By Jesus Jurado, SDB

(Santa Rosa de Lima, Peru) – “We can have the best school, the most modern laboratory, and the most attractive infrastructure. But the question remains the same: Are we saving young people? Are we bringing them closer to God?”

With this call, the first working session of the Meeting of Salesian Laypeople of the Salesian Province of Santa Rosa de Lima in Peru began.

The presentation during the first part of the morning was led by Fr. Alejandro Rodríguez, a member of the Don Bosco Research and Accompaniment Salesian Community in Berkeley, California (United States), who developed the theme “Salesian Preventive Leadership.”

From the beginning of his presentation, the priest invited the more than 70 participants to rediscover the essence of Don Bosco’s charism. He explained that a Salesian work is not defined solely by its buildings, programs, or results, but by its ability to live the spirit of the Oratory.

“The Oratory is not just a place; it is a criterion for making decisions, a way of relating with young people, and above all, a way of being.”
— Fr. Alejandro Rodríguez

Through a reflection on the different levels of the Oratory, he recalled that Don Bosco’s model transcends physical space and becomes a way of life. “Where Don Bosco was, there was the Oratory,” he stated, inviting educators to ask themselves whether they themselves have become a “living Oratory,” capable of transmitting welcome, closeness, education, and evangelization.

Another significant moment was the reflection on the shared mission between Salesians and laypeople. Fr. Rodríguez emphasized that the future of the mission depends on forming people capable of transmitting the charism rather than relying on individual leadership.

“The future of the Salesian is to be a formator,” he said, emphasizing that the primary task of the Salesians of Don Bosco is to ensure the continuity of Don Bosco’s spirit by forming others.

The morning concluded with an invitation that resonated among the participants: to evaluate every work, project, and decision through a single question: Does this truly help save young people and bring them closer to God?

This, the presenter recalled, is the criterion that gives meaning to every Salesian work and keeps Don Bosco’s dream alive.

Originally published at: Boletin Salesiano