Patron saints
Who Is the Patron Saint of Young People?
Saint John Bosco · Feast day January 31
The patron saint of young people is Saint John Bosco, whose feast day is January 31.
Who was Saint John Bosco?
Saint John Bosco was a nineteenth-century Italian priest who gave his life to poor and abandoned boys in Turin, teaching them trades and the faith through kindness rather than punishment, and founding the Salesians to continue the work.
Why the patron of young people?
As the great friend and teacher of the young, he is the patron of youth, students, and young workers, alongside Saint Aloysius Gonzaga.
In the Word
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.1 Timothy 4:12 (KJV)
A note for all traditions: patron saints are honored in the Catholic and Orthodox churches as examples of faith and as friends who pray with us, never worshiped, for worship belongs to God alone. Many Protestant Christians honor the saints as examples without asking their intercession. Across all traditions, there is one Lord and one mediator between God and us, the man Christ Jesus, and every one of us, not only the saints, is called to holiness and to him.
All the saints point to Jesus, and so are you called
Saint John Bosco was not the point; Christ was. Every saint is a window, and the light is Jesus, who is Lord of all. You are called to the same holiness and the same love. Pray, read the Word, and gather with the family of God on The Living Bread. Free, with no ads, for all people.
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