The
Salesians of Don Bosco (or the
Salesian Society, officially named the
Society of St. Francis de Sales) is a
Roman Catholic religious institute founded in the late nineteenth century by Saint
John Bosco to help poor children during the
Industrial Revolution. The Salesians' charter describes the society's mission as "the Christian perfection of its associates obtained by the exercise of spiritual and corporal works of charity towards the young, especially the poor, and the education of boys to the priesthood". The institute is named after
Francis de Sales, an early-modern bishop from
Geneva.