PASTORAL LETTER TO THE BROTHERS 2022
There is a long-held tradition, started by my eminent predecessors, of releasing a pastoral letter to the Brothers every Christmas. I am delighted to share with you some stories and photos, thoughts, and prayers to welcome 2023. But instead of following the more formal writing style used in official Institute documents, I opted to use the more personal and informal narrative writing style popular among blog writers.
It is not my intention to devalue our rich Lasallian heritage or to trivialize our treasured core values. My sole purpose is to take on the same spirit and style that have characterized the Lasallian Conversations, which Squadra CG initiated shortly after the 46th General Chapter. The stories here are from real encounters with persons I had the privilege to meet; sometimes, the persons and places are named, but at other times anonymized. The photos have their own stories and are not always directly related to the text. Each segment is intentionally brief, stands on its own, and may be used to start a casual talk, trigger deeper reflection, inspire some to pray, or provoke others to action. While these reflections were written principally for the Brothers, there is no reason not to share these with the wider Lasallian Family or groups beyond our usual circles who may find some use for these.
As Elie Wiesel reminds us, “God made human beings because God loves stories.” All are welcome to join our caravan of story lovers. Bring loads of stories to share too. It will be a great adventure with our Everyday God, who loves stories and storytellers!
