The Martyrdom of St. Demetrios
The Monastery of Megisti Lavra
Mount Athos
St. Dominic Savio was a very special person from the time he was young. People were amazed by how much he knew about the Catholic Faith, how he tried hard to live like Jesus, and how he worked to become a saint. He also inspired others to become saints and join him in Heaven!
^St. Dominic Savio is the patron saint of choirboys, the falsely accused, and juvenile delinquents. St. Dominic Savio was a young boy who lived to love the Lord as best as he could. Born in 1842 in Italy, Dominic was raised in the faith, along with his nine brothers and sisters. While his family was not wealthy, they worked to keep their faith as the center of their lives.
From a young age, Dominic encouraged his friends to pray with him before meals and to visit the tabernacle regularly for prayer. It didn’t matter to him if he had to pray outside of a church in the rain; he would kneel down, no matter the weather, and pray as if it were his duty. Dominic was picked on in school and was even blamed for things he didn’t do. When he accepted the blame, he told his teachers he didn’t speak up because that’s how Jesus would have acted — remaining silent when unjustly accused.
Dominic was so well studied in the faith that he got special permission to receive his First Holy Communion at the early age of seven, instead of the usual age of 12. He reflected on his First Holy Communion by saying it was ‘The best day of his life.’ He desired to go to confession as often as he could, to sanctify Sundays in a special way, to keep Jesus and Mary as his close friends, and that he would rather die than sin. He made these four promises to himself and the Lord.
After studying for a few years under Father John Bosco at the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales, sainthood became his biggest goal in life. Dominic believed that God wanted everyone to become saints, that it would be easy, and there are great rewards in heaven to saints. He gave a speech about the Path to Sainthood only 6 months after he began studying at the Oratory.
^Dominic Savio gave a speech at the age of seven about the path to sainthood—spreading the word that everyone is called to become a saint.A few years later, Dominic began to lose his appetite and his body began fighting sickness. Before leaving the Oratory to go home and get better, he made the Exercise of Happy Death as his final devotion. He believed he was going to die, while his friends and family did not. Despite believing this, he was not saddened by his sickness, but saw it as bringing him closer to the Lord. He asked for a final confession and received the Anointing of the Sick. After a nap, he awoke for his final goodbye saying:
“Goodbye Dad, goodbye… Oh what wonderful things I see.”— St. Dominic Savio
He died on March 9th, 1857, at the young age of 14. He was canonized in 1954 by Pope Pius XII, and is now known as the Patron Saint of choirboys, the falsely accused, and juvenile delinquents.
We can learn a lot from Dominic Savio’s short life. Everything from how he loved to learn about the Catholic faith and all its teachings, to spreading the joy of God with everyone we meet. But most of all, Dominic Savio wanted people to always keep praying. It does not matter how old you are, anyone can worship the Lord and strive to bring others into his Church to receive his love!
FAMILY ACTIVITY: St. Dominic Savio’s life is a witness to the fact that young people can do great things! His mentor, Don Bosco, once told him “the best penance would be to perform all his duties with perfection and humility, and that obedience was the greatest sacrifice.” Resolve as a family to pursue the virtues of humility and obedience: in your interactions with each other, while doing chores, and when talking about family members to others. It’s a tough but worthy practice to take on, even for adults!