The Association of Salesian Cooperators (ASC) celebrated its 150th founding anniversary on May 9, 2026. With such a milestone achievement, it is the perfect time to share about this organization with a wider audience.
The Salesian Cooperator
The ASC is one of the groups that belong to the Salesian Family. This group was founded by St. John Bosco himself 150 years ago with the help of Pope Pius IX.
From the very beginning, St. John Bosco realized that he needed people to work with him in his mission to save the souls of young people. So, he invited lay men and women–single or married–and members of the diocesan clergy to join him and to work with him in this important mission. Because of this endeavor, Salesian Cooperators are also called “Salesians in the World.”
While they share the same charism and mission as the Salesian priests and brothers, Cooperators live it out differently. Lay Salesian Cooperators bring and live out the Salesian spirit in the ordinary circumstances of their lives; in their homes, parishes, and workplaces, while also fulfilling their commitment to care for the young people, especially those who are poor and vulnerable. The diocesan clergy, on the other hand, are to fulfill their ministry with St. John Bosco as their model of pastoral charity.
The Path to Becoming a Salesian Cooperator
Membership in the organization is far more than a simple registration; it is a lay apostolate vocation. Aspiring Salesian Cooperators undergo a two-year formation program anchored on the Project of Apostolic Life (PAL), which is composed of statutes and regulations. In addition, the aspirants’ personal experiences are also considered. Such a formation ensures that fundamental knowledge is instilled in the aspirants while keeping the formation program personalized.
After the two-year formation program, aspirants submit some requirements that would be helpful in the deliberation. Then, aspirants make their promise and are then inducted into the association.
The journey and the vocation of a Salesian Cooperator does not end on the day of one’s promise and induction to the association; it is only the beginning. The ultimate goal is not to make a promise or to be inducted into the organization, but to live out the Salesian spirit in one’s home, parish, or workplace, and, more importantly, to care for young people.
Living as a Salesian Cooperator
I belong to a Salesian parish, and I used to serve as a lector and commentator. However, it is in being a Salesian Cooperator that I owe much of the kind of person that I am today. Being a Salesian Cooperator has greatly influenced my character. As a Salesian Cooperator, I learned more about Don Bosco, and I eventually found myself loving what he loves: the Blessed Mother, the Eucharist, and the Pope.
As an educator, being a Salesian Cooperator gave me a different perspective on how I should teach the young people entrusted to my care because I learned about Don Bosco’s preventive system, which is rooted in reason, religion, and loving-kindness. Actually, this even goes beyond the classroom because the more that I become mindful of such principles as a teacher, the more that it becomes a part of me, my personality, my being.
Of course, there are many days when I fail. I would be too lazy to pray. I would be distracted during Mass. I would get impatient with students and the people around me, but remembering and acknowledging my identity as a Salesian Cooperator always grounds me.
At present, I am living and working in a foreign and non-Christian country. This means that I am technically inactive as a Salesian Cooperator in my local council, as I am unable to attend meetings, formation talks, and activities. This also means that it is easy to shy away from my Catholic practices because I am the only one doing it. No one in the workplace has an altar on their workstations except for me. No one marks oneself with the sign of the cross when the train or the bus starts to move or when leaving the workplace, except me. No one prays the rosary on the train except me. No one goes to church on Sundays except me.When you’re the only one doing something, it is so easy to let go of the practices that you’ve become accustomed to doing because you also want to fit in; you want to belong.
But being a Salesian Cooperator is not confined to one location; it is a way of life. I am not only a Salesian Cooperator when I am surrounded by people who also believe in Christ and who follow St. John Bosco’s teachings. I am a Salesian Cooperator because God wants me to be holy through this vocation. I continue to be a Salesian Cooperator because I made a promise and committed to living out my baptismal promises by caring for young people and bringing the Salesian spirit anywhere I go, even if it’s difficult.
As the 150th founding anniversary of the organization is celebrated, it is my prayer that the organization does not only grow in number, but that each Salesian Cooperator grows and is deeply rooted in virtues so that we may be able to truly continue and fulfill the mission that we promised to accomplish in the way that St. John Bosco had envisioned.
Sources:
Project of Apostolic Life
https://www.asscc-mondiale.org
Image: Photo by Johnny Ho on Unsplash
