BIG C CATHOLICS

Throughout his life, Saint John Bosco had a great devotion to Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady Help of Christians. Together with the Order he founded (the Salesians) Don Bosco introduced others, particularly the young, the poor and the ignorant, to God. Prayer to Our Lady Help of Christians By St. John Bosco Most Holy Virgin Mary, Help of Christians, how sweet it is to come to your feet imploring your perpetual help. If earthly mothers cease not to remember their children, how can you, the most loving of all mothers forget me? Grant then to me, I implore you, your perpetual help in all my necessities, in every sorrow, and especially in all my temptations. I ask for your unceasing help for all who are now suffering. Help the weak, cure the sick, convert sinners. Grant through your intercessions many vocations to the religious life. Obtain for us, O Mary, Help of Christians, that having invoked you on earth we may love and et

The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Mary Help of Christians on May 24th. Today, like centuries before, Christians facing persecution, violence and death, have invoked Mary’s protection under this designation. Concerning it, Saint John Bosco wrote of his order, the Salesians' primary mission: "The principal objective is to promote veneration of the Blessed Sacrament and devotion to Mary Help of Christians. This title seems to please the august Queen of Heaven very much." The tradition of this devotion goes back to 1571, when the whole of Christendom was saved by Mary Help of Christians as Catholics throughout Europe prayed the Rosary. The battle of Lepanto defeating the Ottoman Empire occurred on October 7th 1571 . The date was chosen as the Feast of the Holy Rosary. In 1573, Pope Pius V instituted it in thanksgiving for the victory of Christianity over Islamism. Near the end of the 17th century, Emperor Leopold I of Austria took refuge in the Shrine of Mary

March 10th, the Church celebrates the optional memorial of Saint Dominic Savio (1842 - 1857), the 19th century boy-saint. This brilliant student noted for his personal piety, died at the age of fifteen. He was one of the great hopes of Saint John Bosco for the future of his congregation. Dominic was canonized in 1954. He was one of ten children of Carlo and Birgitta Savio. Carlo was a blacksmith and Birgitta was a seamstress. When Don Bosco was looking for young men to train as priests for his Salesian Order, his parish priest suggested Dominic Savio. Dominic became more than a credit to Don Bosco's school — he single-handedly organized those who were to be the nucleus of Don Bosco's order. St. Dominic Savio was twelve when he met Don Bosco and organized a group of boys into the Company of the Immaculate Conception. Besides its religious purpose, the boys swept, took care of the school and looked after the boys that no one seemed to pay any attention to. When, in 1859, D