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Brother
Visitor's Letter
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The experience of the 43rd General Chapter during six weeks in Rome in May and June 2000 gave renewed meaning to these words in our Rule, and to the mission of the Brothers of the Christian Schools – The purpose of this Institute is to give a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, according to the ministry which the Church has entrusted to it. How many times have we heard these words in living our vocations as Brothers and Partners? How often do we ask ourselves, "Do I truly grasp the significance of this ministry entrusted to me?" "Do I take it to heart?" Locally and worldwide, as we work to secure the future of the Institute and revitalize its mission, we consistently speak of a return to our roots. The Rule instructs us to "strive constantly to deepen our knowledge of the Founder and of the history of the Institute." I am pleased to present to our Brothers and Partners a new opportunity to enliven our participation in the Lasallian heritage with this special issue of Signs of Faith, commemorating three significant anniversaries of Saint John Baptist de La Salle that are being celebrated by Lasallians around the world during 2000 and 2001. I encourage all those associated with the work of Lasallian education to read this issue as we continue to deepen our common connection to the Founder, that is at the heart of all we do. Only two short years ago, the first issue of Signs of Faith was published and our first District Convocation was held. Both represented a commitment to the future, based on our rich Lasallian heritage and on the tremendous people who make up this District. We can be proud of what we together have accomplished in our commitment to ensure that the Lasallian mission succeeds within the District of San Francisco and around the globe. The continuing implementation of our District Action Plan makes that commitment a reality. We continue to say "YES" to that same spirit that called De La Salle to cooperate with God's salvation of young people through the instrument of the school and the educational methods that De La Salle and the Brothers used so well. At the Chapter in June 2000, Brother Alvaro Rodríguez Echeverría, newly-elected Superior General, posed a question to the assembly of Brothers gathered from around the world: "Shouldn't we be living our charism today for those same children and young people who continue to be the most fragile and vulnerable members of our societies? Will it not be in them that God principally reveals Himself to us?" Our charism, our heritage – memorialized in this issue – "certainly is a gift," Brother Alvaro emphasized, "but it is a duty as well. To be faithful to our charism today means that we respond with creativity to new forms of dehumanization, to new forms of poverty, to the calls that the world of the excluded make to us in the new scenarios that today present themselves to us." In the District of San Francisco, we are responding, and, again, will continue to respond whenever and wherever we are able. The stories in this magazine about the life, vision, and spirituality of John Baptist de La Salle will remind us of the importance of the work he began in 17th century France and that we continue today. This wealthy and influential young priest was called by God to leave his comfortable life and respond, often in the face of substantial resistance, to a great need to provide educational opportunities for the children of the poor and the powerless. Our Superior has called Lasallians in this 21st century "to incarnate the Lasallian charism . . . being spiritual masters for youth, youngsters who, today more than ever and in spite of some appearances, look for meaning in their lives and who have a thirst for God." The educational innovations made by John Baptist de La Salle were not welcomed by the educators and Church authorities of his day. Since their beginnings, Lasallian schools have indeed been different. This is most apparent in the teachers themselves – teachers who have a true concern for the student as a whole person, teachers who demonstrate that the Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher, defined by De La Salle in 1717, are alive and well. In the Lasallian heritage, our students learn much more than academic subjects; they develop the ability to think and act independently and as members of a larger society, within a context of Christian values. It is in this context that they become part of a heritage that declares, enter to learn, leave to serve. All Lasallian educators will see themselves and the meaning of their work in the stories of De La Salle and the early Christian Schools presented in this issue. De La Salle and the first Brothers intentionally created a new and unique vocation, that of the "lay religious". These first Brothers and all Brothers vow "association", committing themselves to community. The Brothers are essential to the continuance of our mission of human and Christian education as the heart, memory, guarantors, and primary animators of the Lasallian charism. In the Institute today, our shared mission joins Brothers and Partners in our charism so that, as Brother Alvaro reminds us, "together we can better reach more of those who need us." In reflecting on our shared mission, a Brother of our District, still vital and active at over ninety years of age, wisely noted that today, "Brothers and Partners continue to bring to life our charism as it expands its heart, creates new memories, and guarantees our future." The value of our shared mission is affirmed in every facet of the educational ministry of this District. Faith, zeal, spirit, eyes of faith, charism, community, service of the poor, mission – these are not catchwords. Rather, it is in living them that we can truly say I am Lasallian! Do we grasp the significance of this ministry entrusted to us? Do we take it to heart? Let John Baptist de La Salle be for each of us our personal patron, our strength, and our guide.
Let
us remember that we are in the Saint
John Baptist de La Salle,
Editor's
Letter | Brother
Visitor's Letter | John
Baptist de La Salle: His Life and Times Web
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