John recognized in this dream his future mission. This experience deepened his desire to become a priest and dedicate his life for the welfare of young people.

John’s path however was full of hurdles. His mother, Margaret, though poor, was prepared to make any sacrifice to educate him. But his elder step-brother Anthony, strongly opposed his going to school. He had to do his share of work on the family farm and study during his spare time. To earn the little extra money needed for the books, he had to work often as a labourer, shepherd, tailor, shoemaker, barber and cooking skills which he later taught his poor students.

As a teenager, John used to gather boys of his age and entertain them with magic, jugglery and acrobatics. His performance however, always ended with a good story and a brief exhortation to live a good and honest life. In due course, John entered the seminary and was ordained a priest on 5th June 1841. From then on he was affectionately known as DON BOSCO (=Father Bosco)