The decision was communicated in an official letter dated 24 May 2026, signed by the World President of ACSSA, Sr Maria Maul, FMA, and the Secretary, Fr Stanisław Zimniak, SDB. The request, submitted by Fr Marcelo Farfán, Superior of the Salesian Province of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Ecuador, and by Fr Juan Flores, Director of the National Salesian Historical Archive, was examined and approved at the meeting on 9 May 2026.

The new national section comprises the religious Fr Juan Flores, Fr Fabián Lozada, Fr Marcos Martínez and Sr Sandra Armijos, together with the lay members José Juncosa, PhD; Blas Garzón, PhD; Ángel Torres, PhD; Dr Galo Sarmiento, Prof Lenín Garcés, Cecilia Ortiz, PhD, and Dr Angélica Almeida. With this approval, ACSSA Ecuador becomes the seventh national section of ACSSA worldwide.

In accordance with its statute, the Provincial, on the advice of his Council, has appointed Dr Blas Garzón, PhD, as President of ACSSA Ecuador. Furthermore, the General Assembly has appointed Dr Angélica Almeida as Secretary and Fr Marcos Martínez, SDB, as Treasurer.

The initiative, promoted by Salesian researchers and academic collaborators in communion with the Salesian Historical Archive of ECU, aims to strengthen Salesian historical studies and to promote the preservation and dissemination of the Salesian documentary heritage.

In its message, the World Presidency of ACSSA emphasised that the creation of ACSSA Ecuador constitutes a cultural initiative of great human and Christian value. Furthermore, it encouraged its members to work creatively in safeguarding, promoting and transmitting historical memory to new generations, recalling that memory represents an “indispensable compass” for the present and the future, as well as constituting a service to the common good of the Church and society.

The establishment of ACSSA Ecuador represents a significant step towards the consolidation of Salesian historical studies in the country, opening up new opportunities for research, the preservation of documentary heritage and the dissemination of the rich educational, pastoral and cultural legacy of the Salesian Family in Ecuador.

Angélica Almeida,
ACSSA Secretary – ECU

Source: Salesianos.org.ec