“Institute Survey”: The discernment route towards the 2026 Plenary Assembly begins

Between 12 December 2025 and 11 January 2026, all Brothers of the Christian Schools are invited to participate in the Institute Survey, considered “the gateway to the discernment route that will lead to the 2026 Plenary Assembly”, according to the Commission on Consecrated Life, which is leading this initiative “where four fundamental themes for the life and future of the Institute will be addressed: the life of the Brothers, safeguarding, leadership in the Districts, and formation.”

“Beyond the topics—which are important—the focus will be on discernment,” say the Brothers who are part of the Commission: Valère Adonsou, Jerad Mathews and Martín Digilio, who is also a General Councillor, evoking the call of the 46thGeneral Chapter (2022) “to allow ourselves to be challenged by reality, to listen to the Gospel together, to recognise what gives life to our communities and to dare to seek new paths with hope. This process will only be fruitful if we all undertake it, with the voice of each Brother, from every Region, culture and mission where we serve“.

Therefore, in designing the Survey, one of the main purposes has been to ensure that it is accessible to all Brothers, through a simple, easy-to-use tool that will allow them to express themselves freely, without any technical skills or long periods of time required. To achieve this, it has been essential to carry out a “pilot test” with the participation of some Brothers worldwide. 

“What we are asking for is not an extraordinary effort, but the goodwill that we know exists in everyone when it comes to the good of the Institute,” declare the members of the Commission, emphasising the purpose of establishing an effective channel of communication with all the Brothers of the Institute: “We need to hear what you Brothers are experiencing, how you are living your vocation, how you are living fraternity, what challenges you encounter in the mission, what you need to grow in interiority and availability, what lights and shadows you see.” Ultimately, the Survey seeks to “understand what we are experiencing as an Institute, in every corner of the world where the Brothers accompany the Lasallian Educational Mission together with our associates.”

To participate in the consultation, starting on 8 December, each Brother will receive an email with instructions on how to access the platform that has been set up for this purpose.

Once this consultation phase is complete, the discernment process will involve systematising the contributions received, which will be presented in February 2026 to the Brother Superior General and the General Council.

Subsequently, between March and May, the District and Regional discernment phase will take place, the results of which will be delivered between 1 and 15 June with a view to drafting the Instrumentum laboris —from 18 June to 18 July— which must be approved by the Brother Superior General and the General Council before the Working Document is sent to the participants of the Plenary Assembly, which will take place at the Generalate in Rome from 21 to 25 September 2026.

To accompany the process, the Commission on Consecrated Life will soon share some documents to guide the discernment process, based on its theological-spiritual inspiration, an explanation of the Lasallian method of discernment, its pastoral application, and a manual for facilitators of community discernment.