Coat of arms

The Salesian Congregation in the world

The Salesian coat of arms

The Salesian coat of arms is one of the most significant signs of the identity of the Salesian Congregation. It is not merely an institutional emblem, nor a simple badge of belonging: it is a visual synthesis of Don Bosco’s charism, of his spiritual programme and of the mission entrusted to the Salesians in the Church and in the world.

Through its symbols, the crest expresses the heart of the Salesian vocation: to live for God and for the young, especially the poorest and most abandoned, according to the motto chosen by Don Bosco: Da mihi animas, cetera tolle — “Give me souls, take away the rest”.

Origin of the coat of arms
The Salesian Congregation, founded by Don Bosco on 18 December 1859, did not initially have an official coat of arms. In the early years, for the seal of the Society, the image of St Francis de Sales, Patron of the Congregation, was used, accompanied by a Latin inscription identifying the Pious Salesian Society. The motto in use at the time was:Discite a me quia mitis sum— “Learn from me, for I am gentle”, a Gospel reference fully consistent with the spirit of gentleness, meekness and pastoral charity proper to St Francis de Sales.
The need for an official coat of arms matured in 1884, during the construction of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Rome, entrusted by Pope Leo XIII to Don Bosco. It was considered appropriate to place the Salesian coat of arms alongside those of the popes Pius IX and Leo XIII. The first sketch was presented on 12 September 1884 by Fr Antonio Sala to the Superior Chapter. The design was the work of Professor Boidi, teacher of technical drawing at the College of St John the Evangelist in Turin and collaborator of the Salesians.
The project already contained the essential elements of the present coat of arms: the anchor, the flaming heart, St Francis de Sales, the star, the forest, the mountains, the palm, the laurel, the garland of roses, the cross and the motto. Don Bosco personally intervened on some details, in particular replacing the star at the top of the shield with a radiant cross. The star was retained in the form of a comet, placed above the heart.
The official coat of arms appeared for the first time in Don Bosco’s circular of 8 December 1885, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary Most Holy. Since then it has remained, in substance, the heraldic sign of the Salesian Congregation.

General meaning
The Salesian coat of arms gathers in a single image the theological virtues, the memory of the Founder, the reference to the Patron of the Society and the spiritual orientation of the Salesian mission.
The star, the anchor and the heart recall respectively faith, hope and charity. Saint Francis de Sales points to the apostolic style of gentleness and kindness. The wood recalls Don Bosco and his origins. The mountains indicate the call to holiness. The palm and the laurel evoke the reward promised to a faithful, sacrificial and virtuous life. The garland of roses recalls the beauty and the labours of the mission. The cross, placed at the summit, directs everything towards Christ, source and fulfilment of the Salesian vocation.

The star: faith
The star is a symbol of faith, the light that guides the journey. In the Christian tradition it points to the presence of Christ, light of the world and guide of humanity. In the Salesian coat of arms, the star indicates that the educational and pastoral work does not spring from a mere human project, but from faith in God and from the desire to lead the young to an encounter with Him.

The anchor: hope
The anchor, placed at the centre of the shield, represents hope. Just as at sea the anchor ensures stability amid the waves, so Christian hope sustains the heart through trials, hardships and the uncertainties of history.
In the Salesian tradition, the anchor recalls that to educate is always an act of hope: hope in God, in the young and in the good that can grow even in the most fragile situations.

The heart: charity
The burning heart is a symbol of pastoral charity. It recalls the ardent love of Christ and the total gift of self that characterized the life of Don Bosco.
The Salesian mission springs not primarily from an organization, but from a heart that burns for God and for the young. The heart in the coat of arms expresses a charity that is concrete, industrious, educational and missionary, capable of drawing close above all to those who are poor, alone or abandoned.

Saint Francis de Sales
The figure of Saint Francis de Sales recalls the Patron of the Congregation. Don Bosco wanted his sons to call themselves Salesians precisely to refer to the kindness, the gentleness, the patience and the apostolic charity of the holy bishop of Geneva.
The pen and the sheet that accompany his image also recall the importance of the apostolate of the press, of good reading and of the popular diffusion of Christian culture. Don Bosco attached great value to communication and wanted the written word too to be an instrument of evangelisation and of education.

The wood
The wood placed in the lower part of the shield directly recalls the surname of the Founder. It is not, however, merely a nominal reference. It points to the humble and providential roots of Don Bosco, to his peasant origins, to the simplicity of his family and to the concrete history from which the Salesian mission was born.
In the wood is preserved the memory of the origins: a vocation matured in poverty, in work, in simple faith and in the dreams of God.

The mountains
The mountains rising behind the wood indicate the peaks of Christian perfection to which every Salesian is called to strive. In the biblical and spiritual tradition, the mountain is a place of encounter with God, an image of ascent, of purification and of holiness.
In the Salesian coat of arms, they recall that the educational mission cannot be separated from the spiritual life. The Salesian is called to holiness in the very heart of the mission, living his consecration among the young and for the young.

The palm and the laurel
The palm and the laurel, intertwined at the base of the shield, are signs of victory, fidelity, sacrifice and glory. The palm recalls martyrdom, perseverance and Christ’s victory over death. The laurel, an evergreen, is a symbol of honour, peace and immortality.
Together, they indicate that Salesian life bears fruit when it is given away. Apostolic fruitfulness is born of fidelity, of sacrifice and of the willingness to spend one’s life for the good of the young and for the Kingdom of God.

The garland of roses
The garland of roses placed at the top of the shield recalls the beauty of the Salesian vocation and, at the same time, its demands. It can be read in the light of the famous dream of the pergola of roses: the roses indicate the joy, the promise and the fruitfulness of the mission; the thorns recall the toil, the sacrifice and the patience needed to live it faithfully.

The Salesian mission is luminous and joyful, but not without the cross. Don Bosco teaches us to hold both dimensions together: the beauty of the gift and the price of love.

The cross
At the summit of the coat of arms stands the radiant cross. It is not a mere ornament, but the spiritual centre of the entire emblem. All the elements of the coat of arms find in the cross their deepest meaning.
Faith, hope, charity, Salesian gentleness, the educational mission, the ascent to holiness and the gift of life are all oriented to Christ crucified and risen. The cross recalls that the Salesian work belongs to Him and receives from Him strength, light and fruitfulness.

The motto: Da mihi animas, cetera tolle
The motto Da mihi animas, cetera tolle — “Give me souls, take away the rest” — is the loftiest synthesis of the Salesian spirit. Don Bosco placed it in the coat of arms because he saw in it the programme of his own life and of the mission entrusted to his sons.
These words express the absolute primacy of the salvation of souls. They call for placing at the centre the young, their dignity, their human and Christian growth, their eternal destiny. Everything else — prestige, comfort, personal interests, securities — takes second place.
The motto is not a decorative formula, but a spiritual charge. It defines the heart of the Salesian vocation: to belong entirely to God in order to give oneself entirely to the young.

Present-day value of the crest
Still today, the Salesian crest preserves its symbolic force intact. It reminds the Congregation of its origin, its identity and its mission. It invites every Salesian to live with faith, hope and charity; to follow Christ along the way of the cross; to imitate the apostolic gentleness of Saint Francis de Sales; to safeguard the heart of Don Bosco; to seek holiness in educational and pastoral service.
The Salesian crest is not merely a distinctive sign. It is memory, identity and mission. It is a charge entrusted to the Congregation and to all who share the charisma of Don Bosco: to seek souls, to serve the young, to give everything for the love of God.