During five intense days of visits, conferences, and conversations, Fr Bejarano got to know the educational environments and activities of the various Salesian centres up close. With rectors and leaders he shared the Oratory Criterion, the model that gives life to all the works, and he recalled how the Preventive System is the guide for an integral education that goes beyond the classroom.
Explaining the purpose of his animation visit in a short video, the General Councillor said that his goal was not only to learn about the various projects but, above all, to verify the organic nature of the activities in line with what is expressed in the Overall Provincial Plan (OPP) and in the Salesian Educative and Pastoral Plan of the Province (SEPP).
‘What kind of Salesian youth ministry is being developed? How is it organised at the provincial level? And how is it implemented in Salesian communities so that Don Bosco’s dream becomes a reality?’ asked Fr Bejarano, pointing out the aspects he observed during his visit.
Fr Bejarano examined the different dimensions of Salesian youth ministry (parish, playground, school, home) and the processes running throughthem (safeguarding, accompaniment, catechesis, integral ecology, socio-emotional and affective well-being…), evaluating for each point the capacity of the ECU province to create solid Educative and Pastoral Communities and assessable projects, so as to be able to verify the capacity of Salesian Youth Ministry to respond to the needs of young people, especially those most at risk.
On his tour of the country’s works, on Wednesday, 7 January Fr Bejarano visited the Salesian works in Guayaquil. Welcomed by the heads of the various educational centres at the city airport, the General Councillor led a rich program, including a meeting with the EPCs in the Costa area – a space for reflection, conversation, and projection.
In his speech he explored the Oratory criterion as the inspiration and model for Salesian activities and works, emphasising the pedagogy of welcome as a fundamental axis of pastoral action. He also presented Salesian Youth Ministry as an authentically communal experience where accompaniment, closeness, and the experience of lived faith are built together.
Furthermore, Fr Bejarano shared the global priorities of youth ministry, emphasising, as concrete responses to the current challenges of the world, the promotion of youth leadership, the impulse towards digital evangelisation with an emphasis on Artificial Intelligence literacy, and support for youth-led ecological projects.
The following day, Fr. Bejarano visited the centres of the “Salesian Project Guayaquil” Foundation, facilities that welcome and accompany children, adolescents, young people, and their families in situations of vulnerability and marginalisation.
During his visit Fr Bejarano had the opportunity to learn firsthand about the reality in which these young people live and the impact of the programs developed by the project. He was able to talk with educators, animators, and pastoral teams, who shared the activities carried out in the centres—training workshops, school support, recreational activities, and association spaces that promote the good use of free time and reinforce human and Christian values.
This fraternal encounter with “Don Bosco’s favourites” moved Fr Bejarano, who expressed his joy at being able to hear their stories, dreams, and challenges firsthand. For their part, all the young people expressed their gratitude to the Salesians for offering them a place of welcome, trust, and growth.
During his visit to the ECU Province, Fr Bejarano also visited the campuses of the Salesian Polytechnic University in Guayaquil, as well as those in Cuenca and Quito, continuing his work of learning, encouraging, and evaluating.
The visit ended on Friday 9 January 2026, with a meeting with the groups of Lay Management Works, also attended by Fr Mauricio Leime, Provincial Delegate for Youth Ministry and Lay Managed Works. On this occasion the General Councillor urged all those present to continue to deepen the mission of the laity in the Church and in the province, and invited them to be true witnesses of the Salesian charism, always taking care of their family, professional, and spiritual lives.
{gallery}ECU – Visita D Bejarano 2025{/gallery}
