Salesian Studies

Community Application: Don Bosco Hall

Don Bosco HallCommunity Application

for those who seek to live in the Salesian community who are not seeking to partake in the Salesian Studies and formation programs. Some examples of these applicants include:

  • Jesuit school’s “New Directions” sabbattical participants
  • International Salesians seeking to improve their English language skills
  • Students who desire to live a communal life

If the above list doesn’t describe your situation, you may be looking for the Salesian Studies Application.

  1.   Discern
  2.   Apply
  3.   Obtain Recommendations
  4.   Supplemental Material
  5.   Apply for Visa
  6.   Travel Plans
  7.   Letter of Good Standing


1. Discern

Discern if you are called to live in community at Don Bosco Hall. An applicant must recognize that Don Bosco Hall is a religious community of the Salesians of Don Bosco, and is not merely a boarding house. Since it is a religious community with a particular spirit and life, upon arrival, community members are expected to strive to actively participate in the life of the community. This prayerful process ought to include some sort of dialogue with the director.

If you are a member of a religious congregation, this ought to be a mutual discernment between your superior(s) and yourself.


2. Submit application form

Click on the picture below to open the application form. Do not fill out this form online. Rather, save it your device with a new name.DBH-application_thumb



 3. Notify references

Inform those whom you used as references that we may be contacting them in the near future.


4. Submit supplemental material

Your application is incomplete until you provide a personal letter about yourself , and about your desire to live in the Don Bosco Hall Community. Include a brief autobiography  (100 – 500 words), as well your hopes/expectations  as a member of the community.

5. Obtain a visa

Most international applicants who do not plan to study, or plan to merely audit courses without receiving credit (including applicants for English courses) should apply for a Visitor Visa (B-2) or Religious Worker Visa (R-1).

Applicants who intend to study at institutions other than the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology, and who wish to do so for credit, ought to apply for a Student Visa (F-1 or M-1). After an applicant is accepted into the educational institution, (s)he will receive an I-20 form, and will then be able to apply online. For more details about this process, please visit the website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs.


6. Make travel arrangements

Once an applicant is accepted, they may then make travel arrangements. Oakland International Airport (OAK) Is the closest and most convenient airport to Don Bosco Hall. However, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is often less expensive for international flights.


7. Obtain a letter of good standing

Once accepted, ordained applicants who desire to obtain faculties in the Diocese of Oakland should contact us in order to start the process. We will contact their superior (provincial for religious, and bishop for diocesan clergy), and request a letter of good standing. This will expedite the process upon arrival.