Formation, Salesian Family, Salesian World News

XII General Chapter of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart

(ANS – Tivoli) – The XII General Chapter of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart (SOSC) concluded on Friday, July 25, 2025, after intense sessions taking place from June 22 at the General House of the Congregation in Tivoli, Province of Rome.

For over a month, the capitular delegates lived a time of discernment, spiritual sharing, and discussion on the guiding theme of the General Chapter:
“Possessing the same mindset of Jesus Christ: Toward a faithful and prophetic living of our vocation and mission as Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart.”

The assembly also had the task of electing the new Mother General, entrusted with leading the Congregation for the next six years. On Tuesday, July 22 – the 53rd anniversary of the death of the founder of the SOSC, the Servant of God Bishop Giuseppe Cognata, SDB, former Bishop of Bova (RC) – Sr. Marta Drei was elected Mother General. She thus becomes the fourth Mother General of the Institute, following:

  • Mother Bice Giuseppina Carini (1951–1989)
  • Mother Carmelina Francesca Mosca (1989–2013)
  • Mother Graziella Benghini (2013–2025)

Following the elections held the next day, Wednesday, July 23, the General Council was composed as follows: Sr. Domenica Giampaolo (Vicar General), and Sisters Graziella Benghini (previous Mother General for two terms), Domenica Lamanna, and Agata Grassia.

The Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart are a Congregation of Pontifical Right founded on December 8, 1933, in the small diocese of Bova, Calabria, by the then Ordinary Bishop, Salesian Giuseppe Cognata. Their primary mission is the Christian education of children and young people through kindergartens, workshops, and youth centers. They also collaborate in diocesan catechesis and are dedicated to human development, especially for the most disadvantaged youth.

Recognized as a Congregation of Pontifical Right in 1972, they became part of the Salesian Family in 1983, as its ninth officially affiliated group. Today, the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart number around 250 sisters, spread across about sixty houses in Italy, Bolivia, and Peru.