|
 News of the Institute and Lasallian Family
Rome, November 25, 2003 |
Recommending the Lasallian Vocation Today: Under this title representatives of the five Lasallian Regions of Europe
met for a Colloquium in Rome 29th October to 2nd November 2003. The
Colloquium was intended as the European collaborative response to
Proposition 26 of the General Chapter - about giving fresh impetus to
vocation ministry. 55 Brothers and 13 men and women Lasallians
participated.
After being welcomed by Br Benedict Foy, secretary for the organising
group and by Br Ismael Beltram, President of the CEV, participants spent
time getting to know each other in small sharing groups, struggling to
communicate through a variety of languages.
On the first day we listened to the vocational witness of several of the
participants, sharing their reflections about God's presence in their
lives and vocational journeys. At the end of these inputs Br
Andre-Pierre Gauthier, Aux. Visitor responsible in France for pastoral
work, had the task of offering a synthesis of what he had heard and to
raise some questions about the way ahead with young people.
 The participants in the Colloquium took the opportunity of their visit
to Rome to meet with members of the lay Community of Sant' Egidio in
Travestevere. We had time to talk with them about their sense of
community, of formation, of prayer and service. We were able to visit
their dining room for the poor where they had served over 1000 meals
that day, and then to join them for their peaceful evening prayer in the
Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere. They certainly gave us much to
think about concerning the radical living out of the Gospel and of
different ways of community living.
We were fortunate to have Br Aidan Kilty, Institute Secretary for
Formation, and Br Antonio Botana, Institute Secretary for Association,
to speak together with us. Br Antonio underlined the fact that the
Lasallian charism is being lived out today in a variety of vocations and
that it is a prophetical vocation. Within this context, Br Aidan,
drawing on the life experiences of De La Salle, helped us to think about
five questions for reflecting on vocations in general, and our Lasallian
vocation in particular: How does God call me?; How does God speak to
me?; What gifts does God give me?; How does God want us to respond?; and
With whom and for whom does God call us?
 Through a series of workshops participants suggested various practical
ways to recommend and support the pastoral work of vocations, of which
accompaniment, formation and offering new educational experiences were
the strongest topics proposed.
Brothers Juan Pablo Martin and Claude Reinhardt, General Councillors,
who had been present throughout, concluded the Colloquium by sharing
some of their own thoughts on the topic of the meeting. They thanked the
participants for their work during these days and encouraged them to
continue their efforts. The participants departed for home tired out by
their efforts, but greatly encouraged by the richness of their
experiences together, and by the warmth of the fraternity lived during
the days together.
(Br. Ben Foy) |
Young Volunteers of Ayahualulco:
Greetings from the Ayahualulco Mountains in Mexico. Our community has
created a web page for young volunteers that want to be of service to
the local people.
http://www.lasalle.org.mx
 Some
History: In 1974 the De La Salle Brothers arrived in the Ayahualulco
mountains situated within the municipality of Alpatlahuac Veracruz. From
the very beginning they were always able to count on the support of
young volunteers. The first volunteers were four young pre-university
students with whom the first service community was formed.
The first idea which arose was literacy for adults and imparting other
knowledge to those who were already literate, as well as promoting
productive activities for making better use of the natural resources of
the community of Ayahualulco.
 Many
other young volunteers came and participated in specific tasks for very
short periods of time: teaching weaving, embroidery, nutrition.
In 1977 more than a hundred people came up to the mountains to
collaborate with the local people in various tasks, abandoning their
normal daily life to respond to a call to something higher.
From the beginning everyone was aware of the educational function which
the project served for the volunteers who came to the mountains, and for
this reason there was an open-door policy in the Community house.
 At
the same time there was a consciousness that the interference of persons
from outside, in the village, could change the life of the village in a
negative way, so steps were taken to see that this did not occur.
Since then various volunteers have arrived, ready to serve, ready to be
a seed, to give a small part of their lives to the service of the most
needy, confident that in serving others they are also surely receiving
more than they could imagine.
(Hno. Oscar Carmona Moreno) |
 UMAEL
(World Union of Lasallian Former Students) Meets in Rome: The first
meeting of the new Executive Committee was held in Rome on the 25th and
26th of October 2003 in the Casa Generalizia of the Brothers. The
following new members were there and spent two days in intensive and
promising work:
Jose Ramon Batiste Peñaranda, President (Spain), Br. Claude Reinhardt,
General Council (Rome), Humberto Valladares Buenfil, Vice-president
(México), Claudio Ivan Zegarra Arrellano, General Secretary (Peru),
Andrea Gumina, Treasurer (Italy), Antoine Chamoun, Director of
Inter-religious Relations (Lebanon), Alfred Meindl, Director of External
Relations and Communications (Austria), Nicholas W.F.NG, Director of
Universal Relations (Hong Kong).
Salvador Romo, Director of Relations to the Lasallian Family (Panama),
and Luis Donderis Lousion, Director of the Programs of Solidarity were
not able to attend the meeting.
 A lot of important points were discussed, among which were: definition
of new responsibilities among the Executive Committee members,
evaluation of the Mexico Congress, all matters regarding the General
Secretary and the General Treasurer, and the setting up of local UMAEL
teams. The Executive Committee used the opportunity of their meeting in
Rome to give to the Brothers in charge of SECOLI (Secretariat for the
Missions) the money covering the Mai Thon solidarity project in Viet
Nam. Another important topic was the evaluation of the UMAEL web-page
and the reflection on re-designing it. Results will be seen soon on the
new web page, which will be working with new contents end of November
2003.
www.umael-lasalle.org.
There you will also find a presentation of the next solidarity project,
which will be supported by UMAEL.
Thanks to the Brothers in Rome, who gave us a feeling of being at home,
a point of reflection and best conditions for working!
Thanks to all who supported and helped us!
(Mr. Alfred Meindl)
|
European Gathering of Young Lasallians, Poland - 27 July 2003: For
the first time the Lasallian Youth of Europe met in Poland. Some 120
young people, young Brothers and accompaniers gathered in Zloty Potok to
begin their bi-annual meeting.
The highlight of the gathering was meeting so many other young people
from other countries (Poland, Belgium, Canada, GB, Malta, Italy, Spain
and France) who were inspired by the spirituality and example of St.
John Baptist de La Salle. Being able to meet, talk, sing, dance,
celebrate, pray and share experiences of life, faith, community and
service was wonderful. At the end of the five days together we felt we
knew more of each other than if we had lived together for months.
A visit to Auchwitz-Birkenau was a particularly challenging experience
which raised serious questions about justice, about how we treat people
and about how we educate people. From a somber mood there we visited the
beautiful city of Cracow, a place of history and culture - the former
home of Pope John Paul II.
For two full days we followed the Polish tradition of walking and
talking and praying together arriving, as young Polish people do, at the
Shrine of Our Lady at Czestochowa. There we were greeted by Br. Alvaro,
Superior, and Br. Visitor of Poland who led us through crowds of people
into the small chapel of the shrine itself where we were privileged to
have a full half an hour to ourselves praying and singing together in
our different languages. It was a really moving experience.
We stayed two nights in the major seminary of Czestochowa. On the first
evening we had a prayerful service of reconciliation. The following day
gave us the opportunity to visit the Sanctuary and the famous monastery
of Jasna Gora, where some of the monks took us on a whirlwind tour of
the Sanctuary. During these days we had the chance to listen to and talk
with a variety of speakers about their and our lives as Lasallians and
to listen to Br. Superior's address.
We also had the opportunity to meet with several of the young people who
are on the Institute's International Council of Young Lasallians and to
discuss some issues concerning young people, with them.
Our final celebration took place in the marvellous chapel of the
seminary where everyone renewed their commitments as Lasallians.
Particularly notable was the renewal of vows by all the Brothers
present, led by Br. Superior and Br. Juan Pablo, General Councillor who
had accompanied us through the whole of our pilgrimage. As a token of
our journeying together Br. Superior presented everyone with a small
keepsake -a sandal - a symbol of the theme and experience of our time
together "Walk in my Presence".
We returned home sad about the shortness of time we had together but
greatly encouraged to continue our involvement in Lasallian Youth. We
are looking forward to the next World Youth Days which will be taking
place in Cologne in August 2005 when we hope to meet again.
The next European Lasallian Youth Gathering will take place in
Strebersdorf, Near Vienna in Austria in 2006.
(Br. Benedict Foy, GB
Photos: Br. Cesc Feerre Pallares, Spain)
|
 100th
anniversary - Malta: On November 3, 2003, about 1000 members of the
Lasallian Family gathered at St. John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Malta,
to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the presence of the Institute in
Malta. Brother Mario Zamitt, Auxiliary Visitor, and Brother William
Mann, Vicar General, addressed the Assembly. The Brother Visitors and
Brother Auxiliary visitors of Great Britain and of Ireland were in
attendance.
(Br. William Mann)
|
If you have news notes that you would like us to consider
publishing, please email us: lasallew@lasalle.org |
|
