Category: RELEM

CIAMEL (The International Council for Lasallian Association and the Educational Mission) is pleased to share the Conversation for the Lasallian Family: Deepening our Identity. With this document, CIAMEL invites all in the Lasallian Family to a conversation at the local, District, and Regional level concerning important questions about who we are as Lasallians, our Spirituality, our mission, Association, and our future.

The Conversation for the Lasallian Family is intended to be a tool for Brothers, Partners, and all who identify as Lasallian to reflect, dialogue, and discern our current reality and our shared future.

Throughout the year, the Secretariat of Association and Mission will be piloting the document with various groups in order to share emerging best practices and pedagogy for using the document. The hope is that this tool will lead to shared and inclusive conversations for the Lasallian Family that will help deepen our identity and clarify our vision. Lasallians: You are part of the miracle! 

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Dear Lasallians:

This letter is an invitation to all members of the Lasallian Family
—women and men who recognize the seal of Lasallian identity on
their lives and are committed to our Lasallian Educational Mission.
The Lasallian Family formally began its journey in 1966 when
the 39th General Chapter introduced for the first time the term
Lasallian Family.

The Brother capitulants recognized a new reality,
a new way of doing things, a new relationship, and new signs
of the times that were emerging in the Lasallian mission all over
the world. They also heard the language of a Pilgrim People on
a journey and saw a new way of understanding the Church as the
People of God along with the development of the ecclesiology of
communion that was emanating from the Second Vatican Council.
An attentive reading of Lasallian Essays #4, Bases for the Present
Day Model for the Lasallian Family can help provide context for
this development. In 1989, the General Council published the first
Letter to the Lasallian Family.

The journey continues and offers us the possibility to engage with
new realities that move us to reflect and conceptualize, to envision
and renew formation. These realities include:

• The Church’s development on “charismatic family;” that is persons, institutions and groups of persons united by the same foundational charism, in our case, that of Saint John Baptist de La Salle.
• The invitation from successive General Chapters and International Mission Assemblies to further articulate Lasallian identity and the sense of belonging to the Lasallian Educational Mission.
• The development of Association for the educational service of the poor.

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https://www.lasalle.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/EN_Lasallian_Family_CIAMEL_web.pdf

Ce message s’adresser à tous les membres de la Famille lasallienne,
à ces hommes et femmes qui ont conscience du sceau de l’identité
lasallienne dans leur vie et qui sont engagés, dans notre mission
éducative lasallienne.

Notre famille a officiellement commencé son cheminement en 1966,
lorsque le 39ème Chapitre général a introduit, pour la première fois, le
terme de Famille lasallienne. Les Frères capitulants ont sans aucun
doute reconnu une nouvelle réalité, une nouvelle façon de faire les
choses, une nouvelle relation, de nouveaux signes des temps, qui
émergeaient dans la mission lasallienne, partout dans le monde. Ils ont
également entendu la voix d’un peuple en route et ont vu la nouvelle
façon de comprendre l’Église en tant que peuple de Dieu, ainsi que le
développement de l’ecclésiologie de communion émanant du Concile
Vatican II. Une lecture attentive de « Fondements pour un modèle
actuel de Famille lasallienne. Essais lasalliens 4 » peut nous être d’une
grande aide à cet égard. Des années plus tard, en 1989, le Conseil
général a publié la première « Lettre à la Famille lasallienne ».
Notre route se poursuit et nous a donné la possibilité de continuer
à marcher et expérimenter, en utilisant comme point de départ
de nouvelles réalités qui nous amènent à la réflexion et à la
conceptualisation, à la vision et à une formation renouvelée :

• Le développement, dans l’Église, de la notion de « famille charismatique », à savoir un ensemble de personnes, d’institutions et de groupes unis par un même charisme fondateur, (dans notre cas, celui de Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle).
• Les invitations à mieux articuler l’identité et le sentiment d’appartenance lancées par les Chapitres généraux et les Assemblées internationales successives de la Mission éducative lasallienne.
• Le développement de l’Association pour le service éducatif des pauvres.

https://www.lasalle.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ESP_Lasallian_Family_CIAMEL_web.pdf

  Le tremblement de terre dévastateur qui a eu lieu le vendredi 30 octobre dans le district de Seferihisar près d’Izmir a fait plusieurs dizaines de victimes. De nombreuses personnes ont également dû quitter leur habitation et sont désormais logées dans des tentes, dans des conditions précaires. De 7 à 77 ans, tous les membres de la famille Saint-Michel se sont mobilisés pour se joindre au vaste réseau de solidarité qui s’est mis en place pour aider la région. 

Les élèves, les professeurs, le personnel et la direction du lycée se sont organisés pour porter assistance aux personnes restées sans ressources suite à la catastrophe. Nous avons rapidement préparé des colis de couvertures et de vêtements chauds pour l’hiver et nous sommes coordonnés avec le groupe de solidarité mis en place par Korhan Gülsoy, un de nos anciens élèves (promotion diplômée en 2009), pour envoyer tous les colis à Izmir.    

Nous remercions tous les élèves qui ont manifesté leur sens des responsabilités et se sont mobilisés pour porter secours aux victimes du tremblement de terre. Nous remercions également toutes les personnes qui se sont jointes à l’organisation. En espérant que les dégâts seront rapidement réparés et que tous les habitants pourront regagner leur habitation. Toutes nos pensées aux victimes et à leur famille… Ensemble pour Izmir.

October has brought many new things to St Cassian’s. We have had to adapt to ministry in Covid times, but the team have been amazing at this.

The month started with the team heading down to the canal to take part in the West Berkshire litter pick. We registered through the council to clear up our section of the canal. We all has a lovely time and even competing in teams as to who could collect the most litter. We then completed our first aid training and fire marshal training. The next part of our team training was a visit from the lovely Jo Millea from DLS St Helens. She came and did some art workshop training with us. We all loved the few days we spent with Jo, learning new techniques and workshops that we can use with our young people.

The Retreat Team went up to the Briars, another retreat centre in Derbyshire to continue to work on the mental health programme for schools and left the volunteer team and Katy at the centre for a few days. Well like they say when the boss is away the team will play and so we went and had some fun at a petting Zoo. Once the Retreat Team were back we celebrated the CAFOD Harvest Fast Day with a light lunch, followed by an afternoon of games led by the volunteer team. We had to ‘brighten up’ for the harvest and so team put face paint on and got in the competitive spirit. The day was so much fun and we were so proud of the volunteer team’s activities.

The Transition Year students (Fourth Year) in De La Salle College, Dundalk celebrated the ILDP 2020 as part of their Lasallian Studies course. Throughout the month between September 21st and October 21st, they explored and discussed the four key themes of: Week One – Grief and Loss; Week Two – Reflection and Growth; Week Three – Strength in Community and Compassion; Week Four – Resurgence and Hope. 

They considered what actions are needed during these unprecedented times of change and what we can do as Lasallian’s to provide support for our communities and Lasallian Family as a whole. They would like to extend the invitation to all Lasallian’s across the world to “choose peace” and be aware that we, as Lasallians “remain in this together, united and more hopeful than ever”. 

The photographs show the TY students proudly displaying their creative work from the stimuli provided for the ILDP 2020. The last picture also has a simple message to share with Lasallians across the world from De La Salle College in Dundalk.