Don Bosco — what a great Saint! Several sites informing on his life and work are New Advent / Catholic Encyclopedia 1917; the Wikipdedia article is good; American Catholic does a good job; and of course, the mother of all St. John Bosco Sites, Saint Bosco dot org.
Now, a few quotes from the saint:
“Do you want Our Lord to give you many graces? Visit Him often. Do you want Him to give you few graces? Visit him seldom. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament are powerful and indispensable means of overcoming the attacks of the devil. Make frequent visits to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and the devil will be powerless against you.”
“Everything and everyone is is won by the sweetness of our words and works.”
“Our Lady wishes us now to honor Her especially under the title of ‘Help of Christians’. In these evil days we need Her help.”
“Our Lady does not care for the homage of those who want to remain in mortal sin.”
“Avoid idleness and idle people; carry out your duties. Whenever you are idle you are in serious danger of falling into sin, because idleness teaches us all kinds of vice.”
“Go to Mass every day and if possible, serve it. Do a little spiritual reading. Say devoutly your morning and evening prayers. Every morning make a brief meditation on a truth of our faith.”
“The music of the young should be listened to with the heart and not with the ears.”
“A school without music is a school without a soul, for music aids education. It is a most effective means to obtain discipline, morality, and help good feeling…”
“There can be no virtue without obedience.”
“To do what we are told, for love of Jesus, makes us very pleasing to God.”
“In all the miracles of healing performed by Our Divine Savior, we must admire the remarkable goodness which caused Him to heal first the sickness of the soul, then that of the body. He teaches us the great lesson that we must first purify our consciences before turning to God for help in our earthly needs.”
