By the Numbers
Serve Like Don Bosco
St. John Bosco drew young people to God with his presence. But he couldn’t do it alone – he needed lay people like you!
Choosing to serve can feel risky. But you’ll be glad you did. Your experience will shape the way you work, pray, and see your purpose in life.
Deciding Your Next Steps in Life?
We discern with you how to best use your gifts. You can teach, work in a parish, run retreats, help at-risk children, care for refugees and more.
Jump into each day like Don Bosco. Pray with the Salesians, laugh with the children, and watch God provide for you in surprising ways. Pour yourself out to the kids. You’ll be amazed at what you can do!
Educating For Life
You can help break the cycle of poverty by providing a quality education to vulnerable youth. At Salesian schools, young children attend classes, participate in sports and other activities and have a safe place to learn and grow.
Health & Medical Services
Use your professional knowledge to serve the sick at a Salesian clinic, hospital, or dispensary. Be it a nurse or medical doctor, the impact of healthcare ministry is quick and powerful.
Taking Care of the At-Risk
Do you have a caring and empathetic heart? Do you desire to help provide basic living necessities for youth? Why not serve at one of many shelters and homes where you can help counsel, stabilize, and educate those youth at-risk.
Closer to Jesus
Be a Salesian Youth Minister and help young people come to know and love Jesus Christ. Our way of ministering to young people guides them to serve others and the Church in the style of St. John Bosco – to form ‘upright citizens and good Christians.’
Reaching out to those in need
As a Salesian Lay Missioner, you will have the unique opportunity to make lasting positive impacts on entire communities – establishing school outreach programs, evaluating community needs, or simply listening to those who want to be heard. You can be that change!
Meet the SLMs
Meet the current lay missioners who have committed themselves to furthering Don Bosco’s and the church’s mission of serving those at-risk.
Why did you choose to serve?
I would like to serve as a Salesian Lay Missioner to give back to a community that would be in need of assistance. I’ve always found a connection in helping others and the reward of it is more than anything I have achieved so far in my young career. I would look forward to helping many different people through any means of service both indirect and direct.
Salesian Roots and Spiritual Formation
Lorenzo comes to the Salesian Lay Missioners with a deep love for God, a heart for young people, and a long-standing connection to the Salesian family. Growing up in Italy, he was formed by the Salesian charism through years of involvement in oratories and summer camps, where he served as a youth leader and animator. These early experiences instilled in him Don Bosco’s joyful approach to holiness and his belief in the transformative power of accompaniment.
Academic and Professional Background
While Lorenzo went on to earn a Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Turin and lead innovative research projects, he never lost sight of his call to serve. He led the biomedical division of Team Policumbent, managing a team of 18 and collaborating with industry partners to develop human-powered vehicles, including participation in the World Human Powered Speed Challenge in Nevada, USA.
A Missionary Heart for the Young
Lorenzo’s journey has included roles in educational robotics and youth formation. His enthusiasm for working with young people, combined with his leadership skills and Salesian spirit, makes him a natural fit for mission work. He sees his professional skills as tools, but his true mission lies in walking with the young—especially those most in need—and helping them encounter the love of Christ.
Mission Assignment: Tampa, Florida
In 2025, Lorenzo begins his service as a Salesian Lay Missioner at the Mary Help of Christians Center in Tampa, Florida. There, he will support the Salesian mission of accompanying the young and the poor with joy, presence, and hope—bringing his faith, energy, and dedication to a vibrant community rooted in Don Bosco’s vision.
Why have you joined the Salesian Lay Missioner program and/or what do you hope to accomplish thru your SLM mission?
Discern God’s call for religious life or missionary life ; Help the poor get out of poverty via education
What do you expect to do on mission?
Teaching English
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On November 15, 2024, Barbara Ekanga represented Salesian Lay Missioners at the World Day of the Poor, emphasizing global poverty solutions.
