(ANS – Rome) — “Returning with a Salesian heart to the educational and pastoral value of sport” was the guiding theme of the reflection meeting held at Salesian Headquarters in Roma on Monday, February 2, 2026.
Those present at the gathering included the President of the International Salesian Youth Sports Association (PGS-I), Georg Leibold; the General Councilors for Youth Ministry of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) and the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Sr. Runita Borja y Fr. Rafael Bejarano; and the Youth Ministry Delegates for FMA and SDB for PGS-I, Sr. Francesca Scibetta y Fr. Jerry Matsoumbou. The Vice President of PGS-I, Fr. Tibor Reimer of Slovakia, joined the meeting remotely.
A Prayerful Beginning and a Renewed Vision
The Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, led the opening prayer, encouraging those present to continue animating the Association while renewing awareness that sport is one of the privileged pathways of the Salesian charism for reaching young people and accompanying them in their integral growth.
The Mission and Identity of the International Salesian Youth Sports Association
President Leibold then presented the current reality of the International Salesian Youth Sports Association, an organization founded following the Salesian Youth Movement – Italy to promote opportunities for encounter through sport among young people from FMA and SDB communities in European provinces and other interested countries.
These young people follow a path of integral formation rooted in the Salesian educational tradition and, through PGS-I events and games, experience the joy of being together and sharing the same values with peers from other nations.
The Association is the fruit of the initiative of Salesians y Salesian Sisters who, together with lay collaborators, continue to believe in sport and play as essential elements of Salesian charismatic identity. This vision is reflected in the message of Fr. Pascual Chávez Villanueva to the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) in 2006, recalling how St. John Bosco recognized from the very beginning of the Oratory the educational power of play and sport. He made the playground the heart of his houses, creating a joyful, spontaneous, and family-like youth environment.
Within this setting, Don Bosco proposed a cheerful Christian way of life capable of leading young people to holiness. Sport thus became an important element of the Salesian educational and pastoral proposal.
Salesian presence in the world of sport remains significant today, reaching many young people who might otherwise lack access to education. Fidelity to characteristic Salesian choices remains essential: the centrality of the young person, the active and guiding presence of educators among youth, the courage to offer educational proposals that challenge young people to grow, and a steadfast commitment to evangelization. In the sporting world, Salesians are called to promote an alternative vision of sport—one that places the human person and integral development at its center.
Sport as an Integral Part of Youth Ministry
Fr. Rafael Bejarano y Sr. Runita Borja emphasized the priority of initiating a process of reflection and renewed awareness regarding the value of sports ministry as an integral part of Youth Ministry. Joining forces, identifying appropriate strategies, and proposing concrete pathways to revitalize the sporting dimension of the Salesian mission will be the next steps in putting into practice the insights that emerged from the meeting.