{"id":1033351,"date":"2026-03-31T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"trans-27556-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/infoans.news\/en\/trans-27556-1\/","title":{"rendered":"RMG \u2013 Mediterranean Region: A Salesian Presence at the Crossroads of Continents"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reflecting on this decade of growth, Fr. Juan Carlos Godoy, Regional Councillor for the Mediterranean, observes: “Ours is a Region of extraordinary diversity — languages, cultures, religions, and social realities. Yet precisely in this diversity, we discover our vocation to be a sign of unity and hope for young people.”<\/p>\n

At its foundation, the Region comprised 3,300 confreres, 10 Provinces, 380 houses, and a presence in 17 nations. Today it includes 21 countries<\/strong> and 12 Provinces<\/strong>, following the creation in August 2023 of the North Africa Circumscription (CNA) “St. Augustine,” covering Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, and the incorporation of Croatia into the Region.<\/p>\n

Among its Provinces are three of the largest in the Congregation: Madrid (445 confreres), Turin (324), and Seville (305, with 73 houses, 25 of them entrusted to lay management). The Delegations of Moldova-Romania and Albania-Kosovo-Montenegro further reflect missionary development and pastoral reconfiguration.<\/p>\n

“These developments are not merely administrative adjustments,” Fr. Godoy notes. “They are signs of missionary growth and of our determination to remain present where young people most need us.”<\/p>\n

A Varied and Evolving Network of Works<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Mediterranean Region currently counts 304 houses<\/strong>, following the closure or reassignment of several communities in recent years. Of these, 262 maintain a Salesian community, while 53 works are entrusted to lay management<\/strong>, a sign of growing co-responsibility between Salesians and lay collaborators.<\/p>\n

Although demographic challenges and aging are evident in parts of Europe, the Region continues to demonstrate pastoral vitality. Particularly significant has been the expansion of works dedicated to young people at risk, migrants, and the socially vulnerable<\/strong>, even if not uniformly across all Provinces.<\/p>\n

The Region remains strongly rooted in its educational and vocational tradition. Schools and training centers serve large numbers of young people and maintain high standards of professional qualification. Oratories and youth centers—often connected to parish environments—continue to offer dynamic spaces for evangelization and human formation.<\/p>\n

The Salesian presence in universities and student residences represents a strategic investment in accompanying young adults, while sports initiatives engage thousands of young people and families, becoming an important pastoral frontier.<\/p>\n

A Complex Social and Ecclesial Context<\/strong><\/p>\n

Few Regions reflect such diversity. The Mediterranean is not only international but intercontinental, embracing secularized European societies, Orthodox Christian contexts in parts of the Balkans, and several Muslim-majority nations in North Africa and the Middle East.<\/p>\n

In some countries, Christians live as minorities facing legal or social limitations; in others, aggressive secularization presents different pastoral challenges. Youth realities vary greatly: Europe faces demographic decline and growing concern over mental health among young people, while the Middle East and North Africa experience strong youth populations marked by unemployment, migration pressures, and political instability.<\/p>\n

Migration has become a defining pastoral priority. The Mediterranean basin remains one of the world’s principal migration corridors, and Salesian works are often at the forefront of reception, education, and integration. “The diversity of contexts challenges us,” explains Fr. Godoy, “to be deeply rooted in Christ and at the same time capable of dialogue, respect, and creativity.”<\/p>\n

The Middle East and North Africa represent what he describes as “an internal missionary frontier within our own Region — a blessing and a call to greater solidarity.” Initiatives of twinning between Provinces have strengthened communion, even if generosity varies.<\/p>\n

A Journey of Hope and Renewal<\/strong><\/p>\n

The evaluation of the Region’s ten-year journey is fundamentally positive, though marked by realism. Guided by its six-year programming, the Provinces have sought to build a path of personal and community conversion, renewing missionary imagination and deepening discernment of Salesian consecrated life.<\/p>\n

Four dimensions highlight its vitality:<\/p>\n