Don Bosco was born on August 16, 1815 in I Becchi, Castelnuovo, Piemonte (Italy). When he was only two years old, his father died, and it was his mother, the Servant of God Margarita Occhiena, who would take care of him and his brothers alone.
At nine years old, little Juan had a dream that would mark him forever. In it he saw a crowd of children fighting among themselves and blaspheming. Juan, furious, in his dream, rushed against the horde of infantry and tried to silence them by hitting him. Suddenly, the dream had turned into a nightmare, full of helplessness and rage, until suddenly, among the children, Jesus appeared.
The Lord rebuked him to calm down and stop inflicting more blows. That was not the way. Jesus then told him that to earn the trust and respect of the boys, he must do so with meekness and charity. Instantly, Christ was showing him who would be his guide and teacher in that task: the Virgin Mary.