(ANS – Rome) – On 31 December 2012 there were 15,494 Salesians in the world, spread across 132 countries and 5 continents. These are the result of the statistics drawn up by Fr Francesco Maraccani, Procurator General of the Salesian Congregation, and made available, as is the tradition, at the conclusion of the Winter session of the General Council.

The total refers to the sum of professed Salesians (15,014, of whom 121 are bishops and novices (480), and notes a slight decrease since 2011, when Salesian presence worldwide was 15,560.

When seen in terms of the regions, the trend appears stable, however: in 2012, as for 2011, the number of Salesians – professed plus novices – has increased in South Asia (+51), Africa-Madagascar (+30) and East Asia-Oceania (+10), while other regions featured a more or less marked decrease.

The number of novices has shown an increase, with 65 more in Salesian novitiates compared with 2011: from 415 to 480, which is in line with the average registered prior to 2011, (last year there had been a marked decrease).

The growth in number of novices however, other than in the three regions indicated above, also includes Interamerica Italy-Middle East regions.

Within the statistics for professed Salesians the percentage of Brothers compared to priests has grown. The former grew from 1,609 to 1,824 Salesian Brothers; the number of priests decreased from 10,433 to 10,374.

There are also adjustments for the number of Salesian presences in the world. In 2012 there were 90 circumscriptions (a word which covers provinces, vice provinces, delegations, special arrangements), one more than for 2011: the East Europe (EST) circumscription was closed but the new Greek Catholic Ukrainian circumscription was opened (UKR) and, in India, the new Province of Silchar (INS) subdivided from Guwahati (ING).

The number of countries where Salesians are present has grown compared to 2011, from 131 to 132.

In sdb.org the statstical data can be checked in greater detail.

Published 29/01/2013