A Play: Saint John Bosco
| CHARACTERS: Bartolomew, Father John Bosco, Father Joe, Cook | |
| (A cook has a boy by the collar and drags him into the room.) | |
| Cook: | You sit here, thief! Good thing I caught you, beggar boy. (pushes the boy into a chair) |
| Bart: | I hate you! (Cook starts to leave and bumps into John Bosco and Father Joe coming into the room.) |
| Father Joe: | Who’s this? |
| Cook: | I caught this thief stealing my pastries. |
| Bart: | I’m hungry, that’s all. I haven’t eaten all day. |
| Cook: | Be quiet! That filthy boy can stay right there till I call the police. |
| Bart: | No! (He tries to run for the door.) |
| Father John: | Wait a minute! Cook, you go. I’ll take care of this boy. |
| Cook: | Better you than me! (Cook leaves.) |
| Bart: | Let me go! I’m not going to jail! |
| Father Joe: | Should I get the police? (Boy yells louder.) |
| Father John: | No, I’m not calling the police. (Boy stops struggling.) I just want to know your name. |
| Bart: | Bartolomew Garelli. |
| Father Joe: | Where do you live? |
| Bart: | I live in a dirty room with six other boys. We roam the streets to find something to eat. Let me go. I’ll leave you alone. |
| Father John: | Would you like to come for Mass? |
| Bart: | Mass? What’s that? I’ve never heard of Mass. |
| Father John: | Why not come to Mass? Bring your six friends with you, and I’ll give you supper. |
| Bart: | Promise? |
| Father John: | I mean it. (Bart leaves.) |
| Father Joe: | They’ll never listen to you. They’ve never been in school. These boys are professional thieves. |
| Father John: | I’ll entertain them with some juggling tricks I learned at home, and then I’ll teach them. |
| Father Joe: | Do you know what you’re starting? |
| Father John: | Yes, a home for boys. Every boy needs a father. |
| Father Joe: | You’re a wonderful priest to do this. |
Excerpted from Christ Our Life, by Sisters of Notre Dame of Chardon, Ohio