3. communities of faith - de la salle brothers · ma, honduras, guatemala, the dominican repub-lic,...

3. Communities offaith

The Mission calls toCommunion

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In the Lasallian story a fruitful dialogue betweenMission and Communion has been kept alive fromthe beginning:

– the Mission calls to Communion;

– Communion grows and becomes enthusias-tic in serving the Mission;

– Communion makes itself a message for theMission;

– the Mission produces Communion amongthose who come to serve it.

This dialogue makes itself effective and concretebetween the educational works and the communi-ties. It is there that the dynamism is producedwhich is, perhaps, the most decisive and propheticcharacteristic of the Lasallian charism: living com-munity as a response to the Mission of educatingthe poor, children and the young. The sign of com-munity is probably the best indicator of a Lasallianproject. It is not about “a type of community” butrather a community dynamism which, first of all,creates bonds between persons and then simulta-neously, structures itself into diverse forms of com-munity, according to the culture, personal process-es, identities…. and arising from the invitationswhich the Spirit proposes to us. The samedynamism produces the communion between thedifferent communities, giving rise to the Districtcommunity, or to the diverse Lasallian Institutions,Societies or Fraternities.

The dynamism of communion is like blood which

spreads through the whole Lasallian body to nour-ish it and make the cells grow; it is the spirituality ofcommunion which gives life to Lasallian Associa-tion.

The Lasallian community in its multiple formswhether at local level – the small community – or atDistrict or Regional level – the community of com-munities – is the place where communion is learnt,it is the place where association is lived and learnt,since this is in the Lasallian sense, association: com-munion for the mission.

We can try to make a provisional “typology” of thenew Lasallian communities, which are being addedto the traditional ones of Brothers and Sisters. Weare not considering here the formal bond of associ-ation, but rather association a lived fact.

1. There are Christian and Lasallian communitiesthat are united in the charism with the Institute,although without explicit ties of association.Even while maintaining their autonomy, theydevelop bonds of communion with the body ofthe particular district. Their community struc-ture takes on various forms; in some cases it maybe the moments of encounter either in a weeklyor a bi-weekly meeting while reserving moreintense moments or longer periods of sharingfor scheduled times of the year. There are alsocases of Christian and Lasallian communities liv-ing in common under the same roof, with a dailyrhythm of community prayer and a high level ofcommunication and the sharing of goods, all ofwhich is motivated by the Lasallian mission of

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3.0 The sign of community

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education. Oftentimes these faith-based communitiesare formed within the existing educational communi-ties, or rather side by side with a particular Lasallianeducational work, and they offer their cooperation invarious ways.

But as frequently happens the Lasallian charism causesthem to find new needs and provides them with the ini-tiatives to invent new responses and begin new worksof education.

2. There are also Lasallian Communities formed with theadherents of different religions. It is the mission thatunites them, the desire to give a response to the needsof the poor, and that finds them laboring together in theWork of the Lord. Many elements of Lasallian spiritualityhelp them to find meaning to what they are living, eventhough each one may add the perspective of his or herown faith. For all of them John Baptist de La Salle is ateacher of life and spirituality. This kind of pluri-confes-sional community for the mission is an example that theSpirit and his presence in our midst are at work throughthe Lasallian charism, even beyond the limits of theInstitutional Church.

3. The Lasallian Volunteers: This movement may bedescribed as an experience of temporal association inwhich the volunteers gratuitously place themselves atthe service of the Lasallian mission of education for theduration of at least one year (or a school term). The rich-ness of the experience comes from being lived andaccompanied in community while receiving the lightsof Lasallian spirituality. This type of experience, besidesits own positive aspects, may open the door to a morelasting association either as a religious or a dedicatedlay person.

4. Mixed communities, formed by Brothers, Lay Educators(married or single) and Volunteers. Usually these com-munities take shape in order to give a response to thefelt needs of the Lasallian mission of education. At timesthey are joined to a particular school, such as in the caseof the San Miguel Schools in the United States. Other

times it may mean a community “of insertion”, that is,situated in a social milieu of especial necessity, either inan urban barrio or in a rural area, in order to feel fromwithin the needs related to education and provideeffective and global answers.

Later we will present some examples of the new Lasalliancommunities. In other parts of this Bulletin you will findmore examples, presented from other perspectives ofAssociation.

Br. Antonio Botana

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But what led to the formation of the group thateventually chose that name? Everything beganwhen Br. Jose Pablo Basterrechea, then Vicar Gen-eral, came to realize that he had heard a recurringidea emerging in various ways in the course of histravels. Br. Manuel Olivé recalls Br. Jose Pablo say-ing that Lasallians from far-flung areas of theworld had been saying to him: “We would like todraw closer to the Brothers, not only to their min-istry, but, and above all, to their spirit. We desire adeeper Christian life, but with a Lasallian accent.We are willing to bind ourselves more closely tothe Institute in some form of commitment thatwill have a Christian and educational dimension.”1

Words soon turned into action. Br. Paulus Adams,Assistant Superior General, was asked to explorethe idea in depth. Br. Manuel Olivé, who was basedin Rome as Moderator of the International Alum-ni Federation, volunteered his help, and, as weknow all too well from the Founder’s story, “onestep led to another”. Finally on June 5, 1976, thisnew expression of the Lasallian charism came tobirth. The pioneer group of eleven, coming fromseveral countries of Europe, made their first con-secration in the presence of the Brothers gatheredfor the 40th General Chapter. The felicitous nameproposed by Br. Paulus, “Signum Fidei,” summa-rized their mission and vocation.

Although international in character from the verystart, that first group of lay Lasallians did notknow that they were blazing a new path towards

the exciting horizon of the Lasallian Family thatwe see ahead of us today, some twenty-five yearslater. The attention that the 43rd General Chaptergave to “Association” and “Associates” in 2000 rat-ified the intuition sensed by Br. Jose Pablo, andthe then Superior General, Br. Charles Henry, thatthe ferment that they had experienced in theLasallian world in the mid-70’s was in fact the stir-ring of the Holy Spirit.

The Growth of the AssociationAccording to statistics gathered in 2002, SignumFidei (SF) numbers about 1,000 members spreadin some 30 countries around the world, with thelargest concentration found in Latin America, fol-lowed by the Near East and Asia.

In the Americas, Peru has by far the largest con-centration, with some 400 members, including asizable group of Signum Fidei youth. This is hard-ly surprising since Br. Manuel Olivé continues ani-mating the group there with his indefatigable,charismatic presence. Less numerous groupsthrive in Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina,Ecuador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Costa Rica, Pana-ma, Honduras, Guatemala, the Dominican Repub-lic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. A sizablegroup exists in the United States, whereas in Cana-da the numbers have dwindled considerably.

In the Near East, SF has a significant presence inLebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt, while in theFar East they are in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and thePhilippines.

Europe’s SF communities are found in Spain, Italy,Belgium, and Malta, while one member lives inFrance. In Africa-Madagascar, Signum Fidei hasspread to Equatorial Guinea, Togo, the Democrat-ic Republic of Congo, and Madagascar.

This expansion appears to have come about large-ly through the efforts of individual Brothers whotook the initiative in starting up SF communities


3.1a The Signum Fidei: pioneers in Lay association

When the first group of lay partners who wished to committhemselves to a new expression of the Lasallian charism in theworld went about looking for a name, they did not have muchdifficulty deciding on “Signum Fidei”. It came almost naturally.The phrase, found in Institute insignia, would underscore theirdeep bond with the Institute of the Brothers of the ChristianSchools. More importantly, the words “Signum Fidei” capturedwhat they wanted to be: signs of faith in the world of education.

in their countries. As a result, itis true to say that SF hasdeveloped differently in dif-ferent countries, often inaccord with the focusgiven it by the Brotherwho started the group. Insome countries themajority of the SF areteachers or school person-nel, while in other coun-tries most of the membersare alumni, parents of formerstudents, or retired teachers.These differences can also be attrib-uted to the loose structure of coordinationthat Signum Fidei has relied on over the years.

The Signum Fidei Vocation By recognizing the Signum Fidei as “Associates” inthe current richer understanding of that word, the43rd General Chapter affirmed Signum Fidei’sfidelity to the five characteristics by which theChapter described an Associate.2 These character-istics are in fact spelled out in various articles ofthe “Style of Life” and the “Vademecum,” the foun-dational documents that guide this open commu-nity of committed Lasallians.

The 1994 edition of the SF “Style of Life” describesthe members as “adult lay Christians with a specialcall from God” who “use the life of St. John Baptistde la Salle as their method of living according towhat is found in the Gospel”.3 Three essential ele-ments make up the Signum Fidei vocation: a con-secration that expresses their desire to live outtheir baptismal commitment with greater deter-mination, an apostolic commitment to education,and personal witness as a member of a faith com-munity.4

Consecration Linked to MinistryPatterned after the vow formula of the Brothers,the Signum Fidei consecration begins with thesame words of consecration to the Holy Trinity.The SF renew their baptismal consecration byoffering themselves “to procure God’s glory as faras they are able and as God will require of them.”5

However, when it comes to spelling out thespecifics of that consecration, instead of the

Brothers’ religious vows, theSignum Fidei commit them-

selves “to further, uphold,and defend the integraleducation of young per-sons and adults, especial-ly of those who havestrayed from the way ofsalvation.”6 In addition to

this general commitment,the Signum Fidei further

specify in their own wordshow they intend to carry out

that general commitment, clearlymaking the mission of “human and

Christian education” a constitutive element oftheir vocation.

Signum Fidei: Members of a FaithCommunityThe SF members live an “open” community life.They reside on their own or with their families butregularly come together with the other membersfor prayer and ongoing formation. Whenever pos-sible, they carry out their ministries together. Thefrequency and content of the meetings are deter-mined by the members at the beginning of eachyear.

The bond of association among the members isexpressed in the consecration formula by thewords, “I unite myself with the other members ofthe Signum Fidei Association…”7


Deep bond with the Institute From its very origins Signum Fidei has sought tomaintain strong bonds with the Institute of theBrothers of the Christian Schools. In describingthe founding moments of SF, Br. Manuel Olivésaid:

“By unanimous decision we affirmed the close tiesbetween us, the spirit of de La Salle, and our new-born family with the Brothers’ Institute; and as aconsequence, Faith and Zeal would be the twomotives that would inspire those who were to jointhis new community, which we wanted to be open,Lasallian, and lay.”8

The “Style of Life” makes that close relationshipwith the Brothers’ Institute more specific byrequiring Brother Visitor’s approval before anAspirant makes the first act of consecration. Inaddition, it is the Visitor who is responsible forappointing the Moderator(s) or Animator(s) of theSF communities.

This brings up one of the challenges facing SignumFidei today. In some instances the Visitors find itdifficult to identify Brothers who have the timeand the interest to serve as SF Moderators.Although it is possible to name experienced SFmembers as Moderators, the preference continuesto be for Brother-Moderators. But with the prob-lems of ageing and lack of manpower in some Dis-tricts, finding Brothers to serve as Moderators isbecoming increasingly problematic for some Visi-tors.

Some Other Challenges to the SignumFidei Today Lack of knowledge or understanding. Even if itis the “first-born,” so to speak, among the groupsof Lasallian lay associates, Signum Fidei does notappear to be sufficiently known or understood inmany sectors of the Institute. This lack of knowl-edge is one of the reasons why the association hasnot grown more rapidly.

Sometimes this lack of knowledge, or at least alack of appreciation, can occur in Districts whereSignum Fidei has already established communi-ties. Changes in District leadership or in localschool leadership can bring about negative or pos-itive effects on the relationship between the SF

and the District or the school, depending on thenew leadership’s attitudes towards the ministriescarried out by the SF members, particularly whenthese ministries have a separate identity. The chal-lenge for both parties, then, is to continually seekways of strengthening the bonds between SF andthe District, as envisioned from the origins, sothat SF can be fully integrated into the mission ofthe District or its educational centers.

“Competing” forms of association. In muchthe same way as the first-born child ceases beingthe center of attention when a newborn enters thefamily, today Signum Fidei is in danger of beingleft aside as attention is drawn to the new and var-ied expressions of Association emerging in theLasallian Family.

Unlike the older brother in the parable of theProdigal Son, who was not “at home” in his father’shouse, the challenge to the SF members, it wouldseem, is to continue to be confident of their role asfirst-born among the groups of lay associates, andto continue playing a vital role in the Districtswhere they are present. To do this, the SF mem-bers need to be deeply convinced of the validityand importance of their vocation, and zealouslycontinue inviting others to this tried and testedway of living Lasallian association.

As “older brothers,” the SF members are calledupon to set the example of what it means to live asLasallians who have made a public commitment tothe Lasallian mission. In addition, SF membershave an important message to share with the restof the Lasallian Family based on their lived experi-ence of the past twenty-five years.

Initial and continuing formation. The needfor solid, developmental formation programs forpartners and associates is often listed as a highpriority throughout the Lasallian world today. ForSignum Fidei to retain its spiritual vitality, it, too,must constantly direct its energies to the initialand continuing formation of its members, offeringthem a strong foundation upon which to build alasting commitment to the Lasallian mission. Thescarcity of Brothers available for the animationand ongoing formation of SF communities under-scores the seriousness of this challenge.

Coordination. Since its inception, the responsi-


bility for coordinating the SF at the internationallevel has been entrusted to a Brother appointedby the Superior General. This Brother invariablyhad other full-time responsibilities that competedfor his attention. As a result, the internationalcoordinator mainly concentrated on circulatingnews about the Association worldwide and send-ing out spiritual reflections. Perhaps the time hascome to explore other ways of coordinating andfostering greater union among the SF communi-ties worldwide.

Finances. A more mundane challenge confrontingSignum Fidei both internationally and at the locallevels, is that it possesses no funds of its own.While the Districts have generally been very gen-erous in providing for the financial needs of the SFin their respective sectors, SF needs to grow awayfrom financial dependence on the Districts, andeven from the Brothers’ Institute. This financialself-sufficiency will enable SF to strengthen itsnetwork and embark on new initiatives in theservice of the Lasallian mission.

Response to the Challenges Next year twenty SF members and five Brother-Animators representing Signum Fidei groups fromall over the world will come together for the FirstInternational Signum Fidei Assembly. For the firsttime in their history the SF members themselveswill have the opportunity to chart the future oftheir worldwide association. It should be notedthat this historic event will take place in the con-text of the new vitality that the Lasallian Family isexperiencing all over the world as more and more

partners and associates make the Lasallian mis-sion their own.

As pioneers in the “promised land” of formally-structured groups of lay associates, Signum Fideicontinues walking forward with hope–hope, notfor itself, but for the mission that the Church hasentrusted to the Lasallian Family. But above all,hope for the young people of the world, especiallythe poor, who need signs of faith, true “SignumFidei,” to guide them towards fullness of life.

Br. Victor Franco,General Counselor

SF Animator


1 Hno. Manuel Olivé, Cartas a Un Signum Fidei, #3. Lima 1996.2 The Documents of the 43rd General Chapter (Circular 447), pp. 4-5. Rome 2000.3 Signum Fidei Association, Style of Life, #3, p. 5. Rome 1994.4 ibid., #8, p. 55 ibid., #54, p. 136 ibid. 7 ibid.8 idem., Cartas #3

– Many of the Signum Fidei groups are built aroundan educational work which depends on the Broth-ers’ Institute, but more and more there are SignumFidei groups which, while always in communionwith the District, are setting up educational andcatechetical works and on their own initiative, nor-mally to respond to the needs of the poor.

This is the case for the Signum Fidei of Peru, whichadministers three schools for more than 1,200poor boys and girls; it is also the case for theSignum Fidei of Colombo (Sri Lanka), whichadministers an educational work on the outskirtsof the city of Colombo, in a very poor population;and it is the case for the Signum Fidei of thePhilippines, which administers various education-al projects for poor families, and these projects aresupported by other works within the District.

– Participants in Signum Fidei groups tend to beteachers, administrators, members of leadershipor maintenance teams in educational works, mar-ried or single; but other persons also participatewho, while not connected in their work or office toeducational works, feel attracted by vocation to

education and/or catechesis, in very diverse forms.

– There are many reasons for starting a SignumFidei group. The group in Tulsa, Oklahoma (USA),made up of 17 persons who are closely connectedto Bishop Kelley High School, expressed their rea-sons which led them to begin this adventure eightyears ago:

“Many of us wanted to assure that the Lasalliancharism would still remain in place at such timethat the Brothers would not be present at all. Somemembers of the staff had attended Buttimer (theLasallian Formation Center for de US-TorontoRegion) and we knew that we needed to formalizethe group to better prepare for increased Partnerresponsibility for the mission of the school.

As for why Signum Fidei, it is primarily becausethat was what was available to us in a recognizedway. We wanted something beyond an informalassociation. Instead of trying to develop our ownsystem, we decided to use what was in place andrecognized by the Institute.

The group provides accompaniment for the mem-bers which assists them in becoming more awareof and committed to their own Lasallian identity.”

– How does a Signum Fidei group help its mem-bers take on the Lasallian identity? This responsecomes from the Philippines:

“Basically, the Signum Fidei encourages the mem-bers to exemplify the life and mission of theFounder and inspires the members to embrace theLasallian spiritually as the focal point of their for-mation process. In their group sessions, cell meet-ings, assemblies, retreats and/or recollection, themembers emphasize the Lasallian mission oftouching hearts and transforming lives. Eachgroup is encouraged not only to enhance the per-sonal and spiritual life of each member but helpothers improve their lives, especially those whohave less in life. Thus, each group is encouraged tohave formal or informal apostolate activities thatwill help improve community life.”


3.1b The Signum Fidei Fraternity

The groups that comprise the Signum Fidei Fraternity are, firstand foremost, communities of faith that live the Lasalliancharism based on their “Style of Life.”

– But this identity is not an experience that staysinside each person. The Signum Fidei groupsattempt to project the Lasallian identity into theeducational work in which they are present. Thisis the life experience which is found in theSignum Fidei group in Tulsa, as expressed byMarianne Stich:

“Many members of the group are the people whoare beginning to understand the sharing of respon-sibility for the future of the Lasallian charism. Ithink that all the members of the group are com-mitted to ensuring that the Lasallian identity ofthe school is obvious in decisions, financing, andgeneral education. There are varying levels ofunderstanding of just what that means, but Ibelieve that the members of the group are commit-ted to the Lasallian way of educating.”

– How does one who aspires to become a memberof Signum Fidei become involved in a particulargroup? The processes are varied. Let us see howsome groups in the Philippines describe theprocess:

“Those who come into the Signum Fidei circle shareexperiences to help improve their spiritual life andpersevere in their apostolic commitment. One ortwo years of aspirancy life equip the prospectivemembers with the readiness to formally join theassociation. Aspirants formally declare their inten-tion to join the Association in appropriate cere-monies. Aspirants join the consecrated members inthe formation activities like workshops, cell meet-ings, retreats and/recollections where they studythe life of the Founder, improve their spiritual life,share faith experiences, determine how they canadopt an apostolic work/activity, and how theycan persevere in their commitment. After one yearof aspirancy, the aspirant then formally declares inwriting his/her readiness to join the Associationduring the consecration ceremonies in the presenceof the National Animator and Brother Visitor.”

– The “consecration” made by members of SignumFidei, is it a type of “religious life” consecration,such as that of the Brothers?

The first thing that must be said is that we aretalking about an authentic consecration of the layChristian, who renews his/her baptismal consecra-tion in order to live it based on the Lasallian

charism and commitment. It should not be under-stood as a type of “religious life” consecration,along with “vows,” in the style of the Brothers. The“Signum Fidei” consecration is done “within” thesecular life.

How is this consecration expressed? The groupsfrom the Philippines express the ritual that theyuse for their consecration in the following way (seethe formula elsewhere in the Bulletin):

“Declaration of one’s commitment to the SignumFidei Association is done publicly in an appropriateceremony in the presence of the National BrotherAnimator and Brother Visitor. The memberexpresses his/her desire to be consecrated or torenew his/her consecration for a period of one yearformally in writing. The aspirant also expresseshis/her desire to join the aspirancy program. Theconsecration formula is recited during the ceremo-ny. A Signum Fidei pin is conferred by the Nation-al animator and Brother Visitor on those who arenewly consecrated. All those who join the ceremo-ny, the aspirants, those renew their consecrationand the newly consecrated members affix their sig-natures in the Signum Fidei logbook.

Efforts are geared so that members sustain theircommitment. In the cell meetings, regional andnational assemblies discussions on how this goalcan be achieved are taken up.”

– The inner life of each group or community is alsovery variable, according to the culture, the age ofthe participants, the possibilities of gatheringtogether on a regular basis...Following is how the


Signum Fidei groups from the Philippines talkabout it:

“Organizational structures and appropriate ven-ues are provided where members share their inter-nal life with others. Each local group holds regularassemblies where faith experiences are brought upand/or their apostolic commitment is discussed.Also each local group is even divided into smallgroups or cells where members can intimatelyshare their joys, aspirations, frustrations anddreams with their cellmates or colleagues. On alarger scale, regional assemblies or nationalassemblies are held where regional or nationalissues are thrashed out.”

– How do the Signum Fidei groups relate to theDistrict? How do they feel the universality of theLasallian mission?

There are two aspects that do not happen auto-matically, but there is also a learning processwhereby each person matures at his/her rhythm.This is expressed very well by Marianne Stich whenshe talks about the Signum Fidei group in Tulsa:

“At the founding of the group, we sought andreceived formal recognition by the Visitor. Mem-bers of the group are actively involved in variousgroups at the district and regional level. One mem-ber is on the Mission and Ministry council, one hasserved on the Regional Education Board. The vastmajority are Buttimer or LLI (Lasallian Leader-ship Institute) graduates.

When discussing solidarity, varying levels ofunderstanding also exist. There are those whoconsciously commit themselves to living in soli-darity with the Brothers and other Lasallians.There are those who probably do not understandyet that implication of consecration. That is prob-ably one area of formation that needs to beaddressed. The Brothers are present and support-ive. They are all willing to accompany the group inwhatever way we ask. They have done an excellentjob, over the last few years, of “pushing us out ofthe nest” and leading us to understanding theresponsibility for our own formation and groupthat Signum Fidei implies. There are several mem-bers who understand the international nature ofsolidarity with other Lasallians. It is difficult tosay that all members understand that. I think thisis an opportunity for growth for us.”


The Members: The Lasallian Fraternity is com-posed of men and women, married or single, whoagree to live their baptismal commitment in theservice of the young, following the example ofSaint John-Baptist de La Salle and in union withthe Institute of the Brothers. One agrees to enterthe Fraternity as in response to a call. This voca-tion is discerned and deepened in the course of aperiod of varying length, of prayer, sharing andcommunity experience. For those who are mar-ried, the agreement of the partner is necessarybefore any commitment.

An open community: in order to reinforce theirfraternal links, the members of the Fraternity livein an “open community” .This is composed of atleast three members, living in different places butclose to each other and meeting on a regular basisto pray, form themselves, reflect and share witheach other.

“Making a community” implies:

– a link (daily prayer, regular meetings)– an ideal to be shared (Lasallian spirituality, the

educational service of the young)– a care carried by all (community life and its

growth).

The formation of the members of the Fraternity isan important and constant concern. It helps themto develop, to discern and to live their vocation. Apart of the community meetings is devoted to iton each occasion.

The Mission: The Lasallian Fraternity has chosenas its mission the service of human and Christianeducation of the young, as a priority in Lasallianschools or other Lasallian works, linked with thepastoral ministry of the local Church. This educa-tion service extends to everything which touchesthe life and formation of the young in domains asvaried as: teaching, catechesis, leisure time pur-suits, finance and the different services which areprovided within the educational institutions. The

members of the Fraternity thus work in close col-laboration with the Institute of the Brothers of theChristian Schools and the Brothers who composeit, pursuing the same aim and sharing the samemission according to the spirit of Saint John-Bap-tist de La Salle, while respecting their states of life.

The Spirituality: The spirit of the Lasallian Frater-nity invites each of its members to a deepening ofhis or her Baptismal Faith and leads them to com-mitting themselves to the service of the humanand Christian education of the young and moreparticularly the poor. They thus live their commit-ment as a true ministry.

This spirituality is nourished daily by reading andmeditating on the Word of God, allowing the HolySpirit to act in them. This is the favoured link of


3.2 The Lasallian FraternityDistrict of France

The title of “Fraternité Lasallienne” (Lasallian Fraternity) hasbeen adopted by this “Lasallian intentional group” of the Districtof France, which was officially recognised as “associated with theLasallian mission” with the Institute of the Brothers of the Christ-ian Schools by the 43rd General Chapter (Circular 447, pp. 5-7). Upuntil January 2001 it was known as “The Lasallian Third Order”.

the community of Faith which they are trying tomake lived, since they do not live in the sameplace. This community in this way gives meaningto the commitment of all the members of theLasallian Fraternity, working in a spirit of gratuityand of service following the example of Christ.

The Commitment: Within the Fraternity, it ispossible to take on a temporary commitment ofone year, renewable. Following several temporary

commitments and after reflection with the com-munity, a member of the Fraternity can ask tomake a permanent commitment.

So as to live fully his commitment, each membercommits himself to participating on a regular basisin the life of his “open community” as well as inspiritual retreats.

The members of the Fraternity participate togeth-er, each year, in a spiritual retreat. At the end ofthe retreat, the members of the Fraternity renewtheir commitment in front of the assembled com-munity. The daily remembering of this commit-ment is for each one a source of grace in fidelity tothe received mission.

In order to ensure accompaniment and in consul-tation with those in charge, the Brother Visitor ofFrance will name Brothers to act in an accompany-ing capacity. The person in charge of the LasallianFraternity is elected by the members who havecommitted themselves, for a period of four years,renewable once.

Contact:François Tribout


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This all began in 2001, at a meeting of a group of50 teachers at Saint Cassian’s Centre, the house ofspirituality that the District of Great Britain has inKintbury. There it was decided to form local orregional groups to carry out the Lasallian missionbased on the needs and the experiences of eachplace. Soon afterwards the group in Bristolformed.

LAMB tells the storyThe call of the Mission: Our approach andvision is strongly based on our experiences ofworking at Kintbury, taking school groups there,or going on retreat there. We have learned at Kint-bury that young people hunger and thirst for spir-itual direction in their lives. So many young peo-ple, on leaving Kintbury, state that it has made abig difference to them – it has given them aninsight into the spiritual life. For many, it hasstarted a journey of spiritual discovery that will goon for the rest of their lives. For some, it has start-ed a process whereby young people minister totheir peers, go on to work at Kintbury or a similarplace, and play an active role in the life of theChurch. We ask them to pass the message on totheir peers, to be witnesses to Christ. This is a dif-ficult thing to do; even for adults it is difficult. Todo this effectively in a secular society requirescourage, commitment and support. Perhaps it alsorequires training of some kind. And, anyway, notall young people have the opportunity to go toKintbury (or a similar centre).

Our response: Our vision is that we can work inschools to follow-up on the good work that isstarted at Kintbury and other similar places. Wecan help by planning and organising events in theschool for young people. We can provide a level ofsupport for both teachers and young people. Wecan establish a “presence” in the school so that we

become trusted, and everyone in the school seesthat we are there as a resource for them. We canprovide a continuity of spiritual experience thatgoes on from one year to the next. We can be a “lis-tening ear” for those who need it. We will havetime for people.

LAMB’s Mission Statement: We are a growing,open, Christian community, alive in the spirit andthe charism of St John Baptist De La Salle. By liv-ing a life of love, witness, mutual support andprayer we desire to listen to, and reach out to all,especially the young and those in need.

The link to the Brothers: Central to our com-munity has been our link to the brothers. Whatwill be the nature of this link in the future? Froma community point of view the brothers are essen-


3.3 Lasallian Association for Missionin Bristol (LAMB)

District of Great Britain

The LAMB community is an example of a community made up oftwo concentric circles, that is to say, there is a small, full-timegroup which is supported by a broader group whose participa-tion is adjustable.

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tial as they keep us firmly rooted in the charismand work of De La Salle. LAMB would probably notbe where it already is if the brothers were notinvolved in the thinking, decisions and spiritualityof the group. LAMB must continue to be not sim-ply “allowed” to work by the brothers but to be anextension of the very evangelisation and outreachof the brothers in the twenty-first century. In thissense “Association” is not simply about remember-ing a past link with the brothers or with Kintbury,but is actually a vehicle by which the brothers con-tinue their work and mission in the new millenni-um.

The proposal to the District: Based on experi-ence and reflection, in 2003 the group made a pro-posal to the District about what the LAMB com-munity would look like, made up of two concentriccircles:

1. A part-time group consisting of volunteers whooffer their time at evenings and weekends. Thisgroup will be:

– prayer partners to those in the full-time com-munity,

– a support to full-time members,– a faith support to each other.

2. A full-time group. This group will have a regularpresence in schools and will be able to organiseand run events during school hours. The full-time group will arrange a timetable of activitieswith each school separately. The full-time

group will be a residential group, Brothers, Sis-ters and lay volunteers (younger and older) willshare a house, pray, eat and carry out a missiontogether. We will ask for a minimum commit-ment of one year for volunteers wishing to jointhis community; but this could be extended bymutual agreement. Two or three Brothers willlive and work in this community and for an ini-tial commitment to the project of three years.

It has to have individuals within it who will givewitness to Lasallian values of prayer and commu-nity by the work they do, not simply by being co-ordinators or administrators. A community thatintegrates the work of older and younger membersso as to share the gifts of both. A community ofprayer that shares values that Lasallians hold dear.

They would receive considerable support from, aswell as giving support to, the LAMB communityalready here in Bristol and we would like to see theresidential community as the visible expression ofthe community already here: in other words theyare the same community, they simply have a dif-ferent role.

The birth of the Saint Gabrielcommunity:This is how the Saint Gabriel community, in Cleve-don, came to be, in association with LAMB, in2004. It was initially made up of two Brothers andtwo lay persons. This is what they have to say:

“We are up and galloping. We are a community offour: Owen, Caroline, Michael and Benet. A fifthyoung woman has expressed an interest and wehave responded with an invitation to “come andsee”. Owen and Benet are Brothers. Caroline wasin charge of a house of prayer and acted as a chap-lain/counsellor one day a week to one of theschools; she has lots of local contacts; Michael is ayoung volunteer. He is keen to be involved withthe students and is a superb musician. We hope tofind someone of similar age to offer peer support.

The LAMB group has been wonderfully helpfuland supportive. They really are a dedicated group.Some students with Kintbury experience also wishto be associated with our community and work.

We have met as a community and drawn up vari-ous understandings about our life together. We


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worked on our prayer life and our own faith shar-ing; this latter comes naturally now. We continueto review on a regular basis what is effectively aCommunity Annual Programme, though withoutany real formality.”

The two circles in action:The two groups will carry out a ministry to youngpeople based on the Lasallian marks of “gratuity”and “by association”. Gratuity in this case meansthat the students receive the ministry freely; wewill expect the schools to give something towardsthis, but nothing like what it would otherwise cost.“By association” in this case means that it is a teamministry, with peer ministry at the heart of it.

In particular this community offers schools andcolleges:

• Prayer and opportunities for youth-centred spir-itual experiences.

• Practical, creative activities to engage the talentsof our students while adapting their own tal-ents to the differing needs of our schoolsand colleges.

• Young people bearing witness toyoung people, sharing theirown faith journeys while at thesame time “being with” thestudents in their faith jour-neys.

• Working with students insmall groups and discussiongroups supporting existingchaplaincy groups such as “Jus-tice and Peace” groups.

• Retreat and post-retreat work.

• Support the teaching staff through opportunitiesfor prayer and friendship.

• Leading and coordinating assemblies and/orservices.

• Out of school opportunities for prayer and faithdevelopment.

The aim of the community is to work with youngpeople in a faith environment. Prayer is at theheart of the community. There will be time forprayer at regular intervals with resources forprayer. Meals will be taken in common and couldbe shared with those outside of the community,within reason of course. There will be communitytime together for recreation. Community Days areto be recommended and fortnightly meetings withthe wider LAMB community. Time is given inevenings and at weekends for preparation ofresources and for the possibility of Youth Eventseither in schools or in the diocese. Community

activities in summer help in the formation ofcommunity.

The work of LAMB is based first and foremost upon building community, witheach other and with young people. It is

not just about providing a servicefor the young people, althoughthat may be how we go about thework. Instead it is about

enabling young people, wher-ever they are to be found, tobecome part of the Lasallianfamily, to “empower” them sothat they might more readilyanswer the call of Christ.


The history of this group began in1984, as narrated by one of themembers:Several of us teachers from the school got togeth-er once per week, invited by a Brother to reflect onvarious human and Christian topics. Over thecourse of the next two years our spouses joinedthe group. Our immediate concern had nothing todo with faith, but it was simply a matter of sharingour experiences and our concerns as friends. Butlittle by little faith became an important point ofreference, and we began to move forward in for-mation and in prayer.

We began to get to know the Bible, and we delib-erately started to work out a Christian group proj-ect. At the same time, we got more and moreinvolved in Youth Ministry in the school andwithin the District, and we participated in Dis-trict prayer meetings at Easter. New members

were added to the group until the group's currentnumber was reached.

We had already been in existence as a group forseveral years when we began to participate inLasallian formation sessions. Then, as we discov-ered more about Lasallian spirituality and theFounder's own life journey, we realized that we,too, were part of what it means to be Lasallian.

Over the course of several years, until 1999, sever-al Brothers took turns leading the group and pro-viding formation for us. Beginning in that year,the group took on the responsibility of leadershipand elected a lay member as leader from within thegroup itself. This process produced in us a verybeneficial effect of responsibility in that all themembers of the group took on roles within thegroup and personal and community commitmentsincreased substantially. The group began to defineitself as a Community.

Since the year 2000 we have brought up issuessuch as the Lasallian character and association. Weparticipate in meetings with other Lasallian com-munities in order to clarify these issues for all ofus. In January 2003 the group decided to seek for-mal association from the Brother Visitor and hisCouncil. In August of the same year, during Dis-trict Day, we made our promises of association inthe presence of other Brothers and Lasallians ofthe District.

How does the group feel about andexpress Lasallian mission, charism, andspirituality?In recent years we have brought up and discussedin detail that very question. To help us respond toit, we have devoted a lot of time to formation, bothin group meetings as well as by participation inLasallian sessions on the District and Regional lev-els, and even on the international level with ses-sions such as SIEL.


3.4 The “Galilee” CommunityDistrict of Valladolid, Spain

The “Galilee” Community (Comunidad “Galilea”) is a groupmade up of 6 married couples (each with two or three children),one Brother and another lay person. Its reference point is Cole-gio La Salle in the city of Valladolid, Spain. Most members areteachers in the school and one of them is the current Director ofthe school. Some work in professions other than education andone of these is the community's current leader.

Our commitments have a markedly Lasallian char-acter, not only on the part of those of us who areinvolved in teaching. Apostolic efforts which thecommunity agrees to are basically carried out atColegio La Salle and in District organizations. Weparticipate in educational campaigns for justice, inleading Christian youth groups, in organizationswhich provide aid for the needy. We are involved inlocal shared mission teams, and we are on variousDistrict committees. We have taken on variousresponsibilities in leadership and in the organiza-tion of the school. The members of the communi-ty feel that they are sent by the community to eachactivity in which they participate. Our prayer isessentially Lasallian, in the importance that wegive to the presence of God or to God's Word, forexample.

What helps you most in strengtheningthe ties between your community andother communities and the District?Besides the weekly group meeting we have otherkinds of periodic meetings, such as those for fes-tive celebrations with our families and in differentplaces, or meeting for reflection and sharingexperiences with other communities. Each Sun-day we attend Mass in the parish church of one ofthe members of the community, on a rotatingbasis. Once per month and even at other times,we celebrate a Mass with the Brothers' communi-ty from the school.

We maintain strong personal, friendly relation-ships with the Brothers of the District and thereis a sense of working in a common project. Weparticipate in District meetings. Brother Visitor

includes our community in the visits he makes tothe communities within the District. We feel thatwe make up part of the District, and we feel thatwe are in solidarity with the Brothers in theirsearch for new ways to carry out the missiontogether.

The community is now going through a time ofstrong commitment with its history and with thedesigns which the Spirit might have in view for it; itaccepts naturally the challenges that arise; it isdeepening its spirituality and it is enriched by activeparticipation, both as persons and as a group, in thedifferent activities that are put forward.

To contact:José Antonio Alvarez

[email protected]


We are a community of three activeLasallian educatorsWe stand on our experiences of Lasallian commu-nities with whom we’ve lived in the past. We eachconsider our time in other Lasallian communitiesas the building blocks to where we are today.

It is important to note that we had an imaginedway of what our community would be, and thenthe way it actually evolved. In the past year sincewe moved out of the San Miguel Community toform this community we have experienced themany forces that both enrich and challenge ouroriginal idea of community together: as three

adults, two going to graduate school, a marriedcouple maintaining their relationship, the thirdnurturing a significant relationship, taking care oftwo young children, all three of us working full-time in Lasallian ministries, caring for and accom-panying sick and dying parents. We recognize thatthis is not the kind of life imagined for a conse-crated religious. The challenges and gifts are nodifferent than a married couple or single personnot living in community. We simply choose to livethese gifts and challenges, including the chal-lenges and gifts of ministry, together, in supportof one another.

We have a personal sense that our success in min-istry is possible because of our sharing of thesegifts and challenges. We could not do our ministry,be who we are, without the support of one another.

Our “community” goes beyond the house in whichwe live. We feel a very strong tie to other Lasalliancommunities, both in Chicago and outside of it, butespecially those communities directly connectedwith the ministries in which we work. We are alsotied to other local communities, and to the neigh-borhood to which we minister. Without these ties,we would not be sustained in the same way.

Our prayer life as a community is different than weexpected it to be. We don’t have the flexibility andtime to sit down every morning and/or evening inour prayer room for 30 minutes of prayer andreflection. However, we still feel the prayer timewe do have together is significant. Furthermore,we have come to realize that the conversations wehave with each other, and others in our extendedcommunity (Lasallian and otherwise), duringmeals, washing dishes, replacing the lawn, plant-ing flowers, cleaning the basement, putting up theChristmas tree, painting Easter eggs, puttingtogether baby furniture, preparing the house forvisitors, restoring the floors, sorting baby clothes,and so on, are real encounters, experiences ofGod’s loving presence in all that we do.


3.5 A Lasallian Community on thesouth side of Chicago

Mike Anderer-McClelland (37). Director of Community Out-reach. San Miguel Schools of Chicago.

Karin McClelland-Anderer (36). Director of Shared Mission andFormation Christian Brothers of the Midwest District.

Thaddeus Smith (46). 6th Grade Teacher. San Miguel Schools ofChicago.

Jack (2) and Clare (1). Children of Karin and Mike.

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What makes us think we’re Lasallian?We have all lived in Lasallian communities in thepast for significant periods of time, one of us as aDe La Salle Christian Brother, the other two asLasallian Volunteers. More recently, the three ofus lived in a larger Lasallian community in Chica-go (connected to the San Miguel School). Karinhas lived 7 years, Mike 9 years, and Tad 7 years (todate) in Lasallian communities, always with bothlay and consecrated members (until this year).

We all work in Lasallian ministries as a deliberate,conscious choice. We have worked in other educa-tional ministries, public and private, but have cho-sen to continue working in Lasallian ministries.None of us is from Chicago originally, and wedeliberately moved to Chicago from other parts ofthe United States because of the opportunitiesavailable in Lasallian ministries in the MidwestDistrict.

In our own spiritual journeys, we have individual-ly come to identify with the Lasallian charism. Wedescribe our lives as a vocation, and we believethat this vocation is animated by the Lasalliancharism. We all feel called to serving in the Mis-sion; we all feel our work is inspired by the Spiritand rooted in our faith.

We are trying to experiment and provide a modelof how to live as a Lasallian community as matureadult Christians and Lasallians. We live in a largehouse that is a home. We make a point for it to bewelcoming and well kept, not just a place for us tostore our “stuff” and rest in between responsibili-ties at our respective ministries. We have beenmaking changes to the house (slowly, as money islimited) so that we can be sure to have ample roomto invite others into our community for meals,prayer, discussions, etc. We also hope to addanother bedroom so we can expand the number ofadults in the community.

We came together and began discussing the idea ofcommunity living in this way five years prior to

moving, together, into the San Miguel Communi-ty in Chicago (2002).

The community we are developing is not an exper-iment; it’s not a “Petri dish” for non-vowed reli-gious people. Maybe it’s a “Petri dish” for faithfulpeople, vowed or not. Would it be any different ifa Brother lived with us? This isn’t something forjust single people or married people, but faithfulpeople active in ministry -in particular, the Lasal-lian educational ministry.

Please contact:Karin McClelland-Anderer [email protected]



When and why did this experiencebegin?In 1982 the “Lasallian Missions” began in the Sier-ra of Durango. The pastor of the local parish, alongwith Brothers Lorenzo González and RamónHernández Carpio launched this movement as anevangelical response and an experiment in humandevelopment in favor of the people of the Prelature.Summer, Christmas, and Holy Week missions grewstronger in 1992 with the establishment of a Broth-ers’ Community and, two years later, with thebeginning of the Missionary Volunteer Movement.The objective, drawn up by the pastor with the helpof the Brothers, was to respond to theeducational needs and those of Chris-tian formation for the children,young people, and adults in thetowns and settlements of theSierra. It was for this purposethat Community Centers wereestablished in the towns and atthe same time in El Salto therewere established and strength-ened formation courses for:Extraordinary Ministers of theEucharist, Catechists, Youth Coun-

selors and Promoters of Human Rights. Also, linkswere established between the towns of the Sierraand the Lasallian community of El Salto.

Is this a missionary experience or wouldit more properly be called anexperience in community for mission?The Holy Week and the summer missions in theDistrict have always been considered to be, sincetheir inception, as living in community for the edu-cational service of the population. Young and moreadult missionaries make up small fraternities of alife lived in common which includes prayer andtraining with a view to carrying out the Lasallianmission in favor of children, young people, andadults of the Sierra. This is what is lived at the Vic-tory Center in El Salto. The Brothers and volunteersmake up a community of faith and fraternity inservice of the local Church, committed to humandevelopment and the evangelization of the ruralpopulation. Brothers, male and female volunteers,live in the same area (made up of three small hous-es with some larger common areas), they praytogether, and together they plan and program theapostolic activities they are going to realize. Theymake up small fraternities that are sent to towns to

live with the people and together withthem they find the most appropriate

ways to respond to their education-al needs and to their needs for

religious and spiritual growth.

Where do the youngvolunteers come from?What are theirmotivations? What dothey hope to find here?

Ordinarily the young people comefrom youth groups in Lasallian insti-

3.6 Community of Brothers andVolunteers of El Salto, Durango District of North Mexico

In El Salto, Durango, Mexico, in the District of North Mexico wefind a community made up of 3 Brothers and from between 25to 30 young people who came from many different cities in Mex-ico and even from different countries, such as the United States,France, or Spain. These young people make a one-year commit-ment to live in community and to carry out its mission. The com-munity is located in the Prelature of El Salto, in the Western Sier-ra Madre mountains.

Currently (June 2005) Brothers José Francisco Hernández, JuanGómez, and Gabriel Sarralde are the Brothers who live in thiscommunity.


tutions, such as high schools or universities, orfrom other university groups that work in conjunc-tion with Lasallian institutions. There motivationsare varied but the common denominator is theirwillingness to serve poor people and to do it from aLasallian perspective: education, religious training,human development for the love of Christ. Theyoung candidates know that they will find in theVictory Center in El Salto a community of referencein which they can grow as persons and as Christiansand with the community and in the communitythey make plans to serve the population. They comeknowing that they will receive no financial gain. It iscertain that many of them come with adventure asa motive. The spirit of adventure is transformedinto a missionary spirit as they come into contactwith the reality of the Mexican countryside, withthe people and their needs and they sense that asbaptized persons they have a mission to serve. Sev-eral of the young people express a desire to givethanks to God for having received so many benefitsand they express this by devoting themselves espe-cially for this one year, leaving aside their work orstudy commitments to serve their poor brothersand sisters.

How is their community experiencedeveloped?The volunteers join the community in August or inJanuary. They begin with two or three weeks ofintroduction and drawing up the community annu-al program. In the program they express the groupconvictions and the specific ways they will live faith,fraternity, and service. They keep in mind the life ofthe community and its apostolic outreach. Commu-nity life is conducive to the human and spiritualgrowth of each person: prayer, study, personal read-ing, times for interchange and decision-making,socializing and relaxing. Time is provided for updat-ing and for ongoing formation as regards humandevelopment (analysis of reality, strategic planning,community development, communication, forma-tion of the social conscience) and as regards evange-lization (Christology, ecclesiology, morality, Biblestudies, liturgy, prayer, popular religion, Lasallianstudies). Community life, therefore, has variousdynamics that aid in training to respond criticallyand creatively to the spiritual, social, and educa-tional needs of people of the Sierra.

What is their apostolate like?The volunteers are part of the overall plan of thelocal Church to give impetus to, along with the peo-ple in the towns, the quality of human and Christ-ian life of persons and of their communities. Withthe local Bishop and the Prelature’s Pastoral Plan,the El Salto community carries out its apostolicactivities in two phases:

– The insertion phase: small fraternities made up oftwo or three persons establish themselves in thetowns for a three-week period. The fraternityorganizes, according to the local needs of thepeople, courses, social and cultural activities.The fraternity provides community activitiesaimed at improving or developing talents and itfosters the life of prayer and the spiritual growthof the local community.

– The other phase is carried out at the Victory Cen-ter. People from the neighboring towns are invit-

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ed to participate in courses, workshops, semi-nars, retreats, youth meetings and assemblies atthe Victory Center.

At the end of this experience, what waslearned about the Lasallian charism andabout Lasallian Association for theeducational service of the poor?As the volunteer year comes to a close, the youngpeople experience moments of great tension. Onthe one hand, they have been in touch with theneeds and urgencies of the people, and on the otherhand, they are aware that they must leave this situ-ation to return to their “ordinary” lives of work,

study, family, friendship, socializing. This step doesnot happen without strong tension. Their lives areno longer the same. They are young people whohave prayed deeply, who have touched human sor-row, who have lived and discovered the richness oftheir own gifts to collaborate with people, who havelived in community and they feel part of a greatfamily that has worked for the promotion of people.Many of the young people recognize that their vol-unteer year has not been a “parenthesis” in theirlives but a “trampoline” that has launched them asChristians and as Lasallians, toward new chal-lenges.

How does this experience influence theyoung people later on in life?The volunteer year has been a school of life forthem. Not one young person has expressed anyunease for their year as a volunteer. On the con-trary, they feel that their lives have been impactedand many recognized that God was made especiallypresent to them and they accepted the challenge tocontinue on going from commitment to commit-ment. Some former volunteers have becomeinvolved in prayer, fraternity, and service groupswhich they themselves have called the Adrian NyelCommunity. Among former volunteers several haveopted for priestly or for religious life. Others havebecome sponsors of youth groups and missionarygroups in Lasallian schools, parishes, and universi-ties. Many of them who have opted for marriagerealize that their living faith and their willingness toserve are direct results of their year as a volunteer.The friendship that unites them to other formervolunteers is made manifest at their meetings,retreats and assemblies that they have periodicallyand in which they assess their living commitmentand their willingness to live the Lasallian charism.

For further information:Br. José Francisco Hernández Z.

[email protected]

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Under the protection of the District of Cameroon, anew form of Lasallian Association is being devel-oped. It is a group of former students which beganin Douala in 1992, but in 2001 was transferred toMbalmayo. Here this Association of Lasallian Vol-unteers began a new stage with about ten members.Br.Eugène Ly is the spiritual guide of this group.

Vitalis Ndikum is the Director of the community.He is 30 years of age and has been in La Salle for15 years, first as a pupil and after his universitystudies, as teacher of Computer Studies and Elec-tronics in Douala. His greatest joy is, he says,working with young people, having dialogue withthem and living in their midst.

From that time the members have been living incommunity; a community life punctuated byprayers, teaching, listening to the Word of God,exchanges. It is this community dimension whichreinforces the strongest links between the mem-bers, steeped in a spirit of Love for the formationof the young people confided to them. This com-munity groups together young unmarried per-sons, who devote themselves for a time to the edu-cation of others before getting married and found-ing their own home. Other young people are verycommitted. The married Volunteers do not live incommunity but come every morning to give theirclasses and devote part of their time to the young.

They have set in motion a professional formationcentre for young people and adults, the Br. Mutien-Marie Centre. Young people come there to learn atrade in the following disciplines: electricity, elec-tronics and computer studies. The formation isessentially centred on industrial techniques and thelearning aims, above all, at giving the children apractical formation necessary for self-employment.

“Everything needs to be built - says Vitalis -. Iwrite every day to different international organi-sations looking for financial help for our work. It isnecessary that the poorest have an opportunity to

receive the formation which we offer here. TheLasallian charism leads us to opening the young tothe world in teaching them a trade, thanks towhich they will be able to live; the charism leads usto speak to them of God who is the beginning and

3.7 Lasallian Volunteers ofCameroon

“Our major challenge is to build a solid team associated with theBrothers in the Lasallian mission. It is a long road, made up of joy,disappointment with those who give up and frustration. Meet-ing with God helps us to discover Him, to recognise Him in oth-ers and through our collaboration with the Brothers, to spreadhis reign in our country. The challenge is, therefore, to formgroups of volunteers , associates, devoted persons, full of zealfor announcing Christ through the education of the poorest ofthe young.”


end of their being, to remind them of the presenceof God every day. We want to be a concrete exam-ple for them.”

The Volunteers’ Community attaches a lot ofimportance to the formation of its members andto the sharing of experiences. It especially empha-

sises, on the one hand, the importance of forma-tion in prayer, religious and Lasallian formation,and on the other hand, formation in fraternal life.“At the heart of this process is to be found the dis-covery of the commitment to the poor which hadoverwhelmed us. Concern for the education of thepoorest was the starting-out motive, but none ofus had in any way measured the dimension of hiscommitment. No one really understood what wasmeant by the poorest and what it is to work for thepoorest. In spite of difficult moments and discour-aged people, the discovery of the face of Christ inthe young who are materially poor, has been astimulus for continuing our mission and making itdynamic.”

To contact:Vitalis Ndikum

[email protected]


In the Philippine context, year after year, manyFilipino children have to stop studying because ofpoverty. Year after year, many Filipino childrenhave to work to help feed their families. Year afteryear, many children have to abandon their dreamsfor the harsh realities of a hand-to-mouth exis-tence. Who would care enough to bring hope tothem?

The LaSallian Volunteer Program was conceived inorder to participate and contribute in this call ofthe Philippine society, especially the young Fil-ipino people. The core purpose is to provide avenue for the members of the Lasallian Familywhere they can commit their expertise, talentsand skills to the service of marginalized communi-ties, thereby attaining fullness of life for all.

In 1994, the Lasallian Volunteer Program (LSVP)was set up by the District to formally recognize thevolunteer spirit and initiatives which had expand-ed over the years. Since then, batches of graduateshave been trained and sent off to teach and servein La Salle schools and poor communities all overLuzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Wherever theseLasallian Volunteers (LSV’s) were sent, theyvowed to share a human and Christian educationwith the young and the poor in their everydayministry.

The volunteers come together and initially build aChristian Volunteer Community among themselveswhich then inserts itself in the life of a poor,depressed or isolated communities usually in therural areas. The volunteer members live a simple life,in a modest dwelling, usually not far from the waythe homes of the people they serve look and are.

Today, communities of Lasallian volunteers arefound in poor mission areas where there are press-ing needs, primarily in the education of childrenand youth-at-risk. Graduates, teachers and staffmembers from Lasallian schools make up these

LSV communities. The LSV communities enter themission areas with a set goal of initiating andimplementing a sustainable educational programfor youth-at-risk in the area.

The educational programs introduced are eventu-ally turned over to the care of the communitywithin a specified period of time, thus empower-ing the mission area in the program conceptualiza-tion, implementation and evaluation.

LSVP is funded by the Fund for the Apostolates forthe Poor (FAP) of the Philippine Lasallian Family.

Those who can be part of LSVP are… An alum-nus/alumna, single, not more than 35 years old, ingood health, willing to serve anywhere in thePhilippines for at least 1 full school year, dedicatedand committed to the Lasallian educational min-istry, an effective witness to the Lasallian spirit offaith and zeal.

Ms. Evangeline de Peralta.ex-Director of the Lasallian Volunteer Program

Director of the first all lay Lasallian Volunteers Community in the Philippines

3.8 Lasallian Volunteers of thePhilippines (LSVP)

The Lasallian Volunteer PerspectiveWhen I graduated from high school, I thought myLasallian days were finished, because I was goingto a public university. But as our guiding Godwould have it, I was able to stay connected throughsummer gatherings with Lasallian Collegians. Aservice trip to San Miguel School in Chicago wasthe pivotal experience that led me to take a leap offaith away from my degree in Communication Dis-orders and toward the Lasallian Volunteer Pro-gram. I felt the Spirit churn inside me as I servedat San Miguel and lived in community for that oneweekend; it was the kind of feeling that spokeloudly and clearly: “This is it!”

In the years to follow, I lived in community with

Brothers and Lasallian Volunteers in Californiaand Baltimore. I also traveled to Bangkok and SriLanka as part of the San Francisco District’s AdultImmersion Program. Now I live in Chicago –incommunity– at San Miguel School in the Back ofthe Yards neighborhood: the same place thatspoke so loudly to me five years ago. None of theseexperiences would have been possible without thework of the Christian Brothers who answered thecall from the Holy Spirit to take the Institute toplaces it never before planned to go and to formthis Association that many people refer to as theLasallian Family.

We are an institution in which people not onlywork together but also live and play together. Webreak bread together; we pray together; we taketrips together; we even pack up our life and moveacross the country together; all for the sake of thatchurning inside us, telling us that we will not be atpeace unless we answer the call. The Spirit has ledus here: to a beautiful mystery that we are not sup-posed to understand!

The Lasallian Volunteer Program is for me the bestexample of how serious the Institute is about thisidea of association. Some people question theeffectiveness of this model, saying that the inter-generational mix does not create a healthy livingenvironment. They criticize the mixing of reli-gious and lay lifestyles and of genders. In my opin-ion, however, these elements add to the richnessof community life.

What is the attraction of this kind of lifestyle?Why do young and old, religious and lay, want tolive together? The quick and easy answer would bethat they choose to do this for the mission.Although, ultimately, I do feel that the mission isthe glue, it is unrealistic to believe that this is themotive for all young adults who choose to be Lasal-lian Volunteers. Not all Lasallian Volunteers have


3.9 A Community Life with SanMiguel School USA/Toronto Region

Emily Vogel is the Director of Graduate Support at the Back ofthe Yards Campus of the San Miguel School in Chicago, IL. Shepresents his own experience of community life from the Lasal-lian volunteer perspective.

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received a Lasallian education, and not all Lasal-lian Volunteers are even Catholic. In addition, agreat number of Lasallian Volunteers are not plan-ning a career related to education after their vol-unteer commitment.

I’m pretty sure that the average young adult doesnot truly comprehend community living in theLasallian tradition until it’s “too late.” The powerof the volunteer year(s) can be so impressionablethat people often change career paths, get suckedinto the vortex of the Lasallian Spirit, and at themost basic, yet profound, way, recommit their lifeand their values to those of simplicity and service.

Young adults choose to volunteer for many rea-sons. They look at our world of violence, poverty,and despair and want to make a positive impactbefore entering the “real world.” I believe thatmany choose to live in community, as in the Lasal-lian Volunteer Program, because they long to bepart of something with deeper meaning, to beattached to a group of people they can depend onfor support and companionship. Moreover, youngpeople are free today to explore opportunities thatwill deepen their spirituality in profound ways.The Lasallian Volunteer Program is just one waythey can live in religious communities without thepressure of expectations or the need tomake a lifelong commitment.

This is not to say that community liv-ing is blissful –far from it! At timescommunity living was the source ofall my frustration, when changingthe toilet paper roll or refillingthe water container for theumpteenth time was enough toset me over the edge. Livingand working with the samepeople day after day pushedme to my limits while put-ting a mirror in front of my faceto show me some of my grandest weak-nesses. The experience called upon awhole new level of patience and under-standing while challenging me to riseabove my own selfish desires.

But the blessing of community isthat other members are usuallyexperiencing the same feelings. In

fact, one time during my volunteer years, we allshared stories about our “nightmares” about oneor more members of the community, oftenmetaphors for the frustration that had been build-ing inside. Thankfully, we were able to share thesenightmares in a loving way because we had beenable to build a previous foundation of unity rootedin the spirit of love.

But how? How does a group of men and women,young and old, religious and lay, build a founda-tion of unity rooted in the spirit of love? It cer-tainly doesn’t just happen, and it doesn’t happen

to the same degree in all communities.Since my Lasallian Volunteer years,

I have become particularlyinterested in the idea of

community, within theLasallian context as well as

in neighborhoods and cities.In two of my three years in

Baltimore, I was blessed withan urban tribe that provided the

opportunity to experience com-munity living outside the Lasallian

context. As a result, I came to threeconclusions about what I believe are

the most necessary ingredients forproducing a healthy and life-giving

community environment.

– First and foremost, for community to happen,it must be intentional. Community does not

just occur. It is unrealistic to think that put-

Photo: Elena Buetler

ting five to fifteen different personalities underone roof with the name Lasallian attached to itis going to create the spirit of community towhich I am referring. For community to hap-pen, people must want it to happen. They mustagree on what community is, and they must bewilling to find a way to create it.

– Second, the members must be willing to sharethemselves and to inquire about others’ per-sonal and spiritual journeys. The personal sto-ries of community members are a key ingredi-ent to community. It is not uncommon to findpeople at the dinner table for hours becausethey are caught up in sharing stories aboutlife’s tragedies and surprises. Young teacherscan be seen captivated by the wise Brothers andtheir sagas of past classroom blunders andteachable moments. Likewise, the shrewdBrothers can be seen lost in the joy of the ide-alistic young teacher who has all the energy inthe world to impact the life of each and everystudent. These symbiotic relationships thriveon the energy of one another.

– Third, community members must be willing toplay together. We are all required to worktogether; often there is a scheduled time topray together. Everyone usually eats together,but playing together is a bit trickier. Giving upvaluable free time for the sake of the communi-ty is not only essential to fostering the commu-nity spirit but often requires the most sacrifice.

Birthday celebrations, holiday parties, happyhours, and weekend trips all contribute to thejoys and fruits of community living.

One of my favorite community-bonding experi-ences occurred when I was living in Oakland. Wetook a spring-break trip to Zion and Bryce CanyonNational Parks. All six of us piled into two cars,slept in tents next to one another, hiked to themountaintops, and sang embarrassing songsaround the campfire. I remember being nervousbefore going on the trip, because I thought thatwhat I really needed was a full week away fromthese people with whom I spent all my time. Butmuch to my surprise, I realized upon returning thatwhat I really needed was a full week of playtimewith them–a full week to enjoy one another’s com-pany outside the confines of schedules, students,and stress. Playing together that week was a trueblessing and testimony to the work of the Spirit.

Friends and family often ask me why I choose tofollow the Christian Brothers and their mission allover the country. They are curious to know how ajob can be so important to me that I would riskleaving many beautiful versions of home to createnew versions of home in new cities. Seeing thestruggle I often have in leaving behind loved ones,they wonder why I would choose to do this tomyself. To be honest, I often feel the same way!But for some reason, it feels like the right thing todo. It feels like a call that I cannot ignore –thatchurning inside hasn’t gone away.

While on a mission retreat for San Miguel last fall,I reflected deeply on this struggle and wrote in myjournal, “This isn’t just a job –it’s a way of life. Peo-ple work here because it completes their version oflife. We aren’t just co-workers; we are more likesojourners, traveling together and supporting oneanother along the journey.” I return to that reflec-tion often, and I feel grateful for the rich and var-ied experiences that have come from my Lasallianjourney thus far.

The Spirit of God will lead us where we do not planto go. It will be a wild and adventurous ride, aslong as we allow the Spirit to do the leading.


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