The Diocese of Allentown celebrated the feast day of St. John Bosco on Jan. 31, which is his feast day in the Catholic Church. 

St. John Bosco is known and loved for his devotion to education and today many Catholic schools are named after him. 

“Saint John Bosco, who had such devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and to Mary, the Blessed Virgin, be our guide in seeking the goods of our souls and the salvation of our neighbor. St. John Bosco, pray for us!” the Diocese of Allentown shared on Facebook. 

“San Giovanni Melchior Bosco, known as Saint John Bosco, lived in Italy in the 19th century," according to Britannica. "He was ordained a priest in 1841 and dedicated his time to providing education, recreation, and religious instruction to boys who came to Turin seeking work.  Eventually he built and led a grammar school, technical school, and church.  He was popular as a preacher and later founded the Society of St. Francis de Sales, which was also known as the Salesians of Don Bosco.”

“Saint John Bosco’s approach to educating boys was preventative: rather than punishing them, he worked to put them in situations where they would be less likely to commit sin," according to Franciscan Media.

Education is an important part of the Catholic approach to faith and life and the Catechism outlines the following in paragraph 2229: “As far as possible parents have the duty of choosing schools that will best help them in their task as Christian educators. Public authorities have the duty of guaranteeing this parental right and of ensuring the concrete conditions for its exercise.”

St. John Bosco is the patron saint of apprentices, editors, publishers, schoolchildren, magicians and juvenile delinquents.