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On the afternoon of the third day of the Salesian Family Spirituality Days, attention focused particularly on the Association of Salesian Cooperators, the protagonist of a rich and multifaceted exchange that intertwined memory, present life, and a prophetic gaze toward the future, in view of the 150th anniversary of its foundation (1876–2026).

The session, animated by the World Council of Salesian Cooperators, revolved around the theme: “Don Bosco’s prophetic dream continues: history and roots – the dream lives today toward the future,” offering the Salesian Family an organic reading of the identity, journey, and mission of the Salesian Cooperators in today’s world.

At the roots of a shared dream

Italo Canaletti, World Councillor for the Italy–Middle East–Malta Region, opened the session by retracing the historical and charismatic origins of the Association. The foundational reference remains 9 May 1876, the date of the pontifical recognition of the Pious Union of Salesian Cooperators by Pius IX. However, as recalled, the Salesian Cooperators had long been present in Don Bosco’s heart, mind, and works, as a concrete response to the growing educational and pastoral needs.

Through Don Bosco’s own writings and significant historical milestones, the prophetic vision of the Saint of Youth became clear: a Salesian vocation lived in the world, by lay people and diocesan priests, men and women capable of being evangelical leaven in society. An intuition ahead of its time, which found full appreciation in the post-conciliar ecclesial journey.

Special emphasis was given to the evolution of identity expressed also in language: from “Salesian Cooperators” to “Salesian Cooperators” (with the accent on Salesian), not a simple change of name but a deeper vocational and charismatic awareness. Today, the Association has more than 30,000 members, present in 102 countries, organized into 11 Regions, and is recognized as a public association of the faithful, an integral part of the Salesian Family.

Faces and stories of a living vocation

The historical reflection was followed by personal testimonies that embodied the charism in daily life. Noemi, a Salesian Cooperator, shared a vocation that matured in a deeply Salesian family environment, lived today as a wife, mother, and grandmother, close to young people and families as an educational and faith-filled presence. Alfonso, a diocesan priest and Salesian Cooperator, recounted a journey born in the oratory and youth center, marked by encounters with significant figures of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, and now lived in parish ministry, bringing the Salesian style into ordinary pastoral work. Different stories, united by one conviction: being Salesian in the world, wherever life calls.

A three-year journey to remember, renew, relaunch

The second part of the session focused on the present, with the intervention of Borja Pérez, World Councillor for the Iberian Region, who presented the three-year path of preparation for the 150th anniversary, launched by the World Council in 2023.

Three verbs mark this journey:

• Remember (2023–2024): the dream, the origins, synodality, the sense of belonging, and the universality of the Association.
• Renew (2024–2025): the promise and formation, with a renewed centrality of the Project of Apostolic Life, lived as a common “book of life.”
• Relaunch (2025–2026): the gaze toward the future, through listening to social, ecclesial, and associative realities, in preparation for the Sixth World Congress.

A journey lived in a synodal style, involving all Regions of the world through online meetings, interregional webinars, moments of common prayer, intense communication efforts, and the sharing of hundreds of testimonies.

The promise, the heart of a life given

New testimonies once again placed the apostolic promise at the center. Enzo described the promise as daily fidelity, lived in the normality of family and work life, alongside the fragilities and hopes of the people encountered. Antonio Lloret, a Salesian Cooperator from Madrid, spoke of the promise as the beginning of a lifelong journey, made of ongoing formation, coherence, and availability to the Association.

Toward the future: serving with trust

The third part projected the assembly toward the future, with the intervention of the World Coordinator of the Salesian Cooperators, Antonio Boccia, who offered a broad reflection on the role of Salesian Cooperators in today’s world, in light of the 2026 Strenna: “Do whatever he tells you.”

Referring to the Gospel icon of the servants at the wedding at Cana, Boccia described the lay vocation as humble, concrete, and trusting service, capable of filling the “jars” of history with the water of daily life, leaving the transformation to God. Salesian secularity was presented as a prophetic force, a bridge between the Church and the streets, particularly close to young people, called to witness a credible, incarnate, lived Gospel.

The intervention concluded with a strong invitation: to create welcoming environments, propose experiences of service, invest in formation, and value the beauty of the lay vocation, so that Don Bosco’s dream may continue to generate life.

A song to walk together

To seal the moment, the hymn of the VI World Congress of Salesian Cooperators was presented in preview, a musical expression of the international and missionary dimension of the Association: “Salesian Cooperators, you and I are the mission.”

The session concluded with the gratitude and encouragement of Fr. Fabio Attard, who recognized in the Salesian Cooperators a living and indispensable presence in the Church and in the Salesian Family, a sign of a faith that continues to generate future.