About us

The Salesians are named after St Francis de Sales, a gentle saint who was always optimistic about the goodness of others. He became a model of balanced Christianity and humanism and he has inspired a deep and yet ordinary spirituality.

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​One of the people who was inspired by his approach was a priest in industrial Turin called Don Bosco. He worked with street kids and abandoned youth in the mid-1800s in a very dangerous part of the city. There he learned how to create a home, a school, a playground and a church that met the needs of the local community and especially young adults.

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The Salesians bring that approach to Battersea through a renewed school and parish and through the presence of a new SDB community on Surrey Lane.

Salesians in London

The Salesian community in London is one of the last founded by St John Bosco before his death in 1888. It was always a deep desire of St John Bosco to establish an English mission in London.

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The Salesians came to Battersea in 1887 and are still here involved in education, youth and parish ministry. The house also stands at the centre of a strong network of academic opportunities across the city of London.

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As well as the pastoral work of the SDB community, there is also a concern to welcome SDB students to experience formation in a strong Salesian centre in a secularised society. The academic offer here in Battersea is extensive and varied for SDBs from around the world.

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The SDB Community