The Salesians arrived in Belgium in 1892, establishing their first house in Liège—the last work personally desired by Don Bosco, who dreamed of it in December 1887. However, this work is located in the Walloon region, which today falls under the “Saint Francis de Sales” Province of France-South Belgium (FRB).

The first Salesian house in Flanders, in the Flemish and Dutch-speaking region, was established in Hechtel in 1896. The first Salesian house in the Netherlands was not founded until 1928, with the opening of the center in Lauradorp, followed in 1937 by the Salesian work in Leusden, which was initially a Salesian aspirantate before becoming a Vocational Training Center, where new professionals for Dutch society were trained.

Growth and Structural Changes

As Salesian works and their mission took root in these lands, a more effective organizational structure became necessary. As a result:

On January 20, 1902, a unified province was established for all of Belgium (both North and South). On May 17, 1946, the Dutch Province was created, dedicated to Saint Willibrord and entrusted for nearly 20 years (until 1964) to the Italian missionary Fr. Annibale Bortoluzzi. For years, the Belgian Province also oversaw Salesian works in some former Belgian colonies in Africa, specifically Congo and Rwanda. In 1959, the unified Belgian Province was divided into three separate entities: North Belgium Province (Flemish-speaking region), South Belgium Province (Walloon region), Congo-Rwanda Province

Recent Developments

In 2005, due to the aging Salesian population and the declining presence in the Netherlands, the Dutch Province (OLA) was closed. Its works and members were integrated into a Delegation within the North Belgium Province. In 2011, the entire jurisdiction was restructured into the Province of North Belgium and the Netherlands (BEN).

Current Figures

Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in BEN

Today, the BEN Province has 89 Salesians, distributed as follows:

• 72 priests
• 1 permanent deacon
• 11 coadjutors
• 5 clerics (including 3 deacons preparing for priesthood)

87 perpetually professed members, 2 temporarily professed

Salesian Communities

The province consists of 8 communities:

• 6 in North Belgium (Boortmeerbeek, Brussels-Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Gent-Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Groot-Bijgaarden, Oostende, Oud-Heverlee)
• 2 in the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Assel)

Educational and Pastoral Activities

The Salesian Educational-Pastoral Communities (SEPC) in the BEN Province are involved in a wide range of apostolic activities:

• 4 parishes
• 39 schools, serving 21,000 students with 3,800 teachers and staff
• 6 youth centers
• 7 summer oratories, supporting 2,000 young people with 240 animators
• 1 reception center
• 3 boarding schools, accommodating 210 young people with 30 staff members
• 38 youth assistance services, benefiting 450 young people with 420 employees
• 2 evangelization and retreat centers
• 1 media center
• 3 public chapels
• 1 vocational training center Don Bosco Youth-Net, a European coordination organization for youth activities
• "Via Don Bosco", a Salesian NGO

Salesian Family in BEN

Five Salesian Family groups are active in the BEN Province:

• Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB)
• Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA)
• Salesian Cooperators
• Don Bosco Volunteers
• Past Pupils of Don Bosco

Key Apostolic Focus

“There is a long tradition of teaching in the BEN Province,” say the Salesians working in the region.

Initially, the province had only two schools (Hechtel and Kortrijk) aimed at fostering religious vocations. Over time, numerous vocational schools and high schools were established. In the last 20 years, even the schools originally founded by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) have come under Salesian administration.

In the last decade, there has been significant growth in elementary schools, while the province has also maintained a strong tradition of youth shelters for at-risk children, continually expanding its network of institutions dedicated to their care.

A video presentation of the BEN Province is available on ANSChannel

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