Dear Friends,
The 2nd International Young Brothers Assembly was held in Rome this past November. It was a gathering of roughly 40 young Brother delegates from each of the Districts around the world representing the hundreds of Brothers who are still in initial formation or in the recent years since perpetual profession. The theme of the Assembly was Passionate Witnesses of Fraternity. In their final report, these young Brothers observed, “Being together with young Brothers and young Lasallians made us recognize that every day La Salle is growing. The desire to serve and to bring hope to others, but above all to proclaim Jesus Christ from what we live day by day, enriches our identity and challenges us to live passionately the legacy that St. John Baptist de La Salle left us and which is constantly being renewed.” What a powerful insight from the young generation of Christian Brothers!
In this issue of Lasallian Notes, we highlight the care and attention given to our elderly and senior Brothers. Brothers, who like these young Brothers of today, committed their lives to proclaim Jesus Christ through the ministry of Christian education. Like these hopeful young Brothers, our elderly Brothers made a life in living the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle in their willingness to take on different assignments in many schools. Today, they continue to be passionate witnesses to fraternity in the way they patiently bear the daily crosses of aging and diminishment. Our senior Brothers pray fervently each day for the young people entrusted to the many ministries of the District and for their families. It is not uncommon for the Teachers’ Prayer Before School to be recited in the chapel as a sign of solidarity with those who are entrusted with the ministry of teaching. And perhaps the most moving fraternal witness that can be observed is when the Brothers gather at the bedside of a confrère preparing to meet the Lord so that he does not die alone but is accompanied to the end by his Brothers.
The dreams and hopes of our young Brothers give us confidence in the future of our Institute and of our Mission. The witness and legacy of our older Brothers provides us a witness to the graces God shares with those who generously follow his call for a lifetime.
Your generous support allows us to prepare and support our young Brothers as they live their vocation in challenging times while also enabling us to accompany our older Brothers to continue to witness to the graces of a life of Christian Brotherhood. Thank you for your support!
Live Jesus in our hearts! Forever!
Respectfully,
Br. Robert Schaefer, FSC
Visitor/Provincial