July 26, 2025 • 10 mins
Delve into the extraordinary life of St. Dominic Savio, as detailed by his mentor, St. John Bosco. This authentic biography, recounted by someone who knew him intimately, offers a profound exploration of Savios spiritual journey. (Summary by Mozartjr)
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section twelve of the Life of Saint Dominic Sauvio by
Saint John Bosco. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
Chapter twenty one Dominic's interest in the sick, he had
to leave the oratory for change of air. His parting words.
Domini's gradual decline was not so rapid or so marked
(00:22):
as to cause him to be continually in bed. He
sometimes went into the class room or the study, or
helped in some light domestic work, as the doctor had suggested.
But his chief delight was to attend on his sick
companions whenever there chance to be any. But he seemed
to derive such pleasure from it that he doubted whether
it could be meritorious in the sight of God. However,
while he waited upon their needs, he was particularly pleased
(00:44):
to be able to assist them in some spiritual way,
and was very skillful in his method of so doing.
He remarked to one companion that the poor body could
not last forever, so that it had to become weak
some time or other and gradually be consumed. But then
the soul, which had been set free, would go to
its everlasting home and enjoy any eternal happiness. If the
medicine were distasteful, he would remark to the sick boy
(01:07):
that it was not nearly as bad as the gall
and vinegar of our divine Lord, and that it was
ordained by God that these remedies should be provided for
the body. Dominic's own health had already made it evident
that he would have to leave the oratory and go
home for his native air. He had a great repugnance
to this, for it interrupted his practices of piety, and
in fact I had sent him to his home just
(01:28):
before this, but he only remained there a few days
and then returned to the oratory. I must own that
our regret was mutual, and I would have made every
sacrifice to keep him amongst us. I regarded him with
the affection that a father has towards the best beloved
of his sons. But the recommendations of the doctors made
it clear that it would be against all prudence to
keep him longer at the oratory, especially as he had
(01:50):
been troubled with his severe and obstinate cough for some days.
Notice was accordingly sent to his father, and the day
for his departure was fixed from March first, eighteen fifty
in order to make a sacrifice for his will to God.
Dominic submitted to this arrangement, for he would have much
rather ended his days at the oratory. Somebody suggested to
him that it would not be for long, but that
(02:11):
he would remain quite well and be able to continue
his studies. But Dominic was under no misapprehension. He replied
that he was going away, and he knew quite well
that he would never return. On the evening before his departure,
he stayed with me a long time, so much so
that he had no wish to leave me. He had
a great many questions to ask, concerning chiefly his own
method of action as an invalid, which now he was,
(02:34):
and how he might make that state meritorious. I told
him that he should offer his illness and his life
to God. He was anxious about his past faults on
whether I thought he would be saved. I assured him
that whatever he might have committed was forgiven, and that
he need have no fear of being saved. In regard
to temptations, I counseled him to reply to the tempter
that he had already given his soul to our Lord,
(02:55):
who had redeemed it with his precious blood. He had
many further questions about dying and about heaven, and he
seemed like one who had his foot upon the threshold
of heaven and wanted to know beforehand what it was like.
The day for his departure happened to be the day
for the exercises of a happy death, and these he
made with the utmost fervor. In fact, I have no
words in which to describe the devotion with which he
(03:17):
approached the sacraments, though it made a deep impression on me.
He regarded these exercises as his actual preparation for death,
and thought that perhaps his end might come at any moment.
His few preparations for departure were soon made, though they
were carried out with that scrupulous care which showed that
he regarded them as the last acts he would do.
At the oratory, he went to each of his companions
(03:37):
to say good bye, and to several he gave a
little message of advice, or encouragement or recommendation. To one boy,
he owed a few pence. He called to him and said, come,
let us put our account's right, or else there may
be trouble in settling accounts with God. To his associates
and the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception. He had some
special advice to give and encouraged them always to have
the greatest confidence in our lady. When he was going,
(04:02):
he turned to me and said, then you will not
have my body with you, and I must needs take
it to Mondonnio. It would have been but a brief inconvenience,
and then all would be over. But the will of
God be done. If you go to Rome, do not
forget the message I have given you concerning England. Pray
that I may have a happy death, and that we
may see each other again in heaven. We had reached
the door of the oratory leading out to this street.
(04:23):
He still had hold of my hand, but he turned
to his companion and said, good bye, my friends. Pray
for me, and may we meet again in heaven, where
there are no more partings. Just as he was leaving,
he said to me, I would like a present as
a souvenir. I asked him what he would prefer to have,
a book for example, No, something better than that. I
thought perhaps he wanted something for his journey, and suggested
(04:44):
to him. He replied, yes, it is exactly that something
for the journey to eternity. You have spoken of a
plenary indulgence from the Pope for those who are dying.
I should like to participate in that, I said, I
would willingly insert his name among those who should enjoy
that privilege, which I had obtained, specially from Rome. Thus
he left the oratory where he had spent the last
(05:05):
three years. They had been three happy years for the boy,
three years of continual edification, for his companions and even
for his superiors. He had left it now to return
no more. His parting salutations, so unusual in a boy,
had astonished all of us. We knew that he suffered
a good deal from his illness, but as he was
nearly always up and about, we were not accustomed to
(05:25):
regard it as causing immediate anxiety. His cheerful disposition also
went far to conceal his sufferings. Therefore, although we were
inclined to take his parting words seriously and were greatly
grieved at them, we still had hopes that he would
return and continue his studies. But the sequel proved otherwise.
He was ready for heaven. During the few years of
his boyhood he had merited the reward of the just,
(05:47):
and it seemed that God designed to take him to
himself in the spring time of his life, and before
he should encounter those dangers which bring shipwreck, often even
to the purest souls. End of chapter twenty one Chapter
twenty two, the progress of his illness, he receives the
last sacraments edifying incidents. Dominic had left the oratory on
(06:11):
the first of March. The journey home in the carriage
and the change of scene appeared to do him good,
and therefore it was not thought necessary that he should
remain in bed. But after a few days he seemed
to become weaker. His appetite was poor, and his cough
more noticeable, so that the doctor was consulted. His opinion
was that the boy was a great deal worse than
he appeared. He had him put to bed at once,
(06:34):
and as he thought there was some inflammation, he had
recourse to blood letting. This remedy usually had great terrors
for the young. The doctor therefore advised Dominic to fix
his attention on something else, and to have patience and courage.
The boy smiled and said, what is such a little
wound compared to those made by the nails in the
hands and feet of our Savior. Then, with the greatest
(06:54):
tranquility of mind, in almost a playful mood, and without
the least sign of apprehension, he watched the whole op option.
When it had been repeated several times, he seemed to
be doing somewhat better. The doctor thought there was a
turn towards improvement. His parents thought likewise, but Dominic was
not to be brought to that opinion. Guided by the
thought that it is better to receive the sacraments in
(07:14):
good time than to delay till it was too late,
he sent for his father and said, father, I think
it would be better to consult the heavenly physician. I
wished to go to confession and communion. His parents quite
thought he was on the road to recovery. It was
with sorrow they heard such remarks as these, and it
was just to satisfy his desire that they sent for
the priest. He came at once, heard the boy's confession, and,
(07:36):
in accordance with his request, brought the Holy Viaticum. The
devotion and eager fervor displayed by Dominic under these circumstances
is better imagined than described. Whenever he approached the sacraments,
it was in the attitude and dispositions of a Saint Eloisis,
and now that he received them for what he deemed
to be the last time, it was with outbursts of
ardent love that his heart went out to meet his
(07:57):
divine Lord. He recalled that the promises he had made
at his first communion, how he had besought Jesus and
Mary to be his constant friends, and resolved to prefer
death rather than wilfully give way to sin. When his
thanksgiving was over, he said, in complete tranquility, Now I
am at peace. It is true that I have to
make the long journey to eternity, but with our divine
Lord by my side, I have nothing to fear. Tell
(08:20):
every one that if they have him, there is nothing
to fear, not even death itself. Dominic had always been
a model of patience under suffering, but this virtue is
even more conspicuous in him during his last illness, which
he bore as a saint. Whatever he could do for himself,
he wished still to do so as not to inconvenience
any one. He thought his parents had already had too
(08:41):
much to bear from him. He took any and every
medicine without the least sign of distaste, and underwent ten
times the operation of blood letting without any sign of impatience.
After four days of attendance, the doctor congratulated the boy
and his parents on the improvement he found, and told
the mother and father to thank God that now the
worse was over and only convalescence remained. The parents were
(09:02):
naturally pleased, but Dominic smiled and said, the world is overcome.
I have now only to make a befitting appearance before God.
When the doctor had gone, Dominic seemed to place no
reliance on his promise of recovery, and asked that the
sacrament of extreme unction might be administered to him. In
this again, the parents only complied in order to satisfy him,
(09:22):
for neither they nor the priest could perceive any signs
of his being near to death. The very serenity of
his countenance and his bright conversation made them believe that
there was really some improvement. But whether Dominic was guided
by sentiments of devotion, or whether some divinely inspired voice
had spoken to his heart, the fact is that he
counted the days and hours of his life as a
person reckons numbers and arithmetic, and every moment was occupied
(09:45):
in preparation to appear before God. Thus, before receiving extreme unction,
he expressed his devotion, Pardon my sins, o God, for
I love THEE and wished to love THEE forever. May
this sacrament, which thou hast permitted me to receive, in
thy infinite mercy, blot out all all the sins I
have committed by my hearing, sight, tongue, hands, and feet.
May my body and soul be sanctified through the merits
(10:06):
of Thy passion. Amen. He answered all the responses in
such a clear voice and with such realization of their meaning,
that one would have imagined him to be in perfect health.
It was then the ninth of March, the fourth day
of his illness and the last day of his life.
His strength was diminishing, and remedy seemed to have no effect,
So that the papal blessing was given. He said the
(10:27):
confitior himself and responded to the priest in his turn.
When he was told that it earned with it a
plenary indulgence, he showed the greatest joy and said, deo
gratias at sempe de deo gratias then he turned to
the crucifix and recited some verses of a favorite hymn
end of Chapter twenty two.
Section twelve of the Life of Saint Dominic Sauvio by
Saint John Bosco. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
Chapter twenty one Dominic's interest in the sick, he had
to leave the oratory for change of air. His parting words.
Domini's gradual decline was not so rapid or so marked
(00:22):
as to cause him to be continually in bed. He
sometimes went into the class room or the study, or
helped in some light domestic work, as the doctor had suggested.
But his chief delight was to attend on his sick
companions whenever there chance to be any. But he seemed
to derive such pleasure from it that he doubted whether
it could be meritorious in the sight of God. However,
while he waited upon their needs, he was particularly pleased
(00:44):
to be able to assist them in some spiritual way,
and was very skillful in his method of so doing.
He remarked to one companion that the poor body could
not last forever, so that it had to become weak
some time or other and gradually be consumed. But then
the soul, which had been set free, would go to
its everlasting home and enjoy any eternal happiness. If the
medicine were distasteful, he would remark to the sick boy
(01:07):
that it was not nearly as bad as the gall
and vinegar of our divine Lord, and that it was
ordained by God that these remedies should be provided for
the body. Dominic's own health had already made it evident
that he would have to leave the oratory and go
home for his native air. He had a great repugnance
to this, for it interrupted his practices of piety, and
in fact I had sent him to his home just
(01:28):
before this, but he only remained there a few days
and then returned to the oratory. I must own that
our regret was mutual, and I would have made every
sacrifice to keep him amongst us. I regarded him with
the affection that a father has towards the best beloved
of his sons. But the recommendations of the doctors made
it clear that it would be against all prudence to
keep him longer at the oratory, especially as he had
(01:50):
been troubled with his severe and obstinate cough for some days.
Notice was accordingly sent to his father, and the day
for his departure was fixed from March first, eighteen fifty
in order to make a sacrifice for his will to God.
Dominic submitted to this arrangement, for he would have much
rather ended his days at the oratory. Somebody suggested to
him that it would not be for long, but that
(02:11):
he would remain quite well and be able to continue
his studies. But Dominic was under no misapprehension. He replied
that he was going away, and he knew quite well
that he would never return. On the evening before his departure,
he stayed with me a long time, so much so
that he had no wish to leave me. He had
a great many questions to ask, concerning chiefly his own
method of action as an invalid, which now he was,
(02:34):
and how he might make that state meritorious. I told
him that he should offer his illness and his life
to God. He was anxious about his past faults on
whether I thought he would be saved. I assured him
that whatever he might have committed was forgiven, and that
he need have no fear of being saved. In regard
to temptations, I counseled him to reply to the tempter
that he had already given his soul to our Lord,
(02:55):
who had redeemed it with his precious blood. He had
many further questions about dying and about heaven, and he
seemed like one who had his foot upon the threshold
of heaven and wanted to know beforehand what it was like.
The day for his departure happened to be the day
for the exercises of a happy death, and these he
made with the utmost fervor. In fact, I have no
words in which to describe the devotion with which he
(03:17):
approached the sacraments, though it made a deep impression on me.
He regarded these exercises as his actual preparation for death,
and thought that perhaps his end might come at any moment.
His few preparations for departure were soon made, though they
were carried out with that scrupulous care which showed that
he regarded them as the last acts he would do.
At the oratory, he went to each of his companions
(03:37):
to say good bye, and to several he gave a
little message of advice, or encouragement or recommendation. To one boy,
he owed a few pence. He called to him and said, come,
let us put our account's right, or else there may
be trouble in settling accounts with God. To his associates
and the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception. He had some
special advice to give and encouraged them always to have
the greatest confidence in our lady. When he was going,
(04:02):
he turned to me and said, then you will not
have my body with you, and I must needs take
it to Mondonnio. It would have been but a brief inconvenience,
and then all would be over. But the will of
God be done. If you go to Rome, do not
forget the message I have given you concerning England. Pray
that I may have a happy death, and that we
may see each other again in heaven. We had reached
the door of the oratory leading out to this street.
(04:23):
He still had hold of my hand, but he turned
to his companion and said, good bye, my friends. Pray
for me, and may we meet again in heaven, where
there are no more partings. Just as he was leaving,
he said to me, I would like a present as
a souvenir. I asked him what he would prefer to have,
a book for example, No, something better than that. I
thought perhaps he wanted something for his journey, and suggested
(04:44):
to him. He replied, yes, it is exactly that something
for the journey to eternity. You have spoken of a
plenary indulgence from the Pope for those who are dying.
I should like to participate in that, I said, I
would willingly insert his name among those who should enjoy
that privilege, which I had obtained, specially from Rome. Thus
he left the oratory where he had spent the last
(05:05):
three years. They had been three happy years for the boy,
three years of continual edification, for his companions and even
for his superiors. He had left it now to return
no more. His parting salutations, so unusual in a boy,
had astonished all of us. We knew that he suffered
a good deal from his illness, but as he was
nearly always up and about, we were not accustomed to
(05:25):
regard it as causing immediate anxiety. His cheerful disposition also
went far to conceal his sufferings. Therefore, although we were
inclined to take his parting words seriously and were greatly
grieved at them, we still had hopes that he would
return and continue his studies. But the sequel proved otherwise.
He was ready for heaven. During the few years of
his boyhood he had merited the reward of the just,
(05:47):
and it seemed that God designed to take him to
himself in the spring time of his life, and before
he should encounter those dangers which bring shipwreck, often even
to the purest souls. End of chapter twenty one Chapter
twenty two, the progress of his illness, he receives the
last sacraments edifying incidents. Dominic had left the oratory on
(06:11):
the first of March. The journey home in the carriage
and the change of scene appeared to do him good,
and therefore it was not thought necessary that he should
remain in bed. But after a few days he seemed
to become weaker. His appetite was poor, and his cough
more noticeable, so that the doctor was consulted. His opinion
was that the boy was a great deal worse than
he appeared. He had him put to bed at once,
(06:34):
and as he thought there was some inflammation, he had
recourse to blood letting. This remedy usually had great terrors
for the young. The doctor therefore advised Dominic to fix
his attention on something else, and to have patience and courage.
The boy smiled and said, what is such a little
wound compared to those made by the nails in the
hands and feet of our Savior. Then, with the greatest
(06:54):
tranquility of mind, in almost a playful mood, and without
the least sign of apprehension, he watched the whole op option.
When it had been repeated several times, he seemed to
be doing somewhat better. The doctor thought there was a
turn towards improvement. His parents thought likewise, but Dominic was
not to be brought to that opinion. Guided by the
thought that it is better to receive the sacraments in
(07:14):
good time than to delay till it was too late,
he sent for his father and said, father, I think
it would be better to consult the heavenly physician. I
wished to go to confession and communion. His parents quite
thought he was on the road to recovery. It was
with sorrow they heard such remarks as these, and it
was just to satisfy his desire that they sent for
the priest. He came at once, heard the boy's confession, and,
(07:36):
in accordance with his request, brought the Holy Viaticum. The
devotion and eager fervor displayed by Dominic under these circumstances
is better imagined than described. Whenever he approached the sacraments,
it was in the attitude and dispositions of a Saint Eloisis,
and now that he received them for what he deemed
to be the last time, it was with outbursts of
ardent love that his heart went out to meet his
(07:57):
divine Lord. He recalled that the promises he had made
at his first communion, how he had besought Jesus and
Mary to be his constant friends, and resolved to prefer
death rather than wilfully give way to sin. When his
thanksgiving was over, he said, in complete tranquility, Now I
am at peace. It is true that I have to
make the long journey to eternity, but with our divine
Lord by my side, I have nothing to fear. Tell
(08:20):
every one that if they have him, there is nothing
to fear, not even death itself. Dominic had always been
a model of patience under suffering, but this virtue is
even more conspicuous in him during his last illness, which
he bore as a saint. Whatever he could do for himself,
he wished still to do so as not to inconvenience
any one. He thought his parents had already had too
(08:41):
much to bear from him. He took any and every
medicine without the least sign of distaste, and underwent ten
times the operation of blood letting without any sign of impatience.
After four days of attendance, the doctor congratulated the boy
and his parents on the improvement he found, and told
the mother and father to thank God that now the
worse was over and only convalescence remained. The parents were
(09:02):
naturally pleased, but Dominic smiled and said, the world is overcome.
I have now only to make a befitting appearance before God.
When the doctor had gone, Dominic seemed to place no
reliance on his promise of recovery, and asked that the
sacrament of extreme unction might be administered to him. In
this again, the parents only complied in order to satisfy him,
(09:22):
for neither they nor the priest could perceive any signs
of his being near to death. The very serenity of
his countenance and his bright conversation made them believe that
there was really some improvement. But whether Dominic was guided
by sentiments of devotion, or whether some divinely inspired voice
had spoken to his heart, the fact is that he
counted the days and hours of his life as a
person reckons numbers and arithmetic, and every moment was occupied
(09:45):
in preparation to appear before God. Thus, before receiving extreme unction,
he expressed his devotion, Pardon my sins, o God, for
I love THEE and wished to love THEE forever. May
this sacrament, which thou hast permitted me to receive, in
thy infinite mercy, blot out all all the sins I
have committed by my hearing, sight, tongue, hands, and feet.
May my body and soul be sanctified through the merits
(10:06):
of Thy passion. Amen. He answered all the responses in
such a clear voice and with such realization of their meaning,
that one would have imagined him to be in perfect health.
It was then the ninth of March, the fourth day
of his illness and the last day of his life.
His strength was diminishing, and remedy seemed to have no effect,
So that the papal blessing was given. He said the
(10:27):
confitior himself and responded to the priest in his turn.
When he was told that it earned with it a
plenary indulgence, he showed the greatest joy and said, deo
gratias at sempe de deo gratias then he turned to
the crucifix and recited some verses of a favorite hymn
end of Chapter twenty two.
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