The first Salesians of Don Bosco arrived in Rio de Janeiro led by Fr Luigi Lasagna, a fundamental figure for the development of Salesian work in Brazil. They arrived in response to the request made a few years earlier by the then Bishop of Rio de Janeiro, Bishop Pedro Maria de Lacerda, to Don Bosco himself to send Salesians to his diocese to begin educational work with the most needy young people.
The Salesians settled in Niterói, near Rio de Janeiro, with the Santa Rosa institute, which opened its doors with only 10 students enrolled and met great resistance from the society of the time. In a short time, however, Salesian activity gained strength and importance: the school grew, the oratory was started and the arts and trades courses (as vocational courses were called) were opened, without neglecting general, cultural and religious formation. Even then it is what we call the "integral formation" of the student today.
According to istorian Riolando Azzi, already at that time the Salesians were seen, especially in Catholic circles, as a symbol of renewal in education. However, "if the name of Don Bosco facilitated the acceptance of the Salesian work among Catholics, it aroused the hostility of the liberals, due to the collaboration his disciples were giving to the Church reform movement in Brazil" (Riolando Azzi, The Salesians in Brazil in the Light of History).
The initial campaign against the settlement of the Salesians was intense, as the first Rector of the Santa Rosa institute, Fr Michele Borghino, recounts in a letter sent to Fr Michael Rua and dated 1884: “They began by speaking ill of us, then criticising our method, and finally spreading the rumour everywhere that the students were having a bad time.” Fr Borghino points out, however, that faith in Mary Help of Christians and the certainty of having to persevere helped them overcame all difficulties.
After only one year, the school already had 30 students regularly enrolled in courses in carpentry, tailoring and shoemaking. The workshops grew and stood out. In distant regions of Brazil, the name Santa Rosa name became known for the splendid work of its workshops, especially for the printing press. And the festive oratory was opened on 30 June 1907, one of the most beloved institutions of the educational approach developed by Don Bosco.
Another historical stage of the Salesian presence in Niterói was the construction of the Monument in honour of Mary Help of Christians, the work of Salesian engineer Domingos Delpiano, opened on 8 December 1900.
But the educational, evangelising and social promotion mission of the Salesians could not remain confined just to this place: it soon spread to other regions of the country. And attention to the education of young people of the lower classes, especially former slaves and immigrants, was an important factor in the foundation of the second Salesian school in Brazil, the Coração de Jesus high school in São Paulo in 1885.
Shortly after, in 1892, the first Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) arrived in Guaratinguetá, also in the State of São Paulo, to extend the Salesian educational charism to girls. Another important point were the missions and the São Gonçalo high school in Cuiabá, MT, founded in 1894, which became the gateway to work with indigenous peoples. And in the same yearSalesian work began in the Northeast of the country, with the Sagrado Coração institute, Recife, Pernambuco.
Don Bosco's pedagogy and charism, based on the three pillars of reason, religion and loving-kindness, spread throughout the country. Schools were started, from early childhood education to higher and advanced education; vocational training centres; oratories; welfare and social works; as well as missionary activities among indigenous peoples and dozens of parishes under Salesian responsibility.
Currently the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) are organised in six provinces throughout Brazil, while the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) have four. The two congregations work together in the Salesian Network Brazil (RSB), which works on various fronts aimed at education and evangelisation, especially of young people.
The RSB brings together 100 schools that offer formal education – from kindergarten to high schools – for the benefit of more than 70,000 students; 103 social works, which serve about 61,000 children, adolescents, young people and their families in situations of social vulnerability; 15 higher education institutions and 11 communication centres, as well as a solid and well-developed presence in parishes and indigenous missions.
