Salesians

History & origins

The Salesians of Don Bosco were founded on December 18, 1859, by St. John Bosco in Turin, Italy, for the education of young people. They entered Korea in 1954 in response to the urgent need for youth education after the war and gradually broadened their work into schools, technical education, parish ministry, and other fields.

A major turning point in the Salesians’ retreat and formation apostolate in Korea came with youth character-education retreats begun in 1979. The Catholic Encyclopedia of Korea records that, following this work, youth training facilities were established in places including Singil-dong in Seoul, Taean in Chungcheongnam-do, Jeongnim-dong in Daejeon, and Sanong-dong in Chuncheon. The Taean facility can therefore be identified as part of this nationwide expansion of educational and training spaces for young people.

The available source, however, does not separately give the exact opening year of the Taean Nae-ri site or the date when its first buildings were established. The current Catholic Directory of Korea lists a facility at the same address as the “Taean Nae-ri Community,” confirming continuity there as a Salesian religious community associated with the earlier tradition of youth training. The history of the site is therefore most responsibly understood within the broader expansion of the Salesians’ youth formation apostolate in Korea rather than by assigning it an unsupported local opening date.