Salesians of Don Bosco
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The Salesians of Don Bosco (or the Salesian Society, originally known as the Society of St. Francis de Sales) is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the mid nineteenth century by Saint John Bosco in an attempt, through works of charity, to care for the young and poor children of the industrial revolution. 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"[1]. The order is named for St. Francis de Sales, an early-modern bishop of Geneva.
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[edit] History
In 1845 St. John Bosco (Don=Father) opened a night school for boys in Valdocco, now part of the municipality of Turin in Italy. In the coming years, he opened several more schools, and in 1857 drew up a set of rules for his helpers, which became the Rule of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, which Pope Pius IX approved definitively in 1874. The order grew rapidly, with houses established in France and Argentina within a year of the society's formal recognition. The order's official print organ, the Salesian Bulletin, was first published in 1877. 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 the order's growth, and by 1911 the Salesians were established throughout the world, including China, India, South Africa, Tunisia, and the United States. The society continues to operate worldwide; in 1995, it counted more than 17,000 members in 1,616 houses. It is the third largest missionary organization in the world.[2].
[edit] Organization
The Salesians of Don Bosco are headed by a rector major and the society's general council; 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 chapter general, 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.
List of Salesian Provinces:
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[edit] Works
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. The Salesian Bulletin is now published in fifty-two editions, in thirty languages.
In the 1990s Salesians launched new works in the area of tertiary education, and today have a network of over 50 colleges and universities. The official university of the Salesian Society is the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome.
[edit] Salesian Sisters
The women's order is known as the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco or the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.
Visitationist sisters, members of the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, are also sometimes called Salesian Sisters, in honor of one of their founders, Saint Francis de Sales. However, the two orders are not the same and their membership does not overlap.
[edit] Controversy
- See also: Roman Catholic sex abuse cases
There have been sexual abuse cases concerning the order.[3][4][5] In the United States, Salesian High in Richmond, California lost a sexual abuse case,[6] whilst in Australia there are allegations that the Salesians moved a priest convicted of abuse in Melbourne to Samoa in order to avoid further police investigation and charges.[7][8]
[edit] See also
- Category:Salesians
- Bosco Seva Kendra, Development Office of the Salesian Province of Hyderabad in India.
[edit] External links
- salesians.org
- Salesiani Don Bosco Home Page (primarily in Italian)
- Don Bosco Youth-Net Web Portal
- Salesians of Don Bosco (UK)
- National Salesian Web sites in Europe
- Salesians in the Western USA and Canada, and in Sierra Leone
- Salesians in Portugal
- Links to Salesians all around the world
- Salesians in India
- in the Province of St.Joseph, Hyderabad, India
- Salesian Youth Ministry of the Western United States
- Salesian in Slovenia
- salesian oratory in Slovenia
- Official Website of the Salesian Family in Malta
- Salesian Pastoral Youth Service Malta
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13398b.htm
- ^ http://www.salesians.ie/about_worldhist.htm
- ^ Hundreds of priests shuffled worldwide, despite abuse allegations
- ^ House of the Accused.When priests within the Salesian order based in San Francisco were accused of sex abuse, the leaders chose to keep quiet
- ^ Vatican sued in sex abuse cases
- ^ Troubled Order
- ^ Abuse. International investigation implicates Salesians/Australia
- ^ http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/spe/2004/runawaypriests
- Based on Catholic Encyclopedia entry, abbreviated and rewritten for NPOV.
