An initiative of the Mary of Nazareth Association March 9 – Our Lady of Miracles (Treviso, Italy, 1510) - Saint Dominique Savio - Saint Caesarius of Nazianzus At the age of twelve, Dominic dedicated his life to the Immaculate Hoping to become a priest, little Dominic walked 16 kilometers barefoot every day to go to school. His family’s poverty moved the priest of his parish to take him in 1854 to Don Bosco, a priest in the suburbs of Turin (Italy), who was to take a fatherly care of this chosen soul. On December 8, 1854, while the Catholic world celebrated the proclamation of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, Dominic dedicated his life to God, and especially his teenage purity. "God wants me to be a saint," he often told Don Bosco. Trying to be like Jesus in His mystery of suffering, Dominic took the path of extraordinary penances. But Don Bosco objected. "Your duty as a student is to give constant and joyful service to others. That is your holiness, nothing else," he declared. Later, when he proposed to found the Company of the Immaculate, his companions asked him what they must do: "First," he said, "we will love Our Lady with all our heart. We will also ask her to protect us during this life and especially at the hour of our death. Finally, each time there is one of her feasts, we will do everything possible to make it beautiful and we will receive Holy Communion." Vie de saint-Dominique-Savio (1842-1857) St. John Bosco (Don Bosco), the spiritual mentor of St. Dominic Savio. www.mariedenazareth.com Let’s pray together Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.