Dear Salesian Family and Salesian Young People:

Today I affectionately greet you a “Happy Feast Day of St. Dominic Savio!”

The month of May is special to us as Salesian Family because of the many liturgical celebrations of Salesian saints and of the Feast of Mary Help of Christians on the 24th of May.

May 6, today, is the Feast of St. Dominic Savio, a cheerful young man in Don Bosco’s Oratory in Turin. He was a friend whom many boys in the Oratory trusted.  He confided to one of the new boys to the Oratory: “Here we make holiness consist in being very happy. We just try to avoid sin as a great enemy that steals God’s grace from us and our peace of heart. We try to fulfill our duties exactly and be devout. From today start putting it in writing as a reminder: Servite Domino in laetitia, let us serve the Lord in holy cheerfulness.” Dominic’s joy was an expression of a life spent in deep and intimate friendship with Jesus and Mary., a sign of the renewing action of the Spirit and of a joyful and contagious holiness that formed young apostles capable of attracting souls to God. Dominic focused on helping many of the boys in the Oratory, especially in bring them to holiness. Don Bosco recognized his gifs and wrote his biography as an example of young and cheerful holiness. Dominic fell ill and died before he turned 15 years old.

Below are the other Salesian saints we celebrate in the month of May. I hope to share reflections on their own journey to holiness during this month.

• May 13: St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello, who founded with Don Bosco the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA’s). She mad great sacrifices in meeting Jesus daily in the Eucharist. Prudent and wise, she educated girls with preventive love.
• May 16: St. Luigi Orione, who from October 1866 to October 1889 was one of the boys in Don Bosco’s Oratory in Valdocco in Turin as a young boy. He embodied the charism of love for the poor and founded religious communities.
• May 18 St. Leonardo Murialdo, a friend and collaborator of Don Bosco who founded oratories in Turin to minister to the young people, especially young workers.
• May 29: Blessed Joseph Calasanz a Salesian priest from Poland who suffered martyrdom in Aushcwitz in July 1942.

May Mary Help of Christians intercede for all of us. And let us continue to be in solidarity to those who are suffering, especially the young people in Ukraine. God bless you all.

Sincerely in Christ and in Mary,