Family Spirit

Taking it upon ourselves to seek out the young in every situation, we make it our joy to share in even the simplest activities of life with others. Through the respect, sincere interest, and cheerfulness, which we radiate in our lives, we are able to draw the young to God, who is the source of every good thing.

Don Bosco wanted everyone to feel at ease at the Oratory. so as we continued the Salesian tradition of the family spirit, we invite you to come for a visit to experience it for yourself,  just click on the “Contact Us” tab and drop Sister Colleen a line.

Our Institute “is a living part of the Salesian Family which throughout history relives in different ways the spirit and mission of Don Bosco thus expressing it perennial adaptability. As successor of Don Bosco the Rector Major of the Society of St. Francis de Sales is its animator and centre of unity” (Const. 3).

With the Salesians of Don Bosco and the Salesian Cooperators we make up the three founding groups of the Salesian Family. We were founded directly through the intervention of St John Bosco and as such we are responsible for animating and sharing the Salesian spirituality with others. It is our joyous responsibility to be examples of Salesianity to others.

Unlike other religious families in the church, ours has remained united through the Rector Major, Don Bosco’s successor. We always work closely with one another in our ministries and where one group is, the others usually follow to help tend to the harvest given to us by Christ.

All in all there are over 20 groups that make up the Salesian family with a total of over 400,000 members, with another 26 groups seeking admittance. No wonder Don Bosco once said that being a Salesian would one day become synonymous with being a faithful Christian!

Groups in the Salesian Family

The Salesians of Don Bosco are made up of the priest and brothers who have consecrated their lives to the service of the poor and young in the Salesian spirit. They are our brothers and assist us in our ministry and count over 16,000 members.

The Salesian Cooperators are lay men and women who have dedicated themselves to the Salesian mission in a similar way as Salesian religious, but while remaining in their own communities and in their own families. They number over 35,000 members worldwide.

 

For the Salesian Sisters, family is so important, so I have been spending the past few weeks visiting the families of the eight young women who will be entering on August 4th. I just returned from Illinois from visiting the family of Into the Deep and the week before I visited with PopRoxNSoda24‘s family.

It is very encouraging for me to see so many young women interested in religious life. Every day I get about a dozen emails asking about the Salesian Sisters. Each one is similar in that the women say to me something like, “You know, Sister, I keep trying to ignore it, but I just HAVE to find out more. The thought of being a Sister just keeps coming back to me.”

The Holy Spirit is persistent and if God is calling you to religious life I encourage you to not delay, but to keep your lamp lit with prayer and follow the inspiration of the Lord. As John Paul the Great said at WYD 2002, “And if, in the depths of your hearts, you feel the same call to the priesthood or consecrated life, do not be afraid to follow Christ on the royal road of the Cross! At difficult moments in the Church’s life, the pursuit of holiness becomes even more urgent. And holiness is not a question of age; it is a matter of living in the Holy Spirit, just as Kateri Tekakwitha did here in America and so many other young people have done.” 

 35“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:35-40)