Catholics from all over the Archdiocese of Chicago are invited to St. John Bosco Church, 2250 N. McVicker Ave., to prepare for the 200th anniversary in 2015 of the saint’s birth by venerating his relics. The Salesian Congregation, founded by St. John Bosco, will bring the relics — the bones and tissue of his right arm and hand, encased in a wax figure of his body — to the church for an Oct. 2-4 visit. The event will include a youth rally, speakers, processions, games, music, opportunities for confession, Masses in three languages and plenty of time for prayer. “It will be lively and dynamic and friendly and welcoming,” said Salesian Father Timothy Zak, St. John Bosco’s pastor. “We want people to feel a sense of holiness. Throughout the events, you’ll see an emphasis on the participation of the young.” That’s because St. John Bosco’s life and ministry was marked by his desire to bring youth closer to God, so much so that Pope John Paul II called him the universal church’s “father and teacher” of youth on the 100th anniversary his death in 1988. Because of the saint’s emphasis on teaching youth, the archdiocesan Office for Catechesis and Youth Ministry has been a partner in planning for the visit. Who was he? St. John Bosco was born near Turin, Italy on Aug, 16, 1815, and his father died while he was very young. Even as a child, he wanted to lead his peers to Christ, and he would do it by offering to entertain them — for the price of reciting a prayer or listening to a sermon he had memorized, Zak said. Bosco was ordained a priest in 1841 and started working with poor young people, both instructing them in catechism and organizing games for them. After five years, he established an oratory in the outlying suburb of Valdocco where he provided food, shelter and education for boys. He is often known as “Don Bosco”; “don” is an honorific in Italian, similar to “sir.” “They were delighted to be with him,” Zak said. “He was kind and friendly, of course, but most of all, he was a man of God. He presented to them holiness.” He founded the Salesian Congregation of priests and laypeople who wished to continue his work, and he founded, with St. Maria Domenica Mazzarello, the Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians to extend his work to girls. He died on Jan. 31, 1888, and was proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius XI on April 1, 1934. The casket with his relics, constructed especially for this pilgrimage, is mounted on a large wood and metal cart inscribed with the years 1815 and 2015, with images of the faces of young people, and with the words “Da mihi animas, ceatera tolle,” which is Italian for, “Give me souls, take away the rest,” a quote from the saint. Activities on Oct. 3 will include options even for young children, with St. John Bosco’s “Land of Dreams,” Zak said. The Lord spoke to a young John Bosco in dreams, and the boy followed what he learned. The Land of Dreams will tell children about four of those dreams, with visuals and objects they can touch. And then they can play in the carnival area, Zak said. Venerable tradition Relics of holy people have been venerated from the early days of the church, going back as far as the tombs of Ss. Peter and Paul, Zak said. The bodies of holy people remind believers that while their bodies die, they can have new life in Christ and join the communion of saints, Zak said. There’s also a personal connection. “A mother sometimes saves the first tooth that falls out of her baby, or a lock of hair or the baby’s shoes,” he said. “Those are relics. The relic is not as important as the connection to the person.” The connection reminds us of how God acted in St. John Bosco’s life, “and it opens up the possibility for God to work the same way in our lives,” Zak said. By mid-September, Zak had already heard that pilgrims from Kansas, Iowa and other states were planning to attend to venerate the relic. Pilgrims from the Chicago area will be encouraged to keep the connection going leading up to World Youth Day in Madrid in August 2011, and the World Youth Day Chicago-Style event that will be held at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine at Maryville in Des Plaines at the same time. For example, catechists who teach young people will be invited to attend the Catechetical Conference in November.