throughout Italy\, and in 1903 the male religious congregation of the Little Work of Divine Providence\, composed of priests\, lay brothers\, an d hermits\, was recognized by the bishop of Tortona\, with the apostolic c harism of 'collaborating to bring the little ones\, the poor and the peopl e of the Church to the Pope\, through works of charity.' After the terribl e earthquake of 1908\, he rescued Messina and Reggio Calabria\, assisting the orphans and the population. He was appointed by Pio X Vicar General of the Diocese of Messina. After leaving Sicily\, he continued to deal with the expansion of his congregation\, providing aid throughout Italy on the occasion of the First World War.\n\nThe female branch: the Little Missiona ry Sisters of Charity\n\nIn 1915\, he founded the female branch: the Littl e Missionary Sisters of Charity\, to which in 1927 the blind Sacramentri a dore sisters and\, later\, the Contemplative Sisters of Jesus Crucified we re added. Later\, the Secular Institute and the Lay Orionine Movement woul d also arise.\n\nThe foundations extended to most of the world\, in Latin America\, the United States of America\, England\, and Albania. In 1940\, Don Orione died in a house of the Piccola Opera in Sanremo.\n\n'We will al ways be friends'\n\nLouis always kept Don Bosco's words in mind: 'We will always be friends.' Only after praying for a long time at the tomb of the saint did he become convinced that the Lord did not want him among the Sal esians. He never forgot the Valdocco model\, so much so that he said sever al times: 'I would walk on burning coals to see Don Bosco once more\, and say thank you.'\nSt. John Paul II beatified him in 1980 and canonized him in May 2004.\n\nBiography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210516 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210517 LAST-MODIFIED:20220505T184626Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=16;BYMONTH=5;WKST=SU SUMMARY:St. Louis Orione URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/st-louis-orione END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:2669@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20260413T161600Z DESCRIPTION:Credit: Julia St. Clair\, Province Communications Director\n\n  DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260516T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260516T110000 LAST-MODIFIED:20260415T124142Z LOCATION:Salesian Cemetery\, 3 Craigville Road\, Goshen\, NY 10924 SUMMARY:Goshen: 2nd Annual Memorial Mass and May Crowning URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/2026-05-16/goshen-2nd-annual-me morial-mass-and-may-crowning END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1000@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210401T142100Z DESCRIPTION:October 26\, 1828 – March 30\, 1900\n\nThe discovery of the pri estly vocation\n\nLeonard Murialdo was born in Turin in 1828. He was the e ighth son of a wealthy family. Orphaned by his father when he was only fou r\, he received an excellent Christian education at the Scolopi college in Savona. During his youth\, he went through a deep spiritual crisis\, whic h led him to conversion and to the discovery of the priestly vocation. He began his philosophical and theological studies in Turin. During these yea rs\, he began working at the Guardian Angel's Oratory\, directed by his co usin\, Fr. Roberto Murialdo.\n\nBreathed the preventive system\n\nThanks t o this collaboration\, he came into contact with the problems of Turin's y outh: street children\, prisoners\, chimney sweeps\, and working boys. In 1851\, he was ordained a priest. He began to work in close contact with Fr . Cafasso and Don Bosco\, and he accepted the direction of the St. Aloysiu s Oratory from the latter. Leonard breathed the preventive system\, and tr uly embodied and applied it in all his future educational works. In 1866\, he accepted the direction of the Artigianelli College of Turin dedicated to the reception\, and the human\, Christian and professional training of poor and abandoned children. He made countless trips through Italy\, Franc e\, and England to visit educational and welfare institutions\, as well as to learn\, compare\, and improve his educational system.\n\nHe founded th e Congregation of St. Joseph (Giuseppini del Murialdo)\n\nLeonard Murialdo was one of the promoters of the first Catholic Popular Libraries and of t he Union of Catholic Workers\, of which he would be an ecclesiastical assi stant for many years. In 1873\, with the support of some co-workers\, he f ounded the Congregation of St. Joseph (Giuseppini del Murialdo). Their apo stolic goal is the education of youth\, especially the poor and abandoned. He opened oratories\, vocational schools\, family houses for working chil dren\, and agricultural schools. He deepened his commitment to lay associa tions\, especially in the field of vocational training for young people an d good press. His motto was 'Actions rather than words.'\n\nContemplative in action like Don Bosco\n\nHe was a man of spirit and prayer\, contemplat ive in action like Don Bosco. Around 1884\, he was struck by several attac ks of bronchiopneumonia. Don Bosco went to bless him\, and\, despite trial s and troubles\, he lived until 1900. The loss of his father at an early a ge also inspired Leonardo to be the father and guide of the young that the Lord wanted to entrust to his care. His life\, style\, and work made him very much like his friend and model\, St. John Bosco.\n\nPaul VI proclaime d him blessed in 1963 and a saint on May 3\, 1970.\n\nBiography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210518 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210519 LAST-MODIFIED:20220505T184725Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=18;BYMONTH=5;WKST=SU SUMMARY:St. Leonard Murialdo URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/st-leonard-murialdo END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1004@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210401T143800Z DESCRIPTION:March 13\, 1911 – July 4\, 1942\n\nAt school with the Salesians in Oswiecim (Auschwitz)\n\nJoseph Kowalski was born in Siedliska near Rze szów\, Poland on March 13\, 1911\, to Wojciech and Zofia Borowiec. He was  the seventh of nine children. His parents\, practising Catholics\, were fa rmers who owned a modest farm.\n\nAfter primary school\, they enrolled him in the Salesian College at Oswiecim (Auschwitz). Joseph immediately disti nguished himself for his commitment to study and service and his sincere c heerfulness. He joined the Immaculate Concpetion Sodality and the Missiona ry Association\, later becoming its president.\n\nHe literally fell in lov e with the Salesian charism and its Founder\, whose example he followed in everything: commitment to joyful animation of religious and civil holiday s\, apostolic presence among his companions\, and\, in particular\, the pr imacy of spiritual life.\n\nDevotion to Mary Help of Christians and the Eu charist\n\nAs a young student\, he began to write his diary\, which passes on to us his devotion to Mary Help of Christians and to the Eucharist. 'O h my Mother\,' he wrote 'I must be holy because this is my destiny. O Jesu s\, to you I offer my poor heart... Grant that I may never depart from You and that until death I remain faithful: I would rather die than offend yo u\, even with a small sin. I must be a holy Salesian\, as was my father Do n Bosco...'\n\nProfession as a Salesian\, ordination\n\nHe made his tempor ary profession in 1928 in Czerwinsk and received his priestly ordination o n May 29\, 1938 in Krakow. He was appointed provincial secretary. He looke d after a youth choir in the parish\, as well as the most difficult young people.\n\nThe Gestapo capture Fr. Kowalski and 11 other Salesians\n\nIn 1 939\, Poland was occupied\, but the Salesians continued their educational work. This is the main reason for the dramatic arrest on May 23\, 1941. Th e Gestapo captured Fr. Kowalski\, along with 11 other Salesians working in Krakow. Initially\, he was interned in the Montelupich prison in the same city. From there\, he was transferred to the Auschwitz concentration camp on June 26\, receiving the number 17\,350. In the concentration camp\, he devoted himself secretly to the apostolate. He heard confessions\, celebr ated mass\, recited the rosary\, and held hidden lectures\, including some  on Don Bosco\, reinforcing the desire in his prison companions to fight f or survival.\n\nMartyrdom\n\nDuring his imprisonment\, he suffered harassm ent and humiliation. Discovered with the Rosary\, he refused to step on it \, thus speeding up his martyrdom\, which happened at Auschwitz on July 4\ , 1942. His body was first thrown into the excrement container\, then burn ed in the camp crematorium.\n\nHis fellow villagers began to venerate his memory\, believing that his sacrifice had fertilised Polish vocations. St. Pope John Paul II was also of the same opinion and took a personal intere st in the cause of several Polish martyrs. Finally\, he beatified them in Warsaw on June 13\, 1999.\n\nThe decree of martyrdom was published on Marc h 26\, 1999\; he was beatified on June 13\, 1999 by St. John Paul II.\n\nB iography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210529 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210530 LAST-MODIFIED:20220517T161356Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=29;BYMONTH=5;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Joseph Kowalski URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-joseph-kowalski END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1011@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210601T141700Z DESCRIPTION:October 26\, 1914 – June 8\, 1953\n\nAdmired by his friends \n \nStephen Sandor was born in Szolnok\, in Hungary\, on November 26\, 1914. He was the son of Stephen and Maria Fekete and the first of three brother s. His father worked with the State Railways\, and his mother at home. Bot h parents gave their children a deeply religious spirit. Stephen studied i n the city\, gaining a diploma in metallurgy. As a youngster\, he was admi red by his friends and happy\, serious\, and gentle. He liked hanging arou nd with his friends and was a leader amongst them like St. John Bosco was for the young people of Chieri. He helped his younger brothers to study an d pray\, giving them his own example. He was fervent at the time of his Co nfirmation and promised to imitate St. Peter\, whose name he took for Conf irmation.\n\nCame to know about Don Bosco through the Salesian Bulletin\n \nEach day\, he served Mass at the Franciscans and received Communion. By reading the Salesian Bulletin\, he came to know about Don Bosco. He immedi ately felt attracted by the Salesian charism. He spoke to his spiritual di rector\, expressing a desire to enter the Salesian Congregation. He spoke to his parents about it. They did not give permission and sought to dissua de him. Happily\, Stephen ended up convincing them\, and in 1936\, he was accepted at the Clarisseum\, where he made an aspirantate of two years. He completed a course in how to be a printer at the Don Bosco Printery. He b egan his novitiate\, but it was interrupted by military service.\n\nModel teacher\n\nIn 1939\, he began to complete his novitiate and made his first vows on September 8\, 1940. Asked to go to the Clarisseum\, he immediatel y began to teach technical courses. He was also an assistant at the Orator y\, something he did competently and enthusiastically. He fostered the You ng Catholic Workers. His group was recognized as the best in the movement. Following Don Bosco's example\, he became a model teacher. In 1942\, he w as called back to the front and earned a silver medal of military valor. H e made a festive oratory out of the trenches encouraging his young friends in a Salesian style.\n\nMaster printer and a Salesian Brother\n\nAt the e nd of World War II\, he involved himself in rebuilding society morally and materially\, especially in the case of poor young people\, whom he gather ed around him in order to teach them a trade. On July 24\, 1946\, he made his perpetual profession as a Salesian Brother. In 1948\, he gained the ti tle of Master Printer. When they completed their studies\, Stephen's stude nts were employed by the best printeries in the city and state. \n\nCause of martyrdom\n\nA period of persecution of Catholic schools began\, and th ey had to close. Stephen was working in the printery\, but he had to escap e and hide in Salesian Houses\, working under a false name in public print eries.\n\nIn July 1952\, he was arrested while working\, and his confreres never saw him again. His cause of martyrdom was opened in Budapest on May 24\, 2006.\n\nBiography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210608 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210609 LAST-MODIFIED:20220419T160619Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=8;BYMONTH=6;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Stephen Sandor\, SDB URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-stephen-sandor-sdb END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1012@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210608T151000Z DESCRIPTION:Five Young Oratorians\, Martyred for Their Faith\n\nOn Septembe r 1\, 1939\, Hitler invaded Poland\, which started World War II. The Sales ian house in Poznan on Wroniecka Street was occupied and turned into a war ehouse by German soldiers. The young people continued to gather in the gar dens outside the city and in the nearby woods. Numerous secret association s arose.\n\nIn September 1940\, Francis Kesy and four fellow Oratorians we re arrested on charges of belonging to an illegal organization. They were taken to the fearsome Fortress VII near Poznan itself\, where they were to rtured and interrogated. Later\, they were transferred to several other pr isons\, where they were not always lucky enough to be together. Returned t o Poznan\, they were tried and accused of high treason and sentenced to de ath.\n\nThey were martyred in Dresden on August 24\, 1942. They lived in c aptivity with a spirit of faith and Salesian spirituality. They prayed con tinuously through the Rosary\, novenas to Don Bosco and to Mary Help of Ch ristians\, and morning and evening prayers. They tried to keep in touch wi th their families through messages that they often managed to send secretl y. They courageously asked for and assured prayers. Whenever they could\, they happily animated the liturgical feasts spent in the cell. Their faith never faltered and were credible witnesses to the end.\n\nThe Decree of m artyrdom was published on March 26\, 1999\; they were beatified on June 12 \, 1999\, by St. John Paul II.Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210612 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210613 LAST-MODIFIED:20230127T173511Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=12;BYMONTH=6;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Francis Kesy and Companions URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-francis-kesy-and-companions END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1013@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210616T131500Z DESCRIPTION:Seminary Director\n\nJoseph Cafasso was born in Castelnuovo d'A sti in 1811. The son of small landowners\, he was the third of four childr en\, of whom the last\, Marianna\, would be the mother of Bl. Fr. Joseph A llamano. From when he was very young\, the family and the entire village r egarded him as a young saint. He completed his theological studies at the seminary in Chieri\, and\, in 1833\, was ordained a priest. Four months la ter\, he went to the Convitto Ecclesiastico\, a residential pastoral insti tute for putting the finishing touches to his priestly and pastoral format ion. He would remain involved there for the rest of his life\, eventually becoming its Rector.\n\nSpiritual Director\n\nAt the Convitto\, the spirit uality of St. Ignatius reigned supreme\, as well as the theological and pa storal orientations of St. Alphonsus Maria Liguori. Teaching was given muc h attention and was aimed at forming good confessors and capable preachers . Joseph studied and gained a deeper understanding of the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales\, which he then passed on to one student in particula r—John Bosco. Cafasso\, his spiritual director from 1841 to 1860\, contrib uted to forming and guiding Don Bosco's spirituality.\n\nHis appreciation of daily duty as a way to holiness was typical of his teaching. As the Fou nder of the Salesian also testified\, 'the extraordinary virtue of Cafasso was his marvelously faithful and consistent practice of ordinary virtues. '\n\nApostolate to the poor\n\nAlways attentive to the needs of the poores t\, he visited and financially supported those who were impoverished\, bri nging them the consolation that came from his priestly ministry. His apost olate also consisted in spiritual accompaniment of prisoners and those con demned to death\, to the point where he was defined as 'the prisoners' pri est.' A prudent and reserved spiritual master\, he was the spiritual direc tor of priests\, laypeople\, politicians\, and founders.\n\nPearl of the I talian clergy\n\nPius XI called him 'the pearl of the Italian clergy.' Fr. Cafasso also supported Don Bosco and the Salesian Congregation in materia l ways from its very beginnings. After a short illness\, he died at just 4 9 years of age on June 23\, 1860. He was beatified in 1925 and canonized b y Pius XII in 1947\, who recognized him as a 'model of priestly life\, fat her of the poor\, consoler of the sick\, support for prisoners\, savior of the condemned.' The same Pope\, in his encyclical Menti Nostrae on Septem ber 23\, 1950\, proposed him as a model for priests.\n\nBiography taken an d edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210623 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210624 LAST-MODIFIED:20220419T160651Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=23;BYMONTH=6;WKST=SU SUMMARY:St. Joseph Cafasso URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/st-joseph-cafasso END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1724@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20230201T153133Z DESCRIPTION:Studied medicine\, then responds to Lord's call\n\nLaura was bo rn in Florence on January 5\, 1873\, to Alessandro and Angela Mazzoni. Her wealthy\, noble family moved to Rome soon after. There\, Laura finished h er studies and went on to study medicine. Her spiritual director was a Sal esian who invited her to leave wealth behind and respond to the Lord's cal l by working for poor girls.  \n\nAfter many nights spent in prayer\, Laur a became a Salesian Sister in 1898. She spent 23 years working in Italy\, especially in Sicily\, until 1921\, when she was chosen to lead the first group of Sisters sent to Poland. During this latter period\, Sr Laura's ch aracteristic stood out: her motherliness.\n\nMateczka—mum\, in Poland\n\nS he had a kindness that came from her Salesian loving-kindness and from the simplicity of Mornese. The Polish children called her mateczka\, or 'mum. '\n\nOrganized orphanages\n\nIn 1922\, Sr. Laura went on a journey with fi ve other Sisters to Rozanystok to found a House for war orphans. They put the place in order and it took in 80 children—very poor and disorderly. Th ey turned the place into one big\, happy family. One of the unfortunate li ttle ones said: 'I had a serious intestinal disorder and Mother Laura—who everyone called mateczka—looked after me as if I was her own daughter. She was like a mother to everyone but took special care of those who were the poorest or even mentally challenged.'\n\nThe government's local inspector was so impressed that he indicated he would send them a further two hundr ed orphans. The government and well-to-do families offered what was needed \, and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians increased in numbers\, ble ssed by the Lord. They opened a novitiate and new orphanages.\n\nStayed in Poland during the war\n\nFrom 1922-1940\, Sr. Laura\, first local superio r\, then provincial\, opened nine works and formed 110 new Sisters. During the Second World War\, the Consulate invited her to go back to Italy but she stayed in Poland\, living at an orphanage in the forests at Sakiszki\, dressed as a peasant woman. She led her Sisters through those years via s ecret letters written in the style of Mother Mazzarello.\n\nMoved many chi ldren secretly to the 'new' Poland after the war\n\nAt the end of the war\ , when the new borders of Poland were defined\, the Sisters and 104 childr en had to leave Vilnius by special train\, to go to the 'new' Poland. Ther e were partisans and unauthorized children hidden on board with their fami lies. Sr. Laura ran the risk of being shot. She prayed incessantly and obt ained the grace of safety from the Mother of God.\n\nStarting out again to bring new vigor to the work\n\nMother Laura started out again and opened another 12 Houses. She got the novitiate going again and gave everything a new sense of energy\, and joy. People got their smiles back again.\n\nHow ever\, she now felt exhausted. With her Sisters around her and accompanied by everyone praying for her\, she died on 30 August 1951 at Pogrzebień.\n \nDeclared Venerable on June 27\, 2011. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20230630 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20230701 LAST-MODIFIED:20230201T153133Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=30;BYMONTH=6;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Ven. Laura Meozzi URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/ven-laura-meozzi END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1018@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210629T171900Z DESCRIPTION:January 13\, 1902 - July 7\, 1977\n\nAt age 12\, she entered th e college run by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians\n\nMaria Romero Meneses was born in Granada\, Nicaragua on January 13\, 1902 to a very wea lthy family. Her father\, a minister in the republican government\, was ve ry generous with the disinherited. Mary learned from an early age what it meant to do practical charity\, even in difficulties. She studied music\, piano\, and violin\, and her family dreamed of great things for her.\n\nAt age 12\, she entered the college run by the Daughters of Mary Help of Chr istians\, where she proved to be available and joyful. It seemed to her th at Don Bosco's charism had been created just for her. In the Novitiate\, s he taught music and worked in the festive oratory\, where she dealt with t he poverty of the girls for the first time. Having made perpetual professi on\, she was sent to San Jose in Costa Rica\, which became her second home .\n\nShe sought out 'poor and abandoned children' above all\n\nShe was sen t to teach in a college of affluent young girls. But above all\, she\, lik e Don Bosco\, sought out 'poor and abandoned children.' She formed young d isciples\, choosing them from among her best students\, to work in the ora tories. She called them 'las misioneritas' (the young missionaries). They went to poor hovels\, helped clean them\, brought food and clothes\, and g ave catechesis. She then began to found the festive oratories for the poor est children—and started 36!\n\nMary Help of Christians\, whom she called her Queen\, saw that she received financial help which supported her works . Thanks to the voluntary work of medical specialists\, she managed to set up a clinic with various specialties to ensure medical and pharmaceutical assistance\, rooms for catechesis and literacy\, and a chapel for prayer were also part of the building.\n\nThe 'ciudadellas' of Mary Help of Chris tians\n\nShe built real houses for homeless people. The work of the 'ciuda delas de María Auxiliadora' continues to this day involving collaboration from a lay association\, the Asociación Ayuda a los Necesitados.\n\nTo pro pagate Salesian devotion to Mary Help of Christians\, she had a church bui lt in the center of San José. In reality\, she achieved great things throu gh faith and with the collaboration of wealthy people she had won over to her cause after having experienced the effects of Marian devotion. Like Do n Bosco and Mother Mazzarello\, she was a contemplative in action. Her uni on with God made her a sought-after spiritual counselor. Several volumes o f her Escritos Espirituales are available in print.\n\nShe died of a heart attack on July 7\, 1977. The Costa Rican Government declared her an honor ary citizen of the nation. Her body lies in San José de Costa Rica\, at th e great work she founded as the 'Casa de la Virgen' and 'Obra social.'\n\n St. John Paul II beatified her on April 14\, 2002.Biography taken and edit ed from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210707 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210708 LAST-MODIFIED:20220419T160710Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=7;BYMONTH=7;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Maria Romero Meneses\, FMA URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-maria-romero-meneses-fma END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1076@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210727T192400Z DESCRIPTION:Of noble lineage \nAugustus Czartoryski was born in Paris on Au gust 2\, 1858\, into exile. His parents were the Polish Prince Ladislaus a nd Princess Maria Amparo\, daughter of the Queen of Spain. For about 30 ye ars\, his noble family\, linked to the dynastic interests of Poland\, had emigrated to France. From exile\, Prince Ladislaus sought to restore the u nity of his dismembered homeland in 1795.Never attracted by court life\nAt the age of six\, Augustus lost his mother. Margaret of Orleans\, daughter of the Count of Paris\, pretender to the French throne\, took her place. From an early age\, Augustus showed himself to be a good and thoughtful bo y. Although closely bound up with his beloved Poland\, he was never attrac ted to court life. The action of grace in his soul led him to detach from earthly goods and lead a serious spiritual life.Meeting with Kalinowski \n Between the ages of 10 and 17\, he studied in Paris and Krakow. However\, his poor health interrupted his studies and forced him to frequently move to southern Europe in search of a better climate. During those years\, Pro vidence put a tutor\, Joseph Kalinowski\, beside him. Kalinowski guided hi m carefully not only in his studies\, but above all in his spiritual life. Later\, Kalinowski became a Carmelite. Today\, the Church venerates him a s a saint. The tutor described his pupil as a boy with a stable mood\, gre at kindness\, perfect courtesy\, sincere\, intelligent and very religious\ , but with a simple heart.Meeting with Don Bosco\nIn May 1883\, Don Bosco was in France. He was invited to the Lambert Palace by Princess Margaret o f Orleans. Augustus served the Mass\, and the saint told him: 'I have long wanted to make your acquaintance!' The Prince was struck by the encounter . Later he went several times to Turin to meet Don Bosco. He insistently a sked if he could join the Salesians\, but the Founder was not convinced. A ugustus spoke with Pope Leo XIII\, who invited Don Bosco to accept the Pri nce. In July 1887\, after having renounced the assets and the possibility of the throne\, he entered the novitiate against the advice of the family. He was 29 years old. He strove to adapt to the times and lifestyle and be come the most humble of novices. Don Bosco\, close to death\, blessed his cassock.Beltrami \nHe began his philosophy studies\, but contracted tuberc ulosis and soon fell ill. In the house at Valsalice\, in Turin\, he met th e Ven. Andrew Beltrami. The two developed a profound spiritual friendship  while Andrew looked after Augustus throughout his illness. Meanwhile\, Fr. Rua had him study theology and admitted to holy orders. When he was ordai ned a priest in San Remo on April 2\, 1892\, his family chose to be absent . In fact\, they tried in every way to get him out of the Congregation.The ultimate sacrifice\nAugustus fully embodied Salesian spirituality\, espec ially the aspect of sacrifice and the offering of his own life and sufferi ng for the good of the young and of the Congregation. Don Bosco also suffe red much\, even if he did not show it. Fr. Augustus died at the age of 35 in Alassio on April 8\, 1893\, the Saturday of the Easter octave. His last words were\, 'What a beautiful Easter!' St. John Paul II\, the Polish pop e\, had the joy of beatifying him on April 25\, 2004. His body is venerate d in Przemysl\, Poland.Declared Venerable December 1\, 1978\; Beatified Ap ril 25\, 2004\, by St. John Paul II. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210802 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210803 LAST-MODIFIED:20210727T192444Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=2;BYMONTH=8;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Augustus Czartoryski URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-augustus-czartoryski END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1029@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210401T153000Z DESCRIPTION:February 16\, 1883 - August 25\, 1969\n\nReads the Salesian Bul letin\n\nMaria Troncatti was born in Corteno Golgi\, in the province of Br escia\, on February 16\, 1883 to a large family of mountain farmers. She g rew up happy and hardworking among the fields and the care of her siblings \, in a warm atmosphere of parental affection. When the Salesian Bulletin came to Corteno\, Maria\, rich in Christian values\, began thinking of a r eligious vocation. Initially\, her father disagreed. Yet as soon as his da ughter was of legal age\, 21\, he gave his consent. Maria asked to be admi tted to the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and made her first profession in 1908 at Nizza Monferrato.\n\nDestined for mission s in Ecuador\n\nDuring World War I\, she attended health care courses in V arazze and worked as a Red Cross nurse in the military hospital. Following a violent storm\, Maria promised Our Lady that if She saved her life\, sh e would leave for the missions. Our Lady saved her\, and Sr. Maria asked M other General if she could go among the lepers. Seven years later\, Mother Caterina Daghero sent her to Ecuador.\n\nIn 1925\, she landed in the Bay of Guayaquil and reached Chunchi\, where she was a nurse and pharmacist fo r a short time. Accompanied by the missionary Bishop Comin and a small exp edition group\, Sr. Maria and two other sisters entered the Amazon forest. \n\nAmong the Shuar Indios\n\nTheir mission field was the land of the Shua r Indians in the southeastern part of Ecuador. As soon as they arrived in Mendez\, Sr. Maria earned the esteem of the Shuar tribe by working with a penknife to save the daughter of a chief. She had been wounded by a bullet . They settled permanently in Macas\, a village of settlers surrounded by the collective housing of the Shuar\, in a small house on a hill. Just as Don Bosco was a father and teacher\, Sr. Maria became a mother. For 44 yea rs\, she would be known as 'Madrecita' by everyone.\n\nA difficult work of evangelisation began in the midst of all kinds of risks. She was a nurse\ , surgeon\, orthopedist\, dentist\, and anesthesiologist. Yet she remained above all a catechist rich in wonderful resources of faith\, patience\, a nd Salesian kindness. Her work for the promotion of the Shuar woman flouri shed in hundreds of new Christian families\, who for could make a free per sonal choice as young spouses the first time. She worked mainly in the fie ld of education and health at the Pius XII hospital in Sucúa and in numero us clinics. She is the mother of the missions of the Apostolic Vicariate o f Méndez—Mácas\, Méndez\, Sevilla don Bosco and Sucúa—and made endless vis its into the Amazon jungle.\n\nDies in an accident\n\nOn August 25\, 1969\ , Sr. Maria was about to fly to Sucúa for a retreat. The plane crashed sho rtly after take-off. The Shuar Federation radio gave the sad announcement: 'Our Mother\, Sr. Maria Troncatti\, is dead.' Her body lies in Macas.\n\n Canonization\n\nSt. Maria Troncatti was canonized by Pope Leo XIV on Octob er 19\, 2025.Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210825 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210826 LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T145806Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=25;BYMONTH=8;WKST=SU SUMMARY:St. Maria Troncatti\, FMA URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/st-maria-troncatti-fma END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1030@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210401T153800Z DESCRIPTION:August 26\, 1886 - May 11\, 1905\n\nBirth and school in Buenos Aires\n\nCeferino Namuncurá was born on August 26\, 1886 in Chimpay\, on t he banks of the Rio Negro. His father\, Manuel\, the last great cacique (l eader) of the Indigenous Araucan tribes\, had surrendered three years earl ier to the troops of the Argentine Republic. After 11 years of life in the open countryside\, Manuel Namuncurá sent Ceferino to study in Buenos Aire s\, so he could defend his people in the future. The family atmosphere in the Salesian college made him fall in love with Don Bosco.\n\nSpiritual gr owth\n\nThe spiritual dimension grew in him\, and he began to desire to be come a Salesian priest to evangelise his people. He chose Dominic Savio as a model\, and\, during five years\, through the extraordinary effort to e nter a totally new culture\, he himself became another Dominic Savio. His commitment to piety\, charity\, daily duties\, and ascetic exercise was ex emplary.\n\nSalesian aspirant\n\nAlthough he once found it difficult to 'g et in line' or 'obey the bell\,' Ceferino gradually became a true model. A s Don Bosco would have wanted\, he was exact in fulfilling his duties of s tudy and prayer. He was the referee at recreation\, and his word was acccp ted by any schoolmates who were in disagreement. The care with which he ma de the sign of the cross\, as if he were meditating on every word\, impres sed people. By his example\, he corrected his companions by teaching them to do it slowly and with devotion. In l903—when Ceferino was nearly 17 yea rs old and his father was baptised at the age 80—Bishop Cagliero accepted him among the group of aspirants in Viedma\, capital of the Apostolic Vica riate\, to begin the study of Latin.\n\nItaly\n\nThe Salesian bishop decid ed to take Ceferino to Italy so he could continue his studies in a more se rious way and in a climate that seemed more suitable for his poor health. In Italy\, he met Fr. Rua and Pope Pius X\, who blessed him with emotion. He attended school in Turin and later in the Salesian Villa Sora College i n Frascati. He studied so hard to be the second of the class.\n\nUnexpecte d death\n\nSadly\, he fell victom to an undiagnosed case of tuberculosis. On March 28\, 1905\, he was taken to the Fatebenefratelli hospital on the Tiber Island in Rome. He died peacefully nearly two months later on May 11 . Since 1924\, his mortal remains have been in his homeland\, at Fortín Me rcedes\, where crowds of pilgrims come to venerate him.\n\nDecalred Venera ble June 22\, 1972\; beatified on November 11\, 2007 during the pontificat e of Benedict XVI.Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210826 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210827 LAST-MODIFIED:20250710T194016Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=26;BYMONTH=8;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Ceferino Namuncurá URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-ceferino-namuncura END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1032@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210405T151200Z DESCRIPTION:Obligatory Memorial\n\nBy Bishop Enrico dal Covolo\, SDB\, and Father Giorgio Mocci\, SDB*\n\nA dramatic\, bloody civil war\, a conflict characterized by passionate ideological enmities\, convulsed Spain between 1936 and 1939. The Church in Spain paid a price exacted especially in the violent persecution of anarchist militias.\n\nThousands of priests\, reli gious\, and laity were massacred solely because they were Christians. Thes e included 95 members of the Salesian Family: 39 priests\, 22 seminarians\ , 24 coadjutor brothers\, two Daughters of Mary Help of Christians\, four Cooperators\, three aspirants\, and one lay co-worker.\n\nThree causes for their beatification as martyrs were undertaken\, later consolidated into two: for the group of 32 from Valencia\, headed by Fr. Joseph Calasanz Mar ques\, and the combined group from Seville and Madrid\, 63 in number\, led by Fr. Henry Saiz Aparicio. The first group was beatified on March 11\, 2 001\, together with other martyrs from the archdiocese of Valencia\, and t he other two groups on October 28\, 2007.\n\nFr. Joseph Calasanz (1872-193 6) was born at Azanuy. In 1886 he saw aged\, ailing Don Bosco in Barcelona . He became a Salesian in 1890\, a priest five years later. He was Fr. Phi lip Rinaldi’s secretary during his provincialate in Spain and then became provincial himself in Peru-Bolivia. On his return to Spain\, he became sup erior the Barcelona-Valencia Province. He was a great-hearted man and a pr odigious worker\, concerned always for the salvation of his confreres. He was seized\, along with other Salesians\, while he was presiding in Valenc ia at the annual retreat. While being transported by the militia\, he was executed on July 29\, 1936\, with a bullet to the head.\n\nKilled in the f ollowing days and weeks were 15 priests\, seven coadjutors\, six clerics\, one lay co-worker\, and two Salesian sisters. One of the sisters was Sr. Maria Carmen Moreno\, former superior and confidante of Blessed Eusebia Pa lomino\, FMA (d. 1935)\, who had prophesied her martyrdom.\n\nFr. Henry Sa iz (1889-1936) was the courageous director of the Salesian aspirantate at Carabanchel Alto on the outskirts of Madrid. When hostile militia broke in to the school on October 2\, 1936\, he told them promptly\, “If you want b lood\, here I am. But don’t hurt the boys.” The youths were let free\, whi le Fr. Saiz and eight other Salesians were taken and slain.\n\nA short tim e before his death\, Fr. Saiz had told a friend\, “What’s better than to d ie for the glory of God?” He offered his life in exchange for that of the young men whom Divine Providence had entrusted to him. His last breath was for them.\n\nThe roster of martyrs from Madrid killed in the following we eks includes 9 priests\, 14 clerics\, 14 coadjutors\, 3 aspirants\, and 1 layman. From Seville\, there were 12 priests\, 1 subdeacon\, 4 coadjutors\ , and 3 Cooperators (2 men\, 1 woman).\n\n*Santi nella Famiglia Salesiana\ , 2d ed. (Turin: LDC\, 2009)\, pp. 42-43\, 60-61. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210922 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210923 LAST-MODIFIED:20210405T151306Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=22;BYMONTH=9;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Joseph Calasanz\, Henry Saiz\, and Companions URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-joseph-calasanz-henry-saiz-a nd-companions END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1033@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210405T151400Z DESCRIPTION:March 21\, 1918 - October 5\, 1946\n\nOratorian at Rimini\n\nAl bert Marvelli was born at Ferrari on March 21\, 1918\, the second of seven brothers. When he and his family moved to Rimini\, he began to attend the Salesian Oratory. He was always available and became a catechist and lead er\, the Salesians’ right hand. He loved to play all kinds of sport and to ok St. Dominic Savio and Pier Giorgio Frassati as his models. At 17 years of age\, he wrote down his project of life in his diary\; it would renew h is life.\n\nCatholic Action\n\nHe joined the Oratory group for Catholic Ac tion (CA) and quickly became its parish president. He offered his service to the Church in Rimini as the diocesan vice president of CA. As an engine eering student in Bologna\, he took an active part in FUCI\, remaining fai thful to daily Mass.\n\nWork with Fiat in Turin\n\nIn June 1942\, he gradu ated and began working with Fiat in Turin. He did his military service in Trieste\, and succeeded in bringing many of his friends to Mass. During Wo rld Ear II\, he became an apostle amongst displaced persons and a real sou rce of providence for the poor.\n\nTown clerk at Rimini\n\nAfter the Allie s arrived in Rimini\, he was apppointed as an alderman in the town council in the department responsible for rebuilding\, and the engineer in charge of civil engineering: “The poor are on our doorstep\, the others can wait \,' he remarked.\n\nCandidate for Christian Democrats\n\nHe agreed to run for the elections as a candidate for the Christian Democrats. He was recog nised as a committed Christian by everyone\, but was never divisive\, so m uch so that one of his communist opponents said\, “I don’t mind if my part y loses\, so long as Engineer Marvelli becomes mayor.'\n\nNurtured by the Eucharist\n\nThe Bishop appointed him president of Catholic graduates. His Marian and Eucharistic devotion really were the supporting pillars of his life. “What a new world opens up to me contemplating Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament\,' he wrote in his diary. 'Each time I receive Holy Communion\, each time Jesus in his divinity and humanity enters into me\,  comes in c ontact with my soul\, it awakens holy ideas in me\, a burning and consumin g flame\, but one that makes me so happy!”\n\nGood Christian and upright c itizen\n\nHe died when he was hit by an army truck on October 5\, 1946. He was\, as Don Bosco wanted\, a good Christian and upright citizen\, commit ted to the Church and society with a Salesian heart. As a youth\, his mott o was 'We go forward or we die.'\n\nHe was beatified on September 5\, 2004 \, at Loreto\, Italy\, by St. John Paul II.\n\nBiography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211005 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211006 LAST-MODIFIED:20220804T135816Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=5;BYMONTH=10;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Albert Marvelli URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-albert-marvelli END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1035@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210405T152300Z DESCRIPTION:March 30\, 1904 - October 13\, 1955\n\nLively\, playful\, and a ffectionate and highly sought after by her companions\n\nAlexandrina Maria da Costa was born March 30\, 1904 in Balasar\, Portugal. She was brought up in the faith by her mother\, along with her sister\, Deolinda. Alexandr ina remained in the family for up to seven years\, then was sent to Póvoa do Varzim to live with a carpenter's family so she could attend the elemen tary school Balasar did not have. Back in Balasar\, she worked as a farmer . She was lively\, playful\, and affectionate and much sought after by her companions.\n\nTo save purity ... total paralysis\n\nAt 14\, she leaped f rom the window into the garden at home\, to save her purity\, which was th reatened by some ill-intentioned men. Five years later\, the injuries resu lting from the fall became total paralysis\, which kept her bedridden for over 30 years.\n\nThe Salesian charism as victim\n\nAlexandrina was looked after by her older sister. She asked for the grace of healing\, but Our L ady granted her acceptance of suffering and the desire to suffer for the s alvation of souls. The Salesian charism lived as victim\, which developed with Fr. Beltrami\, Fr. Czartoryski\, Fr. Variara and Sr. Eusebia\, also i nspired Alexandrina. She offered herself as a victim to Christ for the con version of sinners and for peace in the world\, saying\, 'I have no other purpose than to give glory to God and save souls.'\n\nFor four years (1938 -1942)\, she overcame her usual paralysis and got out of bed. Moreover\, f or 182 times\, she relived the passion of Christ every Friday\, during thr ee very painful hours. She asked and obtained from Pius XII that the world be consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary (October 31\, 1942).\n\n13 years with no food except daily communion\n\nFrom March 27\, 1942 to her death\, 13 years and seven months\, she no longer took any food or drink w hatsoever\, apart from daily communion. This unexplainable fact was scient ifically verified by several doctors\, sometimes even in a humiliating way for Alexadrina. She was a great mystic. In continuous union with Jesus in the Tabernacles of the whole world\, she was granted ecstasies and revela tions.\n\nBecomes a Cooperator\n\nIt was the Lord's choice that her second spiritual director was a Salesian\, Fr. Umberto Pasquale\, who kept a ver y valubale diary. She agreed to become a Cooperator and said\, 'I feel a g reat union with the Salesians and with the Cooperators of the whole world. How often I look at my enrolment certificate and offer my sufferings\, un ited to all of them\, for the salvation of youth! I love the Congregation. I love her so much and I will never forget her either on earth or in heav en.'\nThousands of people came to her bedside to receive comfort from her words. On October 13\, 1955\, she died in Balasar\, where she is now burie d\, facing the tabernacle. Pilgrims go to visit her remains there. John Pa ul II beatified her on 25 April  2004.\n\nDeclared Venerable December 21\,  1995\; Beatified April 25\, 2004 by St. John Paul IIBiography taken and e dited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211013 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211014 LAST-MODIFIED:20210405T154405Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=13;BYMONTH=10;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Alexandrina da Costa URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-alexandrina-da-costa END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1078@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210405T155300Z DESCRIPTION:December 19\, 1842 - October 24\, 1925\n\nA priest for the youn g and the poor\n\nLouis Guanella was born in Fraciscio di Campodolcino in Val San Giacomo (Sondrio) on December 19\, 1842. The particular geographic al location where he grew up formed Louis into a solid character—firm\, te mperate\, and with a spirit of sacrifice. He was always distinguished for his great faith strengthened by popular piety\, a faith alive for its clos eness to the poor and simple. He studied at the Gallio College in Como and throughout various diocesan seminaries. In 1866\, he was ordained a pries t and\, soon after\, appointed parish priest at Savogno. He dedicated hims elf zealously to young people busying himself with helping them in their s chooling and revitalising Catholic Action.\n\nMeets Don Bosco\n\nHe was in contact with Don Bosco at the time. Fascinated by the Salesian charism\, he tried opening a college for the young\, but the operation didn’t go ahe ad. However\, he wanted to stay with Don Bosco and became a Salesian in 18 75. He was in charge of the “Saint Aloysius” Oratory in Turin and soon aft er was appointed Rector of the “Dupraz” College in Trinità (Cuneo). He rem ained in the Salesian Congregation for just three years\, because the Lord had arranged otherwise—the bishop\, in fact\, called him back to the dioc ese. Louis had no fear of defending young people and the poor even in fron t of the powerful and the politicians.\n\nReturns to the diocese and found s Congregations\n\nThis was another reason why he had to close the school he had opened for poor children in Traona. Sent by the bishop to look afte r a hostel for poor elderly people\, he founded a group of Ursulines there \, whom he organised into a Congregation—the Daughters of Our Lady of Prov idence. The new Congregation was dedicated to the education of youth\, esp ecially those who were poor and on the margins\, but also to support and b e with poor\, elderly folk. In Como\, he founded the House of Divine Provi dence\, at the centre of which he built a Shrine to the Sacred Heart. With support from the bishop\, he also founded a male branch—The Servants of C harity—with the same aims.\n\nCongregations flourish in US and Europe\n\nH is Congregations flourished in Italy\, Switzerland\, and the United States . In support of the dying\, he founded the Pia Unione del Transito of Sain t Joseph. He built various churches and works for emigrants and fringe-dwe llers. What he gained from his experience with Don Bosco was not only a lo ve for the young that he carried with him all his life\, but in particular blind obedience and sacrifice in his relationships with his superiors. Li ke Don Bosco\, he was obedient to the bishop\, even when it meant sufferin g and misunderstanding. He died at Como on October 24\, 1925. He was decla red Venerable on April 6\, 1962 and beatified on October 25\, 1964 by Paul VI.Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211024 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211025 LAST-MODIFIED:20220907T184307Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=24;BYMONTH=10;WKST=SU SUMMARY:St. Louis Guanella URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/st-louis-guanella END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1038@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210405T155300Z DESCRIPTION:June 9\, 1837 - April 6\, 1910\n\nGoing halves in everything\n \nBorn in Turin on June 9\, 1837 as the youngest of nine children\, Michae l came to the Oratory in 1852. One day\, Don Bosco told him\, 'We will go halves in everything.' He was among the first group to whom Don Bosco sugg ested the formation of the Salesian Society.\n\nHis many roles\n\nFor 36 y ears\, he was his closest collaborator in all stages of the development of the Congregation. He was professed in 1855\, was first spiritual director of the Congregation at 22 (1859)\, and was ordained in 1860. He became th e first director of the Mirabello College at 26 (1863-1865) and\, later\, was Vicar of Valdocco\, with its 700 pupils and of the Society. He was adm inistrator of the Letture Cattoliche (Catholic Readings)\, responsible for formation (1869) and for personnel. In 1875\, he became Director General of the Salesian Sisters\, and he accompanied Don Bosco on his journeys.\n \nDon Bosco's first successor\n\nAt the explicit request of the Founder\, in 1884\, Pope Leo XIII named him to succeed Don Bosco\, and he confirmed him as Rector Major in 1888. Fr. Rua was seen as the 'living Rule' because of his austere fidelity\, yet he also displayed a fatherly spirit that wa s capable of great thoughtfulness\, so much so that he was known as 'a kin g of kindness.'\n\nOversaw extraordinary growth\n\nWith the growth in the numbers of confrere and the development of the works\, he sent Salesians a ll over the world\, giving special attention to missionary expeditions.\n \nIn his long journeys in Europe and the Middle East\, he consoled and enc ouraged\, always looking to the Founder: 'Don Bosco said…Don Bosco did… Do n Bosco wanted…' When he died on April 6\, 1910\, at 73\, the Society had grown from 773 Salesians to 4000\, from 57 houses to 345\, and from 6 prov inces to 34\, in 33 countries.\n\nFaithful continuation of Don Bosco's spi rit\n\nWhen beatifying him\, Pope Paul VI stated: 'The Salesian Family owe s its origin to Don Bosco\, to Fr. Rua its continuation… he developed the Saint's example into a school\, his Rule into a spirit\, his holiness into a model. He turned the spring into a river.' His remains are venerated in the crypt of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians.\n\nBeatified on Oct ober 29\, 1972 by Paul VI.Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211029 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211030 LAST-MODIFIED:20210405T160025Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=29;BYMONTH=10;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Michael Rua URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-michael-rua END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1043@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210405T163000Z DESCRIPTION:November 13 worldwide\, November 14 in Canada and the USA\n\nEa rly life\n\nArtémides Zatti was born in Boretto\, in the province of Reggi o Emilia\, on October 12\, 1880\, to Louis Zatti and Albina Vecchi\, a far ming family. Since he was a small child\, he was accustomed to work and sa crifice. Already by the time he was nine\, he was earning money as a hired hand. In 1897\, the Zatti family\, forced by poverty\, emigrated to Argen tina to establish life anew at Bahia Blanca. Here\, Artémides began to att end the parish run by the Salesians and became a helper to the parish prie st\, Fr. Carlo Cavalli\, with whom he often shared work and prayer. He fel t a desire to become a Salesian and was accepted as an aspirant by Bishop Cagliero and\, by the time he was 20\, went to the Community at Bernal.\n \nTuberculosis - and a promise\n\nHe began studying in earnest to make up for lost time. Providence entrusted him with assisting a young priest who was ill with tuberculosis and who then died in 1902. The day when Artémide s was to receive his clerical habit\, he\, too\, contracted the disease. W hen he got back to the community\, Fr. Cavalli sent him to the mission hos pital in Viedma. Fr. Evarisio Garrone\, with wide experience in the task\, was in charge of the hospital. Artémides\, along with him\, asked and obt ained from Mary Help of Christians the grace of recovery\, promising to de dicate his entire life to looking after the sick.\n\nResponsibility for th e pharmacy\n\nHe recovered and kept his promise. At first\, he began to lo ok after the pharmacy attached to the hospital\, where he learned how Fr. Garrone worked: only those who could need pay. When Fr. Garrone died\, he took on the entire resposibility. In 1908\, he made his perpetual professi on. He was completely dedicated to the sick. People sought him out and adm ired him. For the personnel at the hospital\, he was not only an excellent director\, but an excellent Christian above all.\n\nA day in the life of. ..\n\nThis is how his day was spent: “At 4.30\, he was already up. Meditat ion and Mass. Visit to all the sick. Then\, on his bike\, he would head ou t to visit the sick around the city. After lunch\, he would play an enthus iastic game of bocce with those who were recovering. From 2 pm till 6 pm\, he would visit those in the hospital again\, as well as those outside. Th en until 8 pm\, he would work in the pharmacy. Then back to the hospital a gain. Until 11 pm\, he would study medicine\, and\, finally\, some spiritu al reading. Then he would rest but was always available for anyone who cal led for help.'\n\nAn exemplary Salesian Brother\n\nHe gained his diploma a s a nurse. In 1913\, he led the construction of the new hospital then\, mu ch to his displeasure\, it was demolished. Without being discouraged\, he started out afresh. Like Don Bosco\, Providence was his first and certain entry in any of the accounting he had to do. Mary Help of Christians never abandoned him. When Don Bosco was dreaming of his Salesian Brothers\, he certainly wanted them to be holy like Artémides. In 1950\, he fell on the stairs and was confined to bed.\n\nDeath\n\nAfter some months\, signs of c ancer showed up. He breathed his last on March 15\, 1951.\n\nSt. John Paul II declared him Beatified on the April 14\, 2002. Pope Francis canonized him a saint on October 9\, 2022. His body is laid to rest in the Salesian chapel at Viedma.Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211113 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211115 LAST-MODIFIED:20231102T135301Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=13;BYMONTH=11;WKST=SU SUMMARY:St. Artémides Zatti URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/st-artemides-zatti END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1044@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210405T162000Z DESCRIPTION:November 15\, 1847 - March 26\, 1908\n\nMeets Don Bosco\n\nMadd alena Caterina Morano was born in Chieri\, in the province of Turin\, on N ovember 15\, 1847. Her father\, Francis\, died when she was eight\, and sh e began to help her mother with her work.\n\nThanks to her uncle\, a pries t\, she was able to resume her studies. Her teacher appointed her to help the little ones. Meanwhile\, she met Don Bosco for the first time while wa lking to Buttigliera d’Asti. Maddalena wanted to teach\, and gained her te acher's certificate when she was 17.\n\nTeacher\n\nWhen she was 19\, she b egan teaching at Montaldo Torinese. She did this with diligence and compet ence for 14 years\, earning the respect and esteem of the entire neighbour hood. Finally\, Maddalena took her spiritual director's advice and\, after having bought a home for her mother with her savings\, went to speak to D on Bosco\, who directed her towards Mornese\, where Mother Mazzarello happ ily welcomed her.\n\nWith Mother Mazzarello\n\nShe immediately began teach ing. In 1880\, she consecrated herself to God through perpetual vows and a sked the Lord for the grace 'of staying alive until she had become a saint .' In 1881\, at the request of the Archbishop of Catania\, Maddalena was i nvited to direct the new work at Trecastagni\, where three teachers were w orking. For four years\, she was in charge\, and taught\, washed\, cooked\ , etc. She also was a catechist\, but especially a witness to the point wh ere the girls were always calling\, asking\, 'we want to be like her!'\n\n Sicily\n\nAfter a pause of a year in Turin\, where she was in charge of th e FMA community at Valdocco\, she was sent to Sicily as Visitor\, directre ss and novice mistress. Hers was the task of founding new communities and forming holy Sisters. Constantly with 'one glance to earth and ten to heav en\,' she opened schools\, oratories\, hostels\, and workshops everywhere on the island.\n\nNumerous vocations came\, attracted by her zeal and the community spirit she created around her. Her multiple apostolates were wel comed and encouraged by the Bishops. At Catania\, they gave her all the ca techetics to look after\, the foundation of new oratories\, and the Teache r's College.\n\nShe was very devoted to Saint Joseph and Mary Help of Chri stians\, who guided her in founding new works\, and she was successful in spreading Don Bosco's charism and the Preventive System.\n\nDeath\n\nSuffe ring from a tumor\, Sr. Morano died at Catania on March 26\, 1908. At the time of her death\, there were 18 Houses in Sicily\, 142 Sisters\, 20 novi ces\, and 9 postulants. In the city where she died\, St. John Paul II proc laimed her Blessed on the November 5\, 1994. Her remains are venerated at Alì Terme (Messina).\n\nBiography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211115 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211116 LAST-MODIFIED:20210405T162911Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=15;BYMONTH=11;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Maddalena Morano URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-maddalena-morano END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1079@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210405T165000Z DESCRIPTION:On November 25\, the anniversary of the death of Mama Margaret at the Oratory in Valdocco\, Salesians pray for all their deceased parents .\n \n\nCapriglio\n\nMargaret Occhiena was born on April 1\, 1788 in Capri glio\, in the province of Asti\, the sixth of ten children. She was baptis ed in the parish church that same day. Her parents were farmers with since re Christian sentiments. From a young age\, Margaret was a great worker. A lthough time and commitments did not give her the opportunity to study\, h er love for prayer enriched her with the wisdom that is not found in books .\n\nFrancis Bosco and the Becchi\n\nIn 1812\, she married Francis Bosco. Francis was a 27-year-old widower with a three-year-old son\, Anthony\, an d a sick\, dependent mother. She would give birth to Joseph in 1813 and Jo hn—the future Don Bosco—in 1815. Together\, they move to the Becchi\, a ha mlet of Castelnuovo d’Asti. In 1817\, Francis died of pneumonia.\n\nA woma n of great faith\n\nAt 29\, Margaret found herself facing the family's man agement at a time of great famine\, assisting Francis' mother\, as well as Anthony\, and the little Joseph and John. Margaret was a woman of great f aith. God was always to the fore in her thoughts and on her lips.\n\nA mot her's heart\n\nThe love of the Lord was so intense that it formed a mother 's heart in her. A wise educator\, she was able to combine fatherliness an d motherhood\, gentleness and firmness\, vigilance and trust\, familiarity and dialogue\, raising her children with selfless\, patient and demanding love. Attentive to their experience\, she trusted in human means and divi ne help. Three boys with very different temperaments grew under the same c riteria\, but with different methods. She taught them the catechism and pr epared them to approach their first communion.\n\nAccompany your child\n\n Hearing young John's dream at nine years of age\, she was the only one who could interpret it in the light of the Lord: 'Who knows if you should not become a priest.' She also allowed him to spend time with some of the dif ficult boys because they behaved better with him. Anthony's hostility to J ohn's studies forced her to remove her younger son so he could study. She accompanied him in his desire to become priest until his ordination. On th at day\, she would utter some words that would remain in Don Bosco's heart throughout his life.\n\nMother of the Oratory\n\nWhen Don Bosco became se riously ill in 1846\, Margaset went to assist him\, discovering the good h e did for the abandoned youth. At the request to follow him\, she replied: 'If you believe that this is the will of the Lord\, I am ready to come.'  The presence of Mama Margaret transformed the oratory into a family. For t en years\, her life merged with that of her son and with the beginnings of Salesian work. She was Don Bosco's first and foremost co-worker\, became the maternal element of the preventive system\, and became\, without knowi ng it\, a 'cofounder' of the Salesian Family.\n\nDies in Valdocco\n\nMarga ret died in Turin\, struck down by pneumonia\, on November 25\, 1856\, at the age of 68. Many boys went to the cemetery\, mourning her as a m would be mourned. Generations of Salesians called her and stil call her 'Mama Ma rgaret.'Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211125 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211126 LAST-MODIFIED:20251118T152918Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=25;BYMONTH=11;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Ven. Margaret Occhiena Bosco URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/ven-margaret-occhiena-bosco END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1051@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210405T165300Z DESCRIPTION:Joins Don Bosco\n\nBorn on May 28\, 1856 at Lu Monferrato (Ales sandria)\, Philip was won over by Don Bosco at the age of 22. \n\nAs a pri est\, he was entrusted with the formation of the aspirants and novices. In 1899\, Fr. Rua sent him as Director of the community of Sarriá\, Spain an d later as provincial leader. In this role\, he contributed greatly to the development of Salesian Spain.\n\nVicar General\n\nAppointed Vicar Genera l of the Congregation\, his gifts as father and the wealth of his initiati ves became even more evident. He set up formation centres to offer spiritu al and social assistance to young working women\, planned printing works\, and guided and supported the Salesian Sisters through a particularly sens itive period in their history. He gave great encouragement to the Cooperat ors\, and set up the World Federations of Past-Pupils (male and female).\n \nRector Major\n\nWorking with the Zelatrici di Maria Ausiliatrice\, he sa w the possibilities for a new form of consecrated life in the world and ma de it a reality. This group would later become the Volunteers of Don Bosco . He was elected Rector Major in 1922. 'All that is lacking to Fr. Rinaldi is Don Bosco's voice: he has everything else\,' Fr. Francesia exclaimed. \n\nA master of spiritual life\n\nHe used all his energies in adapting Don Bosco's spirit to the times. He did much to develop Salesian studies and was a master of spiritual life. He worked to renew the spiritual life of t he Salesians\, had absolute confidence in God and unlimited trust in Mary Help of Christians. He also asked Pius XI to grant the 'indulgence for san ctified work.' Moreover\, he took great interest in the missions\, sending many young Salesians to learn languages and customs so that evangelisatio n might be more effective.\n\nHe died on December 5\, 1931. His remains ar e venerated in the crypt of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians.\n\nHi s memorial is celebrated on December 5. He was beatified on April 29\, 199 0 by St. John Paul II.Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20211205 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20211206 LAST-MODIFIED:20210405T165915Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=5;BYMONTH=12;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Philip Rinaldi\, SDB URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-philip-rinaldi-sdb END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT UID:1082@salesians.org DTSTAMP:20260415T132851Z CATEGORIES:General CATEGORIES:General CREATED:20210407T123632Z DESCRIPTION:Optional Memorial\n\nBl. Titus Zeman’s story is an excellent ex ample of fidelity to Don Bosco’s cause\, in particular through zeal and hi s desire to save the vocation of young Salesians with the arrival and duri ng the time of the communist regime.\n\nFr. Titus Zeman\, a Slovak Salesia n\, was born into a Christian family on January 4\, 1915 in Vajnory\, near Bratislava. He had wanted to become a priest from the age of 10 and compl eted his secondary school and high school studies in the Salesian houses a t Šaštín\, Hronský Svätý Benedikt and Frištak u Holešova. He made his novi tiate in 1931\, and\, on 7 March 1938\, he made his Perpetual Profession a t Sacro Cuore in Rome.\n\nA student of theology at the Gregorian Universit y in Rome\, and later in Chieri\, he used his free time to do apostolate i n the oratory. In Turin\, on June 23\, 1940\, he reached the much-desired goal of priestly consecration\, thanks to the laying on of hands of Card. Maurilio Fossati. He celebrated his first mass on August 4\, 1940\, in his hometown of Vajnory.\n\nWhen the Czechoslovakian communist regime banned religious orders in April 1950 and began to deport consecrated men and wom en to concentration camps\, it became necessary to organize clandestine tr ips to Turin so the religious could complete their studies. Fr. Zeman took charge of carrying out this risky activity.\n\nThe Servant of God organiz ed two expeditions for over 60 young Salesians. On the third expedition\, Fr. Zeman was arrested along with the fugitives. He suffered a harsh trial \, during which he was described as a traitor to the homeland and a Vatica n spy\, and the death penalty was suggested for him. On February 22\, 1952 \, in consideration of some extenuating circumstances\, he was sentenced t o 25 years in prison.\n\nFr. Zeman was released on probation after 12 year s of imprisonment on March 10\, 1964. By then directly affected by his suf fering in prison\, he died five years later\, on January 8\, 1969\, surrou nded by the glorious reputation of martyrdom and holiness.\n\nHe went thro ugh this ordeal with a great spirit of sacrifice and self-giving: “Even if I lose my life\, I would not consider it a waste\, knowing that at least one of those I had helped became a priest in my place.”Biography taken and edited from www.sdb.org. DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220108 DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220109 LAST-MODIFIED:20210407T123632Z RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;COUNT=100;INTERVAL=1;BYMONTHDAY=8;BYMONTH=1;WKST=SU SUMMARY:Bl. Titus Zeman URL;TYPE=URI:https://salesians.org/calendar/bl-titus-zeman END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR