N. 135 - March 2020
Newsletter for Salesian Missionary Animation
Publication of the Missions Sector for the Salesian Communities and Friends of the Salesian Mission
M any greetings from Valdocco, in full CG28. We present some layers of the
Rector Major's Report to CG 28.
The missionary reality of the Congregation is truly great and beautiful. The
contexts and the circumstances in which we share our life and mission with
different peoples and ethnic groups are very rich, but generally speaking, in my opin-
ion, not much known. That is why I thought it would be very interesting to offer the
following information to all the members of this Chapter Assembly.
Right now, the Congregation is present in 134 countries: 43 in Africa, 24 in America, 29 in
Asia, 32 in Europe and 6 in Oceania. For the time being, our presence has been suspended in Yemen,
where our confrere, Fr. Tom Uzhunnalil, was kidnapped for 557 days. We have closed our presence in
two countries: Iran and Andorra. At the same time, we have established new presences in two other
countries: Malaysia and Gambia. And we have received requests to open new communities in Afghani-
stan, Algeria, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Sweden, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, Vanuatu.
Particular religious contexts
The Islamic context: The phenomenon of religious diversity and multicultural
differences is increasingly transversal and not only geographically defined. Our pres-
ence in countries with a Muslim majority where Don Bosco’s charism is at the service
of young people as a witness to the Gospel and interreligious dialogue, is particularly
concentrated in the Province of the Middle East (MOR) in an Arab Muslim context:
Syria, Palestine and Egypt. In Lebanon and Israel our works have their own characteris-
tics because of a significant Christian presence in the former and Jewish-Muslim in the
latter. We may also recall our new presences in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates as well
as in the countries of the Maghreb, Morocco and Tunisia. In Asia, we have presences with very differ-
ent characteristics in Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey. In Europe:
Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina. In African: Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Mali,
Senegal, Sierra Leone and Sudan.
In the Buddhist context: Cambodia, China, Korea, Japan (with predominantly Buddhist and Shinto
religions), Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.
In the Christian Orthodox context: Belarus, Bulgaria, Georgia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Moldova, Montene-
gro, Romania, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine.
Contexts of human mobility and migration
Refugees and internal immigrants (IDP - Internally Displaced People): Apart from
the transversality of this phenomenon which affects many nations, we are present in
very significant places that involve the dramatic reality of refugees and immigrants
within their own country. By way of examples: Burundi, Central Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia,
India, Kenya, Lebanon, Nigeria, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Syria,
Sudan, South Sudan, Turkey, Ukraine and Uganda.
The migratory phenomenon is enormous and differentiated, and is of such a magnitude that, in
one way or another, the Congregation finds itself immersed in it to a large extent. As an example, I
list some of the more significant presences, both as regards the places of departure and the places of
destination where we work for migrants and displaced persons.
What I wanted to present to you, dear confreres, is a “photograph” of the beautiful missionary reality
of our Congregation. Between those who continue this reality today and those who laid the founda-
tion, we can count more than 10,400 Salesian missionaries ad gentes, starting from the first mission-
ary expedition of Don Bosco in 1875 to the last one we have just witnessed, viz. the 150th. A number
of times our Sisters, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, have left together with us, often in
order to carry out a complementary missionary activity.
These missionaries, both men and women, by the grace of God and the action of the
Spirit, have sowed and planted the Salesian charism of Don Bosco which has grown in
the five continents. Don Bosco too nourished the hope of becoming a missionary. That
thought never left him. It was the great ideal he had, and he realized it through his
sons and daughters. We have certainly been missionaries and “Don Bosco’s successors,
faithful to the spirit of the Founder, have always made a special effort with regard to
the missionary activity of the Congregation.” I can assure you that we too will continue
to do so.
