The Association of Salesian Cooperators (ASC) is a lay association in the Catholic Church and the

third order The term third order signifies, in general, lay members of Christian religious orders, who do not necessarily live in a religious community such as a monastery or a nunnery, and yet can claim to wear the religious habit and participate in the goo ...

of the

Salesians The Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), formally known as the Society of Saint Francis de Sales (), is a religious congregation of men in the Catholic Church, founded in 1859 by the Italian priest John Bosco to help poor and migrant youth during the ...

. 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 children in 19th-century Turin. It is based on three pillars namely—reason, religion, and lovingkindne ...

in the education of young people, especially those who are poorest. The ASC's superior is the Rector Major of the Salesians, inside a board of trust known as the World Council. Priests and

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

s of the

dioceses In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, prov ...

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

History

After John Bosco's ordination, he took up work in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

, where he was friends with priest and social reformer Joseph Cafasso. In 1846, Bosco became ill and his mother, Margherita Occhiena moved to Turin to care for him. After he recovered, she stayed to assist him in his work with the poor and abandoned boys who were flocking to the city. For the next ten years she served as a surrogate mother for the hundreds of boys who called her "Mamma Margherita". Occhiena is considered the first Salesian Cooperator. In 1876 Don Bosco discussed his plan to create the Association of Salesian Cooperators, "It has hardly come into existence and it already numbers many members. Its aim is mutual assistance: spiritual, moral and also financial... Don Bosco formed the Association with the help of

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX (; born Giovanni Maria Battista Pietro Pellegrino Isidoro Mastai-Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878. His reign of nearly 32 years is the longest verified of any pope in hist ...

. The membership grew rapidly, and with their help, the Cooperators made it possible to create and develop workshops for arts and crafts, mutual aid societies, farm projects, printing shops, day and evening schools, oratories, homes and shelters, missions and orphanages."Associazione Cooperatori Salesiani", Pontifical Council for the Laity
/ref> In 1877, Bosco created the '' Salesian Bulletin'' to "link Salesians and cooperators." In the General Chapter of 1877 he 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'' (...)

Present day

Members are lay men and women, or diocesan clergy, who dedicate themselves to the welfare of young people, and live guided by Don Bosco's Salesian Spirit. As of 2023, ACS has a membership of about 30,000, and is present in 58 countries. The headquarters are in Rome. Generally the Salesian Cooperators are affiliated with a local Salesian school, parish and youth center. In some situations, particularly in the Third World, they manage oratories, schools and family hostels.

Candidates for Sainthood

Saints *

John Bosco John Melchior Bosco, Salesians of Don Bosco, SDB (; ; 16 August 181531 January 1888), popularly known as Don Bosco or Dom Bosco (International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ), was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer. While working in Tu ...

(16 August 1815 – 31 January 1888), founder of the Association, canonized on 1 April 1934 Blesseds * Antonio María Rodríguez Blanco (26 March 1877 – 16 August 1936), Martyr of the Spanish Civil War, beatified on 28 October 2007 * Teresa Cejudo Redondo de Caballero (15 October 1890 – 20 September 1936), Martyr of the Spanish Civil War, beatified on 28 October 2007 * Bartolomé Blanco Márquez (25 November 1914 – 2 October 1936), Martyr of the Spanish Civil War, beatified on 28 October 2007 * Alexandre Planas Saurí (31 October 1878 – 19 November 1936), Martyr of the Spanish Civil War, beatified on 11 March 2001 * Alexandrina Maria da Costa (Alexandrina de Balazar) (30 March 1904 – 13 October 1955), mystic, beatified on 25 April 2004 Venerables * Margherita Occhiena Bosco (1 April 1788 – 25 November 1856), mother of Don Bosco and considered as the first Salesian Cooperator, declared Venerable on 23 October 2006 * Antonia Dorotea de Chopitea de Villota (4 June 1816 – 3 April 1891), Chilean philanthropist, declared Venerable on 9 June 1983 * Attilio Giordani (13 February 1913 - 8 December 1972), member, declared Venerable on 9 October 2013 * Felice Canelli (14 October 1880 - 23 November 1977), priest of the Diocese of San Severo and member of the Association, declared Venerable on 22 May 2021 Servants of God * José García-Verdugo Menoyo (17 March 1895 - 20 October 1936), Martyr of the Spanish Civil War from the Archdiocese of Toledo * Victorina Rivara de Perazzo (3 April 1867 - 24 Sepetmber 1957), Argentinian Cooperator, declared as a Servant of God on 11 December 1989 * Matilde Salem (15 November 1904 – 27 February 1961), Syrian Cooperator, declared as a Servant of God on 4 February 1994 * Vera Grita (28 January 1923 - 22 December 1969), member, declared as a Servant of God on 22 May 2021 * Dante di Stefano (25 September 1951 - 31 July 1989), Argentinian Cooperator, declared as a Servant of God on 13 September 2022

Other notable members

* Sean Devereux

References

{{Authority control 1876 establishments in Italy Salesian Order