Dear friends,

Joining the Central Office as a new member of the Formation Sector is a gift that broadens my horizons. Living here allows me to look at the whole world through the eyes and heart of Don Bosco. But it is also a great challenge: starting something new all over again. Being ‘new’ reminds me every day that our formation is never a finished goal, but an ongoing journey of newness and wonder. The willingness to start afresh time and again is what should characterise the disciple and apostle of Christ. Indeed, formation and mission go hand in hand: there can be no fruitful mission without a heart that allows itself to be formed each day, and there can be no true formation that does not drive us towards others, especially those most in need.

I invite you to cherish this ‘beginner’s heart’. Remaining open to God’s newness is what makes us true missionaries.

  ▀ Fr Peter Timko SDB

   New member of the Formation Sector

157^th Missionary Expedition

Sent by the Rector Major, Valdocco on Saturday 17 October 2026

15 members of the new Missionary Expedition:

AKM*       Delegation “Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro”

ACE*         Vice-Province “Africa - East Congo” (Goma)

1. – Salesian Brother (Coadjutor)|   P. – Salesian Priest   |    S. – Salesian Student (Cleric)

Origin:

Central and West Africa 5; East Asia - Oceania 4; East and South Africa 2; America South Cone 2; South Asia 2; Central-North Europe 0; Interamerica 0; Mediterranean 0

Destination:

Mediterranean 5; Central-North Europe 3; East Asia - Oceania 3;
America South Cone 2; Interamerica 2; Central and West Africa 0;
East and South Africa 0; South Asia 0

WOUNDED HEALERS: THE mission TO SAFEGUARD HOPE

As we present the list of the 15 new missionaries who will set off on 17 October for nine new mission fields, one word springs to mind: THANK YOU. Their willingness to serve is a sign of hope for the Church, for the Salesian Congregation and, above all, for young people. Their ‘yes’ is an invitation to overcome fears and to embrace boundless missionary generosity.

At the same time, this new missionary dispatch confronts us with one of the most pressing challenges highlighted by GC29: the care of mental and emotional health, both for the younger generations and for the missionaries themselves. During recent visits to our missions in the Amazon, some pastors shared with me shocking figures regarding youth suicide in rural areas. Behind these figures lie cultural uprooting, loss of identity, a lack of opportunities, violence and addictions. But this reality is not exclusive to the peoples of the Amazon. What of the many young people living in large cities, marked by hyper-connectivity, the pressure to perform, constant competition, job insecurity and deep-seated family wounds? These are different contexts, but they often give rise to the same vulnerabilities and the same desire to be listened to and supported. Pope Leo XIV, in Magnifica Humanitas, invites us to ‘protect the person’ in a digital age deeply marked by loneliness, isolation and anguish. This appeal also challenges the Salesian Missionary Family. We are called to build communities where every person can experience a sense of belonging and support; to educate people in the critical, free and serene use of social media; to foster a balance between work, rest and prayer; to invest resolutely in prevention and support; and to promote processes of inculturation that strengthen identity, resilience and hope.

To our dear missionaries, we wish to say once again: thank you for your generosity. But also an invitation: never forget that we are, as is often said, ‘wounded healers’. No one can accompany others unless they also learn to allow themselves to be cared for.

Take care of yourselves. Take care of others. Be architects of a genuine culture of encounter, making your communities places of welcome, reconciliation and healing. May Mary Help of Christians enfold you in her mantle, and may Don Bosco teach us, once again, the art of allowing ourselves to be loved, so that every young person may feel loved and have, as Jesus promises, ‘life in abundance’ (Jn 10:10).

▀ Fr Jorge Mario Crisafulli SDB, General Councillor for the Missions