Fr Guillermo Basañes appointed Provincial of AFC

Fr Basañes appointed Provincial of AFC – officially announced - 04 March 2021

On the 2^nd March, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, Rector Major, with the consensus of the General Council, appointed Fr Guillermo Basañes as Provincial of the Province of Our Lady of Central Africa (AFC), in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for 2021-2027.

Fr Guillermo Basañes was born on 19^th October 1965 in Washington D.C. (United States) and is also a citizen of Argentina (like Pope Francis!).

He entered the "St Michael Archangel" Salesian novitiate in La Plata - Southern Argentina - on 11^th  February 1985 and professed his first vows on 31^st January 1986, and his perpetual vows on 24^th  November 1991 in Buenos Aires.

He completed his four years of Theology studies in what will be his new Province at Lubumbashi, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and there he also received the ministry of lector in 1992, and of acolyte in 1993.

He was ordained a deacon in Luanda, Angola, in 1994, and a priest in San Isidro, Buenos Aires, on 12^th August 1995.

Fr Basañes worked in the "Dom Bosco" community of Palanca, Luanda, for three years, before going to study further at the Faculty of Educational Sciences (FSE) of the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, where he was a member of the "San Giovanni Bosco" community.

He then returned to Luanda, as Director of the "Dom Bosco" work in Palanca on 15^th November 2001. He was appointed Councillor of the Vice Province of Angola (ANG) in January 2003.  

He became Vice-Provincial of ANG in December 2003 and was Provincial Delegate for Formation from 2004 to 2005. That year he was appointed Superior of the Vice Province of ANG.

On 28^th March 2008, he was elected General Councillor for the Africa-Madagascar Region at GC26.

Then on 27^th March 2014, he was elected General Councillor for the Salesian Missions at GC27.

He holds a Baccalaureate in Philosophy, Baccalaureate in Theology, and a Licentiate in Educational Sciences. He speaks Spanish, English, Italian, Portuguese and French fluently.

From 1^st September 2020, in the Communities of St. Joseph and Rome Sacro Cuore respectively, he was appointed by the Rector Major to effect Extraordinary Visits, a mission he was carrying out in the Vice Province of Tropical Equatorial Africa (ATE) at the time of his appointment.

He will be installed as provincial of AFC on the feast of St Joseph, the 19^th March 2021 in Lubumbashi.

We promise to keep him in prayer as he assumes this important responsibility.

• Adapted from ANS - Rome