Patron and co-patrons

The Salesian Congregation in the world

Mary Help of Christians, Principal Patroness of the Salesian Congregation

The Salesian Congregation recognises in Mary Help of Christians its principal Patroness. For Don Bosco, devotion to the Virgin under this title was not an accessory element of his spirituality, but a constitutive dimension of his charism. He himself used to affirm: “It is she who has done everything”. In this expression is concentrated the profound awareness that the Salesian work is born and grows under the maternal guidance of Mary.

The title “Auxilium Christianorum” has its roots in the tradition of the Church, especially in the context of the trials endured by the Christian people. Don Bosco embraced it in an era marked by political and cultural tensions, in the conviction that Mary continues to sustain the Church on its historical journey. Her devotion, however, is not expressed in polemical or defensive forms, but in a filial and active trust.

The construction in Turin of the Basilica dedicated to Mary Help of Christians, in the heart of the Valdocco district, was inspired by her. The building is not only an architectural monument, but the visible sign of faith: Mary is present in the life of the Church and in the educational work. Around the Basilica there has developed a centre of spiritual radiation that continues to draw pilgrims from all over the world.

For Don Bosco, Mary is Mother and Teacher. Mother, because she accompanies with tenderness the journey of the young, especially the poorest and most abandoned; Teacher, because she educates in the faith, in docility to the Spirit, in openness to God’s plan. In Salesian pedagogy, the Marian dimension is not marginal: to educate also means to introduce young people to a filial relationship with the Virgin.

Devotion to Mary Help of Christians is closely interwoven with the Eucharist. Don Bosco proposed to the young a spiritual journey founded on the sacraments, on frequent confession and on assiduous communion. Within this horizon, Mary is the one who leads to Christ and forms hearts open to grace. The Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA), founded by him, was born precisely to sustain this spirituality and to promote prayer for the Church and for the Pope.

In the Salesian charism, Mary Help of Christians is not merely the object of devotion, but an active presence in the mission. The Salesians, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the groups of the Salesian Family recognise in her the guide and support of their apostolic action. The celebration of 24 May, the solemnity of Mary Help of Christians, represents each year a moment of renewed belonging and entrustment.

Mary, in Don Bosco’s experience, is also a model of availability and industriousness. Her “fiat” becomes the paradigm of the vocational response. In her we contemplate a concrete faith, incarnated in history, capable of facing difficulties without losing trust in God. This dimension is particularly significant for a Congregation called to operate in contexts often marked by fragility and poverty.

Salesian Marian spirituality is profoundly ecclesial. Mary Help of Christians is invoked as the support of the People of God and a sign of hope for humanity. The education of the young, in Don Bosco’s perspective, cannot be separated from this broad and missionary vision: to form good Christians and upright citizens means to insert them into a history of salvation accompanied by the maternal presence of Mary.

Today, on the five continents, devotion to Mary Help of Christians continues to be a distinctive trait of Salesian identity. It nourishes prayer, sustains the mission and strengthens communion among the members of the Salesian Family. Under her patronage, the Congregation renews its certainty that the educational work is, above all, the work of God, in which Mary cooperates with maternal love.

 

Saint Joseph, Co-Patron of the Salesian Congregation

Alongside Mary Help of Christians, the Salesian Congregation venerates Saint Joseph as co-patron. His figure, silent and hard-working, occupies a significant place in Don Bosco’s spirituality, who proposed him as a model of trust, industriousness and obedience to the will of God.

Saint Joseph is the just man, guardian of the Redeemer and spouse of the Virgin Mary. In the Gospel he utters no words, yet his life is eloquent: he listens, discerns, acts. This dimension of fruitful silence and concrete responsibility resonates deeply in the Salesian charism, which is called to unite contemplation and educational action.

For a Congregation dedicated to the education of the young and to vocational training, the figure of Joseph the worker takes on a particular value. He is the carpenter of Nazareth, who introduces Jesus to human work. Don Bosco, attentive to the human promotion of boys through vocational schools and apprenticeships, recognised in Saint Joseph a natural patron of craft and formative works.

Saint Joseph is also a model of fatherhood. Educational fatherhood, so central to the Salesian tradition, finds in him an evangelical reference point. Not an authoritarian fatherhood, but a discreet and reliable presence, capable of protecting and of guiding. The Rector Major, as the successor of Don Bosco, is called to exercise this dimension of spiritual fatherhood in continuity with the example of Joseph.

Trust in Providence, a distinctive trait of Don Bosco’s life, is reflected in the figure of Saint Joseph. Faced with unexpected and complex situations, he entrusts himself to the word of God and promptly carries out what is asked of him. In this sense, Joseph is an icon of docility to the Spirit and of fidelity in trials.

In the contemporary context, marked by transformations in the family and social fabric, the proposal of Saint Joseph as co-patron invites the Salesian Family to rediscover the value of responsibility, of guardianship and of dignified work. His intercession accompanies the educating communities in their daily commitment in favour of the young, especially the most fragile.

 

Saint Francis de Sales, Co-Patron and spiritual inspirer

The Society founded by Don Bosco bears the name of Saint Francis of Sales, chosen as patron and spiritual model. Bishop of Geneva in the time of the Reformation, Francis of Sales distinguished himself by his meekness, his pastoral charity and his capacity for dialogue.

Don Bosco saw in him the saint of gentleness and of Christian humanism. In an age marked by religious tensions and conflicts, Francis de Sales knew how to unite doctrinal firmness with kindness of manner. This pastoral style deeply influenced Salesian pedagogy, founded on loving-kindness and persuasion rather than on coercion.

The “Introduction to the Devout Life” offered Don Bosco a model of spirituality accessible to all, not reserved for monasteries but lived in the ordinary conditions of life. This perspective is reflected in the Salesian proposal of youthful holiness: a holiness that is possible, joyful, embodied in daily duties.

Saint Francis de Sales also embodies the missionary and cultural dimension of the charism. A man of the word and of writing, he used the means of communication of his time to spread the Gospel. Don Bosco, attentive to publishing and the popular press, recognized himself in this apostolic dynamism.

As co-patron, Francis de Sales continues to remind the Congregation that education is a work of pastoral charity. Gentleness, patience and respect for the times of grace are essential elements of Salesian work. In his example, the Salesians find a constant invitation to unite apostolic zeal and evangelical meekness, fidelity to truth and attention to the person.