St. Calixtus Karavarias

When Calixtus was five years old, his family moved to the city of Turin. He grew up near a Salesian home and diligently attended the oratory. Teachers and friends, remembering his childhood, spoke with amazement. Because he lacked educational resources, the Salesians helped him by enrolling him in the Valdok school. He was calm, intelligent, zealous, brave, pious, loving, helpful and pure. In 1918, at the age of fifteen, he asked to be accepted into the Salesian Congregation. The following year he took the vows of a monk. After completing his studies, he worked in other positions for several years before returning to Valdokas as an assistant. Here, in 1922, he met Bishop Versilia and promised: "I will follow you to China." And so it happened. in 1924 boarded the ship and never looked back. At first he worked in Shanghai, then for two years in Timor Island. After studying theology, Bishop Versilia invited him to work in Shiu Chow, where he ordained him as a priest. Eight months later, he was called to the supreme sacrifice of martyrdom. 1930 on February 25, while accompanying the bishop to the missions and trying to protect three catechists from the brutality of the pirates, he was killed by them.

On the day of ordination to the priesthood, Fr. Calixtus Karavarius wrote to his mother in Italy: "Dear mother, your Calixtus is no longer yours: he must be all of the Lord, fully devoted to His service. I hope He will grant me this grace. You should not think about anything else, but only pray that I may become a holy priest, an example to all who meet me, completely devoted to the Lord. Will my priesthood last long or short? I do not know. The most important thing is that I survived it well and that, standing before the Lord, I could say that with His help, I multiplied the graces He gave me."

"Courage, son, you will have to suffer a little in this world, but no matter, the reward you will receive in heaven will fully compensate for all you had to endure in this life." (Fr. J. Bosco)