This handover marks both continuity and renewal in a mission that connects the experience of Salesian works on the ground with international reflection and decision-making on the rights, dignity and future of young people.
Angelica “Vivi” Iglesias brings to this responsibility significant experience in Catholic advocacy, partnership-building, community engagement and mission-driven leadership. She has worked with Catholic Relief Services, accompanying national partners, supporting advocacy initiatives and coordinating campaigns in favour of vulnerable communities. Her previous service in the Diocese of St Petersburg, USA, especially in Hispanic ministry and in support of diocesan leadership, has also given her broad experience in ecclesial coordination, intercultural communication and pastoral service.
A Salesian Cooperator with long-standing links to the Salesian mission and to youth ministry, Ms Angelica Vivi Iglesias will support the Salesian presence at the United Nations in New York through relationship-building, networking, documentation, continuity and collaboration with partners in the UN environment. Vivi joins the Salesians’ central Advocacy Team within the Youth Ministry Sector under the guidance of the General Councilor Fr Rafael Bejarano, working through Salesian Missions, the Congregation’s representative agency at the UN led by Fr Michael Conway.
The Salesian presence at the United Nations in New York is one expression of a broader commitment that also includes engagement with the UN in Geneva, Vienna and Nairobi, as well as with the European institutions in Brussels and UNESCO in Paris. Through these presences, the Congregation seeks to bring the voices and experiences of young people, especially those most affected by poverty, exclusion, migration, conflict, lack of education and social vulnerability, into dialogue with institutions and partners working for the common good.
As this new phase begins, the Youth Ministry Sector expresses gratitude to Fr Mathew Thomas Panamkattu for his years of generous service in this field and welcomes Ms Iglesias as she takes up this responsibility. The handover renews the commitment to make the Salesian voice present wherever the dignity, rights and future of young people are at stake.
