Margherita Occhiena

Venerable Margherita Occhiena Bosco
Born April 1, 1788
Valdocco, Turin, Italy
Died November 25, 1856 (aged 68)
Capriglio, Asti, Italy
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church
Influenced John Bosco

Venerable Margherita Occhiena Bosco (1 April 1788 - 25 November 1856) was the mother of Saint John Bosco and worked with the poor and the less fortunate. Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed her to be Venerable in 2006.

Biography

Occhiena was born in Capriglio in Asti and is best known for being the mother of Saint John Bosco. At the age of 24, she married Francis Bosco who was a widower. The untimely death of her husband left the 29 year old Margherita a single mother with three sons: Antonio, Joseph and John. She also cared for her mother-in-law and brother-in-law.

A strong woman with clear ideas, Margherita raised her sons with a regimen of sober living at once severe, sweet and reasonable. The boys were quite different in temperament. Still, Marghertia made sure she presented them with the beginnings of a Christian education. She gave them the example of faith, wisdom, and courage in facing the difficulties of life.

While Anthony served as the bread winner for the family, he also made life difficult for his more studious young brother, John. To keep peace in the family, Margherita convinced Anthony to let John leave home to continue his schooling. With the loving prayers and support of his mother, John was able to complete his studies and be ordained as a priest.

With her sons grown, Margherita left her beloved village of Colle, and at the age of 58 moved to the city of Turin. There she assisted John, now called "Don Bosco", in his work with the poor and abandoned boys who were flocking to the city. For the next ten years she served as a surrogate mother, by the moniker of "Mamma Margherita," for the hundreds of boys being cared for and educated by Don Bosco.

The school and boys' club called the Oratory continued to expand. Some of the older boys stayed to help with the work begun by Don Bosco. He formed them into a religious order he called the Salesians (after the French saint, Francis de Sales).

Though she herself was illiterate, Margherita's wisdom and goodness became the model for the "preventive system" that was the basis of Don Bosco's educational approach. Throughout her life, Margherita put God first and above all, consumed in a life of poverty, prayer and sacrifice. She died at the age of 68 in Turin on 25 November 1856.

Cause of beatification

The cause of beatification for Margherita Occhiena commenced on 7 March 1995 with the declaration of "nihil obstat" (nothing against) by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints under Pope John Paul II, thereby declaring her to be a Servant of God. On 23 October 2006, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed her to be Venerable, having lived a life of heroic virtue.

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