The bicentenary of the birth of Saint John Bosco

Saint John Bosco, who is best known as Don Bosco, was born 200 years ago. The Italian saint's influence on education and charity is still felt throughout the world.

Don Bosco was born near Turin on August 16, 1815. At 25, he was ordained a priest. He immediately devoted himself to helping young people who hadn't benefited from the Industrial Revolution.

Education was the key to alleviating their poverty and hopelessness, he believed. The saint spent his days visiting prisons and on the streets with young people, working with them to better their lives. In 1864, he founded the Salesian Order; he died in 1888.

Today the Salesians of Don Bosco serve in 132 countries, where they continue to turn despair into hope and ignorance into knowledge. Don Bosco was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929 and was canonized by the same pontiff, five years later.