Who was Margaret Occhiena Bosco? What do we know about her, and how? Don Bosco’s biographer, Fr. John Baptist Lemoyne, and ultimately Don Bosco, are our chief sources. The Biographical Memoirs contain abundant biographical material pertaining to Don Bosco’s mother. Volume I in particular, especially in its first part (Chapters 2-25), gives much more space to Margaret (affectionately known as Mamma Margaret) than it does to John. Where did Lemoyne get the information? Father Lemoyne had not known Mamma Margaret personally. She had lived at the Oratory from 1846 until her death in 1856, and Lemoyne had joined Don Bosco only in 1864, 8 years after Mamma Margaret’s death. However, passionately engaged as he was in collecting and recording everything that had to do with Don Bosco and his work, he was eager to gather information also on Don Bosco’s mother. Continue reading “Arthur Lenti – Margaret Occhiena Bosco (1788-1856). Don Bosco’s Mother, Educator and Vocational Support”
