Dreams and Miracles of St. John Bosco

Today is a feastday (III class) of the holy St. John Bosco (1815 - 1888). St. John Bosco was a man of God, who besides his many miracles and ordinary life of holiness, received visions of Mary and numerous prophetic dreams. One of these is a famous dream of a Pope dying with another pope rising up to steer the Church to safety. This famous dream is called the Two Pillars.

St. John Bosco worked countless miracles. He had the gift of multiplication of the loaves, and St. John even raised a boy from the dead to give him the chance of a good confession. The boy confessed his sins and died, but this time he went straight to Heaven.

St. John Bosco was ordained a priest in 1841, and he worked tirelessly with young boys in his neighborhood. His goal was to make saints out of them and at least one of his boys became a saint, St. Dominic Savio. St. John founded the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales and was the chaplain there. He opened up workshops there for tailoring and shoe-making to help the boys not only grow spiritually but also have enough money to live.

St. John lived daily for Jesus Christ. He would rise early, hear Confessions, and write letters to those in need for hours into the night. He wrote over 130 works defending the faith, and for that, he was hated by the enemies of the Church of God. There were numerous plots to kill him though none succeeded.

Some of his famous dreams included the following:

The Dream of the Two Columns (i.e. Two Pillars): In this dream, Don Bosco saw a large ship (representing the Church) being attacked by enemy vessels. The ship was guided to safety by anchoring between two columns: one topped with the Eucharist and the other with the Blessed Virgin Mary, symbolizing the importance of devotion to the Eucharist and Mary for the Church’s protection and guidance.

The Dream of the Ten Diamonds: This dream depicted a majestic figure adorned with ten diamonds, each representing a different virtue. The dream emphasized the virtues needed for a true Christian life, such as faith, hope, and charity.

The Dream of the Oratory: Don Bosco dreamed of a large field filled with boys and a majestic figure telling him to lead and care for them. This dream inspired his mission to work with disadvantaged youth and led to the founding of the Salesian order, dedicated to the education and spiritual development of young people.

The Dream of Hell: This dream showed Don Bosco a frightening vision of hell, filled with young people who had fallen away from the faith due to neglect or bad influences. It served as a warning and motivated him to intensify his efforts in guiding and educating youth toward a virtuous life.

The Dream of the Roses and the Thorns: In this dream, Don Bosco walked along a path lined with beautiful roses, but hidden thorns caused him pain. The dream symbolized the challenges and sacrifices involved in his mission but also the rewards of perseverance and dedication to God's work.

In 1854, St. John Bosco formally banded together under the patronage of St. Francis de Sales. With Pope Pius IX's encouragement, St. John Bosco founded the Salesians in 1859.

I highly recommend the book The Forty Dreams of Saint John Bosco

Prayer:

O God, Who didst raise up saint John Thy Confessor to be father and teacher of youth, and by him, with the help of the Virgin Mary, dist promote new families in Thy Church: grant, we beseech Thee, that inflamed by the same fire of love, we may win souls and serve Thee alone. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal