SAVIO

• St. Dominic Savio


  A wonderful hero for young people today
• St. Dominic Savio's way to holiness


  • Live the spirituality shared with him by St. John Bosco and his Salesians
  • Live the everyday duties of life in an extraordinary way
  • A youth spirituality that can be lived by people of all ages
• Salesian Spirituality


  Responds to the Gospel imperative given by Jesus to his disciples and to all who follow Him
• Jesus: '"Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it."'
• Dominic Savio was born on April 2, 1842 in the village of Riva, two miles from the town of Chieri, in the province of Piedmont, northern Italy
• Dominic Savio


  • He was the second of eleven children born to Charles and Brigid Savio, who were poor, hard-working, pious people
  • Charles was a blacksmith
  • He was a remarkable boy
• What we know of Dominic Savio comes from a biography written by St. John Bosco and the testimony of family and friends
• Dominic attended the Oratory of St. Francis De Sales, a school, youth center and hospice founded by Don Bosco
• Dominic Savio at school


  • He was very bright and enjoyed school as well as play
  • He was well liked and respected by his friends
  • He had remarkable control over his emotions
  • He was friendly and showed early his leadership qualities and a strong sense of duty
  • He was a prayerful person and had an ever-maturing spirituality
• The Savios attended church in the town of Murialdo and the pastor, Father John Lucca, knew them well
• Once Dominic learned to serve Mass he was there every day
• While children of the time customarily received their first Communion in their early teens, Fr. Lucca recognized Dominic's remarkable piety and let him make his First Communion at the age of seven
• Dominic's four resolutions as he prepared for his first Communion at age 7


  • Go to Confession and Communion as often as my confessor will allow
  • Sanctify Sundays and holy days in a special way
  • Jesus and Mary will be my friends
  • Death rather than sin
• Death, but not sin


  Dominic lived by these resolutions
• Dominic's daily school commute


  1. Walked 12 miles total per day

  2. School was 3 miles away from home

  3. Had to go and come twice a day
• An elderly man met Dominic on a very hot day


  Asked if Dominic was afraid to walk so far alone
• Dominic: '"I'm not alone, I have my guardian angel with me."'
• Dominic: '"I work for a Master who pays well."'
• Dominic: '"God is my master."'
• Dominic's health was weak due to the long daily walk
• Dominic's parents moved closer to school the next year
• Dominic


  • Full of energy and ready to join in any game with his friends
  • Kindness and thoughtfulness
• Incident with Dominic's classmate


  1. Classmate committed serious offense

  2. Falsely accused Dominic

  3. Teacher scolded Dominic

  4. Dominic stood in silence

  5. Actual culprit discovered later
• Dominic: '"I knew that the other boy was in trouble for other things. I remembered how Our Lord had been unjustly accused, and I hoped that if I kept silence he would be given another chance."'
• This incident took place when Dominic was only 11 years old
• It shows the depth and simplicity of Dominic's young soul
• Don Bosco's annual outing


  1. Took young people from Oratory in Turin to Becchi

  2. 18 mile walk

  3. Arranged food and lodging with parish priests

  4. Young people put on entertainment for towns they visited
• Dominic and his father went looking for Don Bosco in Murialdo
• Dominic: '"Good morning, Father."'
• Don Bosco


  A priest who runs a school called the Oratory of St. Francis De Sales
• Dominic Savio


  A 12-and-a-half-year-old boy who wants to study at Don Bosco's Oratory
• Dominic Savio arrived at Don Bosco's Oratory in early October 1854
• Motto "Da mihi animas caetera tolle"


  Latin for "Give me souls: take away the rest"
• Don Bosco is very concerned with helping people and himself save their souls by following Jesus
• Dominic Savio's motto is "Death rather than sin"
• Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception


  December 8, 1854
• Preparing the young people of the Oratory for the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception


  1. Salesians and the young people gathered in the Chapel

  2. Offered themselves to Mary, the Immaculate Mother of Jesus

  3. Dominic remembered his first Communion resolutions and renewed them
• From that day onward, Don Bosco began to write down everything he noticed about Dominic
• Don Bosco preached to the boys of the Oratory


  Second Sunday of Lent, 1855
• Don Bosco: 'Everyone is called to be a saint, and do you know, it is easy to be a saint. Just do this: diligently do the ordinary things of the day in an extraordinary way.'