Rome (Italy). The Members of the Association of Salesian History Scholars (ACSSA), after a long process of discernment, elected the new Presidency of the ACSSA for the five-year period 2022-2027, approved by the Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, on 5 December 2022. Here is its composition:

President: Sr. Maria Maul FMA;               
Secretary-Treasurer: Fr. Stanisław Zimniak SDB;
Continental Counselors for America: Sr. Maria Imaculada Da Silva, FMA, and Ariel Ivan Fresia SDB;
Continental Counselors for Africa-Madagascar: Inácia Chaquisse, FMA, and Maria Rohrer, FMA;
Continental Counselors for South Asia: Fr. Matthew Kapplikunnel, SDB;
Continental Counselors for East Asia-Oceania: Fr. Nestor Impelido, SDB;
Continental Counselors for Europe: Sr. Paola Cuccioli, FMA, and Fr. Bogdan Kolar, SDB;
as a member by right, as Director of the Salesian Historical Institute in Rome: Fr. Thomas Anchukandam SDB.

The Association of Salesian History Scholars (ACSSA) was officially founded by the Rector Major, Fr. Juan Edmundo Vecchi, with the decree of 9 October 1996, and its renewed statute was approved by the Rector Major, Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, on 24 May 2016. Its identity and specific nature are specified in the Articles of Association. It is governed by a Presidency which includes the Director of the ISS. According to its statute, the ACSSA designs and implements its plans in close collaboration with the ISS.

The primary purpose of the ACSSA is presented in its Statute in these terms: “The Association of Salesian History Scholars has the purpose of promoting studies on Salesian history, encouraging research, updating and collaboration among the members, animating the Salesian Family from a historiographical point of view, disseminating knowledge about Don Bosco and the Congregations, Associations, Groups that originated from him, in dialogue with analogous civil and religious institutions” (art. 1).

The ACSSA has succeeded to organize, since its inception to date, 24 continental Conferences and 7 world Congresses. The results of this copious activity can be found in the 10 volumes published in the “ACSSA-STUDI” series, and also in the 9 volumes of the “ACSSA-VARIA” series in which the research of individual members and the proceedings of the two continental Conferences have been published.

Over the years, the “National Sections” were founded: ACSSA-Poland, ACSSA-Spain, ACSSA-Italy, ACSSA-Argentina, ACSSA-Brazil, and ACSSA-India. These, according to their regional attentions, have promoted various initiatives to favor the process of research, study, and protection of the cultural heritage of the Salesian Family.

Currently, the association has 203 members (80 FMA; 101 SDBs, and 22 lay people and members of other groups of the Salesian Family) who represent the Salesian presence on all the continents. The majority of its members are history enthusiasts engaged as ‘volunteers’ in research activities of Salesian interest, supported however in this activity by a discreet group of professional historians and especially by members of the Salesian Historical Institute in Rome.

On 3 December 2022, on the occasion of the Assembly in Rome, the Presidential Council of ACSSA Italy was also renewed. The following were elected:

President: Fr. Silvano Oni, Special Circumscription Mary Help of Christians (ICP)
Vice-president: Sr. Maria Concetta Ventura, Province Mother Maddalena Morano (ISI).
Secretary: Fr. Rodolfo Bogotto, Province St. Mark (INE).

In the projects of the new Presidency there is the study of the missionary theme, a choice motivated by the now imminent anniversaries of the 150th anniversary of the first missionary expedition of the Salesians of Don Bosco (1875-2025) and of the 150th anniversary of the first missionary expedition of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (1877-2027). The Association intends to enhance these two anniversaries with research and studies to be presented during the next continental seminars and the international congress.

On the Website ISS-ACSSA, you can learn about its past and present activity.

Source: infoANS