The Salesian Cooperators are guided byThe Project of Apostolic Life which describes our way of life.
The book is in two parts. First areThe Statutes which capture our Charism as Cooperators, they describe our spirituality, highlight our apostolic commitment, and define the path of sanctification which we try to follow - witnessing to Love and to Hope. The second part, The Regulations, outline the organisational structures that enable and free us to live fully as Salesian Cooperators.
The Preface to the current edition reads:
Diverse are the paths offered to Christians for living out their Baptismal faith. Some, through the urging of the Holy Spirit and attracted by the person of Don Bosco, realize their ideal of “working with him” while remaining in the world. These persons are called to live out, in the lay or clerical state, the same charism as the Society of St. Francis de Sales.
From the very start, Don Bosco thought about organizing the “co-helpers” of his work. He invited lay people, men and women, and members of the diocesan clergy to “cooperate” in his mission of salvation of the young, especially of those who are poor and abandoned. In 1876 he clearly defined their project of life in the Regulations for the Salesian Cooperators which he himself wrote and which were then approved by the Church. Today Salesian Cooperators are spread throughout the world and work at that level.
The present text describes the Project of Apostolic Life. It offers an authentic path of sanctification, “to exercise charity by working for the salvation of souls.” Salesian Cooperators trust in the fidelity of God the Father, Who called them.
