By Fr. Amougou Amougou Emile Paulin, MSFS

This study stresses the need of a spirituality of friendship to be contextual. This would mean that every particular context, indeed every single person and community, every vocation, be addressed individually and separately. To this end, the paradigm of Salesian spiritual friendship has been proposed and actualized into three chapters.

Chapter one is not merely an introductory chapter. It analyses the main sources o f Salesian friendship in three parts. The first part investigates the Salesian understanding of God, who is the origin and end of all friendships. The second articulation gets acquitted with the Salesian anthropology because God has chosen to lead a meaningful friendship with the human person. The last part touches at the Salesian love of friendship which is the pivot of Salesian spirituality.

If the first chapter appears more theoretical, chapter two intents to be more practical by analysing the experience of the exceptional friendship between Francis de Sales and Jane Francoise de Chantal. It opens up to many other friendships in Francis de Sales' life.

Chapter three is an actualization and appropriation of the Salesian spirituality of Friendship. It proposes some ways of living the Salesian heritage in the Chad Cameroon-Mission of the Missionaries of Saint Francis de Sales. It has limited itself in the Fransalians religious communities which are to be constituted into communities of friends and schools of love to radiate the Salesian spirituality of friendship without boundaries. The dissertation ends with a general conclusion.