Secretariat of the Salesian Family
Organisation of the Salesian Congregation
The Secretariat of the Salesian Family
Don Bosco did not found only a religious congregation. Around him, over the years, a broader movement grew up: consecrated persons and lay people, men and women, who recognized in his charism a call and a way of life. Today the Salesian Family comprises more than thirty groups present throughout the world, including religious congregations, lay associations and youth movements. The Secretariat of the Salesian Family is the body that, at the central level, is responsible for animating and coordinating this reality.
Who leads it
The Secretariat is entrusted to a member elected by the General Council with the specific responsibility of following the Salesian Family. This choice reflects the importance that the Congregation attaches to communion among the different groups that share the charism of Don Bosco. It is not a marginal appointment, but a service that requires knowledge, relational ability and sensitivity towards realities that are very different from one another.
What the Secretariat does
The work of the Secretariat develops mainly along three lines.
The first is the animation of communion. The groups that make up the Salesian Family have their own histories, specific charisms and structures. The Secretariat fosters dialogue and collaboration among them, promoting times of meeting, shared reflection and common planning. The aim is not to uniform differences, but to value them within a shared identity.
The second is thecare for charismatic identity. The Secretariat supports formation in the Salesian charism in the different groups, helping each one to rediscover and deepen their common roots. This happens through formation resources, study meetings and initiatives that bring the Salesian tradition into dialogue with the challenges of today’s world.
The third concerns thecoordination at world level. The Salesian Family is present in almost all the countries where the Salesians work. The Secretariat maintains contact with the Salesian Family referents in the different provinces, supports local processes and fosters an overall vision that takes account of the variety of geographical and cultural contexts.
A reality on the move
The Salesian Family is not a rigid structure, but a living reality that continues to grow and evolve. New groups ask to be recognised, already existing realities seek new forms of collaboration, young people and adults draw near to the Salesian charism through different paths. the Secretariat accompanies these processes with care, without forcing the times, but fostering an authentic and rooted growth.
In the spirit of Don Bosco
Don Bosco knew how to involve people: he did not seek passive collaborators, but people who believed in the mission and made it their own. The Salesian Family is the fruit of this style. The Secretariat works so that this spirit may remain alive: so that the many faces of the Salesian Family may continue to recognize themselves in a single vocation, that of bringing the Gospel to the young with the same passion that animated Don Bosco.
At present the Delegate of the Rector Major for the Secretariat of the Salesian Family is Fr Joan Lluís PLAYÀ MORERA.
To access the documents of the Secretariat of the Salesian Family, click HERE .
