A Reflection from the Salesian Leadership Team

(Los Angeles, California) – Across the world, the Salesian mission continues to respond to new realities while remaining faithful to the dream of Don Bosco: to accompany young people, especially those most in need, with presence, hope, and faith. In the USA West Province, the past several years have been a time of intentional renewal — a journey shaped not only by leadership transition, but by a shared desire to strengthen how we live and sustain our mission together.

From 2022 through 2025, the Province undertook a deliberate effort to build stronger foundations for the future. The goal was not simply organizational improvement, but missionary fidelity: ensuring that our works remain vibrant, coordinated, and capable of serving young people for generations to come. This journey has invited Salesians and lay leaders alike to grow in shared responsibility, deeper collaboration, and renewed clarity of purpose.

From Individual Effort to Shared Mission

Like many provinces around the world, our history has been shaped by generous leaders whose personal dedication carried ministries forward. Today, however, changing realities call us to complement personal leadership with shared systems that help the mission endure beyond any individual role.

Over the past three years, the Province has worked to move from primarily informal leadership practices toward a more aligned and collaborative model. Clearer roles, common priorities, and regular planning sessions have helped leaders across ministries walk in the same direction. This shift has strengthened unity while allowing each work to remain faithful to its local context.

At the heart of this process has been a renewed understanding that leadership in the Salesian tradition is always relational and formative. Structures alone do not sustain a mission; people formed in accompaniment do.

The Gift of Accompaniment Through Coaching

One of the most meaningful developments during this period has been the introduction of executive leadership coaching led personally by our Provincial, Fr. Mel, with several delegates, coordinators, and directors. Rather than focusing on management techniques, this coaching has emphasized accompaniment — helping leaders grow in clarity, accountability, and collaboration.

Through regular conversations and shared discernment, leaders have experienced a closer connection with the Provincial and a stronger sense of teamwork within the Salesian Leadership Team (SLT). This has created an environment where responsibilities are shared more intentionally and where decisions move more naturally into action.

The impact has been concrete. Coaching has helped leaders translate vision into practice: strengthening accountability, fostering mutual trust, and ensuring that priorities are not only discussed but accomplished. It has also modeled a style of leadership rooted in listening and guidance — deeply consistent with the Salesian spirit.

From a personal perspective within the SLT, this accompaniment has made a significant difference. Initiatives that once seemed difficult to coordinate have moved forward with clarity and confidence. Gatherings with missionaries have been organized to strengthen connections and support. A welcoming manual for new missionaries was developed to help them integrate more smoothly into the life of the Province. Regional planning efforts have advanced through sustained collaboration. These steps, while practical, reflect a deeper cultural shift toward shared responsibility.

Building Capacity for Mission

Another important fruit of this renewed collaboration has been the decision to strengthen development efforts across the Province. Recognizing the need to sustain ministries into the future, the Province discerned the need to hire a development leader dedicated to supporting fundraising and communication.

This investment has already begun to bear fruit. A new video has been created to more clearly share the story of our ministries, helping people understand the impact of Salesian work. New resources have been developed to support ongoing programs, allowing ministries to continue serving young people with greater stability.

These efforts are not simply financial initiatives; they are expressions of stewardship. By caring for resources responsibly, the Province seeks to ensure that the mission entrusted to us remains strong and accessible to those who need it most.

Collaboration That Serves Young People

The strengthening of leadership and collaboration is already opening new missionary opportunities. One example is the growing willingness across the Province to seek resources for the Salesian Youth Leadership Conference (SYLC), recognizing its importance in forming young leaders who will shape the future of the Church and society.

Another example is an upcoming short-term missionary experience in Medellín, Colombia, where young adults will participate in outreach and vocational conversations. This initiative has emerged through collaboration between youth ministry, mission animation, and the volunteer program — a sign of how shared leadership can generate new missionary energy.

In each case, stronger coordination among leaders ultimately serves one purpose: helping young people encounter accompaniment, faith, and belonging.

Looking Ahead with Hope

As the USA West Province looks toward the coming years, the focus is not on maintaining programs alone but on nurturing a culture capable of sustaining mission over time. Formation, collaboration, and shared accountability continue to guide this path forward.

The experience of these years has reminded us that leadership renewal is not primarily about structures, but about relationships rooted in trust and common vision. Coaching and accompaniment have helped leaders grow together, strengthening unity while respecting the diversity of our ministries.

For Salesians around the world, this journey offers a simple reminder: when leadership is lived as accompaniment, the mission flourishes. Systems serve people, and people serve young people.

With gratitude for all who share in this mission — Salesians, lay collaborators, volunteers, and benefactors — we continue walking together, confident that the Spirit who inspired Don Bosco continues to guide our steps today.

The Salesian Leadership Team

• Fr. Mel Trinidad – Provincial 
• Fr. John Itzaina – Vice Provincial 
• Fr. Fabian Cardenas – Delegate of Youth Ministry
• Fr. Michael Gergen – Provincial Council Member
• Fr. Kristian Laygo – Delegate of Formation 
• Bro Tom Mass – Provincial Economer 
• Bro Alphonce Vu – Leadership team member 
• Gina Robles – Youth Ministry Associate 
• Dani Snow – Director of Philanthropy  
• Julie LaNasa – Strategic Consultant to the Provincial  
• JC Montenegro – Delegate of Mission Animation