Last June, 55 members of the Salesian Family - brothers, sisters, priests, cooperators, collaborators, past pupils, and FDBs (Friends of Don Bosco)-gathered at San Juan Bautista, Calif., to plan about the future of Don Bosco’s work in the San Francisco Province. This provincial chapter brought together different groups of the Salesian family who are committed to helping young people grow in their faith and be successful citizens.

Fr. Francis Moloney, a Salesian from Australian and professor of scripture at Catholic University of America in Washington DC, set the tone for the Chapter. In his keynote address, "Salesians Beyond 2000." Fr. Moloney stressed the need to follow Jesus by being radically dependent on God’s goodness and providence. "The Spirit of Jesus strengthens, forgives, instructs, encourages, and speaks on behalf of the disciples in all their difficulties and failures," he noted. "It is in this Spirit that Salesians embrace their mission, crossing the barriers of race and culture which the world imposes and working for the ‘well-being of all human beings, directed towards Christ, the perfect Human Being.’"

The "plan of action" that the Chapter adopted includes six key areas: Youth Ministry, Salesian Family, Social Communications, Salesian Formation, Missions, and Economy.

The Youth Ministry plan establishes a youth ministry team to help local communities respond to the pressing needs of young people today. It also calls for sensitivity to the multicultural aspects of modern-day American society.

The plan’s section on the Salesian Family recognizes the integral role of lay people in every facet of Salesian apostolic work. The plan directs local Salesian communities to promote the spiritual, educational and pastoral formation of all persons involved in the ministry to the young.

The delegates to the Provincial Chapter lauded the establishing of the Salesian Bulletin as well as other publications sponsored by the province to reflect the Salesian commitment to Social Communications.

In the area of Salesian Formation, the plan recommends that Don Bosco Hall, Berkeley, Calif., continue developing programs stressing Salesian spirituality and Don Bosco’s educational system.

Referring to the Missions, the plan pledges a renewed commitment in personnel and resources to the mission in Lungi-Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa. For the past 15 years the two U.S. Salesian provinces (San Francisco, Calif., and New Rochelle, N.Y.) have sponsored this mission.

Finally, in the area of Economy, the chapter members endorsed criteria for the founding of new Salesian works in the province. They also called for the implementation of balanced budgets at all levels of administration.

As the Salesians in the San Francisco Province focus on the next five years, two important aspects of this meeting will insure the future health and success of Salesian youth ministry: fostering partnership with young people and working together with the laity.