Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco

About Us

We are in 94 countries within the 5 Continents, with a total of 1,436 local communities. In Canada, we have 5 communities in 2 Provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

What we do in Canada

• Faith Development and Retreat Days for young people and adults (Evangelization)
• Catechesis
• ‘Duc in Altum’ Vocation Discernment Program for Young Adults
• Spiritual Accompaniment
• Leadership Training
• Diocesan and Parish Youth Ministry
• Youth Camps
• VIDES –International Volunteer Program
• Teaching, Chaplaincy, Education
• Day Care Centers
• Youth Center and Sports Program

Mission

We, the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, also known as Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, are an international congregation of more than 14,500 Sisters doing ministry to and with youth in every continent.

We are consecrated women in the Church, rooted in the love of Christ, the Good Shepherd, and like Mary, we readily set out with untiring zeal and joy to respond to the challenges that confront the world of youth and education today.

We have a simple and active life, a deep Eucharistic prayer – life, a strong family-spirit atmosphere in our community life and a dynamic youth-centered educative ministry. These sustain our passion and energy to become women educators for youth today.

We are a missionary Congregation whose apostolic passion is expressed in a conscious option for education as the way to Gospel citizenship. This requires that we be present to, and in solidarity with, the young and the poor. It challenges us to courageously serve the cause of justice and peace and to bring about a more humane society, one that respects the dignity of each person.

As a Salesian Sister, we are committed to entrust our life to God and to young people in the service of the local Church striving to be open and relevant in our interventions in collaboration with members of the educating community.

Spirituality

Our Founder and Co-Foundress – St. John Bosco and St. Mary Domenica Mazzarello – handed on to us a simple style of spirituality: seeing Christ in the young and the young in Christ. It is a spirituality that sees holiness not as self-centered and introspective, but as pastoral and educative. They taught us to make our every day life the place where we meet God, especially in the many faces of the young, and to learn to share with them their journey of faith and the celebration of life.

With a foreseeing spirit of prevention

For Don Bosco, the foresight in preventing is meant to educate, to develop one’s ability to give meaning to life through positive experiences and to act coherently with decisions taken. Foresight is to create educative relationships that would stimulate and sustain the interior strength of the young person and to guide him/her towards new stages of maturity, towards new experiences in the light of their Christian calling. As friends, we walk with them that they may befriend the ways of God.

Distinct characteristics of our Salesian spirituality highlight our lifestyle and style of interventions in our ministry:

• A Eucharistic life. It is Jesus Christ, the Word and Bread of Life, who sets our soul afire with a love that unites us to Him and sends us to be “bread broken for others”.
• A Marian Spirituality. We call on Mary, our constant Help, in all our needs. We look to her as the Woman, Wife, Mother and Disciple who can inspire the youth in their journey of wholeness in Christ.
• Dedication to the Church. Our adherence and fidelity to the Magisterium of the Church and the words of the Holy Father give solidity to our teachings. Pope John Paul II made Don Bosco “Father and Teacher of Youth”. We believe in his exhortation: “Young people must know you love them.”
• Untiring zeal and joy in work. Don Bosco gave us a legacy: “Da Mihi Anima Coetera Tolle” i.e.”Give me souls; take away the rest”. We work with creativity and dedication, unafraid and trustful in the work God accomplishes through us. Hence, we go ahead joyful like Mary, in the spirit of her Magnificat.