By Fr Joyston Machado for BIS Mumbai

Mumbai, July 9, 2026: The Commission Heads of the Salesian Province of Mumbai assembled at the Don Bosco Provincial House for their annual Commissions Meeting, a day dedicated to strengthening missionary collaboration, planning the Province’s pastoral priorities, and reinforcing institutional accountability in child safeguarding and data protection. The programme began with the Eucharistic celebration, followed by the Provincial’s communication, a session by Fr Joe Prabhu, National Youth at Risk Coordinator, dimension-wise meetings, and sector commission deliberations.

Drawing inspiration from the Gospel of the day, the Vice Provincial invited the participants to reflect on four recurring themes: proclaim, give freely, travel light, and peace. He reminded the Commission Heads that their primary vocation is not administration but animation, encouraging them to proclaim the Gospel through healing relationships, generous service, and a spirit of simplicity. Referring to the example of Don Bosco, he highlighted that the Salesian mission must always remain accessible to the young, especially the poor, without reducing ministry to financial or administrative concerns.

Building on this spiritual foundation, the meeting focused on integrating the four dimensions of the Salesian Educative Pastoral (SEEP) framework—Education to Faith, Education and Culture, Social Experience, and Vocational Guidance across every commission. Participants were reminded that each commission contributes to all four dimensions and should work collaboratively rather than in isolation. Particular emphasis was placed on preserving vocational guidance as a discernment of God’s call and not merely career counselling, while strengthening social experience through youth groups, movements, leadership formation, and social engagement.

The Commission Heads were then entrusted with preparing their 2026–2027 Action Plans based on the Province Organic Pastoral Plan (OPP). Each commission was requested to identify specific objectives, assign persons responsible, include realistic timelines, and submit the completed plans within a week through official email channels. They were also encouraged to schedule future commission meetings in consultation with the respective directors and to ensure effective coordination across sectors.

A significant part of the day was devoted to a comprehensive session by Fr Joe Prabhu, National Youth at Risk Coordinator, on the Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA), child safeguarding, and institutional data governance. Stressing the dignity of every individual, he remarked, “I am not data, I am a person,” reminding participants that safeguarding begins with respecting the person behind every record.

The session outlined the Province’s emerging data protection framework, emphasising that institutions must collect only essential information, obtain written informed consent, particularly for minors, and communicate the purpose of data collection clearly. Participants were introduced to practical measures including role-based access to records, confidentiality protocols, secure storage of personal information, and compliance with child safeguarding procedures. The importance of conducting staff orientation in regional languages and ensuring that official communication is carried out through institutional email rather than informal messaging platforms was also highlighted.

The deliberations concluded with commission meetings held across various sectors, including Formation, Youth Ministry, Schools, Technical Institutions, Higher Education, Parishes, Social Ministry, Missionary Animation, and Social Communication, where members began translating the Province’s priorities into concrete pastoral initiatives for the coming year.

The meeting successfully combined spiritual reflection with practical planning, reinforcing the Province’s commitment to missionary animation, collaborative pastoral action, and the responsible safeguarding of every young person entrusted to Salesian care. As participants returned to their respective commissions, the first task before them was clear: to transform the Province’s vision into actionable plans that proclaim the Gospel through service, integrity, and hope.