We share below the Preliminary Document of the Animation Plan 2026‑2032 for the Association. The complete Animation Plan will be presented in December of this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KJkOnJCWEE
ENG PRELIMINARY DOCUMENT ANIMATION PLAN 2026-2032-
Dear brothers and sisters of the Association of Salesian Cooperators:
The Sixth World Congress, held in Rome in May 2026, was not merely a one-off event or just another meeting in the history of our Association; beyond the celebration of our 150th anniversary, it was — and continues to be — a spiritual, vocational and organisational milestone, a true exercise in listening to the Spirit and in associative communion on a global scale. Those of us who were present and those who were unable to take part are equally part of this journey: the Congress belongs to the whole Association, because its fruit is for everyone and its call reaches out to us all.
We experienced the Congress against a decisive backdrop, marked by three major horizons:
- The Association, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary and is embarking on the 2026–2032 six-year term with the desire to recall its roots, renew its identity and relaunch its mission, looking to the future with hope.
- The Church, which is continuing the process of transformation initiated by Pope Francis, now under the impetus of Pope Leo XIV, and inviting us to live out synodality as a permanent way of life.
- The world, in the midst of an epochal shift, characterised by social and cultural fragilities, growing individualism and a profound need for meaning, points of reference, depth and hope.
In this context, the Congress reminded us that our vocation is deeply relevant today. The Apostolic Life Project states that ‘Salesian Cooperators feel a deep sense of solidarity with the society in which they live and in which they are called to be light, salt and leaven’ (PVA, art. 16). And the Gospel invites us to be salt, light and leaven (Mt 5:13–16), a humble yet transformative presence. The Aguinaldo 2026, with its call to ‘Do whatever he tells you’, offered us four verbs that illuminate our path: to listen, to look, to choose and to act. These evangelical and Salesian principles resonate deeply with what we experienced at the Congress.
The Rector Major, in his address on 9 May, gave us four words that we wish to make part of our associative style:
- Listening — humble and docile, with God at the centre.
- Communion — a family spirit, true unity.
- Mission — apostolic boldness, a presence where the future is at stake.
- Participation — concrete co-responsibility, genuine synodal processes.
This document has been drawn up precisely to respond to this dynamic. Following the Congress, the World Council has begun a process of gathering, discerning and synthesising everything that resonated in the assembly, in the working groups and in the speeches. Our aim is to present, by the end of 2026, a Global Animation Plan for the six-year period 2026–2032, to guide the Association in its life, mission and organisation.
The text we now present is a first draft of that Plan. It is not intended to replace the Congress Proceedings, nor is it merely a list of conclusions. Its aim is to transform the insights of the Congress into living proposals for animation, adapted to different contexts and realities, with indicators, processes and lines of action that can inspire the planning of centres and provinces for the coming years.
This draft contains two fundamental elements:
- An initial elaboration of the programme guidelines emerging from the Congress, organised by areas and geographical regions, which will be fully developed in the 2026–2032 Animation Plan.
- The identification and presentation of the seven key lines that can guide and inspire the life of the Association over these six years, serving as a reference for all and acting as elements of communion.
We look to the future with confidence. Like Don Bosco, we want to dream, walk and propose. Like Mary, we want to observe, listen and respond. As a leaven of the Gospel, we want to be fruitful. May this document be a further step on that shared journey, so that together we may live out who we are: Salesian Cooperators at the heart of the world, called to transform reality from within.
The World Coordinator,
Borja Pérez.