The International Economic Council (IEC) of the Brothers of the Christian Schools held a meeting at the Generalate in Rome from 19 to 21 September 2023. This canonical Council, together with the General Council and the International Council for Lasallian Association and the Educational Mission (CIAMEL), contributes significantly to the mission of the Institute and directly supports the Superior General in the execution of his ministry.
“The IEC is a body that in some cases makes decisions and in other cases makes recommendations to help the Institute [of the Brothers of the Christian Schools] in the good management of resources“, commented Brother Carlos Gómez, Vicar General, at the conclusion of the meeting, recalling that “these resources are goods of the Church that we administer, as expressed in the Rule of the Brothers”.
Sustainability, ethics and transparency
To fulfil this task, the IEC appeals to “the highest ethical standards and takes into account international and local legislation, so that it always responds to the support of the mission, but also to the imperative of rectitude and transparency in accounting,” says the Vicar General.
In fact, the construction of policies, criteria and other orientations on the part of the IEC are aimed at guaranteeing transparency as well as the sustainability of the Lasallian mission, which includes supportive, subsidiary actions that that enable the educational option for the most impoverished.
The IEC is composed of Brothers and Lay people: Brothers Ambrose Payne (President), Armin Luistro (Superior General), Carlos Gómez (Vicar General), Jöel Palud (General Councillor), Donald Johanson (Director of Financial Stewardship) and Martín Rocha (General Bursar); and Lay members Pamela Gleeson, Diana Pardo, Nestor Tan, Julio Gordillo and Alessandro Lombardi. The Council meets three times a year. “If we opt for a shared mission, it is also important for Lay people to be part of these bodies, and the experience of many Lay Lasallians enriches us greatly,” says Brother Carlos.
“We must humanize economy”.
For his part, Brother Martín Rocha, Econome General of the Institute, who recently met with the bursars of the Lasallian Region of Latin America (RELAL), also underlines that “we must humanize economy [so] that it ceases to be such a mechanical task, and we can really provide it with a human face”. “Our great challenge is to know how to be brothers to others, [to be] present from our fraternity, to know how to ‘waste time’ with people”, concludes the General Bursar.