Saint Dominic Savio, the Student of Don Bosco

Patron saint of children and expectant mothers, Saint Dominic Savio was an example of extraordinary virtue and qualities that were unparalleled, not only among his peers. Though he died very young, he earned sainthood and remains the youngest Catholic saint who was not a martyr.

We have already dedicated a brief article to Saint Dominic Savio, student of Saint John Bosco and the protector of expectant mothers, in a piece about saints who watch over women. The reason why this young boy is invoked by pregnant women, especially in times of danger, is linked to the legend of Saint Dominic’s abitino, the small scapular with which he saved his mother’s life during a difficult childbirth.

Saint Dominic is also the patron saint of children, particularly pueri cantores (young choir singers) and altar servers. This is because he died at the tender age of just fourteen.

Pregnant women who fear for themselves or their unborn child make pilgrimages to the chapel of the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin, where the remains of young Saint Dominic are kept.

Don Bosco and Saint Dominic Savio

When Don Bosco first met the future Saint Dominic, the boy was only 12 years old. However, the founder of the Salesians was deeply impressed by the young boy’s kindness and maturity, as well as his clarity of purpose—so much so that he gladly welcomed Dominic’s wish to study and took him under his wing at the Valdocco Oratory in Turin.

Dominic did not merely aspire to become a priest; he knew, he felt that his destiny was to become a saint. When Saint John Bosco asked his students to write down their greatest wish, Dominic wrote: “Will you help me become a saint?”

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But Dominic had already embarked on the path to holiness even before meeting his mentor. Born into a humble family in San Giovanni di Riva, Piedmont, his father was a blacksmith, his mother a seamstress, and he had many siblings, most of whom died at a young age. He himself was frail and eventually succumbed to tuberculosis at a very young age.

At just seven years old, he was admitted to his First Holy Communion, and on that occasion, he wrote a small note outlining the key points of his spiritual programme. It may seem naïve, yet the life he led in the short years that followed proved his absolute determination.

This is what the young saint wrote:

1. ”I will go to confession very often and receive Holy Communion as often as my confessor allows.
2. I want to sanctify Sundays and holy days of obligation.
3. My friends will be Jesus and Mary.
4. Death rather than sin.”

To these commitments, Dominic added a life of kindness, mercy, and self-sacrifice, alongside a strong devotion to Penance and the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

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Holy Communion

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Don Bosco took Dominic’s request to help him become a saint very seriously. He explained what he believed were the secrets of holiness: living with joy, fulfilling one’s duties of study and prayer, and doing good for others. Dominic followed his master’s advice so well that when he fell ill and died in 1857, Don Bosco wasted no time in writing his biography and presenting his heroic virtues to the Holy See.

After being credited with several miraculous healings, Saint Dominic was beatified in 1950 and canonised on 12 June 1954. His feast day is celebrated on 9 March, but the Salesian Family honours him on 6 May.

The Miraculous Abitino of Saint Dominic Savio

One of the most famous symbols of devotion to Saint Dominic is the abitino, a small scapular bearing his image, reminiscent of the one he placed around his mother’s neck to invoke the Virgin Mary’s protection during a difficult pregnancy.

The story goes that while studying under Don Bosco, Dominic asked to visit his mother, who was suffering due to complications with her pregnancy. When he saw her, he embraced and kissed her, and by the time he left, she was already feeling better. Not only did she recover, but she also gave birth to a healthy baby girl. Around her neck, a small fabric scapular was found, sewn into the shape of a tiny tunic and tied with a ribbon.

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When questioned about it, Dominic admitted that he had placed it there himself, calling it “Our Lady’s abitino”. For this reason, Saint Dominic is also invoked as the patron saint of cradles and expectant mothers. The abitino has since become a devotional object that protects and safeguards women during pregnancy and their unborn children.

Prayer to Saint Dominic Savio

Here is a prayer that expectant mothers can recite to invoke Saint Dominic Savio’s protection during pregnancy:

“O God, who granted Saint Dominic Savio, student of Saint John Bosco and beloved of Mary, the grace to protect mothers in the dangers and sufferings of their mission, grant, through his intercession, the longed-for grace of motherhood. 

With full trust, I ask You for this great gift, invoking the intercession of Mary, Your Mother and ours, and of Saint Dominic Savio, patron of cradles and mothers. 

Amen.”

A Novena to Saint Dominic Savio can also be recited from 28 February in preparation for his feast day.

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