By: Luis Chacon
Province Coordinator for Volunteers

We are happy to share that Divine Providence has sent us a new volunteer. His name is Saul Edwin Silva Duran, he is 25 years old, and although he and his father were born in Brazil, Saul grew up in Bolivia, where he has known the Salesians since he was ten years old.

Saul is the third of four brothers and he is a Petroleum Engineer; he has been collaborating in the Salesian Parish of La Inmaculada Concepción de Portachuelo, in Santa Cruz Bolivia. It is in this Parish, that he fell in love with Don Bosco and the Salesian charism. Right there, he not only helped as an altar server for several years but was also coordinator of altar servers and Sacristan.

Helping all these years in the Parish, he learned the importance and value of liturgical celebrations and hard work and perseverance. Saul has worked as a motorcycle taxi driver, copero (waiter), substitute teacher, and in liquid hydrocarbon storage, among other things.

Saul affirms that what he liked and what struck him about the Salesians and Don Bosco is the opportunity to be close to God in different ways to keep improving his person in all the dimensions of his life: as a brother, as a friend, as a committed layman, etc. For Saul, Don Boso is a role model for young people and teachers.

Saul shared that Father Aquilino Libralon, SDB has been a significant example for him in his life. He is an example of a consecrated Salesian committed to his pastoral updating, always trying to offer tools and opportunities so that people feel closer to God in a conscious way.

The motivation of our new volunteer to respond to God’s call to become a missionary in our province is the desire to serve and learn as much as possible from a different culture and go back to his country and apply what he has learned in his pastoral work.

It is Saul’s first time in the United States of America. He has encountered different challenges; for example, although he has practically finished studying English in Bolivia, he has realized that this language is a little different in daily practice. Another challenge is knowing that unlike his pastoral experience with the Salesians in his city where he served as altar boy and Sacristan, he will have to be open to any other work that the Salesian mission presents him.

Our new volunteer will be helping for six months in the Saint Peter and Paul community in San Francisco. He will also support the Salesian Boys and Girls Club, the School, and Church. Thank you very much for responding to the missionary call that God gave you, and welcome to this Province Saul!