Identity and Mission of the Past Pupil and Friend of Don Bosco in the 21st century

The identity and mission of the past pupil is rooted in the figure of Don Bosco.  The first group of past pupils came together to show their appreciation to Don Bosco for all that he did for them and for the gift of the Salesian education.  They wanted to express their gratitude and love for what Don Bosco had done for them and to support him in his education and evangelising mission with the young.

From the very beginning, when the past pupil movement was created, it centred around the persona of Don Bosco.  It is the fascination with Don Bosco – his style of life, his kindness, his friendship, his love, and his holiness which made him attractive to his first past pupils.

The key question today for past pupils and friends of Don Bosco remains:  What does it mean to be a past pupil and a friend of Don Bosco in the 21st century?  It about showing our gratitude and love toward Don Bosco, it is about being upright citizens and good believers, about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

We are committed to reflect and learn from our roots, discern the signs of the times and together shape our future.  Our vision as a World Confederation is based on four dimensions: Journeying Together (Synodality), Spirituality, Mission and Solidarity 

Journeying Together (Synodality)

The Church is engaging in a new journey through the synodal process.  Humanity calls for a process based on participation and solidarity to face the new challenges of our world. As past pupils and friends of Don Bosco, as we try to understand the meaning of being a past pupil and friend of Don Bosco in the world today, we also believe that it is the right time for us to engage in synodal process journeying together to re-discover our identity in the world of today and how to be of service to young people.  

Spirituality

We will continue in communion to re-discover the spirituality of being a past pupil in the world of today.  Reflecting about the very beginning of our identity, the sense of Gratitude and Love will remain primary.  We are the fruits of a spiritual-pedagogical gift: the Salesian Charism.  With this gift, with our love toward Don Bosco, in gratitude for our education and formation, there is the sense of being of service to the young, to the most in need in society, and giving back from what has been given to us.

Mission

As past pupils we need to search for new paths, different styles in our missionary approach THAT GOES FORTH, which avoids “the comfortable criterion of: it has always been done this way” as Pope Francis warns in Evangelii Gaudium 33.  We have to define our mission and be effective in our outreach to the young.

Solidarity

Pope Francis tells us that our actions of solidarity are the expression of the “inseparable bond between our faith and the poor” (Evangelii Gaudium 48).  Our movement is not about nostalgic and sentimental encounters but a commitment of a Church, united with all the groups of the Salesian Family, to reach out, like Don Bosco, to the poor and excluded especially the young.  It is an expression of social action to promote social justice, charity, and social inclusion.