San Paolo (Brazil). From 18 to 20 April 2026, 56 participants including young people, youth leaders, and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians from the various communities of the Our Lady Aparecida Province (BAP) gathered at the Provincial House in São Paulo to take part in Youth PEM – the Missionary Spirituality Project. This weekend event, promoted by the Provincial Offices for Youth Ministry and Missionary Animation, was characterized by a reconnection with missionary roots, fraternal sharing, youth leadership, and a deepening of charismatic spirituality.
“It is a project that aims to disseminate, deepen, and study the roots of our missionary spirituality from its origins 150 years ago right up to the present day, rekindling the missionary fire and ardor in the hearts of individuals, young people, and the sisters,” explains Sister Teresa Cristina P. Domiciano. Indeed, PEM is an initiative born within the FMA Institute with the objective of cultivating the missionary spirituality that has been present since its very beginnings.
In 2025, ten young people from the Province participated in PEM Youth, held in Argentina, where they shared an intense international experience alongside other young people from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. On that occasion, the group visited sites of significant Salesian spirituality, such as the lands of Laura Vicuña and Zeferino Namuncurá. From this experience emerged the desire and the commitment to share what they had lived with the other young people of the Province. “Thanks to this beautiful experience in the holy lands of Laura Vicuña and Zeferino Namuncurá, we have set ourselves the goal of passing on to our young people everything we experienced,” stated Sister Valentina Hurtado.
Sister Alaíde Deretti, Provincial of BAP and formerly the General Councilor for Missions of the FMA Institute (2008–2021), participated in the meeting, enriching the reflections with a thematic presentation titled, “It Is Time to Rekindle the Fire.” In her address, she outlined the context of PEM and spoke of Don Bosco’s missionary dreams. She then introduced the first six FMA Sisters who, in 1877, left Italy bound for Uruguay, thereby initiating a movement of departures and arrivals in other countries and continents, a movement that ensured the establishment and inculturation of the Salesian Charism in distant and culturally diverse lands. Sister Alaíde emphasized that “it is essential for every young person to rekindle the fire of their baptism, so that the Holy Spirit may impel them to proclaim the Gospel; for we do not merely have a mission on Earth, rather, we are the mission since the missionary DNA resides within all of us by virtue of the Salesian Charism.”
Among the highlights of the program, the young participants visited the Memorial of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Brazil, located in Guaratinguetá (SP), which preserves the memory of the arrival of the Salesian Sisters on Brazilian soil and illustrates the journey of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello, as well as the expansion of the Salesian Charism in the Country.
Subsequently, the group traveled to Pindamonhangaba (SP), where they visited the replica of Don Bosco’s House built by the Salesians, offering the young people an even deeper immersion into the origins of Salesian spirituality. The day concluded with a Eucharistic Celebration, moments of fraternal fellowship, and a special evening prepared for the participants.
The testimonies of the participants reveal the depth of the experience. Rafael highlighted that participating in PEM Youth was “rich in stimuli, connections, and emotions.”
For Laísa, too, the gathering was characterized by inner growth and joy. “They were moments of great sharing, prayer, and spiritual growth. From the moment I woke up, there wasn’t a single minute when I didn’t learn something, whether from the Sisters or from my friends,” she recounted.
Mailla, one of the young people who participated in PEM Youth in Argentina and collaborated in organizing this edition, emphasized the importance of bringing the experience into the reality of the Salesian Province. “Now they will carry this flame, this missionary ardor into every community where they live,” she stated.
Another significant moment was the online meeting with Sister Ruth del Pilar Mora, General Councilor for Missions at the FMA Institute. The young people were able to ask questions, listen to her testimony and message of encouragement, as well as engage in a dialogue regarding the challenges and prospects of the Salesian mission in today’s world.
Throughout the days, there were also moments of adoration, group work, and a Sending-Forth Celebration, reinforcing each young person’s call to be an evangelizing presence in their own environments.
Experienced with enthusiasm, joy, and deep engagement, PEM Youth served as a confirmation of the power of youth leadership within the Salesian mission. As Sister Valentina reminded us, the goal is for young people to embrace this spirituality and subsequently pass it on to other young people, thereby becoming multipliers of hope and missionary zeal in the world of today.
Photos: Flickr Salesianas BAP
