Fr Paul reads from the Gospel of Mark (5: 1-20) in which Jesus restores a demon-possessed man. After reading today’s Gospel, Fr Paul shares a little about the life of St John Bosco, whose memorial we celebrate today.

By 1868, over 800 young boys and men were under his care. To continue his work, he established an order known as the Salesians. He named order after St Francis de Sales, who he admired. The work of John Bosco, through this order, continues to this day.Fr Paul says John was born in 1815 in Piedmont and he belonged to a peasant family. He was bought up by his widowed mother. He became a priest and showed a concern for the young. When he settled in Turin and as the industrial revolution was causing tremendous movement of people and bringing about the consequent social problems especially among the young men seeking work, John Bosco reached out to them. He started evening classes to which hundreds came. He also set up boarding houses and workshops for training and education. Despite the opposition of some civil and church authorities, his work grew and grew.

Today, Fr Paul says, we ask St John Bosco, pray for us!