Every age is blessed with great thinkers, great persons, and great saints but seldom with great lovers of the young. The 19th Century witnessed a great lover of the young especially poor in the person of Don Bosco. His influence cut across the barriers of heart, language and religion.His father died when he was just two years old. Then, he realized what life is, for poor people. Struggling in the life journey, he educated himself doing part time jobs. Later, he became a catholic priest and decided firmly to work and give his life for the welfare of the young especially for poor and abandoned youngsters. In his own words, “For you I study, for you I work and for you I am ready even to give my life.”
He went everywhere in search of the poor, went to the streets, went to the prison, went to hotels and found out that they are living in miserable conditions due to the rise of industrial revolution. Soon, he started boarding to accommodate the poor boys. To whoever joined his oratory, he promised three things, ‘Bread, work and Heaven’, started schools to give them education freely and mainly to empower them in the society and to those who cannot fare well in the school, he started for them technical schools with a view to make them honest citizens. He became the first person in the world to start the “Preventive System of Education” against the Repressive System of Education. The basic elements of preventive system of education are ‘Reason, Religion and Loving Kindness.’ He is the man who was never tired to spend time with youngster sharing his whole life time in love, cheerfulness and joy. He was the true Shepherd of the young.
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