“The presence of the Salesians in Perugia was significant not only for the Church, but also socially they were a point of reference for youth and for training in the world of work with an extra chance of life. For Salesians, education is a fundamental perspective of their mission. There is a great need for education, especially in these times,” said Msgr. Marco Salvi, auxiliary bishop of Perugia-Città della Pieve.
“We Salesians are for the time of sowing because to educate is to look to the future. Don Bosco sensed this idea and used many educational activities to form young people and launch them towards the future. The Salesians in Perugia have done the same over the past hundred years, adapting their educational project to the reality of the times. Thanks to all the Salesians who preceded us and for us the commitment to continue for many other young people” commented the work’s Rector, Fr Giovanni Molinari.
When the Salesians arrived in Perugia in 1922, they immediately opened up to the life of the city, sharing the anxieties and hopes of poor and simple people: they won the esteem and admiration of many thanks to the cordial welcome and a testimony of exemplary life. In via della Cera, where the Salesians inaugurated the first oratory, two activities prevailed in the early years, for continuity, namely theater and sport.
Theater and music, chosen by the Salesians as educational and socialization tools, had great success. The Salesian Youth Sports Center is still in good health with about three hundred young people enrolled and their families are deeply satisfied.
For the children who attended school there was also the opportunity to carry out physical and sporting activities on the football field, to which, a few years later, a modern gym would be added for one of the city’s best-equipped sports facilities. The school was divided into Middle, High School, Classical Lyceum and, later, also a Linguistic Lyceum.
More recently, after the cessation of school activities in the historical institute in Via "Don Bosco", the Salesians have set up a residence for university students, which has rapidly established itself, thanks also to the formative support offered by the Salesians.
The Vocational Training Center (CNOF-FAP), established in 1980, still continues its valuable activity and remains a hotbed of highly qualified technicians. The center proposes the social recovery of children through formation and work.
“In summary, that of the Salesians of Perugia is a wonderful story lasting a century, made up of extraordinary results at various levels in the social and cultural context of the city. We are now preparing to celebrate the first centenary, but already thinking about what is to come. We really hope that history will continue and it is no coincidence that the slogan 'One hundred years of the future' has been chosen,” concludes Fausto Santeusanio, President of the Salesian Past Pupils Union of Perugia.
