Don Bosco (born Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; 16 August 1815 - 31 January 1888) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest, educator, and writer of the 19th century. He is best known for his work with disadvantaged youth, and is the founder of the Salesians of Don Bosco, a Catholic religious congregation. He is also known for his system of "Preventive System", an approach to education which focuses on the development of the whole person, and is still used in Salesian schools around the world. Don Bosco was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church in 1934.