About Us
History
Our story begins with St. John Bosco
- 1815 - Don Bosco born
- 1841 - Don Bosco begins his ministry
- 1860 - Don Bosco accepts the first lay member of the Salesians
- 1872- Salesian Sisters founded
- 1875 - First Salesian Missionary Expedition to Patagonia
- 1888 - Don Bosco dies
- 1897 - Salesians arrive in San Francisco, CA
- 1898 - Salesians arrive in New York
- 1980 - Fr. A.J. Louis establishes the Salesian Lay Missioner program
- 1983 - First SLMs sent to Columbia
From its humble beginnings in Turin, Italy, St. John Bosco (“Don” Bosco) knew that he needed the help of the laity if his mission were to thrive. As Fr. Tim Zak, former provincial of the Eastern United States says:
“Don Bosco’s vision of being Salesian was inclusive; he envisioned ordained and lay members, some in religious communities, and others in their homes, all working together for the good of the young. The point of remembering our history was to identify an essential characteristic of the Salesian charism: from the very beginning, SDBs share the Salesian mission and formation with lay people.”
As Salesian Lay Missioners, we answer our baptismal call of spreading the gospel and working with the youth, especially those on the fringes of today’s society – not only the fringes materialistically, but those who are spiritually poor.Throughout its history, SLMs have worked alongside Salesians in over 30 countries ministering to more than 500,000 youth.
