April 27 to May 5 | Feast Day – May 6
Bornat Riva di Chieri (Torino) 2 April 1842
Died at Mondonio (Asti) 9 March 1857
Canonized on 12 June 1954
He is one of St John Bosco’s favourite pupils who reached the heights of sanctity. He lived a joyful life and nourished himself on the Sacraments and Marian devotion. Being one of the most beautiful fruits of Don Bosco’s educational system, he was an admirable example of purity and apostolic charity.
He is an example of how grace works in youngsters and he is revered by the Salesians as one of their particular protectors. The message that this fifteen year old saint leaves us is very useful for all Christian parents, educators and those responsible for youth. While inviting youngsters to follow the example of this “young saint” and recommending them to his intercession, Dominic Savio inspires them to
become genuine and courageous witnesses of Christ among their companions.
Day One – 27 April
Day Two – 28 April
Day Three – 29 April
Day Four – 30 April
Day Five – 1 May
Day Six – 2 May
Day Seven – 3 May
Day Eight – 4 May
Day Nine – 5 May
DAY ONE | A Firm Determination
It is in the nature of youth to be variable in mood, so that what today appears most desirable, has tomorrow lost all attraction; and those who start out with a high standard of virtue, quickly tire of it; so that many who have at first been the pride of their masters, have ended by being their despair, and an education begun in high hopes has ended in failure of both master and pupil.
But Dominic did not have this instability of temperament. As he grew older, so did the virtues we have already noticed, increase and strengthen within his soul.
(Pause for Reflection)
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the love for You that he showed when he diligently studied the foundations of our faith.
St. Dominic, you studied the teachings of our faith eagerly as a young man. You had deep belief that these teachings were the truth, and you devoted your life to defending that truth.
Throughout your lifetime, you saw many people attack the teachings of our faith. Your love of God compelled you to defend the faith against falsehoods. You devoted your life to this mission. You even established a religious order for the purpose of preaching the true teachings of our faith.
Pray for me, that I may as devoted to the teachings of our faith as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Click to say the Litanic Prayer and the blessing of Mary Help of Christians
DAY TWO | Complete Trust in His Superiors
When he reached the Oratory he came straight to my room, in order, as he said, to put himself wholly into the hands of his superiors. The first thing he saw was an inscription which read: “Give me souls and take away all else.” He said: I hope my soul will have its partas well.”
He threw himself heart and soul into his studies, and applied himself assiduously to his lessons. Sermons were his delight, for he was convinced that the Word of God is the light by which our steps are guided on the road to Heaven. Every fresh truth thus heard became for him a new rule of life.
(Pause for Reflection)
Let us begin, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the charity he showed in serving those who had become destitute after famine.
St. Dominic, you were born to a family of means, but you were always conscious of the needs of others. As a young man, you enjoyed your life as a student, but you did not let excessive love for your lifestyle keep you from providing for others.
When you saw that others around you were left destitute as the result of famine, you sold your own possessions in order to help provide for these people. You even sold the books you loved, and you did so happily, for love of God.
Pray for me, that I may imitate your spirit of charity and detachment in my own life.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Click to say the Litanic Prayer and the blessing of Mary Help of Christians
DAY THREE | Interest in His Personal Growth
He loved to listen to instructions and catechism classes, no matter what their length. From this sprung that exemplary life, that continual advance along the path of virtue, that devotion to duty, which it is beyond my power to describe. He often begged the teacher to tell him of any little fault he might have committed through ignorance; so great was his respect for the Rule of the House.
His relations with his companions showed the same wisdom. He sought the company of those who were studious and enthusiastic, with the same care with which he avoided that of those who were lazy, inattentive and slack in their religious duties.
(Pause for Reflection)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the spirit of penance and devotion to a life of prayer that he showed as he served You throughout his life.
St. Dominic, you knew from a young age that material wealth was not needed for your salvation. Not only did you sell your belongings to help provide for others, you also made poverty a way of life by entering religious life.
During your vocation in religious life, you knew that prayer and penance were important. You saw that they were needed not just for your holiness, but as the foundation of the good works you could do to help others.
Pray for me, that I may be as devoted to prayer and penance as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Click to say the Litanic Prayer and the blessing of Mary Help of Christians
DAY FOUR | Love for Jesus and Mary
Dominic was among those who were consumed with an ardent desire to celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception worthily. On the advice of his confessor he knelt before Our Lady’s altar and renewed the promised he had made at his First Communion. Then he said over and over again: “OMary, I give you my heart; make it yours forever. O Jesus, O Mary, be always my friends. May I die rather than commit a single sin.”
After Dominic had thus placed himself under the protection of the Blessed Virgin his conduct became so perfect and his life so edifying, that I noted it down in order not to forget it.
(Pause for Reflection)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate his devotion to Your Church’s teachings, even when those around us are hostile to these teachings.
St. Dominic, you had a deep love for the teachings of the Church. When you saw that the Albigensian heresy was spreading far and wide around you, you wished to defend the Church’s teachings and keep your brothers and sisters from falling into error.
You knew that prayer and penance were important for the conversion of heretics. But you also saw the need to preach the truth directly to those who were mistaken. You did not waver from preaching the Church’s true teachings, no matter what obstacles you faced.
Pray for me, that I may be as steadfast in proclaiming the truth as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Click to say the Litanic Prayer and the blessing of Mary Help of Christians
DAY FIVE | God’s Help through the Sacraments
Experience proves without question that the greatest source of spiritual help lies in the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion. Boys and girls who receive these Sacraments frequently, grow from childhood to maturity, and so to the end of their lives are always models of Christian virtue. Would to God that youngsters understand this truth and put it into practice, and also that their teachers help them to persevere with it!
Before he came to the Oratory, Dominic had been going to Confession and Communion once a month, as was customary in most schools, but here he went more often.
(Pause for Reflection)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the commitment to preaching the Gospel that was the foundation for his religious order and his work for You.
St. Dominic, you knew that prayer and penance were essential to the conversion of the world. But you saw that more is sometimes needed. You knew that God calls us to directly preach His teachings to others, when others are straying from the truth.
Even though many wanted to silence you, you engaged in discussion and debate with those who did not believe in true Church teachings. Though many hated you and even threatened to harm you, you persisted in proclaiming the truth.
Pray for me, that I may never fear to proclaim the Gospel to others.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Click to say the Litanic Prayer and the blessing of Mary Help of Christians
DAY SIX | Serious About Confession
One day he heard a sermon in which the preacher said: “Boys, if you wish to persevere on the road to Heaven, 1 advise you to go often to Confession and Holy Communion. Choose a confessor to whom you can unburden yourselves freely, and never change him unless it becomes necessary to do so.”
Dominic understood well the importance of this advice. He began by choosing his confessor, whom he never left during the whole of his stay
atthe Oratory.
(Pause for Reflection)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the deep desire to serve You fully that led him to become a monk and to establish the Dominican order.
St. Dominic, you loved God deeply and desired to serve Him as fully as possible. Casting aside your material possessions, you entered willingly into a life of poverty and prayer as a monk.
When God called you to serve Him in a different way by establishing a new religious order, you answered His call readily. You saw the need for an order devoted to preaching and education, and you worked hard to bring more souls to Christ through this mission.
Pray for me, that I may be ready and willing to serve Him in whatever way He might call me to.
Please also pray for (mention your intention here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Click to say the Litanic Prayer and the blessing of Mary Help of Christians
DAY SEVEN | Aversion For Sin
Dominic placed unlimited confidence in his confessor, and would often speak to him of matters regarding his soul, even outside the confessional. Nothing would induce him to change him. “The confessor,” he would say, “is the doctor of the soul. There are only two reasons why people change their doctors; either they have lost confidence in them, or else they are gravely ill.
Neither of these is my case. I have every confidence in my confessor, who has a fatherly care for me; and I do not think there is any ailment in my soul which he cannot cure.”
(Pause for Reflection)
St. Dominic Savio, during your brief life on this Earth, you had such a fervent desire to become a saint. You said, “Ask Jesus to make you a saint. After all, only He can do that.” Knowing that He granted your desire to be a saint, I ask that you intercede on my behalf to Jesus.
St. Dominic Savio, you once said, “I am not capable of doing big things, but I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God.” As I go about my day, please show me how all things I do, no matter how small, may be used to glorify God.
Pray for me, that I may be as devoted to bringing others to God as you were.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Click to say the Litanic Prayer and the blessing of Mary Help of Christians
DAY EIGHT | Constant Union With God
With such a frame of mind Dominic Savio was truly happy. That was the source of his gentle cheerfulness, of the heavenly joy which radiated from his face at all times. But it must not be imagined that he did not realize to the full, the graces necessary in order to receive Communion frequently; on the contrary, his conduct was in every way irreproachable.
I have asked his companions to tell me of any fault of which he had been guilty during the tenure of his three years with us, and they were unanimous in saying that there was no virtue which he lacked.
(Pause for Reflection)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate the compassion that he showed in trying to resolve conflicts between warring factions and to obtain mercy for those who were defeated.
St. Dominic, you were deeply devoted to the Church’s true teachings. But even though you worked tirelessly for the conversion of heretics, you knew that those who had been led astray should be treated with mercy.
When wars broke out between the heretics and the faithful, you did you best to end the conflict and to ensure that all were treated mercifully. You knew that the Lord calls us to love our enemies and to pray for them.
Pray for me, that I may treat any opponents in my own life as compassionately as you treated those who opposed you.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Click to say the Litanic Prayer and the blessing of Mary Help of Christians
DAY NINE | Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament
His preparation for Holy Communion was thorough. His thanksgiving afterwards was endless. If not reminded he forgot breakfast, and at times even his classes, so rapt was he in prayer or rather contemplation, adoring the goodness of God, who gives Himself to us in this Sacrament of His Infinite Mercy.
It was for him a real joy when he could pass a few moments in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, which he made it a point to visit at least once a day, with a few friends. In order that his Communion should be as fruitful as possible, he had a special intention for each day of the week.
(Pause for Reflection)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Dear Lord, we thank You for giving us St. Dominic as an example of devotion to You. Help us to imitate his love of Mary and of her special prayer, the Rosary.
St. Dominic, you had a deep love of God and of His Blessed Mother. Legend has it that the Rosary, as we pray it today, began with your propagation, when Mary appeared to you and told you how to pray it.
You must have known how powerful it is to have a devotion to Our Blessed Mother. You most certainly must have turned to her often in your struggles and for your needs.
Pray for me, that I may have a deep love of Mary and of her Rosary. Pray that I may remember to turn to her powerful intercession when I am in need.
Please also pray for (mention your intentions here).
St. Dominic, pray for us!
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Click to say the Litanic Prayer and the blessing of Mary Help of Christians
Litanic Prayer
Let us pray to this young saint and ask for his help:
All: O Saint Dominic Savio, who studied at the school of Don Bosco to follow the path of youthful sanctity, help us to imitate your love for Jesus and your devotion to Mary, your zeal for souls; and inspire us with courage to die rather than offend God and so obtain our eternal salvation Amen.
OR
Let us Pray:
All: O Saint Dominic Savio, through prayer, sacrifice and joy, you followed the advice of Don Bosco and in your short life you achieved perfection. Give us that zeal and constancy in serving the Lord. Protect our youngsters that they may grow pure and generous. Help us elders, to be like Don Bosco, friends of God and young people, true educators of the Faith, and may our work produce in our youth the fruits of grace and holiness. Amen
The Blessing of Mary Help of Christians
C. Our help is in the name of the Lord,
A. Who made heaven and earth.
Hail Mary…
We fly to your patronage, O holy Mother of God, despise not our petitions in our necessities but deliver us always from all dangers O glorious and blessed Virgin.
C. Mary Help of Christians
A. Pray for us.
C. O Lord, hear my prayer,
A. And let my cry come unto you.
C. The Lord be with you.
A. And also with you.
C. Let us pray:Almighty and everlasting God, who by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit did prepare the body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mother Mary to become a worthy dwelling for your Son, grant that, as we rejoice in her commemoration, we may by her loving intercession, be delivered from present evils and from everlasting death. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
C. May the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit descend on you and remain with you always. Amen
Source: (From: The Life of Dominic Savio by Don Bosco)