Societas Sancti Francisci Salesii | |
Abbreviation | SDB |
---|---|
Nickname | Salesians of Don Bosco |
Formation | December 18, 1859 |
Founder | John Bosco |
Founded at | Valdocco, Turin |
Type | Clerical Religious Congregation of Pontifical Right |
Headquarters | Sacro Cuore di Gesù a Castro Pretorio Rome, Italy |
Membership (2022) | 14,614 (128 bishops, 14,056 priests and 430 novices) |
Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB | |
Vicar of the Rector Major | Francesco Cereda, SDB |
Website | sdb |
The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (Latin : Societas Sancti Francisci Salesii), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youngsters during the Industrial Revolution. [1] The congregation was named after Francis de Sales, a 17th-century bishop of Geneva. [2]
The Salesians' charter describes the society's mission as "the Christian perfection of its associates obtained by the exercise of spiritual and corporal works of charity towards the young, especially the poor, and the education of boys to the priesthood". [3] Its associated women's institute is the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco, while the lay movement is the Association of Salesian Cooperators. [4]
In 1845 Don John Bosco ("Don" being a traditional Italian honorific for priest) opened a night school for boys in Valdocco, now part of the municipality of Turin in Italy. In the following years, he opened several more schools, and in 1857 drew up a set of rules for his helpers. Bosco admired the simple spirituality and philosophy of kindness of Francis de Sales and established the Society of St. Francis de Sales in his honor in 1859. [5] [6]
The rule was approved definitively in 1873 by Pope Pius IX as the Rule of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales. The Society grew rapidly, with houses established in France and Argentina within a year of the Society's formal recognition. Its official print organ, Salesian Bulletin, was first published in 1877. [7]
Over the next decade the Salesians expanded into Austria, Britain, Spain, and several countries in South America. The death of Don Bosco in 1888 did not slow down the Society's growth. The Salesians arrived in Mexico and established their first institution in 1892 [8] and in 1894 arrived in Portugal. [9] By 1911 the Salesians were established throughout the world, including Colombia, China, India, South Africa, Tunisia, Venezuela and the United States.
The Society continues to operate worldwide; in 2021, it counted 14,232 members in 1,703 houses. As of 2023, Salesians are present in more than 130 countries. [10]
The Salesian coat of arms was designed by Professor Boidi. It was published for the first time in a circular letter of Don Bosco on 8 December 1885. It consists of a shining star, the large anchor, and the heart on fire to symbolize the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity. The figure of Saint Francis de Sales recalls the patron of the society. The small wood in the lower part refers to the founder of the society; the high mountains signify the heights of perfection towards which members strive; the interwoven palm and laurel that enfold the shield on either side are emblematic of the prize reserved for a virtuous and sacrificial life. The motto Da mihi animas, caetera tolle ("Give me souls, take away the rest") is featured at the bottom. [11]
The Salesian logo is made up of two superimposed images. The logo combines elements from those of the German and Brazilian provinces. The idea of combining the two came out of suggestions from an enquiry about the new logo conducted throughout the Congregation and from contributions by the General Council. It is designed with the central theme "Don Bosco and the Salesians walking with the young through the world." The artistic work of combining the two was carried out by the designer Fabrizio Emigli, from the Litos Company, in Rome.
In the background is a globe to represent the worldwide reach of the Salesians, and a stylized "S" in white is formed within the globe, resembling a snaking road representing an educational journey for the youth.
In the foreground is an arrow pointing upwards, resting on three perpendicular legs on top of which are three closed circles, making a stylized image of three people: the first of these in the middle and taller than the others is the point of the arrow, and the other two beside it appear as it were to be embraced by the central figure. These three stylized figures represent Saint John Bosco reaching out to the young, and his call for Salesians to continue his work. The three stylized figures with the arrow pointing upwards can also be viewed as a house dwelling with a sloping roof and three pillars holding it up, represents John Bosco's pedagogy of Reason, Religion and Loving Kindness. [12]
The Salesians of Don Bosco are headed by the Rector Major and the society's general council, while each of the ninety-four geographical provinces is headed by a Provincial. These officers serve six-year terms; the Rector Major and the members of the general council are elected by the General Chapter, which meets every six years or upon the death of the Rector Major. Each local Salesian community is headed by a superior, called a Rector (or more commonly, "Director"), who is appointed to a three-year term and can be renewed for a second three-year term. [13]
From 2014 to 2024, the Rector Major of the Salesians was the Very Reverend Father and later Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime. [14] [15]
Salesian communities primarily operate shelters for homeless or at-risk youths; schools; technical, vocational, and language instruction centers for youths and adults; and boys' clubs and community centers. In some areas they run parish churches. Salesians are also active in publishing and other public communication activities, as well as mission work, especially in Asia (Siberia - in the Yakutsk area), Africa, and South America (Yanomami). The Salesian Bulletin is now published in fifty-two editions, in thirty languages. [7]
In 1988, the Salesians branched to create the Salesian Youth Movement. [16] Then in the 1990s, the Salesians launched new works in the area of tertiary education, and today have a network of over 58 colleges and universities. The official university of the Salesian Society is the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome. [17]
A number of schools and churches established under the Salesians have been at the center of child sex abuse scandals, including Mary Help of Christians in Tampa, Florida. [18] Due to ongoing sexual assault lawsuits and settlements, several boarding schools were closed. [18]
John Melchior Bosco, SDB, popularly known as Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer of the 19th century. While working in Turin, where the population suffered many of the ill effects of industrialization and urbanization, he dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth. He developed teaching methods based on love rather than punishment, a method that became known as the Salesian Preventive System.
Don Bosco Technical Institute of Victorias Inc., also known as Don Bosco Victorias, is a private Catholic Salesian co-educational technical basic education institution run by the Salesians of the Society of Saint John Bosco in Victorias City, Negros Occidental, Philippines. It was founded in 1951 by the (Salesians). The school is rooted on Catholic values.
The Catholic Church in Uruguay is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope.
Don Bosco Technical Institute in Tarlac City, or simply Don Bosco Tarlac, is a private Catholic school for pre-school, grade school and junior high school boys. In 2016, it opened its co-educational senior high school department. The first Don Bosco school in the Philippines, it is the only academic-technical school in Tarlac. Its campus is located in Sto. Cristo, Tarlac City, Philippines.
Michele Rua was an Italian Catholic priest and professed member of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Rua was a student under Don Bosco and was also the latter's first collaborator in the order's founding as well as one of his closest friends. He served as the first Rector Major of the Salesians following Bosco's death in 1888. He was responsible for the expansion of the Salesians and the order had grown to a significant degree around the world at the time he died. Rua served as a noted spiritual director and leader for the Salesians known for his austerities and rigid adherence to the rule. It was for this reason that he was nicknamed "the living rule".
St. Anthony’s Higher Secondary School, is an educational institution of the Catholic Church, belonging to and managed by the Salesians of Don Bosco Educational Society .Guided by the religious and educational philosophy of St. John Bosco, the school was founded to bring school education within the reach of the common man.
Don Bosco Academy also referred to by its acronym DBA or Don Bosco Pampanga" is a private Catholic Salesian technical educational institution for boys run by the Salesians of the Society of Saint John Bosco in Bacolor, Pampanga, Philippines. It was founded in 1956 by the (Salesians).
The Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel abbreviated CSMA, also known as the Michaelites, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men founded by the Blessed Father Bronisław Markiewicz, a Polish priest from Miejsce Piastowe, Poland. The Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel is one of the 30 officially recognized groups of the Salesian Family of Don Bosco.
Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati, Inc., or simply "Don Bosco Makati." is a private Catholic educational institution owned and operated by the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB). Its campus is located at Chino Roces Avenue, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines. In January 1954, the cornerstone of Don Bosco Makati was laid down, during the term of then, Servant of God Fr. Carlo Braga, SDB, as Provincial. At the same year, construction of the first building was completed which housed the chapel, the convent, a youth center, and the auditorium.
The sexual abuse scandal in the Salesian Order is a major chapter in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in various Western jurisdictions.
Timothy John Costelloe, SDB is an Australian Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Perth since 2012. He is a member of the Salesians of Don Bosco.
Ángel Fernández Artime, S.D.B. is a Spanish Catholic archbishop who was Rector Major of the Salesians from 2014 to 2024, the first Spaniard to hold that office. He was previously provincial superior of the Salesian Province of Leon from 2000 to 2006 and of the Southern Argentina Province from 2009 to 2014.
Pascual Chávez Villanueva SDB is a Roman Catholic priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco, who was Rector Major of that Order between April 3, 2002 and March 25, 2014, being the 9th successor of Don Bosco, the first Mexican to get such position and the second Latin American after Argentinian Juan Edmundo Vecchi. During the 26th General Chapter of the Salesians in Rome in 2008 he was confirmed for a second period, being the last Rector Major who could be reelected, because that same Chapter ruled that a Rector Major would not be reelected afterward.
Egidio Viganò was a Roman Catholic priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco, who was the 7th Rector Major of that Order from 1977 until his death in 1995. Although he was an Italian, he considered Chile as his second home country because he moved there when he was 19 years old. He was also confessor of Pope John Paul II, a prominent theologian and writer. During the first centenary of the death of Don Bosco (1988), Pope John Paul II dedicated to him the Apostolic Letter Iuvenum Patris : "To our beloved son Egidio Vigano, Rector Major of the Salesian Society on the First Centenary of the death of Saint John Bosco - John Paul II, Supreme Pontiff." He participated also in the Second Vatican Council.
Paul Albera 6 June 1845 - 29 October 1921) was a Catholic Roman Priest of the Salesians of Don Bosco, who served as Rector Major of that Congregation between 1910 and 1921.
Bronisław Markiewicz, SDB was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and a professed member of the Salesians of Don Bosco. Markiewicz established the Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel that devoted itself to the principles and teachings of John Bosco under the patronage of Saint Michael the Archangel.
Giuseppe Cognata was an Italian Catholic bishop and member of the Salesians of Don Bosco. He was the founder of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a female religious institute of pontifical right. Due to accusations that were proved false many years after, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith condemned Mgr. Cognata to be dismissed of his condition of Bishop on 20 December 1939. Monsignor Giuseppe Cognata in Easter 1962 was reinstated by Pope John XXIII in the Episcopate, after the true came out. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith announced on 17 February 2020 that Pope Francis has given consent to open the Cause of Beatification of Mons. Giuseppe Cognata, S.D.B.