On the occasion of the feast of the Holy Trinity, on 4 June 2023, Brother Armin Luistro, Superior General, presented the new governance structure of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, which includes seven Commissions and seven Offices.
To this effect, and in order to articulate their work of leadership and animation in the light of the 46th General Chapter and the III International Assembly for the Lasallian Educational Mission (AIMEL), the Chairs of the Institute’s Commissions gathered for the first time at the Generalate in Rome from 22 to 26 September: Ms. Heather Ruple (Association); Br. Steven Vasoli FSC (Consecrated Life); Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC (Education); Mr. Charles Legendre (Evangelisation); Br. Eder Polido FSC (Formation); Mr. Jerald Joseph (Justice and Peace); and, virtually, Ms. Julia Mayer (Youth).
On the part of the General Council, the meeting counted on the participation and animation of Brothers Ricardo Laguda, Chris Patiño and Sergio Leal, as well as the accompaniment of Brother Armin Luistro, Superior General, who during the first session affirmed that “often operational actions focus on the urgent and not on the essential; we want you now to focus on the essential”.
New horizons
Similarly, Br Armin pointed out that in the animation of the Institute “physical distance has limited our understanding of reality. Therefore, the presence of the Commission Chairs in the Districts – and not in Rome – and also in other responsibilities, will now help us to have a new look at the various realities and to be well present in them”.
In particular, Brother Superior General highlighted that “the Commissions share in the leadership and animation functions of the Councils, identifying key emerging issues involving the Lasallian Family, and provide input to ensure that the commitments of the 46th General Chapter and AIMEL III are implemented, while proposing policies and programmes to foster greater collaboration of all Lasallians worldwide”.
For his part, Br Ricardo Laguda detailed that “it will be necessary to focus on two or three global issues that can touch on many lines of action, but also to understand how we can work together more technically, more efficiently, so that the Institute can continue to move forward and innovate”.
Likewise, Br Chris Patiño stated, “the new model of the Institute is really centred on the vision of working together, having as a basis a common methodology and identifying the most urgent issues to start this journey together“.
For Brother Sergio Leal, Executive Secretary of the General Council, one of the great challenges for the Commissions is “to be the ears and eyes of the Institute in its plurality, to build bridges and to be guides called to lead and to innovate, as Brother Armin said”.
These and other specific directions were the focus of the working sessions, guided by Alfred Ablaza, as facilitator, through spaces of collective construction, reflection and dialogue with the Directors of the Institute’s Offices, in search of articulations and synergies to respond to the necessities of the Lasallian Mission today.