{"id":28352,"date":"2026-01-17T16:20:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T00:20:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/?p=28352"},"modified":"2026-01-20T19:25:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T03:25:06","slug":"salesian-cooperators-don-boscos-prophetic-dream-continues-through-history-life-and-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2026\/01\/17\/salesian-cooperators-don-boscos-prophetic-dream-continues-through-history-life-and-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Salesian Cooperators: Don Bosco\u2019s Prophetic Dream Continues Through History, Life, and the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>(ANS \u2013 Turin)<\/strong> \u2013 During the afternoon of the third day of the Salesian Family Spirituality Days, special attention was given to the Association of Salesian Cooperators, protagonists of a rich and well-structured sharing that wove together memory, present life, and a prophetic vision of the future, in preparation for the <strong>150th anniversary of the Association\u2019s foundation (1876\u20132026).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The session, animated by the World Council of Salesian Cooperators, focused on the theme: <strong>\u201cDon Bosco\u2019s prophetic dream continues: history and roots \u2013 the dream lives today, moving toward the future.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It offered the Salesian Family a comprehensive reflection on the identity, journey, and mission of Salesian Cooperators in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">At the Roots of a Shared Dream<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Opening the session, Italo Canaletti, World Councilor for the Italy\u2013Middle East\u2013Malta Region, retraced the historical and charismatic origins of the Association. The foundational reference remains <strong>May 9, 1876<\/strong>, the date when Pope Pius IX granted pontifical recognition to the Pious Union of Salesian Cooperators. However, as was emphasized, Salesian Cooperators had long been present in Don Bosco\u2019s heart, mind, and works, as a concrete response to the growing educational and pastoral needs of his time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Through Don Bosco\u2019s own writings and significant historical milestones, the prophetic vision of the Saint of Youth clearly emerged: a Salesian vocation lived in the world by lay people and diocesan priests, men and women called to be evangelical leaven in society. This intuition was far ahead of its time and found full recognition in the post\u2013Vatican II journey of the Church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Special attention was given to the evolution of identity expressed even in language: from \u201cSalesian Cooperators\u201d understood primarily as collaborators, to \u201cSalesian Cooperators\u201d as a true vocational identity. This was not merely a change in terminology, but a deeper awareness of their charismatic calling. Today, the Association counts more than <strong>30,000 members in 102 countries<\/strong>, organized into <strong>11 Regions<\/strong>, and is recognized as a public association of the faithful and an integral part of the Salesian Family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Faces and Stories of a Living Vocation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The historical reflection was followed by personal testimonies that embodied the charism in everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Noemi, a Salesian Cooperator, shared a vocation born within a deeply Salesian family context and lived today as a wife, mother, and grandmother, close to young people and families as a presence of education and faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alfonso, a diocesan priest and Salesian Cooperator, spoke of a journey that began in the oratory and youth center, shaped by meaningful encounters with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, and now lived through parish ministry, bringing the Salesian spirit into ordinary pastoral life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Different stories, united by one conviction: to be Salesians in the world, wherever life calls them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Three-Year Journey to Remember, Renew, and Relaunch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The second part of the session focused on the present, with an address by Borja P\u00e9rez, World Councilor for the Iberian Region, who presented the three-year path of preparation for the 150th anniversary, launched by the World Council in <strong>2023<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This journey is marked by three key verbs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Remember (2023\u20132024):<\/strong> the dream, the origins, synodality, a sense of belonging, and the universal nature of the Association.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Renew (2024\u20132025):<\/strong> the Promise and formation, with renewed centrality given to the Project of Apostolic Life, lived as a shared \u201cbook of life.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Relaunch (2025\u20132026):<\/strong> looking to the future by listening to social, ecclesial, and associative realities, in preparation for the Sixth World Congress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This path has been lived in a synodal style, involving all Regions worldwide through online meetings, interregional webinars, shared moments of prayer, strong communication efforts, and the collection of hundreds of testimonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Promise: The Heart of a Life Given<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Further testimonies brought renewed focus to the meaning of the Apostolic Promise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enzo described the Promise as daily fidelity, lived in the normal rhythm of family and professional life, alongside the fragilities and hopes of the people encountered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antonio Lloret, a Salesian Cooperator from Madrid, spoke of the Promise as the beginning of a lifelong journey, marked by ongoing formation, coherence of life, and availability to the Association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Looking Ahead: Serving with Trust<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The third section projected the assembly toward the future through the reflection of Antonio Boccia, World Coordinator of the Salesian Cooperators. His contribution drew inspiration from the <strong>2026 Strenna<\/strong>, <em>\u201cDo whatever he tells you.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Referring to the Gospel image of the servants at the wedding feast of Cana, Boccia described the lay vocation as a humble, concrete, and trusting service\u2014capable of filling the \u201cjars\u201d of history with the water of everyday life, leaving God to bring about the transformation. Salesian lay identity thus emerged as a prophetic force, a bridge between Church and street, especially close to young people, called to witness a credible, incarnate, and lived Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His address concluded with a strong invitation: to create welcoming environments, offer experiences of service, invest in formation, and highlight the beauty of the lay vocation, so that Don Bosco\u2019s dream may continue to generate life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Song for Walking Together<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The session concluded with the premiere presentation of the anthem of the <strong>Sixth World Congress of Salesian Cooperators<\/strong>, a musical expression of the Association\u2019s international and missionary dimension:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\u201cSalesian Cooperators, you and I are the mission.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Final words of gratitude and encouragement were offered by the Rector Major, <strong>Fr. Fabio Attard<\/strong>, who acknowledged Salesian Cooperators as a living and indispensable presence in the Church and in the Salesian Family\u2014a sign of a faith that continues to generate the future.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(ANS \u2013 Turin) \u2013 During the afternoon of the third day of the Salesian Family Spirituality Days, special attention was given to the Association of Salesian Cooperators, protagonists of a rich and well-structured sharing that wove together memory, present life, and a prophetic vision of the future, in preparation for the 150th anniversary of the Association\u2019s foundation (1876\u20132026). The session, animated by the World Council &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/2026\/01\/17\/salesian-cooperators-don-boscos-prophetic-dream-continues-through-history-life-and-the-future\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continuar leyendo <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Salesian Cooperators: Don Bosco\u2019s Prophetic Dream Continues Through History, Life, and the Future<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":10336596,"featured_media":28356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[57325636,16570093,516714022],"tags":[35890],"class_list":["post-28352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salesian-cooperators","category-salesian-spirituality","category-salesian-world-news","tag-featured"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/salesianbulletin.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2026-01-20-Spirituality-Cooperators-feature.jpg?fit=1600%2C890&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p59ePG-7ni","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10336596"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28352"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28358,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28352\/revisions\/28358"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesianbulletin.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}