In 1878, Salesian presence expanded to Marseille, where Fr. Giuseppe Bologna, a 30-year-old Italian Salesian professed for nine years, was appointed Rector of a parish, which included an elementary school for the poor and a Technical Training Center for young apprentices. That same year, Don Bosco accepted responsibility for a struggling rural institution initiated by a diocesan priest in La Navarre and Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, both in southern France.

In 1881, the General Chapter established the Salesian Province of France, comprising the three existing houses (Nice, Marseille, and La Navarre), with its headquarters in Marseille. The first Provincial was Fr. Paolo Albera, who later became Rector Major in 1910.

On December 8, 1887, despite opposition from his General Council but encouraged by a vision of the Virgin Mary in a dream, Don Bosco decided to open a new house in Liège, Belgium. This was the last work personally founded by Don Bosco during his lifetime.

The Salesian mission in France grew rapidly, and by 1896, France was divided into two provinces. The Southern France and North Africa Province, dedicated to Saint Lazarus, was based in Marseille and entrusted to Fr. Bologna, while the Northern France and Belgium Province, headquartered in Paris, included houses in Liège, Tournai, and Hechtel, with Fr. Ronchail as its first Provincial.

At the beginning of the 20th century, amid increasing anti-clerical hostility in France, the Superiors in Turin decided to establish the “Belgium Vice-Province,” comprising four houses (Liège, Tournai, Hechtel, and Verviers) and 51 religious (11 Italians, 11 French, and 29 Belgians). The following year, the Belgium-Switzerland Province was created. In 1903, after the suppression of religious congregations in France, many French Salesians relocated abroad. Belgium became a refuge, particularly for novices and students of Philosophy and Theology.

More recently, in 1999, the Salesian provinces of Paris and Lyon were merged. In 2008, the provinces of France and Belgium unified to form the new FRB Province, with Fr. Joseph Enger as its first Provincial.

Today

Currently, the FRB Province has 113 confreres, with an average age of 72 years. There are no novices this year, but three young men are in formation. The province also hosts around twenty missionary or “temporary” Salesians (who arrive for their studies), from countries such as Poland, India, Vietnam, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The province has 15 communities and, starting in August, will welcome a new Provincial, Fr. Xavier Ernst, a 43-year-old Belgian Salesian.

Salesian Houses

In France and Belgium, the Salesian network includes nearly 60 educational institutions, serving over 36,000 young people, including around 3,000 boarders. The “Don Bosco Action Sociale” (DBAS) network encompasses 96 social service programs, making it one of the largest Christian-inspired organizations in France. It also cares for approximately 1,000 unaccompanied migrant minors.

Additionally, the Salesians oversee the pastoral care of eight parishes, including one in Guadeloupe, in the French Antilles.

The Salesian Family

A Salesian Family Council meets twice a year, bringing together leaders of the various branches present in the territory. Members include the Salesians of Don Bosco, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, the Salesian Cooperators, the Past Pupils and Friends of Don Bosco, and representatives of the Salesian Youth Movement, though the latter is not formally recognized as part of the Salesian Family.

Other active groups in the FRB territory include the Volunteers of Don Bosco, the Sisters of the Congregation of Saint Michael the Archangel, and the Canção Nova community.

A Shared Educational and Pastoral Mission

The FRB Province, well known to the new Rector Major, Fr. Fabio Attard, embraces a fully shared educational and pastoral mission among the Salesians, the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, lay collaborators, and young animators. “There is a strong culture of walking together here,” Fr. Attard joyfully remarked in 2018, “with an ever-deeper understanding of the Salesian charism and the realities we are called to serve—never forgetting our enthusiasm!”

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