Ontology of educational leadership from the Salesian charisma

Abstract

The article aimed to present the principles and characteristics of teaching leadership from the Salesian charism. Methodologically, it is based on documentary research with a critical reflective approach at a descriptive level. The documents that constitute the corpus of the analysis are: Juan Bautista Lemoyne, Pietro Stella, Pietro Braido, Piera Cavaglià, María Esther Posada, Arthur Lenti, Piera Ruffinatto, Hiang-Chu Ausilia Chang, who, through numerous studies, have contributed to the knowledge and updating of Salesian charisma in education. Various normative sources of both Congregations that refer to Salesian leadership were also reviewed: Constitutions of the Salesian Society (1985) and of the Institute of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (2015); Acts of the General Chapters of various years, from 1990 to 2021; Critical Studies on the Preventive System and numerous other articles from the last 10 years developed in Academic Seminars at the Faculty of Educational Sciences ―Auxilium‖ and the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, where perspectives on the experience of the Salesian charism in current educational processes are offered. As final reflections, it is clear that the Salesian teacher who is a leader based on charisma is one who promotes people-centered management, beyond a simple concern for the management of works and formative work. In other words, he is an educator who pays greater attention to accompanying processes, avoiding the extremes of laissez-faire or authoritarianism. Finally, the Salesian teacher is defined as a transformational leader who, from his charisma, takes on and commits himself to the task of forming ―good Christians and honest citizens.‖