(ANS – Turin) – From May 1–30, 2026, the Salesian Center for Ongoing Formation in America (CSFPA) conducted the fourth level of Salesian spirituality as a pilgrimage course entitled “Don Bosco in His Homeland and Among His People,” featuring a formation program in Annecy, Piedmont, and Rome.

The experience brought together 20 participants from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay, accompanied by three members of the CSFPA team.

For a month, the pilgrims visited places significant to Salesian history: Annecy, Mornese, Valponasca, Genoa, Colle Don Bosco, Chieri, Valdocco, Turin, and Rome—all places connected to Don Bosco, Mamma Margaret, St. Francis de Sales, St. Mary Mazzarello, Dominic Savio, and the early days of the Salesian mission.

More than a journey, this pilgrimage was a spiritual, historical, and charismatic experience. Each visit provided an opportunity to deepen participants’ understanding of Don Bosco’s life, his context, his educational method, his spirituality, and his radical commitment to young people. The itinerary included Eucharistic celebrations, moments of prayer, retreats, personal reflection, community evaluations, and times of fellowship.

One of the most significant moments took place in Valdocco, the heart of the Salesian charism, where participants celebrated the Feast of Mary Help of Christians and shared the joy of belonging to a living and universal charismatic family.

The experience concluded with an emotional meeting with the Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, who personally accompanied the participants and presented them with diplomas as a sign of the successful completion of the formation program. This gesture gave a profoundly Salesian meaning to the end of the pilgrimage: returning to the mission with renewed hearts, more closely united with Don Bosco, and committed to the education and evangelization of young people.

Through this experience, the CSFPA reaffirms its commitment to Salesian formation throughout the Americas, offering programs that help strengthen charismatic identity and encourage a deeper and more creative living of Don Bosco’s spirit in a variety of mission contexts.