Brother Armin Luistro, Superior General, has confirmed for the second time the appointment of Brother Jorge Antonio Aguilar Reyna as Visitor of the Bolivia-Peru District. The term of office will run from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2026.
Br Jorge Antonio was born in 1968 in Peru. He began his Postulancy in 1997 and entered the Novitiate in 1998. He took his first vows in 2000 and perpetual vows in 2007.
He was trained as a primary school teacher with a master’s degree in educational management. But he has also served as a teacher, coordinator and director at several schools.
In the District he has served as member of the District Council (2012-2018), Sector Coordinator of Peru (2015-2018) and Visitor (2019-2022).
The year 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in Peru, when, after repeated requests to the Superiors of the Congregation, in particular to Archbishop Emilio Lisson, the Brothers – two French and two from Ecuador – formed the first community.
In Lima, several boarding schools were opened in the following years and, succeeding the tradition from our Founder’s time, the first school books were published and the Bruño Publishing House was founded. The Juniorate for the future Peruvian Brothers dates from 1931, and in 1932 the Institute for Minors for the benefit of outrageous and abandoned youth, and the School of Pedagogy of the Pontifical Catholic University (1936). Ecuador was responsible for the animation and governance of these foundations.
The centuries-old Lasallian presence in both countries has gone through different phases. In 1936 the Peru-Bolivia District was born, which in 1966 decided to split, giving birth to the Districts of Bolivia and Peru until 2015 when, in response to the new needs of both countries and with the agreement of the Superiors, it was decided to continue with a common history, forming the young District of Bolivia-Peru.
This period of over half a century has not been without difficulties for the District, the Church and the Congregation. Changing values in the increasingly secularised society has witnessed the number of Brothers and religious vocations decline. However, despite the impediments and thanks to the intervention of lay partners, other Lasallian educational ministries emerged between 1977 and 2011. Other projects in which the Congregation was involved for several years were abandoned due to changes in educational policies or economic difficulties, but the vocation of the District as a teacher trainer has been kept from the beginning with the three pedagogical centres of higher education.
In figures, 13369 students are served by 830 Brothers, teachers and administrative staff.
In addition, the formal educational ministries are accompanied by other projects that are distinctive to the Lasallian mission: the Pius XII Social Work, Signum Fidei, the Union of Catechists, Radio La Salle in Urubamba, the missions and catechesis in rural areas, solidarity and volunteer projects, etc.
Ilaria Iadeluca
Communications Office – Generalate (Rome)
We would like to thank Gladys Campos (District Secretary) for her valuable cooperation in researching historical information.