Lasallians of Europe, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to the Generalate of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Some of you have been in this house on other occasions. Others are present for the first time. In a variety of ways the Generalate is at the service of Lasallian mission. It has no other reason to exist. Those of us who work here are trying to contribute to the mission by rendering to Lasallians what service we can. We want those engaged in Lasallian mission to know this house and to feel at home here. You are all very welcome.

You are delegates from fifteen European countries: heads of schools, members of councils, parents, financial officers . . . and youth, representing and reminding us of those for whom we exist. You have come to Rome during this Jubilee Year to reflect on Lasallian mission, and specifically on the education of poor youth and on the freedom to educate in a world characterized by dizzying change. Tomorrow you will discuss pertinent issues with Archbishop Pittau and other leaders in education. Saturday you will go on pilgrimage to one of the major basilicas, accompanied by the Holy Father's Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome. Today you have come to the Generalate to receive a message from the Superior General on Lasallian mission at the turn of the century and millennium.

The significance of your presence

Your presence in Rome has a dual significance. I use the word significance in its literal sense. Your presence signifies, that is to say, is a sign of two essential dimensions of being Lasallian.

You are delegates of Lasallians in Europe. The very composition of this group and your days of meetings together signify that you are a communion of Lasallians. As a sign of communion, your congress recalls, expresses, and nourishes your union in Christ and in John Baptist de La Salle. Today you have come to the Generalate, a center which is itself a sign of the international dimension of Lasallian mission. Your visit to the Sanctuary of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and your meeting with his current successor signify that Lasallian mission in Europe is intimately united to Lasallian mission throughout the world.

We are all participants in one way or another in this mission, in union with sixty-eight thousand administrators and teachers and many thousands more of parents, former students, friends, and benefactors engaged in Lasallian mission in more than eighty countries. We are at the service of some eight hundred thousand infants, children, adolescents, young adults, adults, and veteran adults. They are of different races, ethnic heritages, languages, religions, political and economic situations. Most of them enjoy relative peace, but others suffer from discrimination, division, oppression, violence, and even war. We Lasallians exercise our mission in more than nine hundred schools and centers: preschool, elementary, middle, secondary, technical, engineering, agricultural, teacher training, university. We have programs for the illiterate, street children, orphans, migrants, itinerants, physically and mentally disabled, youth with learning difficulties, youngsters with behavioral problems. We have pastoral centers that offer religious and apostolic activities. We have centers for sport and other forms of recreation and social activities.

Your presence in Rome is, in an analogous sense, sacramental. By that I mean your presence is a sign that produces what it signifies. As you express your communion as European Lasallians and as international Lasallians, you nourish and deepen your sense of belonging. The quality of your conferences and discussions are obviously very important. Your days together, however, have a meaning that goes beyond the cognitive dimension.

Today and tomorrow

These opening reflections are pertinent to the message I want to give you this afternoon. I have entitled this talk The Lasallian School in Europe: Today and Tomorrow. In reality I will say very little about tomorrow. Tomorrow is not here and will never be here. We live only in the present. Our responsibility is Lasallian mission today. Consequently today must be the focus of our attention. Our successors are responsible for tomorrow. We need to have confidence in them and in their capacity to respond to their reality. At the same time we have to remember that what we do today and what we do not do will have a profound effect on the world our successors inherit. Our generation has the obligation of leaving to our successors situations that are viable.

I have said that we live in a world of dizzying change. Seven years ago the 42nd General Chapter reminded us of some of the major challenges that affect directly Lasallian mission:

"migratory movements, racism, urban violence, terrorism, drug addiction, loss of basic human values, crises of faith, refusal of religious education, the attraction of sects, unemployment, AIDS, hunger, illiteracy, street children, homelessness, contempt of life, broken families, school dropouts . . . " (Circular 435, p.22)

The Chapter called upon the Superior General and Council to make these and other challenges the object of study, with the assistance of professionals and experts. Our response took the form of five colloquia. The themes chosen encompass many aspects of changes in the way we live, think, and act, together with their consequences. We studied the themes of families, globalization, the phenomenon of the megalopolis, new information technologies, and evangelization. Rather than talk about these five themes separately, I want to say something about them globally. Therefore, I am going to use the word globalization. I am in no way an expert on the subject. On the contrary. Moreover, I am aware that there are different ways of understanding the word globalization. Nevertheless, it is not my intention to enter into a debate on precise definitions. It is rather to use the word to help describe the "dizzying change" that I mentioned above and, consequently, understand better our Lasallian mission in this world today and tomorrow.

Globalization

Last September, at a congress in Argentina on mission, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago, addressed nearly three thousand delegates from countries throughout the Americas. He told his audience that with the collapse of communism, the end of the Cold War, and the end of bipolar political arrangement of the world, the economic order which divided the world into capitalist and socialist is ending. Something new is emerging and taking place, something that many call "globalization." Globalization has technological, economic, political, and cultural dimensions. Cardinal George asserted that the Church is obliged to encounter in dialogue this so-called "new world order," affirming what is good about it and confronting its shortcoming and evils in the light of the Gospel and with its power. The Church must proclaim, as John Paul II has repeatedly stated, that the economy must serve the person, rather than the person serve the economy.

Some speak of globalization as a process that can contribute to the building of a united and harmonious human family. Cardinal George remarked that it can indeed connect people and places, but it can also overwhelm and oppress people. The market capitalism it fosters resembles the liberal capitalism at the end of the 19th century and consequently is sometimes called neoliberal capitalism. This capitalism is less and less under governmental control and regulation. It is widening the gap between the rich and poor and is promoting a global culture marked by consumerism. Joseph Stiglitz, who has just resigned as chief economist of the World Bank, accuses the international financial community of excluding poor countries from the decision-making process. Columnist William Pfaff writes that "the new capitalism, which serves only stockholder interest, and the new globalism, which serves only business corporation interest, are already in crisis. In both cases the cause is easy to identity. It is the subordination of workers, customers, public and social interest - even patriotism - to profit."

Search for economic profit can become the highest human goal. Human persons can be defined as actual and potential consumers. To value human beings in the light of how much they can buy and consume is clearly an affront to human dignity. The promise of globalization is that it will promote prosperity, but the experience of many is that of exclusion and exploitation. We know that there must be control and regulation of the economy but, as Cardinal George remarked, there is no single political interlocutor for a global economy. Claude Smadjr, managing director of the World Economic Forum, urges partnership between government and business. He says that it is not a matter of choosing between small and big government, but of redefining the mission of government. At the same time, he insists that corporations themselves must become socially responsible and attentive to the ethical dimension.

I am writing these words on the day following a remarkable speech by President K.R. Narayanan of India. He warned his nation that millions of people "seething in frustration" were being left behind in squalor and illiteracy even as the more rapidly growing, increasingly market-driven Indian economy has created a class of nouveaux riches. He insisted on the importance of ensuring that the benefits of growth reach into the poorer layers of society, adding that "neglect of the impoverished will lead to resentment and violence." Of course Europe is not India. Nevertheless, can we not perceive the pertinence of his remarks as we reflect on increasing crime and violence among youth in cities, towns, and neighborhoods of Europe, and even in certain schools?

Cardinal George spoke of a resistance of local people to global intrusion, to the emergence of multicultural societies, and to the threat of cultural fragmentation. This resistance is manifested in an assertion of local identities, religions, languages, customs, and in fundamentalism and conflicts. Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, notes that "we are not seeing the convergence of cultures in a smoothly running global village. The real issue is how to manage diversity in a world of close contact among cultural identities and ethnic practices that will not melt away."

Globalization and education

Several months ago the magazine Newsweek devoted a long article to the impact of globalization on education. The author notes that even movements of "educational reform" are often shaped and geared to economic success. The danger is that of forgetting the children and youth for whom education exists. It is considered conventional wisdom that a nation's economic prosperity is tied to its stock of human capital, and that its human capital depends on the quality of its educational system. In both rich and poor countries, schools are becoming an extension of economic policy. Newsweek said that reducing schools to an element of economic policy is not without risks. I say it is grotesque! It places children at the front line of social change. It makes excessive demands upon them, the results of which can be and often are unhealthy stress, severe emotional problems, and even suicide. To make schools an extension of economic policy is to exploit children and youth. And that is evil.

Nevertheless, to exploit children for economic purposes is one thing, to prepare them well to live morally, effectively, and happily in a globalized world is quite another.

Globalization a reality

Globalization is a reality. We cannot simply evade, ignore, or condemn it. No alternative is evident. The Church must engage it in dialogue. This encounter demands a recognition of what is positive or has the potential to be positive. For example, the new information, communication, and transportation technologies can be means of fostering "connectedness" among peoples, improving their lives and the economies of their nations, and even defending their rights. At the same time, however, the Church must recognize and take prophetic stands on the negative elements of globalization.

The response of Lasallians: proclaim and promote the Reign of God

John Paul II has said that societies must manifest a greater sense of responsibility for the common good. They must never lose sight of the human person. The challenge, he stated, "is to ensure a globalization in solidarity, a globalization without marginalization." (World Peace Day Message, 1998) Therefore, said Francis George, the Church must make the proclamation and defense of the human person the center of its mission in the globalized world. The Church must insist on human dignity and promote the culture of life and human solidarity.

In my pastoral letter of last year, On the Defense of Children, the Reign of God, and the Lasallian Mission, I suggested that the notion of the Reign of God provides an excellent framework for understanding Lasallian mission. I know very well that a monarchical analogy does not appeal to all. Nevertheless, the analogy was central to Christ's explanation of his own mission and can help us to understand ours. John Baptist de La Salle said that our mission is honorable in God's sight "because it seeks to spread his Kingdom." The Rule of the Brothers declares that Lasallian mission involves attention "to the educational needs of the poor as they strive to become aware of their dignity and to live and be recognized as human beings and children of God." These words presuppose that the kind of injustice and affront to human dignity that globalization can cause is incompatible with the Reign of God. Therefore, the Rule says, Lasallian mission includes a determined commitment to establish, renew, and diversify our works "in accord with what the Reign of God requires."

Every Lasallian school and center must be a "sign of the Kingdom." Its orientations, atmosphere, and quality of relationships must "signify" the interpersonal communion that the Reign of God requires. More than that, each school or center must be a "means of salvation." Our ministry, the Rule says, requires us "to work effectively for building up the Kingdom of God." (Rule 11, 3, 69)

Moreover, the Rule says that the Brothers, "cooperators with Jesus Christ, consecrate their whole existence to building the Kingdom of God through the service of education." (Rule, 5) Still, God is calling not only the Brothers but all those who participate in Lasallian mission to cooperate with Jesus Christ in proclaiming the Reign of God by what we say, by what we do, and by who we are. To proclaim and establish the Kingdom is the purpose of Jesus' mission: "I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God . . . because that is what I was sent to do." (Lk 4:43) Jesus himself in his life, teachings, and actions reveals the God who reigns. Jesus addresses God by the intimate expression, Abba, Father. He describes God as sensitive to the needs and sufferings of every human being, as loving and compassionate, as forgiving.

John Paul II says that members of religious institutes, such as the Brothers, should be signs of the Spirit pointing to the future Kingdom. By extension partners of the Brothers should be signs of the Spirit pointing to the future Reign of God. Nevertheless, the expectation of future happiness with God is transformed, the Pope says, into a commitment "that the Kingdom become more fully established here and now." (VC, 27) The Kingdom, he says "aims at transforming human relationships; it grows gradually as people slowly learn to love, forgive, and serve one another." Its nature is one of communion among human persons - with one another and with God." It fosters "universal brotherhood and sisterhood, for all men and women are sons and daughters of the same Father and brothers and sisters in Christ." (Redemptoris Missio, 14, 15, 43)

We Lasallians must be creative and dynamic signs of the commitment of the Church to promoting the Reign of God. The Church contributes through "witness, dialogue, human promotion, commitment to justice and peace, education, the care of the sick, aid to the poor, assistance to children . . . Building the Kingdom means working for liberation from evil in all its forms . . . The Church is called to bear witness to Christ by taking courageous and prophetic stands in the face of corruption of political or economic power." (RM 18, 20, 15, 43)

Delors Report

We are signs of the presence of the Church in the exercise of our mission of human and Christian education of youth, poor youth particularly. We are participating in a congress of European educators. It is appropriate, therefore, that we reflect on Lasallian mission in the light of the Report of the International Commission on Education for the 21st Century, chaired by Jacques Delors, former President of the European Commission. I do not pretend to have a profound knowledge of the Delors Report. I am basing these remarks primarily on an address delivered by Etienne Verhack, Secretary General of the European Commission on Catholic Education (CEEC).

According to the Delors Report education should be organized around four pillars. Young people must learn to know, to do, to live together, and to be.

1. They have to acquire the instruments they need to understand. They must experience the pleasure of learning and discovering. Although they will specialize, they must never lose sight of general education and culture.

2. Youth must become generally competent rather than prepared for a clearly determined task. Competence takes precedence over professional qualification. This competence includes technical and professional formation, good social behavior, ability to work in teams, spirit of initiative and willingness to take risks.

3. Young people have to learn to live together in mutual respect and in appreciation for the cultures, the spiritualities, the history, and the traditions of others. They need to acquire the capacity to avoid conflicts when possible, and to resolve them peacefully when they do occur. They must learn to accept diversity, to recognize the basic unity that is there but often not recognized, and to live in the spirit of interdependence.

4. Their education must contribute to the full development of each individual: mind and body, intelligence, sensitivity, aesthetic sense, personal responsibility, and spirituality. Instead of preparing children and youth to live passively in a society already established, education must provide them the intellectual capacity to understand the world and to conduct themselves with responsibility and initiative.

Catholic schools in the light of the four pillars

Verhack believes that Catholic schools should rethink their programs in the light of these four pillars. He gives special attention to the fourth pillar, "learn to be," or education of the whole person. He thinks that this pillar leads to one of the fundamental purposes of the Catholic school: evangelization. The mission of evangelization, he says, touches directly the identity of the Catholic school.

· Today, he says, we address a culture which was Christianized but has now broken ties with its religious past. Catholic schools exist in multicultural, multireligious, religiously indifferent, and consumeristic situations. The underlying culture in Western Europe no longer sustains their mission.

· A fundamental purpose of Catholic school is to awaken young people to meaning and hope in a world in which religion is often considered irrational, a vestige of the past, and irrelevant to fundamental human questions. Teachers in Catholic schools must guarantee that young people can ask their questions concerning meaning and hope in a welcoming environment. Catholic education must never be reduced to the communication of scientific and technical knowledge and information.

· Catholic schools must be faithful to their Catholic identity and simultaneously open to others. They must welcome social, multiethnic, multicultural, multireligious diversity. Catholic schools can find new vitality as they help young people learn to live diversity as a richness, not as an object of fear. Unity is not found in a search for the lowest common denominator, but in mutual knowledge and respect. A great challenge of Catholic schools is that of helping young people learn to understand and live unity in diversity.

Verhack insists on a solid investment in the ongoing formation of the members of the educative community in the meaning of Catholic schools. Nothing short of that will guarantee the future of the schools. It is of particular importance that the heads of Catholic schools interiorize this meaning and commit themselves to the transformation of the written program into reality.

· In Catholic schools the dialogue between faith and the questions of meaning and hope takes place in community. This community has to be open to the world community in its search for moral values. It must be in solidarity with countries that are developing economically.

LASALLIAN MISSION

As I prepared those paragraphs on education in the context of globalization - education in general and Catholic education in particular - I was keenly aware of the convergence of thought with our Lasallian tradition and specifically with recent Institute publications:

· Two General Council documents based on General Chapter orientations:
The Lasallian Mission of Human and Christian Education: a Shared Mission
Reflections on the Missionary Policy of the Institute

· Two editions of the Institute Bulletin:
The Lasallian Christian School and its Presence among other Religions
The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and Education Today, a presentation of the five colloquia

· My presentation at Strasbourg:
Lasallians without Frontiers
and sections of many pastoral letters.

This list is not definitive. One would have to add not only other written presentations, but the interventions of General Councillors and members of the various secretariats in countless meetings with Brothers and partners over the years.

My comment is not an invitation to self-congratulation or complacency. Statements and exhortations are obviously one thing, lived reality quite another. Nevertheless, I think we should recognize the soundness of our Institute orientations, thank God for the evident progress we have made in revitalizing Lasallian mission, and renew our commitment to pursuing our goals always more effectively.

The Lasallian charism

Three hundred-twenty years ago, God confided a special mission to John Baptist de La Salle, the mission of providing a human and Christian education especially to poor children and youth. We would say today that God bestowed on De La Salle a charism. He shared that charism with the first Brothers who then began the process of transmitting it to successive generations of Brothers. Living this charism as Brothers of the Christian Schools is the original way. Today, three hundred twenty years after our foundation, we Brothers are still convinced, with De La Salle, that "the need for this Institute is very great" and, with our Rule, that "the young, the poor, the world, and the Church still need the ministry of the Brothers." (Rule, 141) Nevertheless, we understand more clearly than before that one can live this charism in diverse ways. With great joy we see that the charism of John Baptist de La Salle inspires not only the Brothers but "a great number of other educators." (Rule, 20). We recognize that the gift God granted him for the service of young people goes "beyond the confines of the Institute he founded." We consider the various Lasallian movements as "grace from God." (Rule, 146)

This is a congress of Lasallians, men and women sharing in different ways and at different levels the charism of John Baptist de La Salle. My presence among you today is an invitation to participate always more deeply in the spirit of faith and zeal that motivated De La Salle, the spirit that is the indispensable foundation of Lasallian mission.

The charism of John Baptist de La Salle is essentially apostolic and, therefore, oriented toward mission. That mission is the human and Christian education of youth, poor youth especially. The mission is also at the service of young adults, adults, and "veteran" adults. (Rule, 3, 13) I cannot this afternoon reflect on all aspects of Lasallian mission. I have decided to make observations on six important topics: education in the faith, pastoral ministries, education of the poor, education in social justice, advocacy for social change, and the defense of the rights of children. These topics are among those I treated in my pastoral letter for this year. I have adapted some of that material for this conference.

1. Education in the Faith

The General Council and members of the various secretariats studied recently the situation of education in the faith in Lasallian mission today. I have reflected on this theme in several pastoral letters, most recently in the letter of 1997. In that same year we published The Lasallian Mission of Human and Christian Education, which devotes many pages to the Christian dimension of our schools, education in the faith, faith in relation to culture, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, and other relevant topics. Moreover, we have recently published the Institute Bulletin which included a report on the fifth colloquium, Communicating the Faith Today.

I limit myself now to raising the topic and to expressing my conviction that it must be a major theme of the General Chapter that begins in this room on 1 May. Today the temptation to back away from the challenge implicit in education in the faith is great. In the face of the indifference and occasional hostility that young people manifest, we sometimes feel helpless and fearful of facing the challenge squarely. Nevertheless, I don't want to exaggerate. Lasallians are increasingly taking constructive action. In some districts our schools offer well-organized classes of education in the faith or of religious studies on a daily basis. More frequently, schools have classes twice a week. Brothers and Lasallian Partners are striving to understand young people and their milieu. They are trying to find the "right moment" and the "appropriate language to speak of Jesus Christ." (Rule, 15)

Catechists by vocation

Lasallians, if we do not confront this issue, we cannot claim to be serious about Lasallian mission. De La Salle's vision of mission, evident everywhere in his writings, is unambiguous. We must, of course, put flesh on that vision in a world very different from his own. We must recognize the essence of his message to the Brothers and incarnate that message in our reality today:

"You have been appointed by God to succeed the holy apostles in teaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and in confirming his holy law in the minds and hearts of those whom you instruct when you teach catechism, which is your principal function . . . Did you apply yourself sufficiently to this during the year? Have you looked upon this task as your principal duty in their regard? (Med. 145.3, 91.3)

Inspired by such passages, the authors of the Declaration, the important 1967 General Chapter document, state that the Brothers are catechists by vocation. (38.1) Despite the difficulties in communicating the faith today, "we do not renounce in any way our determination to proclaim Jesus Christ." (39.4) To be a catechist by vocation is to love and respect our young people as distinct human persons. It is to accept them "as they are" and to take them seriously. It is to walk side by side with them, permitting them to share openly their perplexities and questions about the meaning of life and about religious faith. To be a catechist by vocation is to share with young people what we see, think, and believe, without trying to impose our faith on them.

As I said at Strasbourg six years ago, we observe throughout the world, and specifically in Europe, a wide diversity of what the Pope has called "situations" regarding religious faith. We have youth - often in the same school - who are "living" their Catholic faith and those who are not; youth who are Christian but not Catholic; youth who are of religions other than Christian; youth who are searching eclectically for "spirituality"; youth who are indifferent or even hostile toward religion.

While we acknowledge the complexity of situations and the consequent challenge, we nevertheless have to ask ourselves seriously if we are giving sufficient priority to the creation of schools and centers that correspond, as far as possible, to the school described in the Rule; that is to say, a school or center which in virtue of its orientations "signifies" the interpersonal communion that the Reign of God requires; a school or center which is a "means of salvation," salvation in its most comprehensive sense: "liberation from evil in all its forms." (John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, 15).

Given the "situations" of our young people, we can find helpful guidance in the orientations the Church provides for the presence and mission of the Church among persons of other religious faiths. The Church considers "dialogue" and "proclamation" to be distinct but related aspects of evangelization. We need both in our schools today. There are many ways that we can engage young people in dialogue - with us and among themselves - whatever their position on religious faith: promoting human relations; sensitizing them to questions of social justice and encouraging them to commit themselves to work for justice; promoting common prayer with diversity of forms; promoting informal conversations and personal sharing concerning religious faith; organizing lectures, seminars, discussion groups on topics relating to faith.

Nevertheless, we have to do more. The Pope consistently asserts that young people have the right to hear about Jesus Christ and that Christians have the duty of responding. Certainly we - Lasallian educators - have a particular duty to find creative ways to propose Jesus Christ to our young people, whatever their age, always respecting, of course, their liberty. We have to make religious courses available to them, courses that are at least optional if not obligatory, courses taught by teachers who are theologically and pedagogically qualified.

2. Pastoral Ministries

In listing pastoral ministries as a separate category, I do not separate it from education in the faith. By pastoral ministries I refer to those activities that contribute to education in the faith but ordinarily take place outside the classroom. Organization of pastoral activities is very diverse in the Lasallian world. Still, everywhere I sense a renewed interest in helping young people become aware of the presence of God in their lives and learn to pray. Schools have creative programs to help their students appreciate the sacraments of the Eucharist and of Reconciliation, and to prepare for the sacrament of Matrimony. They make retreats and days of recollection available to all. They organize small communities of faith that permit those who are serious about their faith to live it with others who seek the same possibility. Many schools have pastoral centers where young people can receive counseling and find pertinent reading or multimedia materials. Often those responsible for these centers organize talks, seminars, and discussions on topics important to young people today.

Faith, communion, service

In many schools in certain areas of the world, young people devote two or more hours a week to service of the poor, aged, or sick. Some schools require a minimum number of hours, others make it voluntary. We could classify such programs as "social" rather than "pastoral." Personally, however, I believe that they are very effective instruments of evangelization. Last March I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion on "service as formative." One of our Lasallian partners mentioned that he had been responsible for organizing service activities for some fifteen years. Yet during the past seven years he has linked the program to the movement of Lasallian Youth and to faith, communion, and service. He remarked on the positive impact of this linkage. It has situated service within a framework of faith and deepened its meaning and significance.

Lasallian youth

The movement of Lasallian Youth is an integral dimension of pastoral ministry with young people. It is a structure that is clearly formative. During the past several years there has been an "explosion" of Lasallian Youth activity. That is not an exaggeration - although situations vary considerably. The movement takes different forms. In some areas of the Institute the development is remarkable. In other areas, there is less development or even none at all.

An increasing number of our schools have active groups of Lasallian Youth. Members meet weekly or monthly for prayer, planning of service projects, and reflection on their experience. The pillars of the movement are three characteristics of Lasallian spirituality: faith, communion, and service. Participants commit themselves to service on a weekly or monthly basis. Some have more extensive projects during the vacation period. Various sectors of the Institute organize district, interdistrict, national or regional assemblies, and, periodically, international assemblies. Sometimes the programs are five to seven days in duration and include well-organized service projects. Following these assemblies participants frequently start Lasallian Youth among the students of their schools or among former students.

I am very happy that the movement is present in a number of districts and schools in Europe. The most recent gathering of European Lasallian Youth at Worth Abbey, England, last July was a marvelous experience for the participants. I encourage all of you to give high priority to development of the Lasallian Youth Movement.

Lasallian Volunteers - short-term

During vacation periods throughout the last two decades, many volunteers have offered themselves for service in poor countries, and also in their own nations. These volunteers include pupils, former pupils, teachers, personnel, parents, and friends. Some have served during two, three, or even more vacation periods.

Ordinarily these volunteers are engaged in programs of education or of development that contribute significantly to the life of the people. Simultaneously these activities are valuable educational experiences for the participants. They come to know the richness of cultures previously unknown to them and grow in understanding and esteem for them. Because of the concrete service they have rendered and the personal relationships they have established, they become more aware of and more sensitive to the situation of disadvantaged peoples and frequently become involved in the long-range struggle against poverty and structural injustice.

Many districts represented here have outstanding programs. You are sending hundreds of volunteers to poor areas of the world every summer. I congratulate you very sincerely. I hope this movement will continue to grow.

Lasallian Volunteers - one or more years

The movement of volunteers on a long term basis has been evolving in diverse ways for many years. Numerous young men, for example, as an acceptable alternative to mandatory military service, have collaborated in the apostolic works of the Institute in countries over than their own. Some of them have lived with the Brothers.

In recent years, however, increasing numbers of regions and districts have been responding positively to the desire of young men and women to dedicate a year or more of their life in the service of the poor. In some areas the responses are ad hoc, in others they are more structured. Some include the option of living with the community.

The structured programs differ from region to region. In one, for example, approximately thirty volunteers live together in a large community made up of Brothers and volunteers and commit themselves to an intense program of prayer, community, and service of the poor. Thirty to forty volunteers of another region live in communities with the Brothers in poor or troubled areas, either within their region or in a foreign country. Nearly all are young, but there are exceptions. They work as teachers, teacher aids, catechists, or youth ministers. Some are involved in literacy programs, sports, and a variety of other activities and services. These volunteers are looking for an experience of community life. Therefore, they freely accept the requirement to participate in the community life of the Brothers, including daily prayer and Eucharist. Some former volunteers have become teachers and youth ministers in Lasallian apostolates.

Programs that are clearly formative

In my recent pastoral letter I quoted from a fascinating interview given by Nicolas Toussaint of France. As a student in one of our schools, he discovered the three pillars of faith, communion, service. He later became a Lasallian volunteer and worked in a program for marginalized and excluded youth while living with the Brothers. Nicolas is now a volunteer in the Philippines. He commented in the interview, very perceptively, that he recognizes "a unity and a force in the three pillars: faith, communion, and service." Nevertheless, because of what he calls a "brilliant intuition," these three pillars do not constitute an "entrance requirement." They are instead "three paths proposed to each youth to advance toward unity."

Often I have listened with great emotion as young people have reflected on their experience as volunteers or young Lasallians. They invariably speak of the tremendous impact that the experience of service has had upon them, asserting that they have received far more than they have given. In fact some say that the experience has changed their lives. A year ago I listened to some thirty Lasallian university youth who had just returned from a one month winter "break," a vacation they had used for service. They described the poor people they had just met and served. Some were moved to tears as they spoke . . . and were unable to continue.

My conviction grows steadily that the experience of groups founded on faith, communion, and service is formative. Some young people discover or rediscover God and religious faith. Others find a new image of Jesus Christ. They come to know him as loving and compassionate, as the Good Samaritan and the Good Shepherd. Still others discover a new understanding of Church. Finally, I think that through service youth come to know intimately a world of poor and disadvantaged people, a world they hardly know now, or know only cerebrally.

These pastoral programs are, I think, Providential. They are effective. When structures emerge that are effective in educating young people in the faith today, we need to promote them!

3. Education of the Poor

As you know very well, solidarity with the poor is an essential dimension of the Lasallian heritage and therefore of our mission today. Lasallians must do all they can to make our schools accessible and well adapted to the poor and their specific needs. We sometimes hear the question, "Who are the poor?" If anyone here today has that question, I suggest that you stop the next person you meet in the street and ask, "Who are the poor?" I think that in most if not all cases the answer will be that the poor are persons who are economically deprived and unable to satisfy basic needs. They are correct. The poor are also the marginalized and neglected. They are impoverished immigrants, such as those arriving steadily and in significant numbers in countries of Europe. They are the homeless and those, including young people, who work in the streets or beg on the sidewalks. The poor are among those excluded from the benefits of globalization. In our Lasallian tradition we consider the poor to whom we are sent by preference, to include youngsters with behavioral problems, learning difficulties, and serious personal, social, and family problems. (Rule, 40)
At Strasbourg I made a remark that I want to repeat here this afternoon. We must be careful that we do not equate economically poor with academically poor. Obviously some economically poor youngsters have limited intellectual abilities, probably the same percentage as among youth overall. Nevertheless, many other poor youngsters are extremely talented intellectually. Those of you who have taught in schools in poor countries or worked with our own young Brothers in formation - many of whom come from very poor families - know how true that statement is. We need to open the doors of opportunity to those who have become marginalized by circumstance.

New initiatives in response to new needs

We Brothers profess a special vow of association for the education of the poor. In accord with this vow we have to strive to do all we can to reach the poor through our own schools and centers or in collaboration with others. Moreover, our Rule obliges districts to establish a plan of evolution of apostolic works that will make direct service of the poor progressively the effective priority. Implementation requires that we strengthen existing works for the poor and create new ways of educating them. The Rule, inspired by Vatican II, states that strengthening commitment to the education of poor youth might require withdrawing some Brothers from certain activities and confiding responsibility for them to lay partners. The withdrawal from a school of one, two, or more Brothers or an entire community in no way implies a lack of confidence that the particular school can be an effective instrument of human and Christian education. It implies instead that we Brothers have a particular commitment to the education of the poor and, because of our vows, have the freedom to act. It manifests also our conviction that lay partners can conduct schools as authentic Lasallian institutions.

These passages are definitely "hard sayings" for many of us Brothers and difficult to understand for some of our lay partners. Given the vocation situation in Europe, how is it possible to think of new ventures for the poor? Yet John Paul II confirms our orientation by urging religious, even if their institutes are experiencing a paucity of vocations, "to respond generously and boldly to new forms of poverty through concrete efforts, even if necessarily on a small scale, and above all in the most abandoned areas." (VC, 63) He says further that it is God who calls consecrated persons to present new answers to new problems in ways consistent with their original charism. (VC, 73)

The number of districts taking concrete steps to make the education of the poor increasingly their effective priority is increasing. Some have withdrawn communities or reduced the number of Brothers in certain schools, maintaining the institutions, however, as Lasallian schools of the district. They have reinforced current works for the poor and have created new ones. We are witnessing an impressive number of new projects, activities, and even schools and centers. These initiatives are not "on the margin" as they perhaps would have been a few years ago. They are instead in the "mainstream" of district apostolic works.

These orientations pertain primarily to the Brothers. Nevertheless, it is important that all members of our educative communities understand and appreciate them.

4. Education in Social Justice

We see progress in the creation of effective programs of education in social justice. Nevertheless, the progress is uneven. We have to do much more than we are doing now. We have to be clear: no institution, whatever kind of education it offers and whatever the age of its students, can justifiably use the label Lasallian unless the students are learning to be brothers and sisters, not only among themselves, but also to and for others, particularly those in need. This is a message we need to send uncompromisingly and unambiguously to all members of the educative community.

Specifically we have to organize programs of education in world problems: courses, lectures, assemblies, seminars, reading materials, multimedia materials, etc. In addition we need to educate our young people in the social teachings of the Church. Then we have to organize programs of service similar to those I have already described, with opportunities for reflection on the experience in the light of the Gospel.

5. Advocacy for Social Change

We need to consider still another dimension of our commitment to justice: Lasallians should be advocates for social change. We have an enormous force of Brothers, teachers, personnel, board members, parents, former students, friends, and young people. In many countries of the Lasallian world, the lack of freedom of expression and the lack of accountability of politicians limit possibilities for influencing society in an effective way. In Europe, however, Lasallians can contribute significantly. We need to bring to the task imagination, creativity, and determination. Often we can have an effective impact through participation in campaigns for desired change. We need to "brainstorm" possibilities, develop programs of action, then carry out the programs. Of course I am talking about constructive, non-violent activities for furthering justice, activities motivated by love of God and love of neighbor. I am not talking about irresponsible street violence.

The Pope writes that all Christians must have a preferential option for the poor, but consecrated persons "in a special way." The Lord calls them, he says "to denounce the injustices committed against so many sons and daughters of God, and commit themselves to the promotion of justice." (VC, 82) He has addressed those words to "consecrated persons" such as the Brothers. Nevertheless, as he wrote explicitly, all Christians - and I add, certainly all Lasallians - must have a preferential option for the poor.

6. Defense of the Rights of Children

Last year I wrote that the situation of countless children in today's world is an unspeakable scandal. I said that our Lasallian charism invites us to make solidarity with neglected, abandoned, marginalized, and exploited children a particular focus for our mission. Trying to be concrete I wrote seven pages of possible actions. Time does not permit me to repeat the content of those pages. I suggested that the Brothers make the pastoral letter, or at least the most pertinent pages, available to their partners. The preliminary response of both Brothers and Lasallian Partners has been encouraging. I hope that the General Chapter will propose the defense of the rights of children as a particular focus in the exercise of the mission we have received from Saint John Baptist de La Salle.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

In the meditations that the Founder wrote for the use of the Brothers during their annual retreat, he says that it is all too common that children of artisans and of the poor live on their own, roaming all over like vagabonds, neglected by parents who are poor and preoccupied with trying to provide a livelihood for their families. Because of idleness and bad companions, the children develop sinful habits that are difficult to correct. De La Salle says that God wants these children to come to knowledge of truth and be saved. In his goodness God wants to remedy the unfortunate situation of these children. Consequently, he has established the Christian schools. But these schools must have teachers capable of helping children find truth and salvation. Therefore, God enlightens the hearts of certain persons, calling them to give their lives to him in the education of youth. De La Salle then tells the Brothers, in very direct language, "You are the ones he has chosen."

De La Salle wrote these meditations primarily for the Brothers. Nevertheless, the title page says that they were intended also for all persons engaged in the education of youth. I address his words, therefore, to all of you this afternoon. Obviously we have to read, understand, and live them in the context of our own reality at the dawn of a new century and new millennium. When we read them intelligently and prayerfully, we discover that De La Salle, like Jesus, taught with authority. We recognize the wisdom of his teaching and find in them a rich source of inspiration and unity. We come to know why, fifty years ago, the Church proclaimed John Baptist de La Salle Patron of all Educators of Children and Youth. I encourage you to listen to these words of our Founder, adapted slightly, as his personal message to you:

Thank God for the grace he has given you. Honor your ministry.
Make yourselves worthy ministers.

(MTR 193.3, 194.1, 199.3)