Since the arrival of the first missionaries, the charism of Don Bosco - who dreamed of ‘education done with the heart’ - has deeply touched the local community. Historical accounts describe the warmth with which the Salesians were welcomed: the railway station was packed with students, priests, clergy and locals, all eager to meet the ‘friends’ they had heard so much about.
The arrival of the Salesians in Portugal transformed the lives of young people from the very first moment, offering them education, professional training and a message of hope. The São Caetano Institute quickly became a dynamic centre where Salesian joy was reflected in community celebrations, processions and events, such as the traditional feast of St Gaetano and the procession to the Bom Jesus Shrine.
130 years later, the Salesians are no longer in Braga, but the spirit of Don Bosco lives on in that city and in many others where his spiritual Sons work and have worked. Today, the Salesian presence in the country counts six schools that educate more than nine thousand students - plus one in Cabo Verde, also dependent on the St Anthony Province of Portugal (POR) - as well as oratories, youth centres, parishes and social services that accompany children, adolescents, young people, families and migrants who benefit from a wide range of educational and pastoral services, thanks to the collaboration of many other people active in the educational-pastoral communities led by the Salesians.
Today the Salesians continue to dedicate themselves to the mission they began in Braga, with the same passion and dedication, inspiring young people to dream of a better future and to work together to achieve it.
The celebration of the 130th anniversary of the arrival of the Salesians in Portugal is a tribute to those missionary pioneers and to all those who, over the years, have done their best to perpetuate Don Bosco's legacy in the country.
