Ordinary Time: August 16th
Optional Memorial of St. Stephen of Hungary
MASS READINGS
August 16, 2007 (Readings on USCCB website)
COLLECT PRAYER
Almighty Father, grant that Saint Stephen of Hungary, who fostered the growth of your Church on earth, may continue to be our powerful helper in heaven. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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Vaik, son of Geza, Duke of Hungary, was baptized about 985 by St. Adalbert of Prague who gave him the name of Stephen. He was chosen by God to bring his people to the Christian faith. With the assistance of monks from Burgundy he established bishoprics, founded several monasteries and re-organized the whole life of the country. Pope Silvester II offered him the privilege of being crowned king and the ceremony took place on December 25, 1000. His great zeal for the spread of the Catholic faith earned him the title of apostolic king and apostle of Hungary. He died on August 15, 1038, the feast of the Assumption of our Lady, to whom he had consecrated his kingdom.
Before the reform of the General Roman Calendar today was the feast of St. Joachim which is now celebrated on July 26. St. Stephen's feast was on September 2. St. Roch, who is in the Roman Martyrology, was from France, near Montpellier. By the sign of the cross he delivered many cities of Italy from an epidemic. His body was afterwards transferred to Venice, and deposited with the greatest honors in the church dedicated under his invocation.
St. John Bosco
John Bosco was born near Castelnuovo in the archdiocese of Turin, Italy, in 1815. His father died when John was only two years old and it was his mother Margaret who provided him with a good humanistic and Christian education. His early years were financially difficult but at the age of twenty he entered the major seminary, thanks to the financial help received from Louis Guala, founder and rector of the ecclesiastical residence St. Francis of Assisi in Turin. John Bosco was ordained a priest on June 5, 1846, and with the help of John Borel he founded the oratory of St. Francis de Sales.
At this time the city of Turin was on the threshold of the industrial revolution and as a result there were many challenges and problems, especially for young men. Gifted as he was as an educator and a leader, Don Bosco formulated a system of education based on "reason, religion and kindness." In spite of the criticism and violent attacks of the anti-clericals, he conducted workshops for the tradesmen and manual laborers, schools of arts and sciences for young workers, and schools of the liberal arts for those preparing for the priesthood. In 1868 there were 800 students involved in this educational system. To ensure the continuation of his work, Don Bosco founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales (Salesians), which was approved in 1869. Also, with the help of Sister Mary Dominic Mazzarello, he founded the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Auxiliatrix.
In 1875 a wave of emigration to Latin America began, and this prompted the inauguration of the Salesian missionary apostolate. Don Bosco became a traveller throughout Europe, seeking funds for the missions. Some of the reports referred to him as "the new St. Vincent de Paul." He also found time to write popular catechetical pamphlets, which were distributed throughout Italy, as was his Salesian Bulletin. This great apostle of youth died on January 31, 1888, and was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1934. Pope John Paul II named him "teacher and father to the young."
—Excerpted from Saints of the Roman Calendar by Enzo Lodi
Patronage: apprentices; boys; editors; Mexican young people; laborers; magic performers; schoolchildren; schools, colleges, universities; students; young people; young workers
Highlights and Things to Do:
- Read more about St. John Bosco:
- St. John Bosco at a young age learned how to juggle and do other tricks to attract children to him. This provided opportunities for him to give catechesis to these children. Think of different activities that you could do to attract children—perhaps juggling, putting on puppet shows, storybook time—and use that opportunity to teach a virtue, catechism lesson, or just to be a good example. Good clean fun or a wholesome activity is a lesson in itself in a world where there is so much corruption.
- See CatholicSaints.info for links to different writings by St. John Bosco.
- His relics can be found in Turin, Italy at Basilica di Maria Ausiliatrice (Basilica of Mary Our Helper.
- See the founder statue of Don Bosco at St. Peter's Basilica.
- Try this short play about John Bosco.
- Try cooking the stuffed raw peppers suggested for today. Mama Margaret probably cooked Peperoni farciti à la Piemontaise (peppers stuffed with boiled rice), a speciality from Turin, for St. John Bosco's boys.
- Catholic Cuisine has some other fun food ideas for the patron saint of young people.
- Read this article from Catholic Culture's library, Don Bosco, Seeker of Souls.
