Salesians of Don Bosco

:This article is about the religious order. For schools bearing the name, see Salesian High School.

History

In 1845 Bosco opened a night school for boys in Valdocco, now part of the municipality of Turin in Italy. In the coming years, he opened several more schools, and in 1857 drew up a set of rules for his helpers, which became the Rule of the Society of St. Francis de Sales, which Pope Pius IX approved definitively in 1874. The order grew rapidly, with houses established in France and Argentina within a year of the society's formal recognition. The order's official print organ, the Salesian Bulletin, was first published in 1877. Over the next decade, the Salesians expanded into Austria, Britain, Spain, and several countries in South America. The death of Bosco in 1888 did not slow the order's growth, and by 1911 the Salesians were established throughout the world, including China, India, South Africa, Tunisia, and the United States. The society continues to operate worldwide; in 1995, it counted more than 17,000 members in 1,616 houses http://www.salesians.ie/about_worldhist.htm.

Related Topics:
1845 - Valdocco - Turin - Italy - 1857 - Pope Pius IX - 1874 - 1877 - Austria - Britain - Spain - South America - 1888 - 1911 - China - India - South Africa - Tunisia - United States - 1995

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