Medellín Mission and Discernment Experience | August 7, 2026
By JC Montenegro, PhD, Delegate for Mission Animation
(Medellín, Colombia) – Following our first day centered on Christ, Community, and Mission, the second day of our Medellín mission invited our 13 young adults to begin living these three words through prayer, service, discernment, and fraternity. The theme of the day, “Encountering and Serving God in the Ordinary,” challenged the volunteers to recognize that God often speaks through the simple experiences and encounters of everyday life.
The day began with meditation and Mass. In his homily, Fr. Fabian Cardenas, SDB, reflected on a fundamental conviction of Salesian spirituality: God is not only waiting for us in the chapel. God is waiting for us in life. Following the spirituality of Don Bosco, we can encounter the Lord in prayer, friendship, work, recreation, service, responsibility, and our relationships with others.
Fr. Fabian encouraged the young adults to pay attention to what God might be revealing through the mission. The stories of the young people they encounter, moments of joy or discomfort, their own limitations, and the questions emerging about their future can all become places of encounter with Christ. He invited them to move beyond simply asking, “What am I going to do with my life?” and instead pray: “Lord, what are you doing with my life through everything I am experiencing here?”
After Mass and breakfast, the volunteers put this message into practice through service at Ciudad Don Bosco. Some organized games and activities for the children at the boarding school, creating an atmosphere where the volunteers and children could have fun, build community, and learn from one another. Others served behind the scenes in the kitchen, helping to wash dishes and prepare food. Whether playing with the children or completing the simple work necessary to serve the community, both experiences became concrete examples of finding God in the ordinary.
In the afternoon, Luis Chacón led a formation session on vocational discernment, continuing the theme of recognizing God in everyday life. The young adults reflected on how the Lord may already be speaking through their experiences, desires, relationships, gifts, questions, and encounters during the mission.
The evening offered a special experience of Salesian family spirit. The Salesian community and Provincial Council welcomed the volunteers for a barbecue dinner. During the gathering, Fr. Jairo Caña, SDB, 80 years old, shared a powerful testimony about perseverance in vocation. He reminded the young men that through prayer, a vocation can persevere through every challenge.
Fr. Jairo also reflected on the Gospel image of the person who discovers a treasure and is willing to leave everything for it. He reminded the group that our treasure is Jesus Christ. When Christ becomes our treasure, we begin to understand what is truly worth giving our lives for.
After the barbecue, Fr. Oscar Holguín, SDB, concluded the evening with the traditional Salesian Good Night. He reminded the volunteers that the Salesians are a family present throughout the world, united by a charism that continues to make a difference, especially in the lives of young people and those most in need.
Day Two showed our young adults that discernment does not happen only during formal moments of prayer. It happens while playing with children, washing dishes, preparing food, listening to another person’s story, sharing a meal, and encountering the witness of those who have faithfully followed Christ.
As the mission continues, we ask the Salesian Family to keep these young men in prayer, that they may recognize God walking beside them in the ordinary and have the courage to follow wherever Christ leads.
Christ. Community. Mission.
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