Presenting the Region, Fr Alphonse Owoudou, the Regional Councillor for Central & Western Africa highlighted its vitality and deeply missionary character: “It is one of the youngest and most recently restructured realities within the Congregation. Four of the six Provinces that compose it were established after the 27th General Chapter; only Central Africa (AFC), erected in 1959, and Equatorial Tropical Africa (ATE), erected in 1998, already existed beforehand.”<\/p>\n
The other Provinces – ACC, ANN, AON and AOS – are the fruit of a process of reorganisation and renewed missionary impetus, aimed at strengthening animation and mission among young people.<\/p>\n
The Congo: Cradle of the Salesian Presence in Sub-Saharan Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n The Region holds a place of great historical significance. The Congo was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to welcome the Salesians, in 1911. Although missions had already been established in North Africa, South Africa and Mozambique shortly after Don Bosco’s death, it was with the Congo that the Salesian story in sub-Saharan Africa truly began.<\/p>\n The Central Africa Province (AFC), erected in 1959, was the first African Province and, over time, gave rise to new circumscriptions: in 2006 Africa of the Great Lakes (AGL); in 2016 Africa Congo Congo (ACC), in collaboration with ATE; and now, in 2026, the new St Joseph Visitatoria – Africa Congo East (ACE)<\/strong>, based in Goma. “This is a sign of vitality, of spiritual and vocational fruitfulness,” Fr Owoudou explained, “but also of our ability to rethink structures in service of the mission.”<\/p>\n A Broad and Participatory Consultation<\/strong><\/p>\n The recent restructuring of AFC was not a mere administrative exercise, but a genuine journey of communal discernment. The consultation, formally requested in November 2024 by the Provincial, Fr Guillermo Basañes, and supported by the Rector Major and his Council, involved 246 confreres out of 283 – representing 86.9 per cent.<\/p>\n A particularly significant element is the strong presence of confreres in initial formation (56.5 per cent), a sign of a young Province experiencing vocational growth. “We did not gather numbers alone,” Fr Owoudou emphasised. “We listened to what lies in the hearts of the confreres – their fears, their hopes, and their sense of belonging.”<\/p>\n Sixty-three per cent expressed the desire to remain within AFC, while 28.5 per cent chose to belong to the new Eastern circumscription; 7.3 per cent declared themselves available to serve wherever the Congregation might consider most appropriate. Notably, around 71 per cent of those opting for the East are confreres still in initial formation, a sign of generosity and missionary enthusiasm.<\/p>\n Among the concerns raised were the risk of regionalism, economic uncertainties and the fear of a dispersion of resources. At the same time, the most widely shared expectations point towards closer animation, a stronger presence among young people, and renewed missionary expansion. “It is not simply a matter of reorganisation,” Fr Owoudou affirmed, “but a true discernment about how to be Don Bosco today for the young people of Congo.”<\/p>\n Goma: Mission in a Time of Conflict<\/strong><\/p>\n The establishment of the new ACE Visitatoria comes within a complex context. The city of Goma is currently under the control of M23 rebels, who have replaced the civil authorities. One of the eight Salesian communities present has been occupied, as it was considered economically strategic.<\/p>\n Despite this, the confreres continue their service with courage. “I was able to admire the courage of our confreres and of the Bishop of Goma,” Fr Owoudou recounted. “They continue to sustain the life of the diocese, encouraging priests and religious not to become politically exposed, so that they may serve the people with prudence and faith.”<\/p>\n The precarious situation makes daily life difficult: restricted movement, displaced families, young people marked by fear yet also by a remarkable capacity for hope. In such circumstances, the decision to provide stable local leadership represents a choice that combines responsibility and faith.<\/p>\n The Rector Major has already appointed the first Superior of the new ACE Visitatoria, and the consultation for the composition of his Council is currently under way, so that the new circumscription may count on complete and stable governance.<\/p>\n “Without Don Bosco, we would already be dead”<\/strong><\/p>\n In conclusion, Fr Owoudou shared the words of a mother in Goma, spoken during a food distribution organised after Mass: “When you return, tell Don Bosco that without him we would already be dead.”<\/p>\n “It is a simple sentence,” he commented, “yet it contains the gratitude, faith and hope of a people who experience Don Bosco’s presence as a concrete protection in their lives.” Those words encapsulate the mission of the Africa Centrale e Ovest Region: to be a sign of peace, education, bread and future for thousands of young people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Presenting the Region, Fr Alphonse Owoudou, the Regional Councillor for Central & Western Africa highlighted its vitality and deeply missionary 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