Assumption Day: The miracle of rain that Don Bosco prophesied

On August 16, Don Bosco’s birthday is commemorated. who used to celebrate it on the same day as the Assumption of the Virgin, every August 15. The official accounts of the Salesians tell how the saint made a prophecy about a miracle that the Virgin Assumption was going to perform and that an entire town witnessed.

Las Biographical Memories (MB), a set of 20 volumes of the historical life of Don Bosco, narrate that one day the saint was in the city of Montemagno, in northern Italy, accompanied by Blessed Miguel Rua, who was his first successor, and Don Juan Cagliero, who later became the first Salesian bishop and cardinal.

At that time, the inhabitants were heartbroken because they had gone three months without rain and the entire harvest had been lost.

Don Bosco, who was in charge of preaching to the Assumption Virgin in the Triduum, went up to the pulpit and promised them, “in the name of the Virgin,” that if they attended the sermons and confessed to receive communion on the day of the Assumption , then the rain would fall.

When he returned to the sacristy, the priest congratulated him for the courage to make such a promise. But Don Bosco did not remember having said that. Apparently “the Virgin had spoken through her mouth,” the MB indicate.

The residents became so convinced of the prophecy that the penitents flocked to the confessionals and the priests could not get enough of the confessionals. However, in neighboring towns they made fun of the prophecy and in a nearby town they even had a big dance to contradict the saint.

When the day of the Assumption arrived, an immense number of faithful received communion. But Don Bosco began to feel distressed because the sky showed no signs of rain.

The saint asked the sacristan to go see if there was any sign, but he told him that there was barely a small cloud to be seen.

Don Bosco, cornered by people’s questions, went up to the pulpit to preach, but said in his heart to the Virgin: “It is not my honor that is in danger at this moment, but yours.”

The Church was packed with faithful and everyone was staring at the saint. Don Bosco began to pray the Hail Mary, began to speak, and suddenly thunder was heard. The people, shocked, overflowed with joy and continued listening to the thunder until they saw torrential rain falling before their eyes.

The saint was moved and began to thank the Virgin, while the faithful cried. In the end “everyone recognized the miracle.”

To finish, the MB indicate that only in the neighboring town where the party was held, against Don Bosco’s request for penance, a horrible hailstorm fell that destroyed all their crops.