On that day, the Rector Major of the Salesians, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, signed the document officially creating this new province, along with the “Spain – Mary Help of Christians” Province, based in Seville. This restructuring was part of a broader process that the Salesians had been implementing since 2010 to reorganize their presence in Spain.

Historical Background

The Salesians first arrived in Spain on February 16, 1881, in Utrera, in the province of Seville. By the end of the 19th century, the first houses of what is now the SSM Province were founded: in 1892, Santander and Vigo; in 1897, Barakaldo; and in 1899, the Madrid-Atocha center, which now serves as the provincial headquarters.

In 1902, the Salesian presence in Spain was first divided into three provinces: the Betica Province, based in Seville; the Tarraconense Province, based in Barcelona; and the Celtica Province, based in Madrid-Atocha, which was already under the patronage of St. James the Greater at that time.

Over the years, in 1954, the Celtica Province split into two: the “St. John Bosco” Province, based in Madrid, and another province that retained the patronage of St. James the Elder, headquartered in Zamora—later relocated to León.

In 1961, the Madrid Province was further divided, giving rise to the “St. Francis Xavier” Province, based in Bilbao. This structure remained until 2014, when the newly established SSM Province brought together the provinces it had originally produced, namely, those of Bilbao and León.

Diversity of Salesian Missions

Today, the province consists of 457 Salesians living in 45 communities. The most recent Provincial Chapters, the preparation of the Organic Provincial Plan (OPP), and the Salesian Provincial Educational and Pastoral Project (SEPP), along with plans for formation, vocational promotion, and communication, have helped to coordinate and structure the Salesian mission.

Salesians carry out their mission in schools, vocational training centers, youth centers, social outreach projects, and parishes, serving young people and responding to new challenges and forms of poverty. They work closely with the Salesian Family and a large group of educators and animators engaged in various environments.

The SSM Province manages:

• 35 schools, offering education from preschool to high school, with 2,500 teachers and educators serving 32,000 students.
• Vocational Training, a well-established sector, with 25 centers, 8,840 students, and 778 teachers.
• Social outreach platforms, focusing on at-risk youth, migrants, and vulnerable groups, with 21 projects across 118 initiatives, benefiting 24,815 individuals, supported by 396 educators and 68 volunteers.
• Youth centers, thriving in 40 locations, welcoming 13,200 children, adolescents, and young people, guided by 1,775 animators
• 26 parishes, serving approximately 45,000 faithful, with pastoral activities supported by 1,650 catechists and volunteers.

In recent years, the province has strongly committed to formation of lay collaborators, ensuring that pastoral workers and lay leaders receive both professional sector-specific training and Salesian formation, equipping them for their responsibilities in schools, youth centers, and social platforms.

To get an overview of the SSM Province in just two minutes, you can watch the specially uploaded video on ANSChannel.

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