(ANS – Rome) – The 11th Successor of John Bosco, Fr. Fabio Attard, Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, will make an Animation Visit to the Vice-Province of St. Joseph, Sri Lanka (LKC) from May 14–19, 2026, as part of his presence in the South Asia Region. The visit is eagerly anticipated by the confreres and young people throughout the island and is expected to be a significant moment of grace, communion, and renewal for the Salesian Family.

Fr. Attard will arrive on the evening of May 14 en la Bandaranaike International Airport and will begin his program at the Provincial House in Dungalpitiya.

On May 15, he will celebrate the Eucharist and meet with the confreres and the Provincial Council before taking part in a cultural evening with the aspirants in Dankotuwa.

On May 16, the Rector Major will preside over the Jubilee Mass in Negombo and meet with young people and members of the Salesian Family. He will then visit the Postnovitiate in Ahungalla, emphasizing the importance of formation.

On May 17, he will travel to northern Sri Lanka to meet with youth and members of the Salesian Family in Kilinochchi, visit the Aspirantate in Mankulam, and continue on to Don Bosco Nochchiyagama.

The visit will conclude on May 18 with the celebration of Mass in the newly built church at Nochchiyagama, visits to educational and technical centers, and the inauguration of a Jubilee Memorial in Negombo before his departure in the early hours of May 19.

Expressing the sentiments of the Vice-Province, the Provincial, Fr. Roshan Miranda, said:

“We are filled with profound joy as we prepare to welcome Fr. Fabio Attard, the 11th Successor of Don Bosco, to our island. His presence among us is a sign of communion with the entire Congregation and a fatherly encouragement to our confreres and young people. We truly believe this will be a moment of grace for Sri Lanka — renewing our missionary zeal and strengthening our commitment to serve the young, especially the poorest, with the heart of Don Bosco.”

The Salesians have been present in Sri Lanka since 1956 and are celebrating 80 years of presence in the country this year. There are around 100 Salesians in the LKC, with an average age under 40, making it one of the youngest circumscriptions in the Congregation.

Through their 19 houses and the many apostolates carried out throughout the country — supported as well by five other groups of the Salesian Family, including the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA), the Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians (MSMHC), the Association of Mary Help of Christians (ADMA), the Cooperadores Salesianos, and the Past Pupils — they continue Don Bosco’s mission in the island nation, accompanying young people in discovering and fulfilling their vocation.