(ANS – Rome) – Between 27 April 1865 – the day the foundation stone of the Church of Mary Help of Christians was laid – and 1875, Don Bosco witnessed an extraordinary outpouring of graces attributed to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. The Valdocco shrine quickly became a centre for pilgrimages, a place of conversion and the spiritual heart of the nascent Salesian Family. In 1875 he published the volume Mary Help of Christians containing accounts of some of the graces obtained during the first seven years (counting from the date of consecration, 9 June 1868), a text that is not merely a devotional collection but an accurate and verifiable record: the testimonies included full names, professions, precise locations, dates, signed statements and, in some cases, medical confirmations. Over 90 graces were documented in the first seven years alone.
Don Bosco, a practical and prudent man, wrote: “Everywhere one sees extraordinary effects produced by this trust in Mary Help of Christians” and affirmed with serene certainty: “Mary Help of Christians is the dispenser of graces”. His famous expression remains: “Every brick corresponded to a grace”, indicating how the Basilica itself had arisen through tangible signs of Providence. The events presented here, drawn from the Published Works (vol. XXVI) and the Biographical Memoirs, constitute a significant selection from that rich body of documentation.
In this first part, we present twelve episodes documented between 1869 and 1875.
1. THE CHILD WHO SAW THE LIGHT (Turin, January 1870)
Giuseppe, aged seven, had been blind from birth. The doctors had been unequivocal: congenital blindness, irreversible. His mother took him to Valdocco and implored Don Bosco. After Mass, the Saint blessed a medal of Mary Help of Christians and placed it over the child’s eyes, praying aloud. Immediately his eyelids trembled: Giuseppe opened his eyes and saw the light, the faces, his mother. The doctor, summoned, certified in writing the complete and scientifically inexplicable healing.
Source: Memorie Biografiche vol. X / Opere Edite vol. XXVI
2. TWENTY YEARS OF SILENCE BROKEN IN AN INSTANT (Turin, March 1871)
Teresa, aged 45, had been deaf for twenty years due to a violent fever. A neighbour gave her a medal from Valdocco. Teresa placed it under her pillow and prayed with simple faith. At dawn she distinctly heard the ticking of the clock, her husband’s breathing, the birdsong. After two decades of silence, the world had sound once more. The following Sunday she attended Mass at Valdocco, listening to the choir and the organ. Don Bosco said to her: “She takes such pleasure in helping us!”
Source: Published Works vol. XXVI
3. THE DOUBLE HEALING: BLIND AND DUMB (Alessandria, May 1872)
Carlo, aged 24, blind and mute from birth, was entirely dependent on his parents. His mother made a novena to Mary Help of Christians, promising to walk barefoot to Turin if her prayer were answered. For nine days she placed the medal on her son’s forehead. On the final day, Carlo uttered “Mum” and opened his eyes at the same time. He saw and spoke in the very same instant. His mother kept her vow, walking barefoot for 70 kilometres to Valdocco, where the young man publicly recounted what had happened.
Source: Memorie Biografiche vol. XIII / Opere Edite vol. XXVI
4. THE GANGRENE THAT DISAPPEARED OVERNIGHT (Turin, December 1869)
Pietro, a 32-year-old bricklayer, was hospitalised with gangrene in his leg; the surgeons had decided on an amputation for the following morning. Don Bosco went to the hospital, placed the medal of Mary Help of Christians on the necrotic area and prayed: “What the surgeons cannot do, You will be able to do.” By dawn, the gangrene had disappeared. The doctors documented the case in writing. Pietro made a full recovery and for the rest of his life offered his labour free of charge to the Basilica.
Source: Memorie Biografiche vol. X, 163 / Opere Edite vol. XXVI
5. THE BREAST CANCER THAT DISAPPEARED (Vercelli, April 1873)
Anna, a 40-year-old mother of three, had been diagnosed with a malignant breast tumour, deemed incurable. Don Bosco sent her three blessed medals with instructions to apply them three times a day whilst reciting three Hail Marys. Her husband noted the progress: a reduction in pain, a decrease in swelling, and the gradual disappearance of the lump. After ten days, the tumour was no longer palpable. The doctor certified the inexplicable healing. Anna lived for another 35 years.
Source: Opere Edite vol. XXVI
6. CANCER-LIKE BRONCHITIS HEALED INSTANTLY (Turin, November 1870)
Domenico, aged 19, was dying of bronchitis complicated by pulmonary gangrene. He had received the Sacrament of the Sick. Don Bosco rushed to his side, placed the relic of St Francis de Sales and the medal of Mary Help of Christians on the young man’s chest, prayed and said: “Domenico, get up!”. The young man opened his eyes, breathed normally and sat up. The doctor, who had been called back, found his lungs to be perfectly healthy. Domenico made a full recovery and later became a Salesian Coadjutor.
Source: Published Works, vol. XXVI
7. THE EPILEPSY THAT NEVER RETURNED (Chieri, August 1871)
Francesco, aged 16, had suffered from epilepsy since the age of eight, with frequent and violent seizures. Brought to Valdocco by his mother, he prayed before the altar of Mary Help of Christians and received the medal on his forehead. The seizures ceased completely. In 1879 he wrote to Don Bosco confirming that, after eight years, they had not returned.
Source: Published Works, vol. XXVI
8. THE UNBELIEVING DOCTOR HEALED AND CONVERTED (Turin, February 1874)
Dr Emilio Gardini, a Turin-based doctor who was openly sceptical about miracles, was struck down by a severe fever accompanied by bilateral pneumonia. In a critical condition, he asked for a visit from Don Bosco, who prayed and placed the medal of Mary Help of Christians upon him. The fever ceased that very evening; within a few days, his lungs were found to be healthy. His physical recovery was followed by his conversion and a public commitment to the faith.
Source: Memorie Biografiche vol. XVI / Opere Edite vol. XXVI
9. PARALYSIS OVERCOME AFTER YEARS OF IMMOBILITY (Asti, June 1872)
Caterina, aged 38, who had been paralysed from the waist down for ten years following a difficult childbirth, began to be anointed daily with oil from the lamp on the altar of Mary Help of Christians, in accordance with the instructions she had received. After a few days, signs of sensation appeared; within a few months she began to walk again. Six months later she walked to Valdocco to give thanks.
Source: Published Works vol. XXVI
10. THE WOMAN SAVED FROM THE FLAMES (Turin, September 1870)
Luigia Ferrero was suddenly engulfed in flames when an oil lamp set her dress alight. With the fire surrounding her, she invoked Mary Help of Christians, clutching the medal she had received from Don Bosco. The flames died down instantly. Her clothes were charred, but her body remained unharmed, with no burns. The doctor, called immediately afterwards, declared the incident inexplicable. Luigia publicly attributed her salvation to the intercession of Mary Help of Christians.
Source: Published Works vol. XXVI / Biographical Memoirs vol. XV
11. THE BRICKLAYER WHO FELL FROM THE FOURTH FLOOR UNHARMED (Turin, May 1868)
Giuseppe Baratta, a 29-year-old bricklayer, fell from the fourth floor of a scaffold in Turin. During the fall, he invoked Mary Help of Christians, whose medal he was wearing. Those present expected him to die instantly; instead, they found him conscious and unharmed. The doctor noted the absence of any fractures or bruises, describing the outcome as incomprehensible. Giuseppe attributed his survival to Mary’s protection and continued to work devotedly on the construction of the Basilica.
Source: Memorie Biografiche vol. XVI / Opere Edite vol. XXVI
12. THE STORM HALTED OVER THE VINEYARD (Monferrato, July 1871)
On 15 July 1871, a violent hailstorm devastated the countryside of Monferrato. Michele Rossi, a devout farmer, had placed a medal of Mary Help of Christians at the edge of his vineyard, praying for the protection of the harvest. During the storm, the hailstorm destroyed all the surrounding fields, but stopped exactly at the boundary of his property. The vineyard remained intact. The event was attested to by witnesses and reported to Don Bosco as a sign of extraordinary protection.
Source: Opere Edite vol. XXVI
The twelve episodes collected here, spanning the years 1868 to 1875, reveal a clear common thread: a simple and concrete trust in the intercession of Mary Help of Christians. Healings from diseases deemed incurable, protection in mortal danger, unexpected conversions — every account converges on the same element: the confident invocation and the mediation of Don Bosco.
For Don Bosco, these events were not a spectacle, nor a search for the miraculous: they were pastoral signs, intended to strengthen the faith of the people and to remind them that Mary continues to work in the lives of her children, and that she not only heals bodies or saves from danger, but renews hearts, restores hope and leads to God.
