On 25th November, we commemorate the Venerable Margaret Occhiena, the mother of Don Bosco.

St Pius X said, 'A vocation comes from the heart of God, but goes through the heart of the mother', and Mamma Margaret had set her son and all of her family a wonderful example of faith, compassion and charity.

She became the first Cooperator in Don Bosco's work with the poor boys of Turin. When she left the rest of her family and the rural life she had always known to join her son in the roughest part of the city, she was in her late fifties, and deserving of an easier life. She became a mother to the youngsters of the Oratory. She worked tirelessly, growing and cooking the vegetables that were often their only food; washing, cleaning, cooking and mending, helped by the boys, who loved her dearly, and later by the mother of Blessed Michael Rua, who also moved into the house.

Despite the hardship she suffered, she supported Don Bosco's work and values absolutely, telling him, 'You should do what God inspires you to do. Do not be concerned on my behalf. You owe me nothing. Never forget that I was born in poor circumstances, have lived in poverty all my life; and I am happy to die poor; and I say this seriously to you: if you every become wealthy, I shall never set foot on your doorstep.'

She was fondly remembered by the boys she cared for, who saw how she had inspired her son. One of them, Eugenio Reffo, said; 'Reason, religion, loving-kindness are the values which sum up Don Bosco's preventive system. He learned them from his mother.'

She died from pneumonia on 25th November 1856, aged 68. On 23 October 2006, Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed her to be Venerable, having lived a life of heroic virtue.

Read more about her life.