October is a time when we delight in telling spooky stories. As the days get shorter and nights get cooler, it’s only natural that our imaginations would turn to things like death and the afterlife. This is true even in our modern age of skepticism and consumerism when we’d rather not have to think about the last things.
What many may not suspect is that Catholics have been telling stories of the dead visiting the living since the Apostolic age. Granted, many of these stories are far more hopeful and reassuring than a modern ghost story, such as when heavenly saints deliver messages to the living, but a few of the stories are still chilling tales of the supernatural. And they didn’t stop in the distant past. One such ghost story comes from a beloved modern saint, St. John Bosco.
Although he had a difficult boyhood and despite his troubles in paying for it, the young John Bosco excelled at school. In 1835, at the age of twenty, Don Bosco entered seminary along with his friend, Luigi Comollo. Don Bosco would later reflect on Luigi and how much the young man had taught him about patience and spiritual life, with the two being close friends in their beginning years at seminary.
One day, after reading about the lives of the saints, John and Luigi were discussing death and wondered, half in jest, whether there would be any consolation in having a visit from a departed friend. The two had talked about this before, and so they made a casual agreement: “Whichever of us is the first to die will, if God permits it, bring back word of his salvation to his surviving companion.” It was a bit of fun between two promising young men, but neither realized the gravity of that agreement. Although Luigi was the more frail of the two, each thought they’d survive for many years.
Luigi Comollo died on April 2, 1839, just a few days before his twenty-second birthday. It’s always sad when anyone loses their life at such a young age, but this especially hit the young Don Bosco hard. The next day, after the requiem Mass for Luigi ended, Don Bosco sat in the seminary church waiting for a sign. He remembered that agreement they made in jest, and now he was hoping Luigi would keep that agreement. Unfortunately, no sign came to him in that church, so Don Bosco walked back to the dormitory in the pitch-black night.
Don Bosco was restless as he got into his bunk in the dormitory. He couldn’t stop thinking about his departed friend and the wager that they made. In his heart, Don Bosco wanted the consolation and comfort that would come from a visit from Luigi.
As he lay in bed, the young seminarian started to hear something around midnight. At first, the noise sounded like a heavy wagon being drawn by many horses. That was strange, given the hour, but the noise now kept getting louder. The noise was now coming from down the hall, and it kept increasing in intensity. Now, the whole building was shaking, causing all the seminarians to leave their bunks and huddle together for comfort. Don Bosco would later write, “It was the first time in my life I remember being afraid. The fear and terror were so bad that I fell ill and was at death’s door.”
Suddenly, above the rumbling noise, all the seminarians heard the familiar voice of Luigi calling out three times, “Bosco, I am saved!” Not all understood the significance of this sentence. However, Don Bosco and a few others who knew of the pact were stunned with gratitude by what they heard.
St. John Bosco would later recommend against entering into a pact like the one he and Luigi had. As the saint later noted, God rarely takes heed of such agreements. However, in this instance, the mercy of God was such that Don Bosco and several other witnesses were given a glimpse of the supernatural, and that gave them great comfort. The loss of his close friend and the ghostly visit had a profound effect on the future saint and Don Bosco would later write about his dear friend. Don Bosco would grow into a beloved saint, helping countless destitute children in Turin and across the country. I do not doubt that he was also assisted by the fervent intervention of his dear friend, Luigi Comollo.
The ghostly account of Luigi visiting St. John Bosco in the night has some mysterious and even frightening elements to it, with phantom noises and inexplicable shaking. For the people who experienced it, however, it was a moment of God’s tremendous mercy when He allowed the dead to visit the living, inspiring comfort and strength. Although the seminarians were first gripped in fear, that fear gave way to joy when they finally understood what happened.
Even as a reader of old ghost stories, the account of St. John Bosco and his friend feels more miraculous than spine-chilling. There is certainly a feeling of fear in the story, but it is more like that fear of the awe-inspiring and otherworldly power of God. This is common when we glimpse the supernatural, which is why angels often tell us not to be afraid. So, while the tale of St. John Bosco might make the hair on my arms stand up, for me, it is among the most beautiful and encouraging stories in the life of this inspiring saint.
Author’s Note: This article is adapted from my forthcoming book, Weird Catholic Handbook. It is available for preorder from Sophia Institute Press or your favorite bookseller.
Photo by Senya Mitin on Unsplash
