(Berkeley, California) – From Sunday, November 8, to Tuesday, November 10, 2026, the Salesian Center for Ongoing Formation in Berkeley (SFCB) hosted the new seminar program for new directors, an intensive formation and discernment gathering designed to equip newly appointed local community directors in the Province of Saint Andrew (SUO). Facilitated by Fr. John Itzaina, SDB, Director of the Richmond-Berkeley Community, and Fr. Alejandro Rodríguez, SDB, Director of the SFCB, the seminar brought together newly appointed directors Fr. Kristian “Itchan” Laygo, SDB, and Fr. Vien Minh Nguyen, SDB, for three days of fraternal sharing, reflection, and strategic alignment.
Rooted in the Salesian Constitutions and Regulations, the Rector Handbook (AnGC), the Ratio Fundamentalis (FSDB 5th Ed., 2026), and GC29 directives, the sessions engaged the newly compiled Director’s Binder 2026, exploring its foundational formation nuclei:
- Salesian Identity: Spiritual Leadership, Fraternal Life, and Apostolic Mission
- Structures of Animation
- Economy and Administration
- EPC Leadership and Human Formation
- Salesian Family Collaboration
- Safeguarding and Pastoral Guidance
- First-Year Formation Plan
The gathering combined practical administrative tools with protected moments of communal prayer, reinforcing the mission of religious leadership across the Western USA Province. Participants concluded the seminar with renewed dedication to walking alongside their confreres, lay partners, and the young in Don Bosco’s spirit.