Fr Fabio Attard says he was not completely surprised when he was nominated as the 11th successor of Don Bosco, and Rector Major of the Salesian community with its presence in 136 countries. He has been climbing the ranks and for the last 12 years was part of the general council. "So the element of surprise (when I was elected) was not complete," he says.

But he understands that his task is not an easy one, as a "change of epoch" is bringing with it new challenges for the Salesians in their quest to educate and carry out their pastoral duties, while coordinating and leading such a massive group of religious people and their lay helpers is no easy task. This is more so considering the different cultures in which the Salesians operate, which means that what is good in one place might not be so good in another.

Fr Fabio last Tuesday was given the role of head of the Salesian Order during the 29th General Chapter of the Society of St Francis de Sales, commonly known as the Salesians of Don Bosco. Born on 23 March 1959 in Gozo, Fr Fabio grew up in Victoria where his vocation began to take shape, according to a profile published online by the Agenzia Info Salesiana.

On 8 September 1980, he made his religious profession as a Salesian of Don Bosco in Ireland. Since then, he has taken on different roles in the structures of the community. In 2008 he was elected General Councillor for Youth Ministry, a post he held until 2020 and during which the Salesian Youth Ministry Framework was published in 2013. This is considered to be a foundational document offering updated guidelines for Salesian pastoral work worldwide.

His contribution to the universal Church was recognised by Pope Francis, who in 2018, appointed him as a consultant to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. Before that, in 2005, he had founded and directed the Pastoral Formation Institute in Malta, dedicated to the training of lay people engaged in pastoral ministry.

Speaking to The Malta Independent on Sunday, Fr Fabio said he believes his biggest undertaking will be to keep the coordination within the Order. With 13,750 consecrated Salesians organised in 92 provinces and present in 136 nations, it is a massive responsibility to see that the Salesian machine keeps grinding results, irrespective of the differences that exist in the different countries.

Thankfully, he says, there is already a high level of coordination between the base of the community in Turin and the rest of the Salesian world. "We are united" in spite of the distance that separates us, he says.

His mission is to see that the Salesian Order will continue to build on the last 150 years, while understanding that changing times require a change in approach too, also when it comes to the Salesians carrying out their educational and pastoral duties.

The "change of epoch" has brought about the need to alter the Salesians' outreach, but the underlying duty remains to work with young people and educate them to facilitate their journey in life.

The Salesians maintained their operations during two world wars and today it is no different as they continue their services in war-torn countries. Fr Fabio says each day he keeps himself informed about Salesians working in Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine and the Middle East, where the general situation is volatile and unsafe. With his new role, he will be keeping in touch with all the Salesian community worldwide, but areas where there is unrest or worse will always require some more attention.

Asked about whether the Salesian community is experiencing a drop in vocations, Fr Fabio says families are today much smaller. There were times when families had eight to nine children, but this has dropped to one, maybe two, and rarely three, meaning that the chances that one of them takes on the priesthood or joins a religious order is lower.

He also admits that today religion has less influence on young people. The Church's presence in people's lives today is not what it used to be 50 years ago, but this does not mean that "thirst for what is religious has disappeared". There are still many people who seek comfort in religion, he says.

Fr Fabio says that he has been "missing from Malta" since 2008, but he keeps in touch regularly with the Maltese community, where there is a "strong Salesian leadership".

He points out that the Maltese Salesian community is well assisted by a group of lay people who are part and parcel of the work that is carried out. The help that the Salesian fathers get from them is "phenomenal", he says.

The aim of the Salesians is to do good, he says.