The island has a rich cultural heritage and a very strong sense of community solidarity. 83% of the 378,561 inhabitants are Catholic, served by 42 parishes. But many families are single-parent. A third of the population is under the age of twenty. However, 20% of young people leave school without any qualification and the rate of absenteeism in Guadeloupe is the highest of all French departements, consequently also of youth illiteracy. 20% of young people between the ages of 16 and 25 are unemployed. 40% of young people leave Guadeloupe to study or work, especially to go to France or Canada.

A few years ago he local Bishop, Jean-Yves Riocreux, invited the Salesians to serve young people in difficulty. He had met the Salesians years earlier when he had been Bishop of the Diocese of Pontoise, in France, which houses the Salesian community of Argenteuil. In response to his invitation, in 2020 the Saint Francis de Sales of France-Belgium South (FRB) sent Fr Christian Tshala and Fr Pierre Gernez, together with a layman, Arthur Massiet du Biest from the"Valdocco Association".

The Bishop entrusted the Salesians with the Saint Luke parish in Braimbridge, near Les Abymes, the second largest city on the island. Today the parish has a vibrant Youth Ministry, called ADBG (Les Amis de Don Bosco Gwada) and the parish complex also houses Lakou Bosco, a socio-educational centre for young people in difficulty, based on the model of the Valdocco Association, now in nine sensitive districts of French metropolitan areas.

During his visit, the General Councillor met with young people and lay people who collaborate in the Salesian mission, and presided over Sunday parish Masses. "The interview with the mothers who come to Lakou Bosco and with the leaders of the parish catechesis opened my eyes. It is so comforting to hear from them how they have already identified with the charism of Don Bosco in just four years of Salesian presence. In fact, the socio-educational activities of ‘Lakou Bosco’ are a real First Announcement, " Fr Maravilla explained. "In this regard its activities complete the evangelising mission of the parish".

During the dialogue with the young people preparing for confirmation, a boy asked Fr Maravilla why he came to Guadeloupe from such a distant country. "Perhaps many in the Salesian world do not know where the island of Guadeloupe is. It is as if he were in the geographical ‘periphery’. But the peripheries are at the heart of the of the Salesian Congregation's missionary heart," he replied.

Before leaving, he congratulated the Salesian community and lay collaborators for the initiatives undertaken so that Don Bosco's charism would strike root on the island. "Opening a presence in Guadelupe was a brave act on the part of the FRB Province. But thanks to this, we now experience once again the freshness and vitality of the charism of Don Bosco," he concluded.

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