Giovanni Melchiorre Calosso (1759 – 21 November 1830) was an Italian

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

. He is significant due to his mention in

John Bosco John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19th century. While working ...

's memoirs for having assisted Bosco greatly in becoming a priest himself.

Biography

Little to nothing is known concerning Calosso's youth. In 1872, he graduated from the

University of Turin The University of Turin (Italian language, Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public university, public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the List ...

with a degree in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. In 1813, he became a guest of his brother and the priest of the town Berzano di San Pietro. LaIn 1829, aged 70, he relocated and became

Murialdo Murialdo ( lij, Moriaodo; pms, Muriaud) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Savona in the Italian region Liguria, located about west of Genoa and about west of Savona. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 882 and an area ...

's chaplain. It was there that he met young Bosco. He was impressed by the youth's ability to memorize and recite that day's sermon, so much so that he decided to instruct Bosco personally, so that Bosco could become a

as he wished. One year later, on 21 November 1830, Calosso was struck by

apoplexy Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...

, while Bosco was out on an errand. On his death bed, he asked to see Bosco one last time. Bosco ran to Calosso's house, where, just before he died, unable to speak because of the pain, Calosso gave Bosco the key to a drawer, telling him that what it contained was for him, and him alone. At the funeral, Bosco gave the key to Calosso's grandnephews. Contained within the safe was six thousand lira, which Bosco refused to accept, overcome with the loss of his father-figure.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calosso, Giovanni Melchiorre People from the Province of Asti Clergy from Turin Salesian Order 1759 births 1830 deaths