17 Catholic Missionaries Were Killed in 2025

17 Catholic Missionaries Were Killed in 2025

“The hope of missionaries and pastoral workers who are killed is a hope filled with immortality.”

(Agenzia Fides, 30/12/2025)

(ANS – Rome – December 31, 2025) – Even the hope of missionaries and pastoral workers who are killed is “a hope full of immortality, because their testimony remains as a prophecy of the victory of good over evil.”

That comment by Pope Leo XIV introduces the usual report published at the end of the year by the Fides Agency on Catholic missionaries and pastoral workers killed around the world. It suggests in a simple way the very source of Christian hope, the pledge of a life that does not die.

The often sparse information on the biographies and circumstances of their deaths shows again this year that the missionaries killed were not in the spotlight for sensational deeds. They bore witness to Christ in their everyday occupations, even when working in contexts marked by violence and conflict.

Some data

In 2025, according to information gathered by Fides Agency, 17 Catholic missionaries were killed worldwide: priests, religious, seminarians, and lay people.

The highest number of pastoral workers killed was recorded in Africa, where 10 missionaries (6 priests, 2 seminarians, 2 catechists) were murdered. In the Americas, 4 missionaries (2 priests, 2 religious sisters) were killed, and in Asia, 2 (one priest and one lay person). One priest was killed in Europe. In recent years, Africa and America have alternated at the top of this tragic ranking.

Among the 10 pastoral workers killed in Africa, 5 lost their lives in Nigeria, 2 in Burkina Faso, 1 in Sierra Leone, 1 in Kenya, and 1 in Sudan. Of the 4 missionaries killed in America, 2 nuns were murdered in Haiti, 1 priest was killed in Mexico, and another priest of Indian origin was killed in the United States.

Of the 2 priests killed in Asia, 1 was brutally murdered in Burma and the other was killed in the Philippines.

The only priest killed in Europe lost his life in Poland.

Among the pastoral workers killed in 2025 was the young Nigerian seminarian Emmanuel Alabi, who died during a forced march imposed on him by his captors, who had attacked the minor seminary in Ivianokpodi and, after wounding him, had kidnapped him along with 2 of his companions. Sister Evanette Onezaire and Sister Jeanne Voltaire, murdered by members of one of the armed gangs that hold Haiti in check;  also Donald Martin, the first Burmese Catholic priest killed in the civil conflict that is bloodying Burma, whose lifeless body, horribly mutilated, was found by some parishioners in the parish complex.

From 2000 to 2025, 626 Catholic missionaries were killed worldwide.

“These brothers and sisters may seem like failures, but today we see that this is not the case. Now, as then, the seed of their sacrifices, which seems to die, sprouts and bears fruit, because God continues to work wonders through them, changing hearts and saving people” (Pope Francis, December 26, 2023, liturgical feast of St. Stephen the Protomartyr).

The complete Fides Dossier, in PDF format, can be downloaded at IT-Dossier_Operatori_pastorali_uccisi_2025.pdf.

Read OSV's report: Vatican agency says 17 churchworkers murdered in 2025 - OSV News

Homily for December 30

Homily for December 30
Octave of Christmas

2025
1 John 2: 12-17
Collect
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph Residence, N.R.

Christmas Night (Fritz von Uhde)

“May the newness of the Nativity … set us free” (Collect).

Our great feast of Christmas points us toward the paschal mystery, toward our liberation from “the yoke of sin” (Collect).

St. John emphasizes our liberation from our “ancient servitude” (Collect) by repeating to the “young men” of his community that they “have conquered the Evil One” (1 John 2:13-14).  He adds a reminder of the source of their victory:  the strength that comes from the presence of “the word of God [that] remains in you” (2:14).  In John, the Word is the Son of God made flesh (John 1:1,14), he whose “Nativity in the flesh” (Collect) we commemorate.  That word “remains in” us as God’s gift to us.  So long as we embrace the living Word, we’re ready to do God’s will, as Jesus did, and thus we “remain forever” (2:17), i.e., live forever.

We, of course, are no longer “young men” except inasmuch as Christ has rejuvenated us.  We used to pray at the beginning of Mass (I’m old enuf to remember), “Introibo ad altare Dei, ad Deum qui laetificat iuventutem meam” (Ps 43:4).  Freedom from sin lightens our hearts and puts us into a springtime of life regardless of our physical age.

St. John addresses the elders of the community as “fathers” and credits them with “knowing him who is from the beginning” (2:13-14).  They know the Word who was in the beginning, the same Word that became flesh (John 1:1,14).  They know him differently, more intimately, than the young men:  not in an intellectual sense but familiarly.

Those words are addressed to us; we are “fathers” in God’s household.  Our knowledge, our familiarity, our presence to and intimacy with our Lord Jesus gladdens our hearts and gives us power over the Evil One.  It gives us freedom to love God and one another, as John wrote in yesterday’s 1st reading (1 John 2:3-11).  We can walk freely now in God’s light so as to “remain forever” happy, vigorous, and youthful in his blessed light.

Rector Major Delivers Strenna Message for 2026

Rector Major Delivers His Message to the Salesian Family

Strenna 2026

(ANS – Rome – December 27, 2025) – On Saturday, December 27, Rector Major Fr. Fabio Attard made the traditional presentation of the Salesian strenna for the new year at the Generalate of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Rome. This meaningful gesture renews the unity and co-responsibility of the Salesian Family around the message of the rector major each year. It was a well-attended event, which brought together numerous members of the Salesian Family around the strenna that will accompany the spiritual and pastoral journey of 2026.

In the presence of the FMA mother general, Mother Chiara Cazzuola, the councilors of the general council of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and representatives of the various groups of the Salesian Family, Fr. Attard, 11th successor of Don Bosco, officially presented Strenna 2026, entitled “Do whatever he tells you - Believers, free to serve,” together with the strenna video produced by the Communication Department in collaboration with IME Communications.

The auditorium witnessed the participation of numerous distinguished guests, including the vicar of the rector major, Fr. Stefano Martoglio; the general councilor for communications, Fr. Fidel Orendain; central delegate of the rector major for the secretariat for the Salesian Family, Fr. Joan Lluis Playà; the world coordinator of the Association of Salesian Cooperators, Antonio Boccia; and the mother general of the Salesian Oblates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Mother Graziella Maria Benghini.

The evening was opened by Sr. Leslie Sandigo, FMA general councilor for the Salesian Family, who warmly welcomed those present and those connected via live streaming. In her introductory words, she emphasized the value of the strenna as a gift from the rector major and as a sign of unity for the whole Salesian Family, recalling the heart of the message: to accept Mary’s invitation to the wedding at Cana with the same willingness and freedom as the servants, rediscovering our identity as servants of the Lord at the service of young people.

This was followed by an intense introductory prayer, inspired by the Gospel passage of the wedding at Cana, animated by the singing of the Salesian novices. During the prayer, 5 amphorae were brought onto the stage, symbolizing the great areas of Salesian life and mission – living faith, educational passion, fraternal communion, prophecy, co-responsibility. The last amphora was carried together by the rector major, the mother general, and the Cooperators world coordinator, signifying the shared and co-responsible dimension of the Salesian charism.

At the end of the prayer, the video presentation of Strenna 2026 was screened in a world premiere, offering a current and engaging reading of the theme starting from the Gospel scene at Cana. The video highlighted how Mary’s invitation – “Do whatever he tells you” – opens up a process of faith, freedom, and service, which today can be translated into a concrete journey marked by 4 verbs: look, listen, choose, act. The journey challenges the Salesian Family not to remain spectators, but to be protagonists of God’s action in history, especially alongside young people and those who “have no more wine.”

After watching the video, Srs Ausilia De Siena, FMA general councilor for communications, led a moment of dialog and discussion, involving Marta Rossi, Salesian Cooperator, Alice Ferrigno, student at Auxilium, and Fr. Attard. The dialog, enriched by some comments and questions from the audience, allowed for a deeper understanding of the pastoral meaning of the strenna and its concrete implications for the daily life of educational communities.

In response to questions that emerged from the dialog, about why young people should follow Christ, it was reiterated that faith comes from an encounter and not from a duty, when authentic experiences and credible witnesses open up freedom. How to bring back the “good wine” in a distracted world, the need for an empathetic gaze, capable of entering reality without judging, was emphasized. Regarding the strenna methodology, it was clarified that it is not about techniques, but about processes that arise from being rooted in Christ. To the question of distance from young people, the answer was the creation of credible environments where questions can emerge. On how to go beyond first impressions, it emerged that authentic communities open paths, while the fears of adults risk blocking processes.

On the question of accompaniment, Mary was pointed to as a model of discreet and trusting presence. On the “new wine” for Salesian Cooperators, there was a call to return to Don Bosco’s original vision and to the co-responsibility of the laity. With regard to technological distraction, it was stated that this is a global challenge to be addressed with humanizing relationships. On the role of the servants in the story of the wedding at Cana, it was highlighted that they are not mere executors, but people entrusted with a responsibility: they listen to the word of Jesus, they trust, they take risks, and they become an active part of the miracle, an image of a Salesian Family called to serve with freedom, co-responsibility, and trust in God’s action. Finally, on the witness of faith, it was recalled that the Holy Spirit converts and that believers are asked to sow with fidelity and joy.

At the end of the dialog, Mother Chiara Cazzuola offered a concluding message. She expressed her heartfelt thanks to the rector major for the spiritual depth and richness of content of Strenna 2026, emphasizing how it represents a timely and prophetic call to live a faith rooted in Christ, capable of generating authentic freedom and joyful service, in full fidelity to Don Bosco’s charism. As a symbolic gesture of gratitude, the mother general offered a  significant gift to the rector major: an icon of the Good Shepherd, a sign of communion, entrustment, and shared pastoral responsibility.

The evening ended with the singing of the Magnificat, in an atmosphere of gratitude, communion, and renewed commitment, entrusting the Salesian Family throughout the world with Strenna 2026 as a spiritual and pastoral compass for the coming year.

Homily for Feast of Holy Family

Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family

Col 3: 12-21
Dec. 28, 2025
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx
Our Lady of the Assumption, Bronx

“Brothers and sisters:  Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another” (Col 3: 12).

St. Paul winds up many of his letters with practical advice or admonitions for Christ’s faithful.  With scarcely any exception, his words are timely.  If you doubt that, just start reading advice columns like Dear Abby.

Family travails appear constantly in such columns.  Further, if you’ve been paying any attention to the world around us, you’re aware that family life in our country and in much of what’s called the western world is in trouble.  Generational discord, of course, isn’t new.  The divorce rates, tho, are shocking.  The proportion of couples living together without a marital commitment is huge.  The definition of family has been expanded to include a big variety of arrangements, some of which can’t be called godly.

At root, most family difficulties and challenges, I would say, come down to individualism, or to use other terms, self-centeredness or selfishness.  When we were tots, most of us probably thought the world revolved around us, and many of us (including me) still struggle at least a little bit with that misperception.  We’ve all met people like Professor Henry Higgins, to whom Eliza Doolittle sings resentfully in My Fair Lady:

What a fool I was, what a dominated fool,
to think that you were the earth and the sky,
What a fool I was,

What a mutton-headed dolt was I!
No, my reverberated friend,
you are not the beginning and the end.
There'll be spring every year without you.

England still will be here without you.
There'll be fruit on the tree.
And a shore by the sea.
There'll be crumpets and tea without you.

Without your pulling it the tide comes in,
without your twirling it the Earth can spin,
Without your pushing them, the clouds roll by,
If they can do without you, ducky, so can I.
I can stand on my own without you.[1]

What’s the solution to one’s self-centeredness?  What St. Paul advises:  that we strive to clothe ourselves in the virtues of Christ.  He listed compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, and forgiveness.  We could also remember the 3 keywords of family life that Pope Francis proposed: “please, thank you, and I’m sorry.”

St. Paul adds:  “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were called in one body.  And be thankful” (3:15).  “You were called” into Christ’s body, which is the Church.  You were called also into a family—not only Christ’s family but the particular blood family in which you were born and the one which you formed thru marriage and parenthood.  “You were called”; this is God’s doing, for it was he who chose you, called you, and designed for you a safe path toward eternity.

If it’s God’s doing, then Christ is in charge.  “Let the peace of Christ control your hearts.”  If he guides you, you won’t have room for selfishness.  You’ll be ready and willing to practice the virtues that make family life flourish and bring peace.  Your gratitude to God—and to your spouse, your parents, your children, your brothers and sisters—will strengthen your family life.

After that, “whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father thru him” (3:17).  He is Lord.  He’s in charge of your heart and your whole life.  Follow him, and thank God for redeeming you thru him.

One more point.  At the top, I said, “With scarcely any exception, Paul’s words are timely.”  One exception would be to read and obey literally what he says about wives and husbands.  Paul also said that in one’s standing with Christ there’s no longer a distinction between male or female, between slave or free person (Gal 3:28).  We don’t live in Paul’s 1st-century Greek and Roman culture.  Christian wives and husbands today are to subordinate themselves to each other, to love each other, to avoid bitterness toward each other (Col 3:18-19)—or rancor or harsh language.  Husbands and wives are teammates seeking sanctity with Christ’s help—like St. Louis and St. Zelie Martin, the canonized parents of St. Therese of Lisieux.  Marriage is a sacrament so that spouses will raise holy children and will help each other make their way to heaven.  Reaching heaven is the purpose our lives; this morning’s collect prayed that we might “delight one day in eternal rewards in the joy of God’s house.”

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[1] Some lines omitted.

Homily for Christmas Mass during the Day

Homily for Christmas Mass during Day

Dec. 25, 2025
John 1: 1-5, 9-14
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

The Nativity (Sebastiano Mainardi)

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1: 14).

During Israel’s exodus from Egypt and for generations after, until Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, the Chosen People kept the ark of the covenant, God’s material dwelling place, in a tent.  That tent was pitched wherever the Israelites moved in the Sinai wilderness, moving along with them and their flo  cks.  “Anyone who wished to consult the Lord would go to this meeting tent outside the camp.  Whenever Moses went out to the tent, the people would all rise and stand at the entrance of their own tents, watching Moses until he entered the tent.  As Moses entered the tent, the column of cloud would come down and stand at its entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses. (Ex 33:7-9)

“On coming out [of the tent], he would tell the Israelites all that had been commanded.  Then the Israelites would see that the skin of Moses’ face was radiant…” (Ex 34:34-35), radiant with the light of God’s glory.

When David thought of building a more dignified home for the ark, he explained to his prophet Nathan, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” (2 Sam 7:2).  God declined David’s proposal to build a more fitting house for the ark, for God’s home among the Hebrews.

That experience of divine presence is evoked when John proclaims that the Word of God “came to his own … and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory” (1:11,14).  “Made his dwelling among us” is literally “pitched his tent among us.”  As we journey toward the Promised Land, the land of “grace and truth” and God’s glory (1:14), the Word of God lives among us and moves along with us.  He stays with us in the living Word of the Scriptures, and he stays with us in the sacraments, signs of his presence among us, and he stays with us in our tabernacles—a word that means “tents.”

Ever since Gabriel came to the Virgin Mother at Nazareth, the Word made flesh has dwelt in our human flesh, never far from us.  He dwells in us when our bodies become Eucharistic tabernacles.  In the Eucharist he makes us his own, giving us “power to become children of God” (1:12), promising us a share in his glory. 

I am the light of the world
(outside USCCB HQ, Washington)

Thru his presence in his Church, in his Word, and in his sacraments, his “light shines in the darkness” (1:5) of our journey, guiding us toward eternal light.  That eternal light has been reported by many people who’ve had near-death experiences, drawing them and comforting them.  Naturally—or supernaturally—enuf, for that’s God’s promise, the reason why the Word pitched his tent among us and journeys with us, his brothers and sisters and co-heirs whom he makes his own chosen people.

Homily for Christmas Mass at Nite

Homily for Christmas Mass at Nite

Dec. 25, 2025
Luke 2: 1-14
Bridgettines & guests, Darien, Conn.

Capture of the Hessians at Trenton
(John Trumbull)

249 years, 364 days ago—i.e., on Christmas nite, 1775, George Washington ferried the Continental Army across the ice-filled Delaware River.  At dawn on Dec. 26, they attacked and captured the partied-out Hessian troops at Trenton, and by that unexpected, brilliant stroke kept our Revolution alive.

There are many records of that narrative of real history involving real people, real places, and real time.

St. Luke, as close to a real historian as we have in the New Testament, takes care to place our Savior Jesus Christ in a specific time and place.  “In the days of King Herod” of Judea (1:5), when Augustus ruled Rome, an angel came to a virgin named Mary at Nazareth, and because “a decree went out from Caesar Augustus” (2:1), Joseph brought his pregnant wife to Bethlehem.  St. Luke narrates a story of real people, real places, real time, real history—not a Greek myth, not imagined events from “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.”

In this specific time, in this specific place, God enters our real world to bring real salvation.  “The grace of God has appeared.  Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ gave himself for us to deliver us …” (Titus 2:11-14).

Let’s attend to one detail of Luke’s narrative—not as dramatic as Washington’s crossing the Delaware, but more significant for humanity.  St. Luke takes care to note that Jesus is Mary’s “firstborn son” (2:7).  We already know that Mary was a virgin when Gabriel appeared to her and she conceived.  Luke isn’t giving us news here.  Nor is he implying that more children, the so-called brothers and sisters of Jesus (Mark 6:3 and ǁ), followed from Mary.  Those “brothers and sisters” are never referenced as her children or St. Joseph’s; only Jesus is.  The Catholic tradition has always regarded those brothers and sisters as Jesus’ cousins and Mary as “ever virgin.”

Birth of Jesus (Giotto, Lower Church at Assisi)

St. Luke is giving us biblical theology.  Since the days of Moses and the Exodus, when God sent his angel to slay the firstborn sons of Egypt but spared the Hebrews whose homes had been marked by the blood of the passover lambs, the firstborn sons of the Jews had belonged to God, specially consecrated to him (Ex 13:1).  They had to be redeemed thru an offering made to God (13:13).

The Virgin’s firstborn son belonged to God in a unique way.  He was not only her son but also God’s.  His whole life was consecrated to his Father’s service—and to our redemption from slavery to sin.

Further, Jesus is the firstborn of other sons and daughters—sons and daughters of God.  St. Paul, whose disciple Luke was, calls Jesus “the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Rom 8:29).  Pope Benedict comments on this:  “Having risen, he is now ‘first-born’ in a new way, and at the same time he is the beginning of a host of brethren.  In the new birth of the resurrection, Jesus is no longer merely the first in dignity, he now ushers in a new humanity.  Once he has broken through the iron door of death, there are many more who can pass through with him—many who in baptism have died with him and risen with him.”[1]

No wonder the angels proclaimed “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10).  Yes, a Savior, a Redeemer, has been born for us—in real time, in real history, to save us really from our sins and to make us really God’s beloved children.

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[1] Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, trans. Philip J. Whitmore (NY: Image, 2012), p. 70.

 

Fraternal Meeting at the Vatican

Fraternal Meeting at the Vatican

Pope Leo meets with the general council of the Salesian Congregation

(ANS – Vatican – December 20, 2025) – Authentic ecclesial communion characterized the meeting on December 19 between the Holy Father and the rector major and the members of the Salesian general council at the Vatican. What could have been a formal occasion turned into a fraternal and spontaneous dialog, thanks to an initial choice that set the tone for the entire conversation.

The initial gesture: let’s abandon the scripts

Upon arrival, Pope Leo let his guests know that he preferred live conversations rather than long prepared speeches. The Pope himself would follow the same approach, thus opening a space for “a fraternal and spontaneous exchange that came from the heart.” This preliminary communication immediately created an atmosphere of ease and openness, shifting the focus from formality to genuine encounter.

“That is exactly what happened,” the participants reported. The rector major spoke with simplicity, sharing the Congregation’s desire for communion and unity with the head of the universal Church.

The 4 guidelines of the Salesian Congregation (2025-2031)

During the conversation, the rector major outlined the 4 guidelines that will guide the Congregation over the next 6 years:

Conversion and service to the poor. Personal and community spiritual rebirth remains the foundation of the Salesian mission, always oriented toward those who are marginalized.

Education and pastoral care in the charism. The deepening of educational proposals in the light of Don Bosco’s legacy, with particular attention to collaboration with the laity in sharing the mission.

Artificial intelligence and youth mission. A decidedly contemporary theme: the challenges and opportunities offered by AI in working with and for young people.

The role of the Salesian Pontifical University. Promoting study, reflection and formation for Salesians and lay people, keeping the charismatic heritage alive in today’s context.

The rector major also shared with the Holy Father the testimony of Salesians and lay people working in areas of conflict and war, asking for his special blessing for those working in the most difficult frontiers.

The Holy Father’s response: peace as a radical commitment

The Holy Father emphasized peace as a central theme, stressing that it is a “constant struggle” that deserves attention, prayer and, above all, witness. He highlighted how consecrated persons, in particular, have a special responsibility to bear witness to peace in the conflict areas where they work.

“The fact that you are supported by a large network of provinces and congregations places you in a privileged and demanding position to offer meaningful witness,” said the Pope, encouraging the Salesians not to lose heart in the face of difficult global situations.

Our friend Fr. Gabe Statowy, formerly of our N.R. community,
meets Pope Leo

Three crucial issues: from secularization to AI

The sincere search of young Europeans

When asked about secularization among young people in Europe, the Holy Father responded with realism and hope: many young people have authentic expectations and are sincerely searching. The challenge is to offer “a profound proposal and a meaningful response: not superficial or improvised answers, but proposals capable of going deep, touching the heart and facilitating conversion.” The witness of consecrated persons is an indispensable condition for an authentic pastoral educational proposal.

AI as a global ethical issue

Regarding artificial intelligence, the Pope emphasized the importance of a unified ecclesial response. It is not just a matter of using technology in schools, but of “offering the world a proposal of ethics and values in this area.” He pointed to the Salesians as strategic figures in the process of “humanizing artificial intelligence and supporting its ethical soul.”

The mission on its 150th anniversary

On the sidelines of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Don Bosco’s first missionary expedition (1875), the Holy Father thanked the Salesians for their global missionary work. He recalled that “the Church is and must be a missionary Church” for 3 fundamental reasons: proclaiming the Gospel to those who do not know Christ, evangelizing countries in need, and having the courage to “go where others do not want to go,” without giving in to fear.

Interreligious dialog

On the call to foster a culture of dialog and coexistence among different religions, the Holy Father encouraged us to continue promoting spaces for fraternal listening, for a culture that fosters healthy and mature human relationships. It is these experiences, marked by mutual respect and lived in an atmosphere of fraternal welcome, that have the potential to give meaning and hope to young people in their search for a future marked by peace and harmony.

“Do whatever he tells you” – an antidote to superficiality

At the conclusion of the meeting, the rector major emphasized how the next annual strenna will encourage the Salesian Family to take on the dispositions indicated by Mary of “looking, listening, serving, and acting”—qualities easily obscured by contemporary distractions, particularly the “fascination of technology.”

The Salesians committed themselves to echoing the Holy Father’s invitation, aware that the minds and hearts of young people “can so easily be drawn away by the concerns and superficial attractions of the world, weakening their generosity and diminishing their willingness to contribute and serve others.”

A meeting that illuminates the path

At the end of the meeting, the rector major asked the Holy Father for a special blessing for those present, for the Congregation, and for the entire Salesian Family, so that, sustained by the presence of the successor of Peter and in union with him, they may continue with hope to bear witness to the Gospel to young people.

The atmosphere of familiarity and closeness that characterized the meeting—underlined by the Holy Father’s open invitation—represents a model of authentic synodality. At a historic moment marked by global conflicts, technological transformations, and young people’s search for meaning, the dialog between the Magisterium and the Salesian educational tradition offers a clear compass: depth and authenticity, witness and closeness, courage and audacity in mission.

Fr. Attard presents a statue of Mary Help of Christians
to Pope Leo

5th Edition of Salesian Formation Ratio Approved

5th Edition of the Salesian Formation Ratio Approved

Fr. Silvio Roggia, general councilor for formation, holds a copy
of the Ratio for Salesian formation.
He's flanked by Fr. Fabio Attard, rector major,
and Fr. Stefano Martoglio, vicar general.

(ANS – Rome – December 23, 2025) – During their December 22 session, the rector major and the general council approved the complete text of the revised Ratio for Salesian formation.  The text went thru 40 drafts. The entire text is divided into 14 units, which the council examined and approved individually in 14 previous sessions.

This is the culmination of a long journey that began with the 28th General Chapter in 2020.  In his letter to the chapter members, Pope Francis had offered a strong message on formation in mission, and in the 4th programmatic proposal for the implementation of the chapter, “formation to be Salesian pastors today,” the then-rector major, Fr. Angel Fernandez Artime, had given a clear directive:  “The Formation Department will carry out a serious and demanding work of updating the Ratio, strengthening what favors the integration between formation and mission and prevents the formation of a gap between the two dimensions.”

This was followed by an intense process of involvement, we might say “a Salesian synodal process” on formation: b3,648 contributions from communities, groups of directors, individual Salesians, and also a large number of lay people were combined with the results of in-depth reflection, involving some 50 experts from various regions on what most challenges formation today, in 4 distinct “focus groups” on formation in mission, joint formation, the digital world and formation, affectivity and sexual orientation.

From November 15 to 28, 2021, a 1st group of 24 Salesians from the 7 regions, including 7 in initial formation, created an initial outline, distributing many basic core elements of formation (the Ratio tree) within it.  Working groups of 3 to 5 members (60 Salesians and lay people) working remotely were able to draw up the 1st drafts of the chapters, providing material that was gradually enriched and reworked, with new in-depth meetings between experts and progressive revisions.  One of the most significant meetings was from October 17 to November 3, 2024, carried out by 13 Salesians from the 7 Regions, with a detailed review of draft 35, line by line.

One can understand the nature of the journey that led to draft 40, which was finally approved on the evening of December 22. It is like a gradual process of kneading and leavening, which allows the basic ingredients to blend harmoniously and finally become bread for the table.  If it was an orchestra made up of thousands of instruments and voices, the symphony is undoubtedly also the work of its conductor, Fr. Ivo Coelho, general councilor for formation from 2014 to 2025, who followed this process with great dedication, assisted step by step by Fr. Julian Fox, so that today we have a text that has grown together in the 2 main languages of the Congregation, Italian, the official language, and English, the most widely used.

The work of the present general council has also been fundamental. From the beginning of July to the end of October, each member engaged in a gradual and constant reading of the text divided into weekly units, while 2 teams – 4 members of the 29th General Chapter and the 4 members of the Formation Department – carried out a separate synoptic reading of draft 38, which was delivered to GC 29 and from the chapter to the newly elected rector major, Fr. Fabio Attard, and of the final document of GC29.  The contributions that emerged from this were incorporated into draft 39, together with an important study of the text and contributions offered by the rector major emeritus, Fr. Pascual Chavez, and what was sent personally by the members of the general council, thus arriving at draft 39, which was examined by the general council session that began on November 24 and ended on December 23.

Its approval is an important step, as it is the most significant text of the Congregation’s magisterium after the Constitutions and Regulations. While it marks the conclusion of an intense journey, it opens up another no less important one, that of spreading knowledge of it as widely as possible thruout the vast and varied Salesian world and, above all, of assimilating it into life, which is the first and ultimate goal to be achieved.

It is very clear that formation is the daily response to God’s call and that it can therefore only be the fundamental attitude of every son of Don Bosco, from the beginning of his vocational journey to his last breath, as it was for the Founder and for the many who followed him, thanks to whom today’s Salesians are now continuing the same journey.

In the immediate future: the Italian editio typica will be finalized.  The work of the official translators for the main languages has already begun.  In January, the text will be promulgated, and when the 5 versions (Italian, English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese) are finalized, the text will be made available in digital format, while the printing process will begin.

A plan for dissemination and appropriation, the result of contributions from the delegates for formation at their meetings in 2025, has been part of the work carried out by the general council and will be shared and further enriched in the coming months, with the contribution of the provinces and young Salesians who are called to be the prime key players in this process, as they have been from the beginning.

Salesians Preserve Indigenous Languages in Mato Grosso

Salesians Preserve Indigenous Languages in Mato Grosso

(ANS – Campo Grande, Brazil – December 18, 2025) – The preservation of indigenous mother tongues has become a global concern. Fr. Tiago Figueiró, a Salesian and researcher on the subject, explains that the Salesians of the Campo Grande Brazil Province (BCG) have been addressing this challenge since they first began working among the Bororo indigenous people in 1895 and among the Xavante in 1957. The cultural diversity of peoples, in fact, finds its greatest heritage in language.

An innovative project combines tradition and artificial intelligence

Dr Fabricio Ferraz Gerardi, a past student of the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome, presented an innovative linguistic project on September 4, which was promptly accepted by the Association of Salesian Historians (ACSSA) Brazil Section. This proposal gives continuity to the work of systematizing, preserving, and teaching the Bororo and Xavante languages, integrating new technologies and artificial intelligence into its methodology.

Pioneering linguistic documentation

In 1908, the Salesians of Brazil published  Elements of Grammar and Dictionary of the Bororo Language. The Salesian researcher recounts that the National Exhibition in Rio de Janeiro received this work just 6 years after contact with the Eastern Bororos. The mission presented the beautiful language in which the Bororo express themselves, thanks to an ethnographic and linguistic collaboration that arose from a long and rigorous process of approaching and integrating with the indigenous communities.

Fr. Figueiró emphasizes that the Salesians listened to the speakers and learned the mother tongue directly. Systematic recording documented usage, structures, and meanings. The Bororo Encyclopedia is a milestone in the history of indigenous linguistic and cultural documentation in Brazil, with researchers in the fields of linguistics, anthropology, ethnology, and indigenous education still consulting the work today. Methodological care and fidelity to indigenous sources characterized this work, where respect for the symbolic, social, and cosmological complexity of the Bororo people is evident on every page. The work therefore still stands today as a documentary heritage serving to preserve the memory, language, and identity of the people.

Indigenous school education gains a permanent structure

The BCG Province thus became the first reference point for Bororo and Xavante school education. Fr. Figueiró reports that the Indigenous Missionary Council and OPAN promoted the involvement of the state in courses for indigenous teachers thru the Tucum and Raiô projects. These projects paved the way for subsequent achievements: the State of Mato Grosso created the State University of Mato Grosso in 1993, while the State Council for Indigenous School Education was established in 1995 and the Intercultural Indigenous Faculty of Unemat began its activities in 1997.

The U.N. declares the decade of indigenous languages

The United Nations, in coordination with UNESCO, declared the years 2022 to 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. This, as Fr. Figueiró explained, is of great importance for Brazil and for the state of Mato Grosso in particular, which is home to 43 indigenous peoples speaking 41 different languages.

The Salesian researcher recounts that the missionary presence among the Bororo and Xavante peoples produced the document “Together in Mission” in 2022, a text that emphasizes the need for the Bororos to learn their mother tongue and for the Xavantes to learn Portuguese. The document values the “cultural heritage of the people with their language, body, soul, and symbols” and states that the community must engage in “the creation, with boldness and creativity, of a method for learning the Xavante, Bororo, and Portuguese languages.” The text also makes possible the “knowledge and dissemination of the history, language, and culture, myths, and religions” of these peoples.

International specialists provide advice on the project

In 2022, the Salesians invited Prof. Fabricio Ferraz Gerardi, PhD in computational linguistics and lecturer at the University of Tübingen, Germany, to advise on an innovative approach; a mission joined in 2024 by Prof. Ivan Roksandic of the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba.

The State Education Secretariat, in collaboration with the Salesians, promoted the formation of Bororo teachers between 2024 and 2025. and in 2025, at the Second Seminar on Indigenous Mother Tongues, Prof. Ferraz Gerardi presented the topic “New technologies for the study of indigenous languages and education,” which addressed the adoption of Artificial Intelligence for the purpose of language preservation.

Public policies advance in language protection

Ministry of Education Ordinance No. 539 of  July 24, 2025, approved the National Policy on Indigenous School Education in Ethno-educational Territories. The Salesian researcher reports that on June 25, 2024, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Mato Grosso received a bill establishing a state policy for the Protection of Indigenous Languages in Mato Grosso. In this regard, the Salesians of BCG will promote, in collaboration with the State, a thematic roundtable on February 5, 2026, where digital platforms for indigenous education will be discussed.

Digital platforms transform language teaching

Digital platforms for language education are already a reality in the making. Fr. Figueiró explains that Artificial Intelligence is being used to support documentation, teacher formation, teaching, and the production of bilingual teaching materials, and that the Bororo, Xavante, Enawene-Nawe, Pareci, and Rikbaktsa communities are using these resources as part of a project in which the Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) and the Catholic School of Mato Grosso are established partners.

Rector Major Reports on General Council's Winter Session

Rector Major Reports on the General Council’s Winter Session

(ANS – Rome – December 23, 2025) - In the Salesian Good Nite talk at the conclusion of the winter session of the general council on December 22, Fr. Fabio Attard addressed his confreres at general headquarters with a summary reflection aimed at understanding and implementing the strenna for 2026, inspired by the gospel theme of the wedding at Cana: “Do whatever he tells you.”

In his message, drawing inspiration from that gospel passage, the rector major proposed a unified framework articulated around four verbs, presented as reference criteria for the life, discernment, and service of Salesians working at the generalate.

First of all, to look at the reality of the Congregation and the world with attention and responsibility, grasping the signs of the times starting from a thoro knowledge of Don Bosco and the Salesian charism, as an essential basis for every service of animation and government.

Secondly, to listen to the reality in the light of the Word of God and spiritual life, avoiding merely functional readings of the processes underway and recognizing that only listening rooted in faith allows one to accompany current challenges with clarity.

The third verb, to choose, stressing the need for responsible and free discernment, based on a solid evangelical and charismatic identity, capable of dialoguing with cultural, social, and technological changes and of guiding the decisions of the central government with balance and foresight.

Finally, with the verb to act, indicating a style of service characterized by inner freedom, availability, and generosity, without personal interests or self-protection, witnessing in the daily life of the community what the central offices are called to promote thruout the Congregation.

During the Good Nite, the rector major also drew attention to confreres who are experiencing particular difficulties and persecution in various parts of the world, inviting everyone to be close to them in constant prayer and discreet and concrete solidarity.

The rector major then presented a summary of the main activities of the general council carried out during the winter session, highlighting some significant data relating to the work accomplished.

Between November 24 and December 23, the general council met 22 times, addressing the main issues of animation and governance of the Congregation. In addition to the council meetings, more than 20 interregional and intersectoral meetings were held during the session, aimed at coordinating the dicasteries and sharing in-depth discussions on topics of common interest.

During the same period, 14 provincials, 28 provincial councillors, 80 directors, and 1 novice master were appointed, ensuring the continuity of leadership and formation in the various provincial contexts.

In terms of structures, 7 houses were canonically established and 5 were canonically closed, while 4 non-canonical houses were opened, with no further closures of this type.

In conclusion, the rector major expressed his gratitude to the vicar, the councilors, the department collaborators, and all the staff at the generalate for their work and for the fraternal atmosphere that characterizes the life of the community. Finally, he entrusted the journey of the Congregation to the protection of Mary Help of Christians, inviting everyone to live the service they have received with fidelity, responsibility, and availability.

Homily for December 23, 2025

Homily for December 23, 2025

Mal 3: 1-4, 23-24
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

“Suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek” (Mal 3: 1).

Joseph & Mary present Jesus in the Temple
(Fra Angelico)

Our Christian Scriptures and tradition associate today’s prophecy from Malachi with John the Baptist, rightly.  Parts of it refer also to our Lord Jesus.

Jesus, of course, is the messenger of the covenant (3:1) who was, and is, desired by God’s people.  He came suddenly to the Temple—quietly as a babe in arms, and in shocking anger as God’s prophet to refine and purify people’s worship (3:3), clearing out the marketplace the Temple had become.  “Who will endure the day of his coming?” (3:2).  Not the Temple leadership.  Jesus’ arrest soon followed.

Jesus did more than purify the sons of Levi (3:3), the Jewish priesthood.  He established a new priesthood to offer “due sacrifice to the Lord” (3:3), the best and most pleasing sacrifice (3:4).  Thru that sacrifice he has purified all God’s children and made them all a new temple to which he comes, in which he dwells:  “You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you” (1 Cor 3:16).

Thru the flesh of the Virgin Mary, the Lord established his dwelling among us (Collect).  Thru the living flesh of his Eucharist, he remains among us and within us, and he constantly refines and purifies us into “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (Sunday Preface I).

The Last Supper of Christ (Anthuensis Clakissins)

As his priests of the new covenant whose messenger he was, and which he established in his Body and Blood, we offer to God the sacrifice that pleases him (3:4):  God in the flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ—and ourselves with him.

Salesian Centers Receive Laptops and Soccer Balls

Salesian Centers Receive Laptops and Soccer Balls

Thanks to partnerships developed by Salesian Missions

(ANS – Akure, Nigeria – December 22, 2025) – Salesian missionaries in Nigeria received donations thanks to partnerships developed by Salesian Missions of New Rochelle. Thru the donations, students received laptops for their schoolwork and religious items. They also received soccer balls from the men’s soccer team from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn.

The laptops were distributed to communities where the needs are greatest, including the Salesian Technical and Vocational Training Center in Ondo, the Vocational Training Center in Koko, and students in formation in Ibadan and Akure. The soccer balls were shared across Salesian youth centers in Osogbo, Ibadan, Lagos, Koko, and Onitsha, bringing excitement for youths at these centers.

A Salesian said in a letter to donors, “On behalf of our youth ministry and communities, I write with great honor to express our heartfelt joy, appreciation, and thanksgiving for the generous gifts of laptops and balls we received. Your thoughtful donations have brought immense joy to our young people and to our centers.”

The Salesian added, “We are deeply grateful for this partnership and the tangible impact it has made. Your support strengthens our mission and inspires hope among the youth we serve. We remain open and hopeful to continue receiving such generous contributions in the future.”

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country and the 9th most populous country in the world. By United Nations estimates, Nigeria will be one of the countries responsible for most of the world’s total population increase by 2050. While Nigeria has the 2d strongest economy in Africa, it also has extreme rates of poverty with 100 million people living on less than $1 a day.

About 64% of households in Nigeria consider themselves to be poor while 32% of households say their economic situation had worsened over a period of one year, according to UNICEF. Poverty still remains one of the most critical challenges facing the country, and population growth rates have meant a steady increase in the number of people living in poverty.

Source: Salesian Missions

Homily for 4th Sunday of Advent

Homily for the
4th Sunday of Advent

Dec. 21, 2025
Matt 1: 18-25
The Fountains, Tuckahoe
Assumption, Bronx
St. Francis Xavier, Bronx

Joseph's Dream (Rembrandt)

“She was found with child thru the Holy Spirit” (Matt 1: 18).

St. Matthew’s short account of the Savior’s birth emphasizes the divine origin of Mary’s son, the name to be given to him, and St. Joseph’s silent obedience.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary’s able to conceive and give birth to the Savior of the human race.  St. Joseph’s only part is to accept it as God’s way.

St. Leo the Great—the 1st Pope Leo, who guided the Church in the middle of the 5th century—teaches us, “Thru the same Spirit by whom Christ was conceived and brought forth, we too might be born in a spiritual birth.”[1]  The Holy Spirit brought divinity to Mary’s womb; when that same Spirit comes upon us in Baptism, we’re given a share of divine life, a share that’s deepened in the Holy Eucharist and will culminate in union with God in eternity.

Joseph is instructed to name the child Jesus—Yeshua, which means “YHWH saves.”  Joseph does so.  By bestowing a name, Joseph legally accepts the child as his son even tho he’s not Jesus’ biological father.  That’s why we call St. Joseph the foster father of Jesus.  At the same time, Joseph, whom the angel addressed as “son of David” (1:20), i.e., a direct descendant of King David, is connecting Jesus to David’s family.  Jesus, too, becomes a son of David.  We hear him addressed thus many times in the gospels.

Jesus’/Yeshua’s purpose in this mystery of the incarnation is salvation—salvation not from the trials of life, not from economic or political oppressions or even from sickness, but from sin.  In his book on the birth of Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI discusses this.  He writes:  “Man is a relational being.  If his first, fundamental relationship is disturbed—his relationship with God—then nothing else can truly be in order.  This is where the priority lies in Jesus’ message and ministry:  before all else, he wants to point man toward the essence of his malady, and to show him—if you are not healed there, then however many good things you may find, you are not truly healed.  … the explanation of Jesus’ name that was offered to Joseph in this dream already contains a fundamental clarification of how man’s salvation has to be understood….”[2]

Sin is the one thing that un-divinizes us, the one thing that can separate us from God and from the destiny God intends.  When God created humans, he created them in his own image (Gen 1:27).  Images of himself is what God created us to be.  That’s what Yeshua, “YHWH saves,” enters our world to do.

In his dream, St. Joseph received 2 commands from God.  He was to take Mary, pregnant as she was, as his wife and he was to give the child to be born a specific name.  (No consulting name lists, no arguing over which relative to name him after.)

Now, as you know, there are many people who talk a good game, as they say.  There are many people who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.  In the 1st reading, King Ahaz sounds pious; he’s already determined to do what he wants and refuses to listen to the prophet (Is 7:10-14).  Christ chastised some of his listeners for not acting on his words or for not carrying out God’s laws despite their professed piety.

St. Matthew doesn’t record anything St. Joseph said, neither here nor later in his gospel.  Nor does St. Luke.  Sometimes he’s called “Joseph the Silent.”  But silent Joseph is a man of action.  He promptly obeys God’s 2 commands as well as those that come later, without question and perhaps not fully understanding them.  So he fulfills the vocation to which God has called him.

We believe that Jesus is the Son of God in human flesh.  We believe that he’s our Savior.  We still have to act—silently or otherwise—on what we hear, on what Jesus teaches us in the Scriptures and thru his Church.  Apropos of what Jesus teaches us thru the Church, I’m dumbfounded repeatedly by how many Catholics, including some prominent ones, blow off what the Church teaches about the sacredness of human life, e.g. on abortion, assisted suicide, and capital punishment; about marriage and sexuality; and about the human dignity of immigrants and the right of people to safety for themselves and their families.

Jesus is salvation only for those who come to him and put his words into action, as St. Joseph did so well.

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[1] Ep. 31; LOH 1:321.

[2] Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, trans. Philip J. Whitmore (NY: Image, 2012), pp. 44-45.