Turin, Italy, Dec 23, 2017 / 03:01 am
While St. John Bosco is a beloved saint among Catholics, many do not know that his mother, Margaret Bosco, was declared Venerable in 2006 and has an advancing cause towards beatification.
Margaret Occhiena was born in a small town in Italy in 1788 to a large family of faithful Christians. At the age of 24, Margaret married a young widower and father, Francis Bosco, who was a farmer and had a son named Anthony.
The couple would go on to have two more sons before Francis died of pneumonia in 1817. Left with three children, Margaret devoted her life to her family and fostered the teachings of Catholicism within her children over the coming years. She also cared for her mother-in-law.
Although Margaret was illiterate, she was known for her wisdom in the Catholic faith and did her best to instill virtue and knowledge within her children. When her son John told her that he wanted to be a Catholic priest and work with youth, she encouraged him in his vocational desire.