Association of Salesian Cooperators (ASC) is the movement of

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non- ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a lay ...

of the Salesian Family of

Don Bosco John Melchior Bosco ( it, Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco; pms, Gioann Melchior Bòsch; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco , was an Italian Catholic priest, educator, writer and saint of the 19th century. While working ...

and is the third order of the

Salesian Order , image = File:Stemma big.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , abbreviation = SDB , formation = , founder = John Bosco , founding_location = Valdocco, Turi ...

. It is also one of the three main branches of the Salesian Family founded directly by Don Bosco in 1876. The movement was created with the purpose to share the ideals of the

Salesian Preventive System The Salesian Preventive System is the educational method of the Salesians, built upon the pedagogical experience of Saint John Bosco with poor youngsters in 19th century Turin. It is based on the three pillars of reason, religion, and lovingkindne ...

in the education of young people, especially those who are poorest, without the need to be a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

or a lay religious. According to a 2005's census, there are 26,703 persons affiliated to this movement around the world. The ASC's superior is the

Rector Major of the Salesians The Rector Major of the Salesians (also known as successor of Don Bosco) is the head of all institutes of the Salesians of Don Bosco worldwide (over 130 countries and 15000 institutions). It is the title of a Catholic priest that is elected as the ...

, inside a board of trust known as the World Council. Priests and

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

s of the

dioceses In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

can join this movement, sharing the ideals and educative philosophies of Don Bosco.

History

In 1873,

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

approved the rules of the Salesian Society. In the 1876 Annual Conference's report of the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, Don Bosco mentioned his plan to create the Association of Salesian Cooperators: Don Bosco linked the development of the

Salesian Bulletin ''The Salesian Bulletin'' is an official publication of the Salesians that was founded in August 1877 by Don Bosco. It has been published without interruption since then. The purpose of the ''Salesian Bulletin'' is the proliferation of the educat ...

to the foundation of the Cooperators: In 1877 the Salesians did their first

general chapter A chapter ( la, capitulum or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings. Name The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the re ...

and Don Bosco reported the development of the cooperators and the Salesian Bulletin. He described the Association as ''people who wish to devote themselves to works of mercy in a specific rather than general way'' and he underlined that the mission of the cooperators is to take care of boys, who are exposed to ''immorality, catechizing them, keeping them happily busy on Sundays and holy days, finding them jobs with honest employers'' (...) In the chapter, Don Bosco established the rules and missions of the cooperators and designed the way so any Catholic lay person, willing to join his educative mission in favor of poor young people, could join.

Notable members

* Blessed Alexandrina of Balazar * Venerable

Dorotea de Chopitea Antonia Dorotea de Chopitea de Villota (4 June 1816, Santiago, Chile – 3 April 1891, Barcelona, Spain) was a Chile-born philanthropist and social worker based in Barcelona. She is considered the principal patroness and the most important social ...

* Servant of God

Matilde Salem Matilde Salem, ASC (November 15, 1904 – February 27, 1961, Aleppo, Syria) was a Syrian Salesian cooperator, community leader, and Catholic Laywoman. She was proclaimed a Servant of God by the Archbishop of the Melkite Greek Catholic Archeparc ...

Sean Devereux Sean Devereux (25 November 1964 – 2 January 1993) was a British Salesian missionary and aid worker murdered in Kismayo, Somalia in 1993 while working for UNICEF. He has since become an important role model for the aid-working vocation, partic ...

References

{{Authority control Salesian Order