Feasts and Celebrations

                             January 17  - St. Anthony (356).
                             Anthony was a wealthy young man when he heard and followed Christ's call to "sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow me."  Afterwards he went into the desert to live as a hermit and dedicate his life to prayer.  Others followed making him the founder of Christian monasticism.
                          
                            January 24  - St. Francis de Sales (1622).
                            As bishop of Geneva, St. Francis bolstered the faith of others by his writings and works.  For the laity, St. Francis  wrote Introduction to the Devout Life, which is as applicable today as it was in his day.
                         
                           January 31  - St. John Bosco (1888).
                           St. John Bosco combined catechetical training and fatherly guidance to teach young men and women how to unite their spiritual life with their work and play.  He opened the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales and provided workshops for boys in shoemaking and tailoring.  In 1859, he founded the Salesians who were committed to education and mission work.