This afternoon, the General Council responded to 17 questions that had been posed. The Council divided the questions into categories with each councilor responding to a set of questions. The Councillors introduced themselves and provided descriptions of their backgrounds and current responsibilities. The only General Councillor who was missing for the colloquium was Br. Yemanu Jehar who was in the Ivory Coast, meeting with the Brother Visitors of the Region of Africa.

Br. William Mann, Vicar General, reminded the group that the Councilors were not giving deliberative answers to questions, but were sharing with the Colloquium based on their personal experiences, the experience they have had together as a group for the past several months and the experience of the 43rd General Chapter. Before any firm responses can be made to questions about association, much more dialogue must take place.

The first responders were Br. Miguel Campos and Br. Victor Franco.

Br. Miguel Campos is from Guantanamo, Cuba. During his 40 years as a Brother, he has experienced two main areas of involvement: Lasallian Studies has allowed him to study the sources of Lasallian spirituality; the other has been pastoral ministry work, teaching in secondary schools and working in pastoral ministry in various dioceses. Br. Victor Franco is from the Philippines. He described himself as the "new kid on the block" because this was his 12th day in Rome. He has been a Brother since 1962, most of the time being involved in formation work and school administration. He has been a Grade School Principal, Director of the Scholasticate and Novitiate, a High School Principal, President of University of St. La Salle-Bacolod, and Visitor of the District of the Philippines. Br. Miguel and Br. Victor will be the moderators of the General Council Commission which will be working on the processes of "Association for the Mission".

Their set of questions dealt with the structures of association and the formation of Associates. Coincidentally, the 43rd General Chapter, just concluded, took up these issues and passed several recommendations and propositions about association and Partner formation. "We will soon identify individuals and groups in different parts of the Lasallian world and to ask them to form themselves into reflection groups. We are hoping that through these reflections, they will be able to discern the main characteristics of our Lasallian charism. We hope to do this through three main groups. The first would be individuals and emerging groups that are not formally organized as such. The second would be those which we call intentional groups such as the Signum Fidei. The third would be other Christian groups or those who belong to other religions. After a few years, the groups would then bring these reflections to District, or Regional assemblies. Then, the process will move into an international assembly which was scheduled by the General Chapter for around 2004. The results of these processes will be provided to the 44th General Chapter in 2007."

The next speaker was Br. Claude Reinhardt. He is from the District of France where he worked as a teacher, was responsible for pastoral work in school, was in charge of studies, became a headmaster and most recently was auxiliary Visitor in the District of France, in charge of the schools and communities of Paris.

He answered questions that dealt with the structures of association and sharing in governance. He referred to the Documents of the 43rd General Chapter which provides answers to some of these issues. He indicated that Proposition 7 and 8 describe the creation of a "Standing Committee for Lasallian Mission." One of its purposes is to "advise the Brother Superior General on questions related to the educational mission." Because of the presence of General Councillors on this committee, there will be direct input to the General Council. It is at the Standing Committee level that we foresee active lay participation providing us with the input we need to make decisions at the international level.

Regarding the governance of local institutions, because of the differences that exist legally in different countries, we may soon have to go to the ecclesiastical authorities in order to take steps for better recognition of the spiritual family of our lay people who could take responsibility for some of our schools. In certain countries, there has already been the transfer of responsibility of some institutions to lay people or local diocese. So the question we are asking for some countries is whether a group of lay people could one day take responsibility for some schools. The commission on governance will go more deeply into this question during the upcoming years.

Because of the diversity of law in various countries, each question of governance structures must be studies on an individual basis.

Br. Juan Pablo Martín Dueñas is from Spain where he was involved in District administration and school management. Most recently he was involved in teacher formation and was director of scholastics. He spoke specifically concerning the question: "Can a Buddhist be an Associate?" This is a very specific question and the answer is very simple: Yes. Besides being simple though this question has a great richness. We must learn to share the charism of John Baptist de La Salle in a spirit of ecumenism. One of the characteristics of association that we speak about is found in The Documents of the 43rd General Chapter. (page 4) It describes one characteristic of an Associate as being a person with "a life of faith which discovers God in everyday life understood in the light of Scripture and, for persons of other religions, in the light of their own sacred texts." We recognize that members of other religions who are inspired by the charism of De la Salle to serve the poor can also be associated. The question, in terms of inter-religious dialogue, is a current one because, all of our schools are inter-religious schools. We must recognize that our non-Christian associates can also enrich us. Thus there is a recommendation from the General Chapter for the Superior and his Council that we look for inter-religious dialogue at the structural level, especially related to the educational service of the poor, and ensure "the representation of the Institute at international inter-faith meetings and events."

The other question that Br. Juan Pablo answered was how the General Council saw association in a secularised context. Clearly, the statistics show us living more and more in a secularised world. What association must be is both the message and the medium for proclaiming the Gospel. The Lasallian charism is to be missionary. As St. John Baptist de La Salle said, we must deal with children who are "far from salvation." There was a time when being missionary meant going far away. Today, we must be missionaries in our own schools. The one role for the school is to be a meeting point for those who are not believers. Of course this demands that the core community of teachers must be a believing community. It demands that we choose our teachers well. It demands that we form our teachers well, so that the nucleus of the community can be a ministerial-educational community. The proclamation of the Gospel will be believable, when in the school, there is this community of believers.

Br. William Mann was most recently the Visitor of the Long Island - New England (LINE) District of the United States. Before that, he was involved for 16 years in the formation of Brothers. He was the International Secretary of Formation, was Director of Novices, and previously was Auxiliary Visitor for Formation in the LINE District. He has been involved in the formation of Brothers and Partners since 1985. He is currently a teacher in the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies, a Lasallian formation program of the United States. Hehas also been involved in the Lasallian Leadership Institute in the United States where his area of concern has been "Sharing Lasallian Spirituality with Colleagues and Brothers." He is currently the Vicar General.

Br. William answered three questions which dealt with whether the Superior, the General Council and the Institute were ready to encourage experiments in association, accompany new forms of association, help share the experiences of association around the world, evaluate the experiences and help to discern their authenticity. He reminded the group that on Pentecost Sunday, the newly elected Superior and his Council, in the Message from the 43rd General Chapter, said, "We say to you, we commit ourselves to take seriously every effort at association." "And I believe I can say to you again today, as a group, we are prepared to take seriously your every effort at association. The experience of the 43rd General Chapter, was for many of us, a tremendously encouraging experience. During those seven weeks, we heard numerous stories of new forms of association. Yesterday, in this room, it was clear when the two young people from Palencia shared the experience of the Valladolid District, that there was a tremendous interest. During the Chapter, we had that kind of experience, again and again, in terms of association and in terms of Partners and Brothers working together for the educational service of the poor. We realize that it is too soon to try to organize these new experiences. Furthermore, it is too soon to try to regulate them. This is a period in which the Holy Spirit is in full splendor of creativity around the world. Our work, as a Superior and a Council, is to help that Spirit breathe new life where the Spirit wills."

Br. Marc Hofer was born in Switzerland. He has been a teacher, an educator and a formator in Switzerland and in Asia. Following this he returned to Europe where he was President of the Swiss Association of the De la Salle Brothers, Visitor of the District of Besançon, Auxiliary Visitor for France and the Delegate of the Delegation of Rwanda before becoming a General Councilor in 1993. This is his second term as a General Councillor.

Br. Marc answered questions about actions to be taken in the light of the 43rd General Chapter in order to promote in each country the option for the educational service of the poor, and the need to educate people for justice, peace and the integrity of creation. These two questions relate directly to the theme of the last General Chapter, Associated for the educational service of the poor as the Lasallian response to the challenges of the 21st century. The promotion of the option of the educational service of the poor and for the education of justice and peace is not only the responsibility of the General Council, but depends above all on the co-responsibility of Brothers, Partners and Associates. The General Chapter invites us to benefits more from other organizations like NGOs who promote educational service of the poor and the rights of children. The General Chapter has also asked that the formation of Brothers and Partners be organized to insure that it includes some kind of first hand experience of educational service of the poor. It further pointed out avenues to explore to concretize more the educational service of the poor in Lasallian schools. There should be a plan of education to justice and solidarity which guides the activities which are undertaken, the experiences which are offered to young people, and the style of relationships which are fostered. It calls upon us to develop educational centers more accessible and effective for young people in difficulty. Moreover, the General Chapter gave further guidelines about the solidarity which should be developed among Regions and Districts.

Lastly, Br. Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría, Superior General of the Brothers, addressed the group. He was born in Costa Rica and 43 years ago, at the age of 15, left his country. Much of that time, 25 years, was spent in Guatamala. He made his novitiate in Italy and his Scholasticate in Salamanca, Spain. He has been a Director of the Scholasticate and Novitiate, Auxiliary Visitor of the District of Central America, Vice President of RELAL, and Visitor of the District of Central America. In 1993 he was elected Vicar General and during the 43rd General Chapter, just concluded, he was elected Superior General.

For his part, Brother Superior recalled the purpose of Lasallian association, which exists for the educational service of the poor. It is its ultimate purpose and its primary cause. In association, persons are more important than structures. As the Gospel said, we have to be able to "lose our life" for these persons: this is the spiritual significance of association, which is clearly visible in some new foundations such as Sant'Egidio, but sometimes less so in other congregations. If it is true we are masters, it is true also that we are disciples. Our Institute was born in a situation that was dehumanising. It is our task to respond creatively to the new forms of dehumanisation: immigrants, street children, children involved in child labour, child soldiers, children who are sold, badly nourished, without education, addicted to drugs, - in a word - the most fragile members of our society. How can we help these young people in danger? If we really defend "the cause of young people", young people also will come to associate themselves with us to build a more human world.

Participants then gathered by Regions or Districts to discuss how they should proceed in the future, back in their own Regions and Districts.
We wish the CELAS members well as they leave us and take back to their respective communities the Spirit which they experienced here.