Gozitan priest becomes 11th successor of Salesian founder Don Bosco
Fr Fabio Attard was elected at a meeting of 220 provincials and delegates
Gozitan priest Fr Fabio Attard has been elected to head the Salesian Order across the world. He is the 11th successor of the order's founder, Don Bosco.
His election came at a meeting of 220 provincials and delegates at the Mother House of Valdocco in Turin. As Rector Major he will lead a community composed of 13,750 consecrated members, organised into 92 provinces across 136 nations.
Fr Attard joined the order in 1980. He became a priest in 1987.
He was rector of the Salesian communities in Sliema and of the Institute of Pastoral Formation, which he founded in 2005.
In 2008 he was elected Councillor for Youth Ministry of the Order and held the post for 12 years.
In phone calls with Fr Fabio shortly after the announcement of his appointment, Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Bishops Anton Teuma and Joseph Galea-Curmi congratulated him on this new role and assured him of the support and prayers of the Church.
The successors of Don Bosco as head of the Salesian Order including Fr Fabio Attard (right)The Salesians of Don Bosco are a Roman Catholic religious order dedicated to the education, evangelisation, and care of young people, particularly those who are poor, marginalised, or at risk. Founded by Saint John Bosco in 1859, the order follows a mission of providing holistic development through schools, vocational training centers, orphanages, and youth outreach programmes.