St. John Bosco was born in Italy, soon after the Napoleonic Wars devastated the area. He was also born during a time of drought and famine. With all of these factors, the family was impoverished. On top of this, when John was two years old, his father died.
John spent his childhood splitting his time between going to church and helping on the family’s farm. Despite their poverty, John’s mother set an example of generosity, continuing to give to people in need.
At the young age of nine, John had a dream that would impact him for the rest of his life. In the dream, he was among a group of boys who cursed often as they played. A man and a woman stood among the children.
The man told John that, through his humility and charity, he would help to conquer the sin of these boys. The woman encouraged him to be strong and humble.
John began looking for ways to help people come to Christ. He met a group of circus performers and learned a few tricks to capture the attention of those he wished to evangelize. He began giving shows for his neighbors on Sundays, which he would end by repeating the day’s homily.
The dream and these performances helped John to discern that God was calling him to the priesthood. There was one problem: Becoming a priest would require education, which he hadn’t had much of because he had worked to support his family.
There was a kind priest in the area who was willing to teach him. As John began to pursue his education, his older brother became angry, believing he was being disloyal to the family. He even whipped John in his anger.
Because of this situation, John left home at 12 to work as a farm laborer. This work put him in touch with a priest who helped him gain an education. He then entered seminary and was later ordained a priest.
John’s first assignment as a priest was in Turin, Italy. The city was in the process of industrialization, which was creating extreme poverty in various areas. John began entering these neighborhoods to work with the children.
John also began visiting the prisons, and while in prison, he saw many teenage boys. He felt moved to work to prevent other boys from ending up in jail.
So, John began using his talents to preach to young men and boys in the streets. He started working to find lodging and employment for young men, negotiated new rights for apprentices to prevent abuse, and encouraged vocations when he recognized a calling in one of the young men. At one point, he cared for 800 young men.
In his work, John emphasized love for the children. He works to remove them from situations that would drive them into sin. He provided the sacraments, catechetical instruction, and opportunities for play and study. He also avoided corporal punishment.
Later, John established the Society of St. Francis de Sales to carry on his work, which continues to this day.
Why is St. John Bosco a Patron for Trauma-Informed Ministry?
At the basis of being trauma-informed is shifting our mindset from asking, “What is wrong with you?” when we encounter dysfunctional behavior, to asking, “What might have happened to cause this behavior?”
When John encountered the many young men in prison, he could have fallen into judgment, thinking there was something wrong with them that led them to end up there.
Instead, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he began to wonder what factors had driven them to end up there. Then he started taking steps to address those factors.
How He Applied the Principles of Trauma-Informed Ministry
- He avoided retraumatization: Retraumatization occurs when we inadvertently create circumstances that remind people of the trauma they experienced. By avoiding the use of corporal punishment, which was common at the time, John avoided retraumatizing the young men he worked with, as using that type of punishment could have reminded the young men of past trauma.
- He connected people to healing grace and relationships: John didn’t have access to the healing resources we have today. Still, he strove to help the young men find healing by directing them to the sacraments and serving as a father figure.
- He established positive relationships: He built a community of young men and served as a father figure to them.
- He provided safety: He worked to find shelter and employment for the young men in his charge.
- He built resilience: He built community, helped young men find their vocations, built their prayer lives, and taught virtue.
In these and other ways, John was trauma-informed in his ministry with young men.
Conclusion
Without knowing about trauma and being trauma-informed, St. John Bosco implemented many trauma-informed principles in his ministry, and through it, helped many young men find healing and live good lives.
May we learn from his example as we work to create our own trauma-informed ministries, and may he intercede for us in our work.