Dominic Savio


Dominic Savio was a 19th-century Italian teenager who was a student of John Bosco and became a Catholic saint. He was studying to be a priest when he became ill and died at the age of 14, possibly from pleurisy. He was noted for his piety and devotion to the Catholic faith, and was canonized a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1954.
Bosco regarded Savio very highly, and wrote a biography of his young student, The Life of Dominic Savio. This volume, along with other accounts of him, were critical factors in his cause for sainthood. Despite the fact that many people considered him to have died at too young age 14 to be considered for sainthood, he was considered eligible for such a singular honour on the basis of displaying "heroic virtue" in his everyday life. Savio was canonised a saint on 12 June 1954 by Pope Pius XII, making him the youngest non-martyr to be canonised in the Catholic Church, until the canonisations of Francisco and Jacinta Marto, the pious visionaries of Fatima, in 2017.

Biography

Much of the biographical information known about Savio comes from his biography written by John Bosco, in addition to the testimonies given by Savio's family and friends.

Early life

The son of Carlo and Brigitta Savio, Dominic was born on 2 April 1842 in the village of Riva, from the town of Chieri, in Piedmont, northern Italy. His baptismal name, Domenico, means "of the Lord" and the surname Savio means "wise". His father was a blacksmith and his mother, a seamstress. His parents had ten children in all. The family was described as poor, hardworking and pious.
When he was two years old, his parents returned to their hometown at Murialdo on the outskirts of Castelnuovo d'Asti and from where they had gone to Riva in 1841. His parents took great care to give him a Christian upbringing. By the age of four, he was able to pray by himself and was occasionally found in solitude, praying. John Bosco records that Savio's parents recollect how he used to help his mother around the house, welcome his father home, say his prayers without being reminded, and say Grace at mealtimes unfailingly.

At the village school

Fr. Giovanni Zucca from Murialdo, who was then the chaplain at Murialdo when Dominic was five years old, notes in a statement to John Bosco that he came to notice Dominic due to his regular church attendance with his mother, and his habit of kneeling down outside the church to pray if he happened to come to church before it had been unlocked in the morning. The chaplain also notes that Savio made good progress at the village school not merely due to his cleverness, but also by working hard. He would not join the other boys in doing something that he believed to be morally wrong and would explain why he thought a particular deed was wrong.
At the age of five, he learned to serve Mass, and would try to participate at Mass every day as well as go regularly to Confession. Having been permitted to make his First Communion at an early age, he had much reverence for the Eucharist.

First Communion

At that time, it was customary for children to receive their First Communion at the age of twelve. After initial hesitation, and subsequent consultation with other priests, the parish priest agreed to permit Dominic to receive his First Communion at the age of seven, since he knew the catechism and understood something of the Eucharist. He spent much time praying and reading in preparation, asking his mother's forgiveness for anything he might have done to displease her and then went to church. In his biography of Dominic Savio, John Bosco devotes a chapter to tell of Dominic's First Communion. He says that several years later, whenever he talked of the day of his First Communion, he said with joy: "That was the happiest and most wonderful day of my life."
John Bosco records that on the day of his First Communion, Dominic made some promises which he wrote in a "little book", and re-read them many times. John Bosco once looked through Dominic's book, and he quotes from it the promises that he made:
Resolutions made by me, Dominic Savio, in the year 1849, on the day of my First Communion, at the age of seven.
  1. I will go to Confession often, and as frequently to Holy Communion as my confessor allows.
  2. I wish to sanctify the Sundays and festivals in a special manner.
  3. My friends shall be Jesus and Mary.
  4. Death rather than sin.

At the county school

For secondary education, Dominic had to go to another school and it was decided that he would go to the County School at Castelnuovo, three miles from his home.
Now ten years old, he walked daily to and from school. In his biography of Dominic Savio, John Bosco records how a local farmer once asked him, on a hot sunny day, if he was not tired from walking, and received the reply: "Nothing seems tiresome or painful when you are working for a master who pays well." Don Bosco also notes that Dominic refused to go swimming with his friends since Dominic considered that in such a situation, it would be "also easy to offend God", he believed that on a previous occasion his friends behaved in, what was to him, a vulgar manner. One account of his time at the county school was when two classmates who hated each other prepared to resolve their differences in a rock fight. Dominic stood between them holding the cross and explaining that whatever they do they do unto Christ; ergo they should throw rocks at him instead. The fight was defused when both boys laughed and considered such a concept silly. In his biography Bosco records that Fr. Allora, the head of this school, had this to say about Dominic: "...Hence it may very well be said that he was Savio, not only in name, but in fact, viz., in his studies, in piety, in conversation and his dealing with others, and in all his actions...."

Under John Bosco's mentorship

Meeting with John Bosco

It was his teacher at school, Fr. Giuseppe Cugliero, who gave a high account of him to John Bosco and recommended that Bosco meet him during the Feast of the Rosary, when he would take his boys to Murialdo. Accordingly, accompanied by his father, Dominic met John Bosco on 2 October 1854, the first Monday of that month. John Bosco records this conversation in some detail. He notes that Dominic was eager to go to Turin with John Bosco, and that he wished to become a priest after completing his studies in that town.
To test Dominic's intelligence, Don Bosco gave him a copy of The Catholic Readings, asking him to recite a particular page by heart and explain its meaning the next day, and then spoke for a while with Dominic's father. Ten minutes later, he found Dominic was beside him reciting the page and explaining its meaning satisfactorily. This meeting was the beginning of their relationship, the result of which was that John Bosco agreed to take Dominic to Turin with him.

At the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales

John Bosco records that when Dominic arrived at the Oratory, he at once placed himself under his guidance. He also notes that Dominic worked diligently and followed the school rules. He would happily listen to talks and sermons, and would, without hesitation, ask for clarification on points that were not clear to him. John Bosco also notes how Dominic was obedient to his teachers and chose his companions carefully.
This happened in 1854, when, in Rome, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was being defined. Preparations for the observation of this feast were thus going on at the Oratory. Don Bosco records that, at the advice of his confessor, Dominic renewed his First Communion promises at the altar of Mary at the Oratory. Bosco says that, from this point the result of Dominic's attempts towards holy life were so apparent, that he took to recording the various incidents that occurred for future reference.
John Bosco's mother, who was called "Mamma Margaret" remarked to him of Dominic, "You have many good boys, but none can match the good heart and soul of Dominic Savio. I see him so often at prayer, staying in church after the others; every day he slips out of the playground to make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament. When he is in church he is like an angel living in Paradise."

Resolve to become a saint

Around six months after Dominic had come to the Oratory, he had the occasion to listen to a talk on sainthood. John Bosco records that the talk had three main points that impressed Dominic:
  1. That it is God's will that each one should become a saint.
  2. That it is easy to become a saint.
  3. That there is a great reward waiting in heaven for those who try to become saints.
This inspired Dominic to take a conscious decision to become a saint. The immediate result of this was that, not being sure how to live a saintly life, and worried about it, he was quiet and worried for the next few days. Noticing this, John Bosco spoke to him and advised him to resume his customary cheerfulness, persevere in his regular life of study and religious practices, and especially not neglect being with his companions in games and recreation. On learning that his first name meant "belonging to God", his desire to be a saint intensified. Dominic's spiritual growth progressed under the guidance of Don Bosco. Clifford Stevens says in his biography of Savio, "In other circumstances, Dominic might have become a little self-righteous snob, but Don Bosco showed him the heroism of the ordinary and the sanctity of common sense."

Attempts to do penances

In his desire to become a saint, Dominic attempted to perform physical penances, like making his bed uncomfortable with small stones and pieces of wood, sleeping with a thin covering in winter, wearing a hair shirt, fasting on bread and water, walking slowly during very cold weather to suffer more and pricking himself with a pen nib or needle. When his superiors learned of this, they forbade him from doing bodily mortification, as it would affect his health.
John Bosco told Dominic that as a schoolboy, the best penance would be to perform all his duties with perfection and humility, and that obedience was the greatest sacrifice. Thus, he formed an important aspect of his philosophy of life, which was, in his words, "I can't do big things but I want everything to be for the glory of God." Don Bosco notes that from that time on, Dominic did not complain about the food or the weather, unlike some other boys at the Oratory, bore all suffering cheerfully, and practised custody of his eyes and tongue. Eugenio Ceria, a Salesian commentator on the autobiography of John Bosco, notes that by this time, owing to his experience as an educator, John Bosco's ideas on several pedagogical and spiritual principles were well developed and linked and this led him to associate the fulfillment of daily duties with holiness in his advice to Savio.