After the death of Don Calosso, St. John Bosco talked to other priests about getting an education, but was ignored because he was only a child. This made him desire to be a priest who would be close to the youth. John Bosco needed his older brother Antonio’s consent to study for the priesthood, but since Antonio was adamantly opposed, their mother Margherita decided to split the family estate—one half went to Antonio and the other half to Margherita, John Bosco, and the youngest son Giuseppe. John Bosco enrolled at a distant government school and had to walk twenty kilometers barefoot every day, so Margherita arranged for him to board with a family of tailors closer to the school. There, he learned to sing and sew, which he would later teach to youths. The tailor was impressed by John Bosco’s quick learning so he suggested that he drop out and become his assistant, but the boy refused—his goal was to be a priest.
Spiritual Talk – Fr Ho talks about St. John Bosco (19)
