How to Explore a Vocation or Get Involved with the Salesian Sisters

Updated

The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco (Daughters of Mary Help of Christians) invite anyone interested in their life and mission to start at salesiansisters.org, where the homepage offers three practical entry points: Visit, Serve, and Donate in the side links, a vocation section titled "Are You Called to Give Your Life to the Young?", and a "Read More" link on joining the congregation. If you are discerning a vocation, begin with that vocation section and its "Read More" page; if you simply want to support or spend time with the community, use Visit, Serve, or Donate.

Start with the vocation question

The site frames discernment around a direct question: "Could God be calling you to join us?" The homepage explains that Salesian Sisters give themselves to God through the grace of the Holy Spirit, following Christ more closely in his mission of salvation, and quotes St. John Bosco: "For you I study, for you I work, for you I live, for you I am ready even to give my life."

To explore this path:

  1. Open the homepage and find the section "Are You Called to Give Your Life to the Young?"
  2. Select Read More to reach the fuller explanation of joining the congregation.
  3. Use the Visit option in the side links if you want to meet the community in person before deciding anything.

The site does not publish a step-by-step application process, eligibility rules, or timelines on the homepage, so treat "Read More" and a personal visit as the first stage rather than a complete roadmap.

Get involved without discerning a vocation

Not everyone who visits the site is considering religious life. The side links give three low-commitment ways to connect:

Option What it is for Where to find it
Visit Seeing the community and its work firsthand Sticky side links
Serve Contributing time or support to the mission Sticky side links
Donate Giving financially to the mission in the U.S. and worldwide Sticky side links and "Support Our Mission"

The "Support Our Mission" section states that contributions support the mission both in the United States and around the world, and that donors may select specific areas toward which to direct a donation. The site does not list amounts, payment methods, or whether any giving option requires an account, so check the Donate page itself before assuming how it works.

Understand the community before you commit

Knowing who the Sisters are helps you judge whether a visit or vocation inquiry is right for you. The homepage gives these figures:

  • 10,500 Sisters around the world
  • 1,265 communities in mission
  • 262 novices in formation
  • 97 countries where they are present
  • Founded in 1872 by St. John Bosco and St. Mary Mazzarello

The community describes itself as the largest congregation of women religious, dedicated to evangelizing young people through reason, religion, and loving kindness. Community life—"one heart and one soul"—is presented as essential to the vocation and as the source of missionary zeal. The spirituality is summarized as holiness attainable for everyone by doing "the right thing, at the right time, for the love of God," with members described as "active contemplatives."

For someone weighing a visit, these details answer the practical question of scale and charism: you would be joining a large, education-focused congregation with a strong communal dimension, not a small isolated group.

Follow current activities through News and Stories

The News and Stories section shows what the community is actually doing, which is useful before a visit or during discernment. Recent items include:

  • A Provincial House receiving a City Green Grant, with three pagoda dogwood trees added to the property
  • A Provincial Chapter gathering of representatives from the Province of St. Joseph, October 8–12, under the theme "Guided by the Beatitudes"
  • Sr. Janna San Juan, FMA, professing final vows ("My Life, Joined Forever to Christ!")
  • Four new Salesian Sisters making their first vows ("All Because of Love")
  • A memorial notice for Sister Nivia Arias, FMA

Vocation stories like the first and final vow announcements are especially relevant if you are discerning: they show the formation path in practice, from first vows to final vows, alongside the 262 novices currently in formation.

A practical sequence

  1. Read the vocation section and its "Read More" page to understand the charism and expectations.
  2. Check News and Stories for recent vows, chapters, and community events that show the life in action.
  3. Choose Visit if you want direct contact, or Serve/Donate if you want to support the mission without inquiring about religious life.
  4. Ask directly about next steps, since the homepage does not spell out formal application requirements.

The main gap to expect: the site presents the invitation and the identity clearly, but detailed vocational requirements and giving mechanics live on linked pages, so plan to click through rather than rely on the homepage alone.