The Scalabrinians
"Missionaries with Migrants, Refugees, and Seafarers Worldwide."
The Congregation of the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo (Scalabrinians) is an international religious community of Catholic priests and brothers founded in 1887 by Saint John Baptist Scalabrini in Piacenza, Italy. Consecrated to the service of Christ in displaced humanity, Scalabrinians walk alongside migrants, refugees, seafarers, and all vulnerable peoples crossing borders and oceans.
The Founder — Saint John Baptist Scalabrini
Saint John Baptist Scalabrini (1839–1905) was born in Fino Mornasco, Italy. Consecrated Bishop of Piacenza at only 36 years of age, he became deeply troubled by the sight of hundreds of impoverished Italian families crowded at the Milan train station, clutching bundles of belongings as they departed into the unknown Americas.
Moved by apostolic compassion and discerning the spiritual and material dangers awaiting them abroad, he founded the Missionaries of Saint Charles Borromeo on 28 November 1887, sending his first disciples across the Atlantic to ensure migrants would never be abandoned.
The Scalabrinian Charism
The Scalabrinian charism is born of Christ's solemn Gospel declaration: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35).
Scalabrinians are called to become "migrants with the migrants" — sharing their journeys, learning their tongues, bearing their sufferings, and accompanying their hopes in total communion with the universal and local Church.
Inherited from their patron, Saint Charles Borromeo, the Latin motto "Humilitas" (Humility) forms the spiritual foundation of all Scalabrinian fraternity, inspiring quiet, courageous service wherever borders divide humanity.
Mission and Ministries
Across more than three decades in Asia-Pacific and over a century worldwide, Scalabrinians serve on four key missionary horizons:
Migrant Families
Multicultural parishes, mother-tongue chaplaincies, welcoming transient houses, and integration accompaniment for immigrant families.
Stella Maris
Apostleship of the Sea: ship visits, port welfare centers, emergency aid, and spiritual accompaniment for isolated commercial fishers and merchant crew.
Refugees & Asylum
Legal advice, humanitarian emergency assistance, psycho-social counseling, and scholarly migration research through institutes like the Scalabrini Migration Center (SMC).
Human Dignity
Safe shelters for displaced youth and trafficking survivors (e.g. Fatima Shelter Saigon), human rights advocacy, and policy defense at the UN.
Consecrated Community Life
Scalabrinians profess the three evangelical counsels:
• Poverty: Living with simplicity, sharing goods in common, free from possessions to serve the poor.
• Chastity: Celibate love dedicated with undivided heart to God and our migrant brothers and sisters.
• Obedience: Listening to the voice of Christ, ready to be dispatched across frontiers and oceans.
• The Migrant Vow: Consecrated specially to be missionaries of human mobility.
The wider Scalabrinian Family includes the Missionary Sisters of St. Charles Borromeo (founded 1895), the Scalabrinian Secular Missionaries (founded 1961), and the Scalabrinian Lay Movement.
🤝 Become a Scalabrinian Missionary
Scalabrinians Across the Continents
From the first seven priests and three brothers who sailed from Italy on 12 July 1888 for the Americas, the Society has grown to roughly 34 nations worldwide:
🌎 Americas (16)
- 🇦🇷 Argentina
- 🇧🇴 Bolivia
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇨🇱 Chile
- 🇨🇴 Colombia
- 🇩🇴 Dominican Rep.
- 🇪🇨 Ecuador
- 🇸🇻 El Salvador
- 🇬🇹 Guatemala
- 🇭🇹 Haiti
- 🇲🇽 Mexico
- 🇵🇾 Paraguay
- 🇵🇪 Peru
- 🇺🇾 Uruguay
- 🇺🇸 United States
🌍 Europe (7)
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇵🇹 Portugal
- 🇪🇸 Spain
- 🇨🇭 Switzerland
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
🌏 Asia & Oceania (6)
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇮🇩 Indonesia
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇵🇭 Philippines
- 🇹🇼 Taiwan
- 🇻🇳 Vietnam
🌍 Africa (2)
- 🇲🇿 Mozambique
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
Superior General — Fr. Leonir Chiarello, C.S.
Fr. Leonir Chiarello, C.S. was first elected Superior General of the Missionaries of Saint Charles at the XV General Chapter in Rome in October 2018, and re-elected for a second six-year term at the XVI General Chapter in October 2024.
Born in Brazil, Fr. Chiarello served as Executive Director of the Scalabrini International Migration Network (SIMN) in New York, championing global migration research and human rights defense at the United Nations before his election to lead the worldwide Congregation.
Discover More About Scalabrini
St. J.B. Scalabrini
Explore the life, virtues, pastoral letters, and historic timeline of the Father of Migrants.
Global History
Chronicle of over 135 years of worldwide missionary journeys, foundations, and expansions.
Becoming a Missionary
Discover the 5 formation stages, admission requirements, and regional vocation contacts.