PATRON SAINT OF MAGIC
There actually is a Catholic saint whose sphere of influence includes stage magic. January 31 is the day set aside on the Catholic liturgical calendar to honor ST. JOHN DON BOSCO ("Don" is simply the Italian honorific for a respected person, equivalent to our "Sir"). He was referred to as Don even during his life by both villagers and the
children for whom he cared.
Many people would wonder how it is that the Catholic Church and magic could get mixed up together. During the latter half of the 19th century, as Europe's poor were suffering from the effects of Industrialization, Don Bosco saw how most of the children in his village remained uneducated and unchurched. After Mass on Sundays, he would round up his little friends and relate the Bible stories he learned in church to them. To keep their attention he would use magic
tricks as he retold these stories.
As a young man, Don Bosco became a priest and directed his ministry solely to poor children. He needed a way to get kids interested in coming to church and to accept the aid he was offering. He used puzzles, riddles and juggling but it was the magic that most quickly caught the kids' attention. Stories that have come down to us from his
contemporaries include some specific tricks he used. He was said to be especially good at tying three ropes together to form one seamless rope in order to explain the mystery of the Christian Trinity. He also would pull coins from ears and change pebbles into money, delighting the children who were under his care. Don Bosco started a community of
Catholic priests, nuns and brothers who still to this day help street kids and youth in gangs throughout the world including New York City.
Catholic magicians in Europe still celebrate this day by performing benefit shows for children.
There actually is a Catholic saint whose sphere of influence includes stage magic. January 31 is the day set aside on the Catholic liturgical calendar to honor ST. JOHN DON BOSCO ("Don" is simply the Italian honorific for a respected person, equivalent to our "Sir"). He was referred to as Don even during his life by both villagers and the
children for whom he cared.
Many people would wonder how it is that the Catholic Church and magic could get mixed up together. During the latter half of the 19th century, as Europe's poor were suffering from the effects of Industrialization, Don Bosco saw how most of the children in his village remained uneducated and unchurched. After Mass on Sundays, he would round up his little friends and relate the Bible stories he learned in church to them. To keep their attention he would use magic
tricks as he retold these stories.
As a young man, Don Bosco became a priest and directed his ministry solely to poor children. He needed a way to get kids interested in coming to church and to accept the aid he was offering. He used puzzles, riddles and juggling but it was the magic that most quickly caught the kids' attention. Stories that have come down to us from his
contemporaries include some specific tricks he used. He was said to be especially good at tying three ropes together to form one seamless rope in order to explain the mystery of the Christian Trinity. He also would pull coins from ears and change pebbles into money, delighting the children who were under his care. Don Bosco started a community of
Catholic priests, nuns and brothers who still to this day help street kids and youth in gangs throughout the world including New York City.
Catholic magicians in Europe still celebrate this day by performing benefit shows for children.
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