DE

CLA
RA
ON THE
LASALLIAN
EDUCATIONAL
MISSION

TION
CHALLENGES, CONVICTIONS AND HOPES
 BROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

DECLARATION
ON THE LASALLIAN
EDUCATIONAL
MISSION
CHALLENGES, CONVICTIONS
AND HOPES

GENERALATE – ROMA

2020
Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission
Challenges, Convictions and Hopes
Brothers of the Christian Schools
Generalate - Rome
First edition

Editorial Committee General Council

Maximilian Roeckl Timothy Coldwell
Gerard Rummery Paulo Petry
Alfonso Novillo Aidan Kilty
Carlos Gómez Pierre Ouattara
Nestor Anaya Ricardo Laguda
Gustavo Ramírez, General Councillor, Rafael Matas
who accompanied the project. Gustavo Ramírez
Jorge Gallardo, Vicar General
Consultants Robert Schieler, Superior General
Carmelita Quebenco
Mary Fox Editorial Administration
Mary Hyam Jorge Alexánder González Morales
Heather Ruple
Teresa Gómez Layout and design
Mauricio Guerrero Ingrid Jiménez Urbina for the Service of
Luis I. Salgado Communications and Technology
William Mann
Antony Arulsamy Editorial Producers
Nicolas Capelle Communications and Technology
Francisco Chiva Service in Rome
Rafael Matas Ilaria Iadeluca, Luigi Cerchi, Fabio Parente,
Alexánder González FSC
Editorial team
Alisa Macksey April 2020
Fritzie Ian De Vera
Rose Laetitia Dala
Colette Allix
Antuaneth Jessica Ortega
Keane Palatino
Andrés Govela
Carlos Castañeda
Jesús Félix Martínez
Ferdinand Biziyaremiye
Thanks to:

All Lasallians who sent notes, who participated in the

seminars and conferences, and who offered reflections
to prepare this document.

In particular, we appreciate the valuable

contributions of:
Administrative teams
Reflection teams
District mission leaders
District mission councils
Regional mission councils
IALU researchers and members.

The Service of Lasallian Research and Resources,

led at the time by Diego Muñoz.

The Secretariat for Formation, led at the time

by Jesús Rubio.

The Secretariat for Solidarity and Development, led by

Amilcare Boccuccia and assisted by Angela Matulli.
 CONTENT
PRESENTATION | 7
INTRODUCTION | 9
PRELUDE | 13

PART ONE
OUR LIVING LASALLIAN HERITAGE | 15
1.1 The human foundation of fraternity. | 18
1.2 De La Salle's foundational insights. | 20
1.3 The Conduct of the Christian Schools: a community educational project. | 22
1.4 Evolution and enrichment of the Lasallian educational tradition. | 24
1.5 The Institute grows outside of France. | 31
1.6 Fidelity and innovation. | 32
1.7 The Brother of the Christian Schools in the World Today: A Declaration
(1967). | 36
1.8 The growth of Lasallian institutions of higher education. | 37
1.9 Toward Shared Mission and New Realities. | 39

PART TWO
PARTICIPANTS INVOLVED IN THE LASALLIAN EDUCATIONAL MISSION | 43
2.1 Brothers of the Christian Schools. | 45
2.2 Lasallian Partners, New Agents in the Mission. | 47
2.2.1 Women in the Lasallian Educational Mission. | 51
2.2.2 Contribution of members of other faith backgrounds to the Lasallian
Educational Mission. | 52
2.2.3 Lasallian benefactors. | 54
2.2.4 Young people and Lasallian volunteers. | 55
2.2.5 Lasallian former students. | 56
2.3 Organized groups of Lasallians.| 57
2.3.1 Lasallian ecclesial groups. | 57
2.3.2 Other Lasallian organizations. | 57
PART THREE
INSPIRING AND ENDURING FUNDAMENTALS OF THE LASALLIAN
EDUCATIONAL HERITAGE | 61
3.1 Jesus Christ: Reference, Inspiration, Support and Life. | 63
3.2 The core of the Lasallian Educational Mission: Community. | 65
3.3 The spirit that animates the Lasallian Educational Community. | 66
3.3.1 Faith. | 67
3.3.2 Fraternity. | 68
3.3.3 Ardent zeal. | 69
3.4 Lasallian Association. | 70
3.5 Features of the Lasallian educational tradition. | 71
3.5.1 The pedagogy of fraternity. | 71
3.5.2 To Educate in and for Life. | 76

Part Four
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE CHALLENGES OF THE LASALLIAN EDUCATIONAL
MISSION | 83
4.1 Together and by Association for the Educational Service of the Poor. | 88
4.2 Human Solidarity. | 90
4.3 Citizenship and Political Life. | 93
4.4 Critical Thinking and Interiority. | 96
4.5 Integral Ecology. | 99
4.6 International Network. | 101
4.7 Beyond the School. | 103
4.8 Educational proposals to Pursue and Transform. | 104
4.8.1 In dialogue with emerging paradigms. | 105
4.8.2 From the perspective of learning rather than that of teaching. | 107
4.8.3 The teacher: irreplaceable role and educational authority. | 108

CONCLUSION: OUR DECLARATION | 115

GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS | 123
ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS | 132
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

April 30th, 2020

Dear Brothers and Lasallians,

The delegates of the Second International Assembly for the Lasallian

Educational Mission (AIMEL 2013) expressed the desire to deepen our
understanding of the nature, purpose, and spirit of Lasallian education.
They correctly pointed out that we are attracted to this mission and
yet the reason for this attraction isn’t easy to define or explain. In the
course of the assembly they observed there are multiple aspects to this
educational work and that they have an integral relationship that isn’t
always clear; and, they saw a need to clearly articulate the convictions
that could provide coherence for methods, strategies, and relationships.

This discernment led them to propose the drafting of a Declaration on

Lasallian Education which would respond to these needs in order to
help Lasallian educators strengthen their identity and provide a guide
for responding to today’s significant challenges, while remaining in
dialogue with social and pedagogical realities.

At the 45th General Chapter the delegates strongly affirmed the AIMEL
2013 proposal and passed Proposition 17 calling upon Brother Superior
and the Council to work with the International Council for Lasallian
Association and the Educational Mission (CIAMEL) in drafting a
Declaration on Lasallian Education. Over the past four years, CIAMEL
in particular has worked diligently with a Writing Commission to
conduct research, consult, and reflect on the Declaration. They looked
back to the origins of the Institute and the source of the charism that
gave life to this beautiful educational work. Additionally, they looked
to the future horizons that nourish our hope and impel each of us to a

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

shared commitment. In this dynamic movement between the origins

and the horizon the Declaration invites each Lasallian to integrate
these convictions and hopes into his/her own educational work.

Of course, no document can fully express our identity or encompass our

vitality. Given that the fundamental starting point for our Lasallian
educational spirituality is its incarnational quality, it would be true
to say that each of us embodies and give expression to that identity
and vitality. What this Declaration can do is give us a central reference
point for our educational work so that it is life-giving and creative for
the young people and young adults God has entrusted to our care.

It is my ardent hope that the Declaration on the Lasallian Educational

Mission will help us intensify our vocation and to enflame our passion
to build educational communities with the young at the center. Let us
use this Declaration as a source for enhancing our unity and animating
our solidarity for those God sends us.

Sincerely in Saint La Salle,

Brother Robert Schieler, FSC

Brother Superior

8
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

INTRODUCTION
In response to Proposition 17 of the 45th General Chapter, the following
Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission is presented. Its
intention is to motivate and guide our educational work toward the
future in response to the needs and challenges of today’s world. It seeks
to offer proposals full of hope and to highlight certain convictions
derived from our rich history in order to facilitate the development
and continuity of our Educational Communities.

To achieve this objective, present reality has been kept in mind as the
starting point, our rich history as an Institute has been recognized and
a desired future imagined. We rely on research and dialogue to recognize
who we are, what we do and how we do it. The International Council
for Association and the Lasallian Educational Mission (CIAMEL) has
desired to propose a profound, inspiring and prophetic text that invites
commitment and that looks forward to the future in hope.

This new document is not an update of The Brother of the Christian

Schools in the World Today: A Declaration of 1967, which will be considered
further on in Part One. This Declaration has a different purpose, that of
serving as a starting point for an ongoing reflection on the Educational
Mission that unites Lasallians worldwide.

For this purpose, CIAMEL proposed to use a vocabulary that will be

inclusive of all cultures, open to all religions, and have a message for
all the people who participate in the Mission. It opted for a process
of communal construction that takes as its starting point the
understanding and appreciation of our historical heritage, ref lects
on Shared Mission in the face of different realities, and considers the

9
Brothers of the Christian Schools

participants who pursue the Educational Mission. It builds on the

inspiring and enduring fundamentals of our educational tradition, the
educational challenges we have in the present and those yet to come.

Based on the structure proposed in the table of contents, the first

part of the text presents essential elements of our historical heritage,
characterized by giving a pertinent response to local challenges and
by a profound educational, collaborative and associative evolution
based on fraternity and the foundational insights of De La Salle.
The aforementioned will be grounded in The Conduct of the Schools’
understanding of the School as a community project that allowed it to
grow and develop in different parts of the world and will be maintained
as its foundational thrust.

Along this historical trajectory, the lay vocation was consolidated

in The Brother of the Christian Schools in the World Today: A Declaration
(1967), which invigorated the Institute by rediscovering, in light of
Vatican Council II, the person of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and
his spirituality. On the other hand, it also brought about a broader
and more open vision of the Educational Mission in dialogue with the
world, attentive to the signs of the times.

In the second part of the text, we present the tremendous importance

and value of the partners as individuals in addition to their association
for the Educational Mission. The De La Salle Brothers, the women, the
believers of other faiths, the benefactors, the Lasallian youth and
volunteers, the alumni and organizations that share the Lasallian
charism, all of them contributing valuable elements to the Mission.

Knowing the richness and the transcendence of our heritage and its
participants, in the third part we deal with the inspiring and enduring
fundamentals of the Lasallian educational tradition. These are the

10
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

person of Jesus Christ as reference, inspiration, support and life of

Lasallian Association; the community as core of the Lasallian Mission,
the spirit of faith, fraternity and ardent zeal; Lasallian Association;
and the features of our educational tradition that could be synthesized
in educating in and for life and in the pedagogy of fraternity. This
recognized in human, affective and courteous relationships, the
source of personal growth and the viability of the educational process,
demanding, caring, and inclusive in its services, emphasizing the
formation of educators. Regarding the features of Lasallian Education,
the social dimension of education is recognized in any of its contexts,
that it be comprehensive and integrating, Christian, student-centered,
linked to life, effective and efficient.

This identity and character, integrates and renews our convictions,

allows collective discernment, the stability of the common project, the
availability and solidarity of its members, the warmth of fellowship,
as well as openness to the universal. From the Founder’s time until
today it is our Educational Mission and its associative dynamism of
Community that our work has been forged for the good of individuals
and societies.

From these inspiring and enduring foundations of the Lasallian

educational tradition, one looks to the future, recognizing the
challenges and hopeful proposals. The challenges call us to serve
the poor together and by association, promote solidarity in our
communities; educate for citizenship, critical thinking and interiority;
educate with a network, even beyond the school. Maintaining clarity
about the type of society and person we are looking for, as well as the
role of the educator and the school, we list some educational proposals
to advance and transform: dialogue with emerging paradigms;
student-centered teaching; and the teacher’s dignity, pointing out the
educator’s irreplaceable and important role.

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

In the face of present and future challenges, the final part of the
document presents twelve points that synthesize our position, our
convictions, proposals and hopes vis-à-vis the challenges identified,
which with historical evolution, will continue to change, and with
them, our way of responding in the mission.

This declaration is an exercise that concretizes our position regarding

the educational mission. In no way does it imply a prescriptive or
limiting intention, but rather one that is open, guiding and inspiring.
Along with Lasallian Identity and Vitality Criteria, Lasallian Formation for
Mission: the Pilgrim’s Handbook and the next publication on The Identity
of the Lasallian Family, this declaration invites us to face the future
with complete confidence in Jesus of Nazareth, who summons us; the
inherent goodness of people; and in education, a privileged means of
humanizing.

12
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

PRELUDE
When we hear the word "Declaration," we think of important
historical declarations such as the American Declaration of Independence,
the Declaration of the Rights of the Man of the French Revolution and
UNESCO's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

In 1966-1967, after the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church,

the Brothers of the Christian Schools held an international meeting
[Chapter] with delegates elected by the Brothers from over 80 countries.
These delegates represented about 17,000 professed members. They
felt secure in the almost 3,000 younger members who were being
formed for the future. A significant number of notes had been sent
to the Chapter suggesting that the Brothers, if they so wished, might
be ordained priests and still remain members of the Institute. As an
expression of the Institute's will and their deepest awareness of its
historical nature and mission, the Brothers considered it appropriate
to formulate a declaration entitled The Brother of the Christian Schools in
the World Today: A Declaration. This document not only reaffirmed the
non-priestly lay character of the fraternity, but also recognized that
the Institute needed to develop "a return to the poor." The extensive
documentation of Circular Letters for the period 1966-1981 shows the
seriousness with which this "return to the poor" was taken.

The Institute's experience throughout the world had already led the
authors of the 1967 Declaration to recognize a continuous expansion
of their works thanks to a growing number of educators, non-Institute
members, who were inclined to support these works as educators. The
text of this new Declaration welcomes all who collaborate together in
the Lasallian mission "to provide a human and Christian education."

13
Brothers of the Christian Schools

This new Declaration, therefore, manifests the coherent pedagogical

principles that have constituted the Lasallian educational heritage
since its beginning. Tracing the history of about 350 years shows
moments of strength, of temporal suppression and resurgence, of
geographical expansion and development from beyond the country of
origin.

The future of the Lasallian educational mission, in continuity with its

historical past, seems to suggest that its future will continue through
the work of all those who choose to partner to continue the educational
movement launched by John Baptist de La Salle and generations of
Brothers.

Therefore, we, Lasallians, in response to the resolution of the Institute's

General Chapter of 2014 to prepare a Declaration on the Educational
Mission recognize ourselves as heirs of John Baptist de La Salle and all
who have followed in his footsteps since the first two schools in 1679.
In the same way, we believe that we share in the title of Lasallian
educator whenever:

a. we act in the spirit of association.

b. we respond to the needs of those we serve.
c. we share our being with others.
d. we help others to live their lives with full human dignity.
e. we love and serve with special attention those less fortunate,
inspired by our faith.

This is the reason why we are committed to following this path

outlined for the good of young children and youth.

14
 PART ONE

OUR
LIVING
LASALLIAN
HERITAGE
“God, who directs all things
with wisdom and gentleness
and who does not force our
wills, wishing to have me to
take care of the schools, led
me imperceptibly and over a

“
long period of time from one
commitment to another in a
way I did not at all foresee in
the beginning.”
(Memoir on the Beginnings)
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

A
s a response to the petition of the 1993 General Chapter, the
General Council of the Institute published the document The
Lasallian Mission of Human and Christian Education: A Shared
Mission. The introduction reads:

Dear Fellow Lasallians, Welcome to this introduction to your
Lasallian Heritage, the Living Tradition, which links you to the first
school of John Baptist de La Salle in Rheims in 1679 and so, today, with
all those persons throughout the world whose educational mission is
inspired by the same vision (The Lasallian Mission of Human and
Christian Education: A Shared Mission, 1997, Introduction)

The expression "Lasallian heritage" refers to the foundational insights

of the educational work begun by the priest John Baptist de La Salle
and by the f irst generation of men who gathered around him, to
establish the group that in history is known as the Brothers of the
Christian Schools. This educational movement, founded in France some
350 years ago, is led today by peoples from very different countries and
cultures.

17
Brothers of the Christian Schools

Ever alive, the Lasallian

The expression “Lasallian
heritage also refers to an
heritage” refers to the
historical journey, to God's
foundational intuitions of
incarnation among us: to
De La Salle and the first
the events, responses and
generation of Brothers, and
development of Lasallian
also to the development of
education throughout the
Lasallian education over the
more than three centuries
three centuries and more of its
that have elapsed since
existence
the first schools of Rheims
in 1679.

As these principles, the foundational insights and historical itinerary,

constitute the Lasallian educational heritage, those who assume them
can legitimately be considered heirs.

In these more than three centuries, the Brothers in France have been
on the verge of extinction on two occasions; but today they educate
in almost 80 countries. What are the foundational insights that have
allowed this fraternity to continue its mission with such vitality for
so long? What can be said about the successes that they have had in so
many different nations and cultures, in so many countries of today's
world that have allowed them to transcend differences and divisions
as basic as race, gender, language and religion?

1.1 The human foundation of fraternity.

Let us remember that when they were founded the De La Salle Brothers
chose not to call themselves masters but brothers in community (Rule
1.1) and older Brothers to the young people confided to their care (Mt 23:8).
This double understanding of fraternity establishes both an identity
and a mission.

18
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

Responding to the needs of poor boys "through the Christian school is the
unifying theme, the leit motiv, which can be traced through the 300 or more
years since the first schools of the Institute in Rheims" (The Lasallian Mission
of Human and Christian Education: A Shared Mission, 1997, 1.12).

John Baptist de La Salle had already warned early on, from the first
meeting with the teachers employed by Adrian Nyel, "that the growing
schools did not produce the fruit that was expected of them, because there
was no uniform order; each teacher followed his own inclination…" (Cahiers
lasalliens 6, 1966: 39). That
is why, to respond to the
In order to respond to the
needs of the boys, the school
needs of children,
demanded teamwork, or
De La Salle quickly realised
better yet in De La Salle's
that schools would require
words to educate together
action done together and in
and by association.
association

The practical elements to implement this vision, based on close

relationship with the students, were:

a. The understanding of the Brothers as Brothers among themselves

and as older Brothers to the young people confided to their care.
b. A school that was gratuitous, free, and open to all.
c. Teaching in the mother tongue and not in Latin as was the
common practice.
d. The importance given to integral teacher training, which in
addition to providing it to his own teachers, De La Salle provided
on three occasions as a service to other teachers who were not
members of his Community.

19
Brothers of the Christian Schools

1.2 De La Salle's foundational insights.

De La Salle's work was not initially something he chose to do, but rather
something that arose from a succession of personal discernments. He
explains it like this in an important biographical statement:

“God, who directs all things with wisdom and gentleness and who
does not force our wills, wishing to have me to take care of the
schools, led me imperceptibly and over a long period of time from
one commitment to another in a way I did not at all foresee in the
beginning.” (Memoir on the Beginnings)1

De La Salle, as a French priest of the 17th century, can be seen as seeking

to balance two insights that mark the Lasallian School:

First, children and young people deserve to know a good God who
created everything, in addition to recognizing their dignity as
Christians in the practice of their religion (Meditations for the Time of
Retreat 193.1).

Secondly, these children of the artisans and the poor needed a gratuitous
education that would allow them to find work in the new type of
commercial society that was developing in 17th century French towns
and cities. For De La Salle and his Brothers it meant not only teaching
how to read in French, according to the Dictionnaire du Grand Siècle,
but also teaching how to write it, a privilege that at that time was
reserved, by payment, to the writing masters. De La Salle also saw

1
This Memoir on the Beginnings is not included in the French edition of the Complete
Works, perhaps because it was known only through De La Salle’s early biographers.
This quote can be found in the first volume of Canon Blain’s Life of John Baptist de La
Salle, p. 189.

20
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

that learning to calculate using basic mathematical operations and

training students in courtesy and civility were necessary learning to
make them responsible citizens.

De La Salle and the first Brothers stressed the vital importance of

education for children and young people. This was described in the
Rule: "and it is for this reason that the Brothers conduct schools, that having
the children under their guidance from morning until evening, these teachers
may be able to teach them to live a good life…" (Rule, 1705 [3]).

In the same sense, the Brothers established various strategies so that

parents could not take the children out of school to put them to work:
"it is necessary to make them [the parents] see how important it is…that the
child that can read and write will be capable of anything" (The Conduct of the
Christian Schools, page 161).

The opinion that suggests that the Brothers ran schools only to teach
the students religion is limited. In this regard, worthy of mention is
Meditation 92.3 for December 31 where De La Salle asks the Brothers
"have you been exact during this year to follow the order of the lessons…"
Everything that was done
Foundational Intuitions of
at school was important,
De La Salle: Children deserve
and time had to be used
to know about a God who is
profitably because it was
good, to have their dignity
known that the majority
recognised and to be
of students would attend
educated for life
for only one or two years.
Most of the nearly seven hours a day of teaching were devoted to
secular subjects or learning skills necessary to progress, while only a
half hour was devoted to the formal teaching of the religious catechism.

21
Brothers of the Christian Schools

1.3 The Conduct of the Christian Schools: a community

educational project.

After 25 years of reflection and practice, De La Salle brought together

the veteran and most accomplished teachers during the summer
to exchange and share their respective experiences in the schools.
Based on this experience, De La Salle drafted what we know as the
Manuscript of the Conduct of Christian Schools of 1706, which he sent to all
the communities. Although its compliance was required (Rule of 1705,
Chapter 7, point 3), it was not unchangeable, as it was a community
educational project. "I
The Conduct of Christian really would like that
Schools reflects the experience y o u c o m e u p w i t h a
of the teachers and is the fruit method," he w rote a
of work done in association. Brother (LP ed ition,
L e t t e r 8 3). I n 17 17,
when it was being revised, he invited the Brothers to send comments,
corrections and suggestions. In the Preface to the printed edition of
1720, it is rightly affirmed that: "Nothing has been added that has not been
thoroughly deliberated and well tested, nothing of which the advantages and
disadvantages have not been weighed and, as far as possible, of which the good
or bad consequences have not been foreseen." Thus was born The Conduct of
the Christian Schools.

Thanks to this reflection and to that work achieved in association, the

text of The Conduct, as shown in successive editions, was modified over
the course of 200 years, in order to better respond to the needs of
young people who were immersed in an ever-changing society. That is
the reason why today, respecting the world's cultural and educational
diversity, the essential orientations of the Lasallian project, contained
in The Conduct, serve as a reference for Lasallian establishments in 80

22
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

countries. This Conduct, considered a classic in Western education, has

been widely used and adapted by different religious congregations in
the formation of boys and girls inside and outside of France.

The Conduct of the The text of The Conduct of

Christian Schools Christian Schools has been
ref lects the practical modified several times over 200
experience of teachers, years, in order better to respond
and therefore is not a to the needs of children and
theoretical document young people who are immersed
on e duc at ion . The in a changing society.
desire of The Conduct,
frequently expressed by De La Salle in his letters to the Brothers, was
for the school to run well, because thanks to good organization, they
could fulfill the purposes of helping students solve their difficulties and
carry out their future projects.

In the fourth volume of his monumental study on The Conduct (Cahiers

lasalliens 67, 2014: 20-21), Brother Léon Lauraire indicates that these
aims became six educational axes:

a. The pursuit of the social and economic improvement of the pupils.

b. Preparation for, and the living experience already at school, of a
fraternal society based on a rejection of all violence, on mutual
respect, on constant mutual help and on peaceful personal relations.
c. The building of a more evangelical, living and dynamic Church.
d. The formation of free and independent individuals who can find
suitable employment in society and their place in the Church.
e. A strong and high-quality student-teacher relationship.
f. A persistent and concerted approach to teaching, based on
teamwork.

23
Brothers of the Christian Schools

1.4 Evolution and enrichment of the Lasallian educational

tradition.

In 1725, a few years after the death of John Baptist de La Salle, the
Church formally approved the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian
Schools by publishing an official document, called a Papal Bull, entitled
In Apostolicae Dignitatis Solio.

By this act, the Church recognized the Institute's standing within its
structure, but also and more importantly, the value of the educational
mission as a particular contribution to the Church's global mission.

God's revelation takes place in history, which is why the evolution of

French society and the educational and pedagogical advances of the
17th century show us to what extent the changes in the formulations
and living conditions deeply transformed Lasallian educational
establishments. These social and pedagogical developments will be
more ev ident in
Through the Bull “In Apostolicae
the development of
Dignitatis Solio”, the Church
schools in the 19th
recognised the Institute and the
and 20th centuries.
value of its educational mission
as a contribution to the global
Some of these
mission of the Church.
situations, wh ich
significantly transformed our schools were: the decrease in infant
mortality thanks to the arrival of trained mid-wives; the new vision
of childhood, produced at the end of the 17th century, which no longer
saw the child as a miniature adult but as a child; the emergence of high
quality pedagogical works by renowned people such as Charles Rollin
or Rousseau; the criticisms, and even attacks by Philosophes such as
La Chatolais, Voltaire and Diderot, who did not look favorably on the
education of working class children; and the persecution of religious
Congregations by French revolutionaries.

24
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

The energetic defense of the Institute presented by Brother Agathon,

during the French Revolution, to the National Assembly in 1791 is a
manifesto of the identity of Lasallian schools and an affirmation of the
work carried out by them during the 18th century.

"Their schools are

Developments in society
completely gratuitous;
and in educational theory
they never receive
and practice profoundly
anything, either from
changed Lasallian educational
the parents or the
establishments throughout
pupils. It should not
the XVIII, XIX and XX centuries.
go unnoticed as well
that they offer a quite notable present to the Nation each year by
forming more than one hundred teachers for the instruction of the
poor youth of the different cities to which they are sent. It is certainly
not for the Brothers of the Christian Schools to make known to the
Nation the importance of children of the ordinary people being able
to acquire religion, customs and some openness of spirit, of becoming
accustomed from an early age to obedience, to rules of behavior, to
being kept busy, according to their age and their position. Such things,
by keeping idleness and the possibility of learning vicious habits at
a distance, dispose them more easily to the different professions that
they need to take up. In the lowest class of people, the majority of
fathers and mothers lack the time and talent that are needed for
their children's education. It is obviously useful for artisans and
tradesmen to know their religion, and to be able to read, write and
calculate…."
(The Lasallian Mission of Human and Christian Education: A
Shared Mission 1997, 1.14)

25
Brothers of the Christian Schools

Fifteen years earlier, Brother Agathon led a

in 1777, the General movement which flourished
Chapter of the in the Lasallian schools of
Brot her s a ske d to the XVIII century. It aimed
modify The Conduct in at establishing a balance in
the chapter dealing teacher-pupil relations, marked
with punishments: by realism, prudence and
"thi s sec tion w ill be tenderness.
removed which deals
with the punishment with canes and whips. The Chapter feels it necessary
to forbid their use by the Brothers, given the impropriety and disadvantages
of this kind of punishment." (Cahiers lasalliens 67, 2014:70). Almost 100
years later, France's public authority took an analogous measure for
the entire school system.

These changes made to The Conduct are a ref lection of a broader

movement that flourished in 18th century Lasallian schools and which
Brother Agathon led as Superior General. Their main characteristic
was a renewed interest in the f igure of the Founder and for the
educator's task. This latter point especially concerned the relationship
the educator should have with the students entrusted to his care.

Brother Agathon sent letters, wrote circulars to all the Brothers

and wrote a small work: "Explanation of the Twelve Virtues of a Good
Teacher." In this work, he invites the Brothers to seek a good balance
in teacher-student relationships, and a fair medium between firmness
and gentleness; then he stressed that the educational relationship
that De La Salle wanted was characterized by realism, prudence and
even-temperedness.

26
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

When Brother Agathon refers to wisdom, prudence, meekness, charity

and especially tenderness as essential virtues of the teacher, he seems
to imply that we are at the core of Lasallian education.

I n 1792 , the In s titute,

together with other In 1792, the Institute was
religious Congregations, was suppressed in France and
suppressed. The Brothers the Brothers had to leave the
had to abandon the schools, schools. In 1808, they were
h id e or go a br o a d , a nd permitted by a new decree
invariably try to survive. to work under the control of
On ly a sma l l g roup of the Imperial University.
Brothers continued to exist officially in the Papal States and in Rome.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Brothers re-grouped again in

Lyon, Rheims, Toulouse and Paris. After regrouping, they sought legal
recognition to resume their work in schools. In 1808, they obtained
a decree that allowed them work under the control of the Imperial
University.

After ten years of Revolution and successive failures of national

education plans, the Brothers joined in the work of the reconstruction
of the school system in France, with a new scenario: dependence on
the political system. Brother Léon Lauraire lists some of the new
works that the Brothers created to respond to the needs of 19th century
children and youth.

“Orphanages, teaching in prisons, schools for the deaf and

dumb, courses for young apprentices and workers, teacher-
training colleges, religious support groups for school-leavers,
the Saint Francis Xavier Society, youth clubs, agricultural
courses, centers for illiterate soldiers, modern secondary

27
Brothers of the Christian Schools

school education, the Saint Benedict Joseph Labré Association.”

(Cahiers lasalliens 69, 2014:23)
To give a better idea of the enormous expansion of Lasallian
educational works and of the formidable creativity shown by the
Brothers in responding to the wide diversity of educational needs, a
few brushstrokes that also show the evolution of educational works
of that time are enough (The Lasallian Mission of Human and Christian
Education: A Shared Mission, 1997, 1:21).

a. With Guizot's educational reforms in 1833, the Brothers took over

a large number of public primary schools. After receiving adequate
training, they also were responsible for three hearing-support
schools.

b. The Brothers opened evening schools for adults between 1830 and
1848, admitting 48,500 workers as students. In Paris, the students
went to school to receive a basic education, while the Brothers
and employers trained them for jobs. The second school of this
type, opened on the Rue Francs-Bourgeois, was the first school of
a completely commercial nature.

The tremendous creativity Away from Paris, in Lyon,

shown by the Brothers in t he Br ot her s op ene d
response to wide diversity even i ng school s for
of educational needs adults in 1834 and, again,
transformed the Lasallian in 1846. The particular
schools of the XIX century, nature of these schools
and triggered a hundred is that they continued
years of extraordinary with bases a lready
growth in France and in 35 established in the
other countries. primary schools in order
t o pr e pa r e for ent r y

28
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

into the workforce. The program of these professional schools

focused on business subjects such as mathematics, double-entry
accounting and the study of foreign languages. This model became
typical of schools that were opened in Belgium, Holland, Germany
(Handelschule), Egypt and in some cities of the Turkish Ottoman
Empire.

c. With state support, more than 200 Brothers were incorporated

into correctional work in institutions for criminals (based on the
Saint Yon model) and in teaching courses in prisons from 1840 to
1882.

d. The Lower Seine Normal School, opened in Rouen in 1829, fulfilled

De La Salle's lifelong commitment to ensure teacher training. It
was the first of what was to become, to this day, one of the most
characteristic works of the Brothers worldwide.

e. The Institute reestablished boarding schools, where the Brothers

contributed notably, generally in response to local needs, to the
development of technical schools, agricultural schools, schools of
architecture. The teaching of agriculture, first begun in Beauvais
in the 1840s. has continued in several Lasallian schools of France
to this day, with the original school now forming part of the
Catholic University of Paris.2

2 Ministers Duruy and Simon visited the agricultural sections of the Brothers’ schools
at Passy and Beauvais and commented: “We hope, Gentlemen, that you will not be
disturbed if we follow in your footsteps” Institute Bulletin Number 13, January 1925, p.
305.

29
Brothers of the Christian Schools

The Brothers continued opening supplemental courses and upper

primary schools, and conducted special classes for the children of
customs agents, for cabin boys and a school for naval personnel.
The schools of Vaugirard and Issy-les-Moulineaux, in 1862, taught
1,540 children and young people to be wood and bronze carvers,
manufacturers of musical instruments, opticians, jewelers, shawl
designers, wood gilders, saddlers, sculptors and carpenters.

f. Increasingly, the Brothers became responsible for composing and

publishing textbooks for primary and secondary schools, as well
as for the adult evening professional courses – texts, for example,
for the French government railroad workers. This service became
one of the best-known aspects of Lasallian schools.

It is remarkable that, in
response to pa r ticu la r The expansion of the
needs that arose outside Institute meant that the
of the school context, all Brothers came into contact
of these responses were with pupils from various
of fered in school. A s faiths and religious beliefs
societies developed and and lived as a minority
governments gradua lly among Jews, Muslims,
assumed control of Hindus, Buddhists and
education, the realities of Confucionists.
the context transformed
Lasallian schools very strongly.

"The restoration of the Lasallian mission in France initiated a

century of extraordinary growth in the land of its origin, and saw its
expansion beyond France into 35 different countries of the world and
the development of a missionary policy far beyond anything that de

30
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

La Salle and the first generation of Brothers could ever have envisaged.
The 160 Brothers in France and in Italy in 1810 were to become
some 14,631 Brothers by the end of the century that culminated in
the solemn canonization of its Founder." (The Lasallian Mission of
Human and Christian Education: A Shared Mission, 1997, 1.20)

1.5 The Institute grows outside of France.

In the introduction to Volume 8 of the Histoire General de l'Institut des

Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes, [General History of the Institute of the
Brothers of the Christian Schools], D. Georges Rigault writes:

"The disciples of the saintly educator, already present in Italy,

Belgium, Canada and the isle of Bourbon before the generalate of
Brother Philippe (1838-1874), now spread to central Europe, England,
the United States, Republic of Ecuador, Turkey, Egypt, Algeria,
Tunisia, Madagascar, India and Indochina during the glorious
'era' that ended with the death of the internationally leader known
(i.e., Brother Philippe). This peaceful conquest of the globe was
going to be stabilized, organized and even extended further during
the generalates of Brothers Irlide and Joseph. After 1904, it would
allow Brother Gabriel-Marie, their successor, to open paths for the
missionary apostolates to a good number of French Brothers, victims
of a persecuting legislation."

During the lengthy generalate of Brother Philippe, there were 1,002 new
foundations, of which more than a quarter were established outside
of France.

31
Brothers of the Christian Schools

The Institute's expansion into the Balkans, Egypt and the Eastern
Mediterranean brought the Brothers for the first time into daily
contact with Jewish and Muslim students. The schools of Egypt,
Palestine, Penang, Singapore, India, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong were
schools where Christians were a minority among Muslim, Hindu,
Buddhist and Confucian students.

1.6 Fidelity and innovation.

The development of public education in France, and more generally

throughout the western world during the 19th century, inevitably called
into question some of the founding principles developed in Lasallian
schools, especially because more and more foundations were being
made outside of France. Four of these challenges were:

a. The Institute's opposition after 1817 to so-called mutual teaching,

adapted from the Lancaster-Bell methodology and used in some
parts of England. In this method, a single teacher transmitted his
teaching to monitors who in turn transmitted it to a maximum of
ten students. The Brothers opposed the introduction of this method
in the Lasallian schools in France. They wanted to maintain the
primacy of the personal relationship between the older Brothers
with their younger brothers, the students.

b. The principle of absolute gratuity, as established in the founding

period, became ever more difficult to maintain in the primary
schools in the small cities of France, especially after unfavorable
laws were enacted against religious Congregations between 1878
and 1889. The Brothers, who had fought for fifty years against

32
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

school remuneration and in favor of maintaining free education,

had to receive school fees from parents so that their educational
establishments could continue.

c. The historical prohibition of teaching Latin gradually became a

source of conflict, especially, but not only in the Anglo-Saxon world,
as education in Italy and central Europe also required learning
Latin. In the United States of America, where there was some
opposition to Catholic
schools, the bishops Four challenges for Lasallian
helped the Brothers schools during the XIX century:
so that they founded * The Institute’s opposition to
s e c on d a r y s c h o o l s the adoption of the Lancaster
and, later, universities Method.
f rom which severa l * The impossibility of providing
generations of clergy absolute gratuity.
would come. Since it * The prohibition of the
was not possible to teaching of Latin.
enroll in a university * The antireligious movement
w ithout k now i ng at the end of the XIX century
Latin, the U.S. bishops and the start of the XX
insisted that Latin be century.
included in the course
of studies of the Brothers' educational establishments. Objectively
speaking, the difficulty of the General Council to understand
itself as an international entity came close to causing schism, a
situation not resolved until the granting of a papal rescript in 1923.

d. The anticlerical and antireligious movement developed

strongly throughout the 19th century. It hit the Catholic Church
for favoring the monarchy and the Empire of Napoleon III rather

33
Brothers of the Christian Schools

than supporting the growing labor movement. All this, despite the
national celebration in France on the occasion of John Baptist de
La Salle's canonization in 1900, still resulted in Lasallian schools
gaining prominence.

The arrival of the 20th century presented Lasallians with a new reality
with great challenges. It also meant that the Institute flourished in
places that were impossible to imagine in the Founder's lifetime.

This century's Lasallian history until the 39th General Chapter (1966-
1967) is etched in the context of: the 1904 "secularization laws" in
France; World War I (1914-1918); the worldwide economic depression
of the late 1920s and mid 1930s; the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939);
World War II (1939-1945); the beginnings of the Cold War; the Korean
and Vietnamese conflicts; and the impact of Vatican Council II on the
Institute.

The Institute's educational mission, now fully international, was

transformed by the following momentous movements:

a. The immediate and long-term impact of the 1904 secularization

laws for France, and the consequent extension of the Institute as
an international movement.

b. T he growing dedication to the analysis and in-depth study

of the life, times and work of John Baptist de La Salle, and the
publication of critical studies in this regard. This fact strengthened
the Institute's historical, spiritual and educational heritage by
providing high quality material for the formation programs of
Brothers and partners.

34
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

c. The revision and updating of the Common Rules of the Brothers,

according to the spirit of Vatican Council II; and later between
1987 and 2013, the efforts, finally accomplished, that the Church
officially recognizes the historical importance of the 1694 Vow of
Association.

d. The Brother of the Christian Schools in the World Today: A Declaration,

which affirmed the Brother's lay identity, in the spirit of Vatican
Council II; and the beginnings of the formal recognition of the role
of lay partners in the
The Lasallian Mission was
Lasallian educational
changed in the XX century
mission.
as a result of significant
events such as:
e. The decrease, after the
* The secularisation laws in
1970s, in the number
France.
of new Brothers in the
* The two world wars.
Institute.
* The deeper study of the
work of De La Salle.
f. The election of Brother
* The Second Vatican
Charles Henry Buttimer
Council.
of the United States of
* The revision of the Rule.
America, which marked
* The diminution in the
the passage of Institute
number of Brothers.
le ader sh ip f rom it s
* The recognition of the role
trad itiona l French
of non-Brothers in the
origin to an increasingly
Lasallian Mission.
international
* The understanding
representation.
of Institute as a
fully international
phenomenon.

35
Brothers of the Christian Schools

1.7 The Brother of the Christian Schools in the World Today: A

Declaration (1967).

As mentioned above, the Declaration of 1967 was an affirmation of the

lay, not priestly, identity of the Brothers. This was reaffirmed by the
General Chapter of 1966-1967.

This declaration of identity was inf luenced by Perfectae Caritatis,

Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life, drawn up in
1965 by Vatican Council II. The decree asked all religious Congregations
to return to their founding
The Declaration of 1967 inspirations and to adapt
affirmed the lay identity them to the signs of the
of the Brother, the ti mes. For the Brothers,
importance of lay people among many other elements
in Lasallian education and of grace and ref lection, it
the Mission of the Institute: was a reminder that they
the human and Christian had been founded for
education of the poor. the "human and Christian
education of the poor."

This very important call of Vatican Council II was made concrete in

the Institute as the "service of the poor through education." Chapter 6
of the Declaration provided a lengthy consideration in this regard and
concluded with the importance of assuming the challenge posed to the
Institute in the clear recognition of the necessity "to return to the poor"
(Declaration, 1967, 34.4)

Both the 1967 Rule and the Declaration make a slight reference and
in similar terms to the function of "lay teachers." The Rule stated
that the Brothers "…cooperate closely with the lay teachers and others

36
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

responsible for the education of young people, joining their labors with
all those who promote the cause of justice and unity among all peoples"
(Common Rules 9, k).

The Declaration offered a broader vision when it stated, "The school

will be molded into community only through a faculty rich in the
diversity and the unity of its members. For this reason, the Brothers
work closely with lay teachers, who make a unique contribution through
their knowledge of the world of family life and of civic affairs. Lay
teachers should be completely involved with the whole life of the school…"
(Declaration, 1967, 46.3).

Both documents, therefore, draw attention to what can now be

clearly recognized, such as the growing involvement of the laity in
the Lasallian charism and Association for the Lasallian educational
mission.

1.8 Growth of Lasallian institutions of higher education.

A l t h o u g h i n s o m e w ay
Lasallian Institutions of
t er t ia r y e duc at ion wa s
Higher Education emerged
present from the Institute's
in the middle of the XIX
beg i n n i ngs, speci f ica l ly
century in France and in
w ith the tra ining of
the United States. Linked
teachers, it formally was
together in IALU, they
to beg in du r ing the 19 t h
endeavour to contribute to
century in the United States
the construction of a world
of America and in France. In
that is more just and shows
the second half of the 20 th
greater solidarity.
century, the creation and
consolidation of universities and institutions of higher education

37
Brothers of the Christian Schools

increased. At the beginning of the 21 st century the creation and

promotion of the International Association of Lasallian Universities
(IALU) has focused the Institute's recognition of the value of tertiary
education.

The most recent Superior Generals and General Chapters have

highlighted the importance of this educational level among the
services that the Institute provides to society. Among other reasons,
this is the case because:

a. It allows young people educated in Lasallian centers or other

centers, to access tertiary formation with continuity to the kind
of formation offered our other students: and it offers families the
opportunity to consolidate and complete their Lasallian formation.
b. It contributes to social mobility, through a system of scholarships
that serves young people in various situations of need.
c. It contributes to social transformation, the construction of a more
just world and the reduction of poverty, through the training of
professional people with a sense of social responsibility, but also
through research and the extension of culture and services that
directly affect their social context.
d. It offers possibilities for collaboration with other Lasallian
educational institutions, such as centers for training and updating
of teachers, educational research and innovation, dissemination of
culture, among others.
e. It offers possibilities for research and sharing of knowledge in
matters of institutional interests.

38
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

1.9 Toward shared mission and new realities.

The Lasallian educational mission, initiated and developed for a long

time by generations of Brothers, has been expanded and enriched, more
and more, by the gifts contributed by all those who have associated
themselves with the Brothers in the mission. In recent years, the most
notable change in the Lasallian Family has been the increased number
of Lasallian women. The gifts brought by so many people, in so many
places, have enriched the Lasallian movement through the diversity
of identities and vocations.

39
 OUR LIVING
XVII
SIGLO
Century
XVII

God in history. Ι France in the reign of

Louis XIV
Ι Gallicanism
Ι The neglect of children
and young people

Lasallian Communities Ι Foundation of the

Institute
are created, terminated
Ι The Conduct of Christian
and transformed, in order Schools
to respond better to the Ι Knowledge of a good God
needs of children and young who wants all to have life
Ι The Church recognises
people who are immersed the Lasallian Mission as
in a changing society. part of the global Mission
of the Church

40
 LASALLIAN HERITAGE
XVIII Century XIX Century XX Century

Ι The lowering of infant Ι Reconstruction of the Ι The laws of

mortality system of education in secularisation in France.
Ι A new view of childhood France. Ι The First World War.
Ι The appearance of Ι The development Ι The Financial Depression
writings on pedagogy of of state education of the 1920’s.
major importance throughout the world
Ι The Spanish Civil War.
Ι The French Revolution Ι Great diversity in the
Ι The Second World War.
social, cultural religious
and educational Ι The Cold War.
situations in the Ι The Second Vatican
countries where Lasallian Council.
schools were opened

Ι Attack on schools for Ι The rebirth of the Ι Deeper study of the

educating sons of the Institute under the work of De La Salle
popular classes control of the Imperial Ι Renewal promoted by
Ι Developments in University Vatican II
teacher-pupil relations Ι The extraordinary Ι The extraordinary
characterised by growth and diversity of growth and
realism, prudence and establishments diversification of
tenderness Ι Lasallian higher establishments in more
Ι The supression of the education is born and than 80 countries
Institute in France becomes diversified Ι Understanding the
Ι International expansion Institute as a wholly
into 35 countries international movement
Ι Christians were a minority Ι Shared Mission and
in many countries with Lasallian Association
Lasallian presence

41
 PART T WO

PARTICIPANTS
INVOLVED IN
THE LASALLIAN
EDUCATIONAL
MISSION
“You carry out a work that
requires you to touch hearts,
but this you cannot do except
by the Spirit of God. Pray to
him to give you today the same

“
grace that he gave the holy
Apostles; and ask him that
after filling you with his Holy
Spirit to sanctify yourselves,
he will also communicate
himself to you in order to
procure the salvation of others.”
(Meditation 43.3)
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

2.1 Brothers of the Christian Schools.

W
e recognize the immense value of what John Baptist de La
Salle and the first Brothers, under God's loving guidance,
achieved in beginning the foundation of one of the most
beautiful fruits of the Church's life: the creation of an Institute, com-
mitted totally and exclusively to the Christian education of children
and youth. Very soon, this Institute became known as the Brothers of
the Christian Schools. Then, like today, such brilliant work would not
have been possible without the sustained passion that came from a
community that lives to carry out this mission.

Inspired and attracted by the initial charism of the first Brothers,

thousands of young people and adults throughout history, in many
countries and cultures, have continued the mission of a human and
Christian education. To do this, they have consecrated their lives to
this mission by dedicating the best of themselves in order to spread it.
In this way, they have fully lived out their personal vocation strength-
ened within a community, always at the service of society and the
Church.

45
Brothers of the Christian Schools

For almost three centuries, talking about the Institute was synony-
mous with talking about the Brothers. Today, in many places, Lasal-
lian works are still known as Brothers' works.

Due to concrete historical circumstances, in some cases, and on their

own initiative in other cases, the Brothers expanded their work in
many countries and cultures. This international presence has always
been reread and celebrated, in Christian language, as one more grace
of the Spirit to announce the Good News of the Gospel to all people.
However, the emphasis on the "present" has favored the awareness of
all Lasallians about the human needs of the people with whom they
come in contact.

The commitment to spread the Gospel in a form adapted to the present,

adhering to the model of Church presented by Vatican Council II, and
attention to the signs of the times motivated the Brothers, in recent
decades, to share the Lasallian charism with those lay people closest
to them, whose presence in
works was already signif i- For almost three hundred
cant. The quick understand- years, to talk of the
ing of the shared mission, a Institute was synonymous
treasure that overf lowed with talking of the Brothers.
from the Brothers' commu-
nity, made it possible for both laity and Brothers, encouraged by mu-
tual trust, to embark on a common adventure, to respond better to the
mission that we definitely understand as all of ours.

The same zeal, the same passion, the same love of the origins, con-
tinues today to inspire many young people and adults who find the
Lasallian mission attractive, as it is currently much richer, more plu-
ralistic and participatory. This attraction leads many of them to ded-
icate their lives to a mission whose origin and purpose is the integral

46
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

education of the poor. These Today, this same charism

young people and adults en- inspires many young
counter in fraternal life and people and adults to
in the shared mission, both devote their lives to the
lived in community, a trea- holistic education of the
sure thanks to which they poor.
succeed in fulf illing their
deepest aspirations.

2.2 Lasallian Partners: New Agents in the Mission.

Since its beginning, Lasallian pedagogy has always had a very distinc-
tive and singular character because it placed fraternal relationships at
the center of its activity; the Brothers among themselves and in their
common life. The Brothers with respect to their students in carrying
out daily activities and the students among themselves in their daily
lives together make visible the Gospel ideal: you are all brothers. This
environment was the natural ecosystem of Lasallian fraternal growth.
The seed of a fraternity lived simply, learned by osmosis and continu-
ally contrasted with the message of Jesus Christ, has been one of the
prophetic values created by Lasallian activity in favor of the Church
and of society.

As mentioned in the first part of this Declaration, from the second

half of the 20th century, a new participant appeared on the scene: the
Lasallian partner, male or female. This presence has had a notable and
constant growth until today. Proof of this is that, in four decades, it
represents more than 95% of those engaged as agents in mission. This
growth constituted a kind of Copernican revolution, fast, unpredict-
able and complex to manage.

47
Brothers of the Christian Schools

How could these agents maintain and/or strengthen the style of frater-
nal relationships by living the same commitment, doing the same work,
establishing fraternal relationships, but living different lifestyles? How
would relationships be in a new educational community in which the
presence of the Brothers was less visible? Could these lay teachers show
dynamism and assume roles previously exercised by the Brothers for
more than 300 years?

From the Catholic perspective, Vatican Council II has been one of God's
greater gifts to the modern world, in particular by promoting the soli-
darity of the entire Church with the joys, hopes and fears of all peoples.
Theological reflection, social
doctrine, understanding of The new understanding of
the world, history and, more the Church as the People
specifically, the Church, de- of God, the defense of
veloped by the Council, have the dignity and equality
opened the way and offered of all human beings and
creative answers to f un- the reassertion of the
damental questions being importance of baptismal
a sked by hu ma n bei ngs consecration have all
today. The new understand- played a determining role,
ing of the Church as the peo- among other things, in
ple of God, the defense of the the development of the
dignity and equality of all Lasallian Educational
human beings without dis- Community.
tinction, the recovery of the
importance of baptismal consecration, to list but a few of the relevant
fruits from the Council, have been key in the evolution of the Lasallian
educational community.

48
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

In this community enriched Brothers and lay Lasallians

by the Council's contribu- see themselves as being
tions, Brothers and laity feel called together and united
called and gathered by God, by God, each in their own
each one with his/her per- individual vocation, to
sonal vocation to respond to respond to the needs of
society's needs. Association society.
for the Lasallian mission is The Institute views
lived today in different plac- this communion as an
es, in response to the specif- extraordinary grace.
ic call of people of different
lifestyles, cultural traditions and even religions. That call is received
and lived as the ministry that, in De La Salle's words, consists in being
"ambassadors and ministers of Jesus Christ," something that Lasallians
have exercised since the origins.

In increasing numbers, the laity consider themselves bearers of John

Baptist de La Salle's legacy and they proudly affirm it. Motivated by
their commitment, together with the Brothers they declare themselves
the heart, memory and guarantor of the shared mission.

Thanks to its associative strength, the Lasallian mission today brings

together tens of thousands of people who, with a diversity of functions
and gifts, walk alongside people of practically all ages to help them
achieve human fulfillment. In addition to these educators, there are
also tens of thousands of people who work in administration and other
services and who do so with the same faith and zeal. All who partici-
pate in Lasallian works are ready to offer their best, animated by the
spirit of co-responsibility and subsidiarity contained in the traditional
Lasallian expression together and by association. This principle consti-
tutes the main strength of Lasallian communities.

49
Brothers of the Christian Schools

More and more of the laity accept participating in the Institute's struc-
tures and are helping to define Lasallian identity in a broader way. The
Institute considers this communion as an extraordinary grace. Never
before has the mission involved people of so many nationalities, cul-
tures, traditions and religions as is happening today.

The 41 st General Chapter of

1986 recognized this import- Within a few years, the
ant growth of lay participa- recognition of the role
tion in the mission by defin- of lay Lasallians led to
ing it as a shared mission, to changes in Lasallian
highlight the close collabo- vocabulary:
ration of Brothers and laity. * Collaborators
It is important to note also * Shared Mission
that the term accepted in * Associates
those years by the delegates
of the main linguistic groups to refer to the laity was that of "partners."

For its part, the 43rd General Chapter of 2000 recognized the figure of
the Associate. An Associate is a person who, in addition to sharing the
mission, hears the call to deepen the spirituality and the community
dimension of the charism, thus developing his/her own vocation. As-
sociates follow a dynamic life journey that includes experiences such
as service to the poor, a life of faith, belonging to a community and
universal openness. In addition, they pursue a high level of Lasallian
formation and commit themselves for a certain time. Some Associates
choose to make a formal commitment, while others choose to live out
their de facto commitment.

It is also important to highlight among these new agents the comple-

mentary and valuable presence of priests, men and women religious
from other non-Lasallian Institutes and Congregations, and other con-

50
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

secrated persons, who contribute the diversity of their charisms. This

collaboration is in itself an important message for children and young
people and an important factor in their own formation.

2.2.1 Women in the Lasallian educational mission.

The women of the Lasallian Family have become a fundamental part of
all of this and of the mission throughout the world. Today, their function
is essential in all areas: teaching, administration and research. In addi-
tion, they constitute more than half of Lasallian partners worldwide.

As in many other spheres of society, the contribution of women has

brought great richness and enormous possibilities in the implementa-
tion of the Lasallian Educational Mission.

It is a reality that, from a perspective of fraternity and justice, they

provide a fundamental reflection within the interior of our Commu-
nity on themes of equality, equity, parity and inclusion, such that the
integration of men and women to the Lasallian Educational Mission
is, regardless of gender, full and is defined by their personal qualities,
including the professional, vocational and spiritual.

In the international arena, the mobilization of women to denounce sit-

uations that hinder fairness
and respect for their fun-
An associate is someone
damental rights becomes
who, besides sharing in
increasingly evident, as they
the Mission, feels called
demand the necessary con-
to a deeper spirituality
ditions to guarantee their
with a charism that has a
full human development. It
community dimension as
cannot be ignored that it is
the way to develop his or
necessary to redef ine the
her personal vocation.
way people live together, the

51
Brothers of the Christian Schools

ways in which we collabo-

The contribution made by rate and connect in all areas
women has added great of our social life considering
richness and potential the gender issue: work, fam-
to the realisation of the ily, academic, culture.
Lasallian Educational
Mission. It is necessary to This redefinition is not alien
take deliberate steps to to the educational field, and
empower the presence, the therefore must be part of the
voice, the action and the agenda for dialogue in order
representation of women to enhance the associative
in all areas of the Institute. dynamism of the Lasallian
Educational Mission.

Therefore, it is necessary to promote intentionally, from a spirit of fra-

ternal communion and apostolic zeal, the presence, voice, action and
representation of women in all areas of the Institute, especially in the
areas of leadership and decision-making.

2.2.2 Contributions of members of other faith backgrounds to the

Lasallian Educational Mission.
Being Lasallian is, above all, a way of living, of being the bearer of
values of one’s religion, which are enriched when they are shared.
Therefore, being Lasallian does not depend on belonging to a partic-
ular culture or a religious creed. This conviction has made possible
the existence and relevance of Lasallians who profess religions other
than Catholicism or even those partners who do not subscribe to any
religious faith or define themselves as indifferent. Thanks to these
non-Catholics, the Lasallian world is universal and fraternal. We have
to thank the initiatives of various Superior Generals for having firmly
declared that there are Lasallians who are members of other religions,
including non-believers. The Shared Mission document clearly states:

52
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

All educators who work All Lasallians should feel

in Lasallian schools and that they are bringing
foundations, therefore, elements from their
are invited to share the own distinctive religious
common principles and traditions as Protestant
particular emphases, Christians, Muslims,
which are essential to the Jews, Buddhists, Hindus,
Lasallian heritage. To the Confucionists or Shintoists,
extent that they can bring and contributing to the
their individual partic- religious understanding
ular gifts to Lasallian and spiritual traditions
education, they can legit- which are essential to
imately feel themselves Lasallian education.
sharers of the overall ed-
ucational mission carried
out by their particular institution.

They should also feel that they bring distinctive elements of their own
religious traditions as Protestant Christians, Muslims, Jews, Bud-
dhists, Hindus, Confucianists or Shintoists to the religious under-
standings and spiritual tradition, which are essential to Lasallian
education. In a very important sense, they should see themselves as
enlarging and enriching the Lasallian Heritage’s traditional sense
of responding to needs by bringing and sharing their own particular
gifts with their students. In this important exchange of gifts, the
Lasallian school can help to further the important principles of ecu-
menical and inter-religious dialogue.
(The Lasallian Mission of Human and Christian Education: A
Shared Mission, 1997, 3.26).

53
Brothers of the Christian Schools

For his part Pope Francis, after his visit to the Gulf States, in February
2019, published jointly with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the Document
of Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. In the intro-
duction, they remind us that “faith leads the believer to see in the other a
brother or sister who must be supported and loved.”

Moreover, they continue:

It is a document that invites all persons who have faith in God and
faith in human fraternity to unite and work together so that it may
serve as a guide for future generations to advance a culture of mutu-
al respect in the awareness of that great divine grace that makes all
human beings brothers and sisters.
(Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, 2019,
Introduction).

2.2.3 Benefactors.
The Lasallian heritage shows that, in the Institute’s beginnings, the
foundations of schools responded, above all, to the invitations of the
ecclesiastical authorities, such as bishops and parish priests. More
and more, however, schools supported by laypersons recognized as
benefactors appeared. From
the beginnings of the 18 th Since the start of the XVIII
cent u r y to the pre sent , century and up until today,
each Region of the Insti- the story of every region
tute’s history records the of the Institute has been
support of numerous bene- marked by the support
fac tor s who have made of countless benefactors,
possible the establishment who have made it possible
a nd development of the to establish and develop
Lasallian work. Lasallian works.

54
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

2.2.4 Young people and Lasallian volunteers.

The ability of young people to encounter the most vulnerable peo-
ple in society is widely recognized. Coupled with this capacity, their
availability for mobility, their networking, and their connections
augur a promising future. Lasallian volunteers deserve special men-
tion. They commit themselves to the mission for the short and medi-
um term, near and far from their place of origin, both in urban and
rural areas.

Every year, youth and adult volunteers carry out service projects on
the five continents, for example: construction of houses, language
teaching, educational and
health work, among other It is well known that
activities. Recently, and young people have a great
in some places, not a few capacity for making contact
young people have experi- with those people in our
enced for a time the differ- society who are the most
ent aspects of the Brothers’ vulnerable.
community life.

In the last two decades, the International Council of Young Lasallians

has been consolidated. This body, backed by the Institute’s central gov-
ernment, coordinates numerous projects and activities worldwide. Its
activities are inspired by the three fundamental Lasallian values: faith,
service and community. Furthermore, its activity is always respectful
of the cultural and religious diversity of those they are serving because
it is interpreted as the Spirit’s manifestation that gives life, strength-
ens fraternal relationships, and touches hearts.

55
Brothers of the Christian Schools

2.2.5 Lasallian former students.

At the end of their schooling, many young people show their interest
in belonging to a network that continues to accompany them for the
remainder of their lives. This, not only to perpetuate memories but,
above all, to continue their formation and strengthen their professional
connections. At the same time, many seek to belong to other global
networks with the capacity to establish extraordinary connections.
Some do this through the World Union of Lasallian Former Students
(UMAEL).

Graduates appreciate the impact Lasallian methods and principles

have had on their personal development. The large number of alumni
associations bears witness that their school experience has created a
link and closeness with the
The associations of former Lasallian charism. Former
students are evidence that students do not simply cling
school experience has to nostalgic memories, but
forged close links with the actively participate in the
Lasallian charism. Former development of the mission
students are participating starting at their school of
actively in the development origin. Their ideas and expe-
of the Mission. riences enrich the Lasallian
cultural heritage. Former
students are a useful and appropriate criterion for determining the
extent to which Lasallian education is an instrument of personal sal-
vation and a service to society.

56
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

2.3 Organized groups of Lasallians.

2.3.1 Lasallian ecclesial groups.

Throughout the 20 th century, the Lasallian charism has attracted
groups of followers who wanted to create educational institutions
with their own legal personality, to respond to local and / or nation-
al needs. At the birth of these groups, the decisive influence of some
De La Salle Brothers was
always present. Thus, other The spirituality and charism
institutions share the pur- of Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
pose of the Institute and have inspired the founding
contribute significantly to of the Union of Catechists
the spread of Lasallian ped- of Jesus Crucified and
agogy. A statement on how Mary Immaculate, of the
to educate in the Lasallian Guadalupana De La Salle
style would not be complete Sisters, of the De La Salle
without taking into account Sisters, and the Signum
the richness of these works. Fidei Fraternity.

The spirituality and charism of John Baptist de La Salle inspired the

founding of a Secular Institute called: the Union of Catechists of Jesus
Crucified and Mary Immaculate. Later, two female Orders of conse-
crated life were also founded: the Guadalupana De La Salle Sisters and
the La Salle Sisters. More recently, the Signum Fidei fraternity was
also founded.

2.3.2 Other Lasallian organizations.

The call to attend to the last, the least and the lost has effectively
moved the Lasallian world to seek solutions of enormous creativity and
solidarity. One way has been to turn to external civil society organi-
zation and establish our own. These types of civil organizations have
become privileged agents to channel energy from the Lasallian net-

57
Brothers of the Christian Schools

Organisations in civil work to less favored areas

society, benefactors, and the promotion of global
families, friends, initiatives.
associations, firms
and other agents are The conviction of the rel-
contributing to the e va nt c h a r a c t e r of t he
fulfilment of the Lasallian principles of Lasallian edu-
Mission. cation makes more people
and groups associate with
its values and methods. Aware of Lasallian education’s potential to
promote personal transformation, benefactors help the educational
processes of Lasallian institutions. At the same time, families, friends,
associations, companies and other agents want to contribute to the
projects of Lasallian institutions. In this way, they promote equal op-
portunities for children and young people.

58
 LASALLIANS
How they join together on the road

Believers
Lay of other Religious Collaborator
Benefactors men religions Institutes – associate

1680 1719 1808 1905 1962 2000 2020

Brothers Former Lay Young NGO

students women people and
volunteers

59
 PART THREE

INSPIRING
AND ENDURING
FUNDAMENTALS
OF THE
LASALLIAN
EDUCATIONAL
HERITAGE
“De La Salle’s ascetical and

“
educational thought did not
focus so much on “how to
educate” as on “how to be”
in order to educate, in other
words, on how to interiorize
the educator’s vocation and
method.”
Saint John Paul II. Audience
on the 300th Anniversary of
the Institute in Italy,
May 18, 2002.
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

3.1 Jesus Christ: Reference, Inspiration, Support and Life.

J
ohn Baptist de La Salle conceived of the Brother as God’s minister,
a witness of Jesus Christ in the world of education, who partici-
pates in the evangelizing mission of the Church. This thinking, still
in force today, poses serious demands on those who choose to conse-
crate their lives entirely to this mission. Among these demands are a
radicalness in following Jesus Christ, a total availability to go out to
new borders, a commitment to make God’s merciful love transparent,
and to be reliable witnesses. For these, one must be capable of touching
hearts and transforming lives, especially in the world of the poor. Only
in this way, those who dedicate themselves to this mission will have
the authority to be the heart, memory and guarantor of the history
started by De La Salle.

In the same way, associated Lasallian educators who live their faith in
the Church must take on their vocation as a ministry that manifests
the joy of the Gospel and the saving power of Christian education.

63
Brothers of the Christian Schools

Lasallians of other faiths en- As Lasallians, we are all

gaged in the mission are also called to be witnesses to
called to make visible the Jesus Christ in the world of
fundamental values of this education.
spiritual tradition, such as
faith, fraternity, ardent zeal, and the coherence of life in order to open
minds and to touch hearts.

Jesus Christ’s message is the source from which comes all the princi-
ples of the process of Lasallian education. His message centered on love
and forgiveness is the irresistible force that touches hearts and trans-
forms history. Jesus preaches the truth, teaches us how to love one
another, how to always forgive and how to show the merciful face of
God who welcomes, heals, and restores. His witness points out that the
most vulnerable, excluded and simple are God’s favorites. His simple,
questioning and detached life has taught us that the greatest treasure
is the value of life, the most important commandment is love, the best
commitment is solidarity, and the greatest grace is generous service.

Jesus Christ, yesterday, today and forever, is the source of faith for
those of us who profess to be Christian. It is, without a doubt, the
first source of the Lasallian educational legacy. However, the values
that come from the Gospel
The message of Jesus is have a universal dimension
the source for Lasallian which creates a Christian
education: it includes love, humanism. This humanis-
forgiveness, truth, mercy, tic inspiration is the force
a preference for those that allows the Lasallian
who are excluded, the educational enterprise to
value of life, solidarity and also summon and inspire
generosity. men and women of differ-
ent religious traditions or

64
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

who, without being believers, discover in Jesus Christ the inspiration

for a life that is strengthened by human values which build solidarity,
fraternity, respect for difference, ethical values that strengthen the
social fabric and peaceful coexistence in responsible and committed
citizens.

3.2 The core of the Lasallian Educational Mission: Community.

The cornerstone that sustains the construction of this mission has

been and always will be community. It was undoubtedly one of the
great intuitions of the Founder and of the first Brothers. Several other
projects sim i la r to that of
John Baptist de La Salle failed Being Lasallian involves,
because they were not com- by definition, belonging
munity based. The communi- to a community and
ty educates, strengthens its a commitment to a
members, cares for the weak shared task within that
and nurtures their spirit. It is community.
the best guarantee to respond
to the greatest imaginable challenges. To be Lasallian, by definition,
is to belong to a community and to commit oneself within that same
community to a common task.

Community and mission are two sides of the same coin. Community is
for the mission, and mission creates community. You cannot have one
without the other. Lasallian documentation has asserted it from its be-
ginnings; and thanks to this conviction, the impact of shared mission
has been so spectacular. It is sufficient to look at what is happening
around us now in order to quietly grasp the transforming power of
community.

65
Brothers of the Christian Schools

3.3 The spirit that animates the Lasallian Educational

Community.

Lasallian education That which is specifically Lasal-

draws inspiration from lian has to do with a style, a meth-
a spirituality sustained odology and a tradition that is
by faith, fraternity and made explicit in a rich, construc-
a burning zeal. tive and personalized educational
relationship. This educational
relationship is inspired by a spirituality that is based on faith, frater-
nity and ardent zeal. These three values are significant and relevant for
today’s world.

In De La Salle’s classic triad, faith consists in “looking at nothing but

with the eyes of faith, doing nothing but with an eye toward God, and
attributing everything to God.” This triad has been reread today as
contemplation, discernment and abandonment, respectively.

Contemplation leads us to silence, observation and the capacity to look

with new eyes; these are paths conducive to spirituality and elements
of a necessary education for interiority. 3 In a world riddled with noise,
it is important to highlight the value of contemplation as the way to
look at the essential, which depends on a look from the soul that tran-
scends the senses.

3
In the Lasallian world, there are very significant experiences in this regard, such as
the HARA Program in Spain and Portugal.

66
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

Discernment denotes a journey that starts from the question about

truth, by the critical judgment of facts, events, the enormous informa-
tion that fills, distracts, and constantly involves reflection, contrast,
mental consideration, looking with the heart.

Abandonment, as De La Salle expressed it, consists in putting life,

projects, and dreams in God’s hands, like “the sailor who goes to sea
without sails or oars.” It is the attitude of one who expects everything
from God. It is the source of the deeply evangelical virtue of hope.

This attitude of contemplating history and finding within it the seeds

of peace, goodness, and the signs of the times, is the attitude that for
the Lasallian educator constitutes a conviction that boys, girls, youth
and adults are always a possibility and a project, they have abilities
and dreams, and they are treasures that are built in the midst of an
educational relationship that enriches, respects, dreams, transforms
the present, builds the future and unfolds opportunities.

3.3.1 Faith.
Faith not only refers to a relationship with God who acts as a “teach-
er,” but it also generates a characteristic and distinctive educational
relationship. Today, the spirit
Faith is active. Discover of faith demands personal and
God in the vicissitudes community dynamics, consis-
of history and encounter tent with educational medi-
Jesus on the margins and ation to create conf idence in
among the excluded. oneself, in the other, in human-
ity and to develop awareness of
the continued presence of God, who we contemplate in educational
action.

67
Brothers of the Christian Schools

This is how we understand “faith as the foundation of a hope that

translates into commitment.”4 Our Lasallian faith is an active, com-
mitted faith. It invites us to “come out” of the quiet of our communi-
ties and the comfort zones of our missions. It is also a faith that seeks,
a faith that risks, a faith that commits itself, a faith that discovers God
within the vicissitudes of history and finds Jesus Christ on the fringes
and in the face of the excluded and irrelevant.

Lasallians of other faiths, or those without religious beliefs, encounter

poor children, youth and adults who lack support to live with human
dignity, and express their common humanity by reaching out to them
to provide various types of support to improve their situation.

3.3.2 Fraternity.
Lasallian fraternity
Today the word fraternity ac-
should also manifest
quires essential connotations in
itself for those who
an individualistic and crowded
think differently and in
world. Lasallian education, al-
our vision of Church-
though it has emphasized the
Community.
communal dimension, has not
been without a certain narcissism. In some cases, there has been an
insistence on personal triumph, on the personal life project, on com-
petencies that emphasize competitiveness rather than solidarity. Pro-
ceeding in this vein, the ideal of modernity has been adopted, which
makes men/women the owner, master of the world and lord of all.

On the other hand, fraternity manifests itself when we share our

table and story, not only in a closed circle with those who believe and
think like us, but especially with those who think differently. Sharing

4
Sauvage and Campos, Announcing the Gospel to the Poor.

68
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

with those who have other religious options or none at all, with those
who contradict and question us, and with those with whom, despite
everything, we also share common dreams. It is in dissent that the
paths to innovation are more easily found than in environments laden
with self-referencing and mutual praise. Responding to Pope Francis’
call to go beyond borders also requires dialogue with those who think
differently.

Lasallian fraternity must also express itself in our vision of

Church-Community and, consequently, translate into the life of the
educational community. Fortunately, in Catholic circles a conception
of a synodal and servant Church emerges strongly, which breaks, by its
very axis, the paradigm of ecclesial power entrenched in some sectors
of the hierarchy. An Institute that was born lay, whose consecrated
members are faithful laymen, and which has an impressive presence
of lay associates and partners, how could the Church be understood
otherwise if not in this synodal perspective? All of us, brothers and
sisters, are people who discern, not simply persons who obey.

3.3.3 Ardent zeal.

As expressed in the Brothers’ Rule, The passion for
zeal translates into passion, commit- education ought to
ment and joy in being part of a mis- be our distinctive
sion that consists of “touching hearts,” mark.
pointing out hor izons, inspir ing
dreams and participating in educational processes that open doors to
opportunities, contributes to the construction of equity and strength-
ens the democratization of societies. Joy, availability and commitment
to the common project must be characteristics of Lasallian zeal, and if
it is ardent, fire and passion must be our distinctive traits.

69
Brothers of the Christian Schools

3.4 Lasallian association.

For more than 300 years, “together and by association” has been our
particular style, a fundamental aspect of our charism. In recent de-
cades, we have witnessed that this mission has become a shared mis-
sion with other Lasallians from different states of life, and including
others of different beliefs.

In a multicultural and pluri-religious world, we Brothers of the

Christian Schools are reflecting on the need to assure the vitality of
our educational mission, which cannot be understood unless it is
seen as shared with the seventy thousand educators the world over.
The conviction to work “together and by association” continues to
gain new meaning…We are also aware of journeying alongside teach-
ers from other religious creeds who have found in De La Salle a new
source of identity and the conviction to carry out their education-
al mission in today’s world through a respectful interreligious di-
alogue between faith and culture. Hence, the proposition from the
45th General Chapter to draft a Declaration on Lasallian Education,
as an expression of a ministerial journey that is open to the future,
through its ability to critique itself based on the demands of the Gos-
pel. (Cahiers lasalliens 67, 2014, Preface, pp. 3-4)

Today, Brothers and other Lasallians discover in Association the deep

meaning of Lasallian community. On the one hand, the Brothers have
recovered the Vow of Association, first among themselves, as the back-
bone to reread their Rule of Life.

70
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

On the other hand, all Lasallians feel called not only to share work,
but also spirituality and community relationships. As in the Founder's
time, we are invited to respond in association to the challenges posed
by the Lasallian mission. Association is, then, the basis of our commit-
ment as well as the expression of our sense of belonging.

Association is, therefore, a vo-

Association is a
cational journey that invites us
vocational journey
to form vibrant and intentional
which invites us to form
communities of faith, made up
communities in which
of Brothers and Partners. We
we share faith and
f ind in them both the space
respond to the needs of
and time to share our faith, our
today.
experience and the meaning of
our life. There are a variety of ways of thinking and organizing these
communities; but we are convinced that it is a call from God, through
the signs of the times, to be creative and to better respond to today's
needs. To do this, we need to adapt and enhance our Lasallian forma-
tion, learn to discern together and accompany one another.

3.5 Features of the Lasallian educational tradition.

3.5.1 The pedagogy of fraternity.

The centrality of community becomes a reality in the pedagogy of fra-
ternity that has developed with the following characteristics:

a. An affectionate fraternity. Human relationships are a central

element of the Lasallian school. All the participants in school life
are involved: students, teachers, parents, and indirectly, social
and political institutions. For De La Salle, there is also another
essential agent in the educational relationship: God. Everything

71
Brothers of the Christian Schools

indicates that De La Salle understood well that personal growth

and that, consequently, the educational process depends essential-
ly on human relationships. No wonder then that De La Salle asks
teachers to win the hearts of children. The Brothers' Rule insists
on using words of love and tenderness, especially for children who
need it most.

b. A courteous fraternity. De La Salle grew up in a family atmo-

sphere characterized by civility and courtesy; he experienced its
benefits and its personal and social advantages; likewise, he un-
derstood its usefulness for life. The publication of his Rules of Deco-
rum and Civility is a manifestation of the importance he attributed
to these qualities of social coexistence. They were one of the bases
of h is a nth ropolog y.
A pedagogy of fraternity
Civility is a necessary
has developed, and it is
condition for living in
characterised by being
society, and it is the
affectionate, courteous,
human foundation of
ambitious, and in universal
fraternity. There is an
solidarity.
evident coherence be-
tween education for civility and the desire to propose a fraternal
pedagogy. When civility disappears, the social fabric suffers. For
De La Salle and the 17th century Brothers, educating the children
"of the artisans and the poor" in civility was giving them an in-
creased opportunity for being part of society and professional
advancement, which is still valid even today.

c. A n ambitious fraternity. This ambition was based on the confi-

dence of the potential of the students. For this reason, De La Salle
and the first Brothers offered more demanding courses and higher
learning experiences. For example:

72
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

• In reading, it was not enough to learn to read in order to study

the catechism. It was also necessary to read ordinary print
characters and all types of manuscripts intelligently.
• In writing, it was not enough to acquire ordinary writing, but
also to acquire round hand script and cursive calligraphy. You
had to know the rules of spelling and writing.
• In arithmetic, in addition to exercising the four elementary
operations, it was necessary to be able to solve problems, begin-
ning with concrete life situations, since this made it possible to
get a job as an administrative accountant.

In short, the Lasallian school had a very high level of demand, in

order to increase opportunities for student advancement. That re-
quirement was and is applicable, in the first place, to the teachers
themselves.

At the source of this ambition was the desire to offer students

what was useful for their professional future and for their being
an integral part of the society in which they lived. This explains
the Institute's global evolution vis-à-vis increasing qualification
levels. This is how the secondary schools, and later the technical
schools and institutions of higher learning appeared.

d. A fraternity in solidarity. Guided by the Gospel and by his sense

of fraternity, De La Salle was not satisfied with schools that segre-
gated rather than united. Referring, as he often does to Saint Paul,
he wanted like Paul "to announce the Gospel to all." He did not
want the poor to feel rejected. On the contrary, he wanted them to
feel accepted and integrated into society. In other words, he want-
ed equal opportunities and ways of socio-economic advancement
for them.

73
Brothers of the Christian Schools

This fraternity in solidarity progressively expanded as the In-

stitute developed. It was not limited to children who regularly
attended school, but it was extended to other young people who
had educational or pastoral needs and who otherwise would not
have been able to continue their training. Suffice it to remember,
as mentioned in the first part of this document, that De La Salle
started many other concrete works, like the Sunday schools to
attend to young workers and work with challenging youth; and
during the 18th, 19 th, and 20th centuries, the range of educational
services became more prolific as the Institute expanded worldwide.

These initiatives demonstrate that Lasallian fraternity is universal

because through education it strives to reintegrate young persons
with difficulties in the school, in the Church, and in society. Every
action of integration contributes to human fraternity.

e. A universal fraternity. The vision of John Baptist de La Salle en-

compassed all dioceses of France and beyond. It included influenc-
ing many religious Congregations of women who were dedicated
to girls' education. There was no doubt that the vision of De La
Salle drove him to establish the Institute in Rome, the center of
the Church. It bore witness to its Catholic nature, so essential for
the Institute.

Likewise, De La Salle discovered that teachers had an irreplaceable

function, but needed to prepare for it. He needed teachers who
were well educated and professionally competent, prepared for the
continuous pursuit of quality, of excellence. He constantly remind-
ed the Brothers "that the school should run well." To that end, he
rapidly organized the training of teachers, a concern that extended

74
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

throughout the Institute's history. The acquiring of knowledge and

the development of competencies are a duty of justice toward the
students and not a simple need for personal fame.

Furthermore, we have always believed in teachers who work in

association. As a Founder, De La Salle realized this from the start.
It was the most fruitful of his educational insights. Association
became the Institute's fundamental characteristic, and today it
is that for the Lasallian world. Years of experience, difficulties, re-
flection and prayer were necessary to arrive at a clear awareness
of the spirit and of the work in association.

Associative dynamism has deep roots in our history. The positive

impact of association did
not stop at the time of the Starting from the reality
Founder. It is surprising of the situation and
to see how the strength the particular needs of
of association has enabled the children and young
the Institute to overcome people, the Lasallian
difficulties, and to offer school prepares students
alternative, temporary or to be Christians, citizens
lasting solutions to the and professionals.
challenges it has faced.

For some decades, we have become more aware of the central role
of association in the functioning, dynamism and future of the
network of Lasallian centers. Surely, this depends on the fact that,
from its origin, association guaranteed:
• cohesion of educational teams,
• quality of collective discernment,
• stability in a common project,

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

• availability and solidarity among its members,

• warmth of coexistence, and
• possibilities of openness to the universal.

3.5.2 To Educate in and for Life.

The three centuries that separate us from Saint John Baptist de La
Salle have been fertile. Proof of this is the continuity of his education-
al and spiritual legacy and the affirmation in diverse contexts of his
initial intuitions. The tradition continues to live because it constantly
evolves, updates itself, and proposes paths, horizons and opportunities.
It is capable of entering into dialogue with pedagogical and didactic
currents that frequently arise.

Lasallian education is closely linked to life because it starts from life

experiences and because it prepares for successful placement in society,
especially in the workplace. From the realities of the context and the
particular needs of children and young people, the school prepares the
Christian, the citizen and the professional. Lasallian education is prac-
tical, with well-defined sequences, constant observation, and ongoing
evaluation of the processes.

a. The social dimension of education. Lasallian education has an

inalienable social dimension because it has its roots in the Gos-
pel and "the promotion of human dignity, solidarity with human
beings and integral and sustainable development." When opting
for humanization and social justice as inspiration, the educational
result is essential. Neutrality is not possible.

De La Salle, from the beginning, created options for "the children of

the artisans and the poor." In our current reality, there are many
new poverties and educational urgencies, but it is not very difficult
to find populations that have been privileged in our mission. In

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

fact, the educational service of the poor gives "specificity to the In-
stitute." It is not about excluding other human groups. In fact, we
are present in various social, political and economic settings. Forty
years ago, the Institute pointed out that the educational service
of the poor is inseparable from the promotion of justice. Not only
the poor have been condemned to a life that denies the condition
of dignity, but also the excluded and those considered irrelevant.

Globalization, which was so exciting at the end of the 20th centu-

ry, with the opening of economies, the circulation of knowledge
and capital, "the global village," today shows facets that reveal
that the dream gave way to disappointment. The examples are
numerous: new walls segregate nations, doors have been closed to
immigrants, xenophobia is exacerbated everywhere, entire peoples
are entrenched in their fears of the "different." Groups close in on
themselves and radicalize in favor of violence and racism. In short,
we are witnessing the loss of the sense that history is one, inter-
connected and common, and that the fate of humanity is in danger.

b. Comprehensive and inclusive education. Lasallian education

is comprehensive because it addresses the person's totality, their
habits, care for the body, emotions and affections, good manners,
intellectual development, formation of values, ethical and aesthet-
ic dimension, professional preparation, the spiritual dimension ex-
pressed in interiority and in the knowledge of God. It is inclusive
because it unites theory and practice, gives unity and meaning,
and prepares the citizen; that is to say that it "teaches us to live
well."

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

c. Christian education. The Lasallian school has a Christian origin.

This statement raises questions that are important to analyze as it
defines the meaning of evangelization, catechesis, the study of re-
ligious traditions, communication of common values, presentation
or preaching of Jesus Christ, the mystery of the Church.
Issues recently resolved a few decades ago, such as the role of
religious in social life, the relationship of the human being with
transcendence, salvation, the spiritual search beyond the religious,
are today complex, or at
least treated differently.
Education in life and
The understanding of the
for life is social, holistic,
role of the Catholic Church
inclusive, Christian,
in a pluralistic world and
pupil-centred, effective
the role of believers within
and efficient.
the Church are important issues that determine evangelizing and
catechetical processes themselves.
These issues cannot be lost sight of as a very important number
of Lasallians, students and teachers, belong to other Christian
denominations, to different faiths and religious traditions, or
they live a very personal spirituality without affiliations. There
is no doubt that this richness also poses important challenges
for Lasallians in the field of ecumenism, religious freedom, and
multi-culturalism.

d. Student centered education. One of the essential foundations of

Lasallian pedagogy is the knowledge that the teacher must have
of each and every one of the students. Why is this knowledge so
important? Because it is a condition for the adequate pedagogy of
each student, that is, the putting into practice of two-dimensional
knowing/doing. Knowing each one "distinctly" – their peculiar-
ities, their learning rhythm, their personalities, etc., is a condi-
tion for proceeding with differentiated, adapted and personalized

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

attention. Thus, certain essential principles that are acquired by

pedagogical progress are understood: demand, flexibility, logical
follow-up, complexity.

e. Effective and efficient education. "That the school runs well" is

not a simple desire, and even less is it a simple and empty inspira-
tion; it is the result of concerted work in all educational relation-
ships. The work of creating, innovating or transforming and, in
all cases, of planning, organizing, executing and evaluating. All of
which implies educational, corrective and purposeful provisions.

79
 CONTEXT

THE CALL
to a
FATHER,
HOLY SPIRIT

JESUS

Beginning
and Life CONTEMPLATE
and place oneself
in the presence

ABANDONING
one’s life

80
AND SOCIETY
Contemplate so as to discern a Mission

SYNODAL FIRE AND

CHURCH PASSION
COMMUNITY MISSION
Living in Educational
ASSOCIATION service of the
poor
We share the
FAITH The pedagogy of
create fraternity
We respond to
the NEEDS of Educating in and
today for life

Jesus calls us to a community for the Mission. Jesus

calls us for a Mission which creates community.
Starting with the reality of the context and
particular needs of children and young people, the
Lasallian school discovers its Mission and prepares
people for citizenship and professional life.

81
 PART FOUR

LOOKING
TO THE FUTURE.
CHALLENGES OF
THE LASALLIAN
EDUCATIONAL
MISSION
Dear spiritual children of John Baptist
de La Salle, I exhort you to study and
imitate his passion for the least and the

“
discarded. In the furrow of his apostolic
testimony, may you be protagonists of
a "culture of resurrection," especially
in those existential contexts where the
culture of death is prevalent. Never
tire of going in search of those who find
themselves in modern-day "sepulchres"
of dismay, degradation, distress and
poverty, in order to offer hope of new life.
Pope Francis, Audience on the
Tercentenary of the Eternal Easter
of John Baptist de La Salle.
 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

T
he dizzying social processes that the world is experiencing have
a direct and indirect impact on educational plans. For exam-
ple, migration is changing the profile of societies; technological
disruptions have transformed our way of living and relating. Predatory
consumerism has changed the natural landscape and threatens our
survival; political dynamics have fractured democracy and freedom;
biotechnology has altered the concept of life and death. The breakdown
of mega stories has shaken religions and ethical systems; and the ar-
rival of the fourth stage of the industrial revolution, or better yet the
first stage of the digital age, has shown the inability of the nation-state
to govern it. Thus, what is constant is change and uncertainty is its
characteristic.

We have to live through the turmoil of the present as heirs of a three-

hundred-year old tradition that unites us and that also calls us to
rethink the nature and value of education for new generations. Only

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

in this way will we respond to the challenge of offering an education

that is relevant for today's children and youth. However, it is clear
that a tradition is dead if we fail to update and reread it by taking
into account the new realities and challenges of each place where it
is found. It would be anachronistic simply to transfer the methods
and processes of the origins of our tradition to today without adapting
them to the current context.

In addition, a ref lection is

necessary that allows us to
Experiencing the
illuminate present action, ac-
turbulences of today
cording to the fundamental
as heirs of De La Salle
values and the original in-
requires us constantly to
sights. In this way, Lasallian
have fresh thinking about
education continues its evo-
education. Only then will
lution, motivating community
we provide a relevant
discernment and educational
education for children
c re at iv it y. Th i s c on s t a nt
and young people of
growth allows organs such as
today.
the International, Regional,
and District Assemblies, even the Mission Councils, to find their ori-
gin and strengthen themselves within association. Excitement results
from doing this, not as intellectual discourse, but as opportunities to
create, risk, decide and act.

Although present realities are complex and even overwhelming, they

are always occasions to rethink the incalculable value of education
and its social impact. Our heritage is a source of hope and a constant
invitation to reflect and to act. Our perspective that God's revelation
takes place in history and is the source that inspires commitments,
gives us the lenses and the reasons to look with joy, serenity and hope
at the challenges that always become possibilities and promises.

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

The realities of this world urge us to take proactive and not reactive
positions that put us at the forefront of educational innovation. These
contexts are characterized, among other things, by the disappearance
of boundaries between the sciences and the relative autonomy of
physics, biology and digital technologies that have favored the emer-
gence of bioinformatics, biotechnology and info-technology. These
new combinations of science and technology challenge all the ethical,
religious, philosophical, anthropological, social and historical models
and positions that, in their way, force a permanent reflection on the
educational act.

Education has also played a political role throughout history, just as

education and knowledge are attributed a tremendous power. 5 Con-
sequently, there are issues of deep significance that Lasallian educa-
tion must address and understand well. For example, the educational
process in the society of knowledge, the training for citizenship, the
construction of equity within the framework of social justice, the
strengthening of democracy, and the education of critical, reflective,
free and autonomous people. At the same time, formal education has
also become a generator of knowledge and an arbiter in a profuse, dif-
fuse and confusing sea of information.

Thus, education has a profound social impact that we cannot disregard.

On the contrary, we must have a clear understanding of its intentions,
approaches and emphasis. Today as never before has it been more im-

5
Knowledge is power. Bacon (ispa scientia potestas est) and Hobbes with the in-
cursion of the scientific method have raised it. Paulo Freire, among others, has also
posited that the educational process has a very social and political dimension.

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

portant to be clear about the type of society and person we want to

help build, as well as the role of the educator and the school in today's
contexts.

4.1 Together and by Association for the Educational Service

of the Poor.

Current times show different

The modern commitment faces of poverty and marginal-
to schools for all is a ization that challenge Lasallian
goal still to be reached. association. In many places in
The big challenge for the world, the contemporary
Lasallian education is promise of school for all is still
to be accessible to the a dream. Many children have
poorest. poor or no education at all due
to poverty, wars, migratory
processes, social marginalization, epidemics, impossibility of access
to new technologies, internal conflicts, racial or gender segregation,
adolescent pregnancy, child labor and many other forms of exclusion.
Poverty hits especially hard in deep rural areas of developing countries
and the belts of misery on the outskirts of cities. In this context, the
defense of the rights of the child makes great sense.

In recent decades, most of the countries – even the poorest – have sig-
nificantly increased the availability of schooling, but without ensuring
quality in the process. In this way, they have turned education into
the biggest factor of exclusion. In other words, the tension between
coverage and quality, between schooling and learning persists. Poor
education for the poor deprives them of access to the opportunities
that their birth, surname or their social condition have denied them,

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

thus perpetuating their marginalization and the conditions of misery

in which many of them already live. Quality education is an engine of
social mobility because it strengthens democracy, significantly reduces
poverty and generates inclusion and equality.

Pathways forward / recommendations:

The existence of innovative educational responses that are happening

in many parts of the Lasallian world and that are real responses to the
problems of poverty are impressive. However, educational commitment
to the poor is insufficient if it is not intimately linked to the cause of
social justice and equity (Circular 412, 1980, 9). Misery and margin-
alization are products of political and economic systems that manu-
facture poverty, because they privilege the few, concentrate wealth,
promote corruption and forget the essence of politics as a builder of
the common good. The educational service of the poor is, in essence, a
service to the cause of justice that, in turn, promotes equitable, inclu-
sive societies respectful of the dignity of people and attentive to the
full satisfaction of their needs.

In this context, the great challenge of Lasallian education is, precise-

ly, to be accessible to the poorest. Other challenges include forming
citizens who are critical and aware of reality, who are committed in
their research projects to the service of causes that overcome margin-
alization and misery, who propose solutions to the problems of hunger,
and who delve into the understanding of social and political processes.
In short, Lasallian education is called to create educational plans that
allow for the expansion of quality education and articulate higher ed-
ucational processes with basic ones, in order to align the improvement
of educational systems as an integrating continuum.

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

Solving the great problems of the education of the poor and the ser-
vice of justice are not exclusive to Lasallians. Our association is not
only among ourselves but also among numerous ecclesial, confessional,
civil, non-governmental and state organizations, with which we have
a common cause in favor of humanity. Overcoming sectarianism and
the herd instinct is necessary to be part of the forces that, united, can
achieve much for justice and equity. The protagonists of such a divisive
stance are enemies of solidarity and grounded in self-centeredness that
corrode the strength of the Gospel and hinder overcoming humanity's
great problems.

4.2 Human Solidarity.

Already looming in the 20th century were those realities that would
become realities at the dawn of the 21st century. The dizzying advance
in science not only changed power structures, but also the means of
production and personal, family, social and labor relations.

Reality, therefore, is inf luencing the very viability of the school as

such and, equally, all of its organizational and curricular processes,
educational interactions, ongoing teacher training, evaluation and
the sociology that inspires it. In short, lived reality impacts real and
explicit educational projects, not only ideological ones, as beautiful
as they are unattainable, which fail to point out relevant horizons for
new situations.

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

Pathways forward / recommendations:

Undeniable, therefore, is the need to be clear that one of the inten-

tions of our educational project is to provide dialogue between science
and humanism. In the course of this dialogue, science questions the
ethics and the spiritual dimensions of persons and, at the same time,
they upset and question scientific knowledge. The university is the
privileged place for this task. This does not prevent, in both basic and
secondary education, the appreciation of humanistic knowledge and
the type of knowledge that sustains it, as well as the characteristic
beauty, logic and scientific method. Bertrand Russell expresses this
magnificently: "In education as in other human affairs, there is only one way
to progress; and it is the following: science exercised by love. Without science,
love is powerless; without love, science is destructive" (Bertrand Russell,
1926: 153).

These themes are very sen-

The Lasallian project
sitive for the Lasallian edu-
was born in marginal
cator, since they should not
areas of dehumanisation.
be avoided or converted into
Our educational
dogmatic proposals. Dialogue
undertaking has favoured
between faith, ethics and rea-
the cultivation and
son is always the stage where
preservation of all that is
the Christian proposal can be
human.
enriched in dialogue with cur-
rent contexts. This is neither a
"practical relativism" nor a "doctrinal relativism," as defined by Pope
Francis in Evangelii Gaudium and in Laudato Si. On the contrary, dia-
logue requires the acceptance of natural law referents and revealed
truth as well as putting the realities in context without, therefore,
giving "priority to circumstantial conveniences."

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

True to our tradition, the Lasallian enterprise was born on the borders
of dehumanization. De La Salle and the first Brothers, "moved" by the
fate of the poor, created the Christian school to provide opportunities
for inclusion, access to knowledge and to the arts and crafts for those
who were marginalized from education. This inclusive school opened
the doors of the rigid social divisions prevalent at that time. This Lasal-
lian Christian presence, as our historical documents abundantly show,
was never intended to convert or to proselytize.

Being the humanistic Lasallian education tradition, our formative com-

mitment has favored the care and preservation of what is profoundly
human. A question that is constantly enriched, that opens the way,
that questions its conditions, possibilities and forms of expression, and
the communication of the values and virtues that, in the end, are the
very dynamics of education. As Pope Francis beautifully expressed it,
"speaking of roots, of values, we can speak of truth, of goodness, of
creativity…One cannot educate without appreciating beauty, without
drawing beauty from the heart…I would dare to say that an education
is not successful if it does not know how to create poets. The path to
beauty is a challenge that must be addressed." 6

Ethical formation is essential in our proposal. Traditionally, we have

embraced the guiding principles of Christian thinking about ethics.
However, the understanding of Christian ethics in the secularized
context is beyond a dogmatic or an autistic interpretation of values.
Rather the constant effective deployment of its options, that is, in the
updating of its relevance that, as never before, is heterogeneous and at
times hostile.

6
Address of the Holy Father Francis to the participants in the seminar "Education: A
Global Compact." Feb. 7, 2020.

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

Today, inclusion is not enough. Not even social justice and equality can
be circumscribed to the reality of a single country or set geographical
area. The planet's fate requires an option for universal solidarity and
humanism. Here we have to strengthen the pedagogy of fraternity –
the great treasure and essential component of our project – because
it constitutes an essential characteristic of our three hundred year
old heritage and tradition. Fraternity, without a doubt, is expressed
in solidarity, as a consequential value; but it also makes us feel like
brothers and sisters who walk together in search of meaning and who
are committed to the great causes of humanity.

Likewise, fraternity humanizes education, because it helps to inter-

relate different generations, globalizes hope, and creates awareness of
responsibility for the care of people, nature, planetary life and sustain-
able development. Fraternity that is realized in civil and political love;
it arrests moral degradation; it commits to the common good, and it
isolates itself from any harmful culture.

4.3 Citizenship and Political Life.

The democratic system is one of the great conquests of humanity.

Many attempts over the course of centuries ranging from tribal and
slave societies go through imperial and monarchical absolutisms, dic-
tatorships of all types, up to one-party regimes, and allow us to think
that the most civilized political model is democracy. Although it is also
imperfect and able to be perfected, even questioned, it is the best way
humanity has found to preserve freedom, seek justice, and manage
social life.

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

Although it is true that the advent of democracy has not represented

in all cases the desired development and the equity that cannot be
postponed, the answer to the limitations of democracy is not to deny
its potential but to commit ourselves to its strengthening. We have
learned painful lessons about it, and they pose serious challenges for
our educational processes. Participation and political control – com-
mon to democracy – have been quite frequently forgotten in our for-
mation and action. We are satisfied with the election of candidates,
but we do not concern ourselves about monitoring and challenging the
elected and holding them accountable.

Pathways forward / recommendations:

The fragility of organizations and the deficient formation of citizens

who are aware of their political responsibilities have favored the spread
of apparently uncontrollable corruption and the existence of citizens
indifferent to political problems. These problems carry within them
the germ of the destruction of institutions and the decline of democ-
racy. We are aware of the existence of uncritical educational projects
that, in an unveiled way, favor models that are contrary to communion,
social justice, defense of life, and genuine Gospel values and the values
of other very important religious traditions.

We could speak of pedagogies for the formation of essential values for

humanism; for example, the approach to social realities of the social
and existential peripheries. This approach is a generator of questions
that form integral frameworks, provoke ethical behaviors, and artic-
ulate knowledge on the reality, social responsibility and the future of
humanity itself.

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

In any case, it is by training for citizenship, through educational me-

diations, that we build knowledge supportive of an ethic of care em-
bodied in responsibility and solidarity. The school has a fundamental
role. It must itself create an environment conducive to respect and
order, through the establishment of clear norms, policies for conflict
management, environments that foster solidarity, and situations that
allow foreseeing, evaluating and anticipating the impact and the social
responsibility generated by personal and collective decisions. Further-
more, formation for integral ecology and care for aesthetics will enable
spaces to educate and facilitate learning.

Thus, the school cannot re-

nounce its crucial role in the Our school cannot
formation of citizens capable renounce its role in the
of exercising their rights, ful- formation of citizens
filling their duties, defending capable of exercising
the public, strengthening the their rights, fulfilling their
social fabric, participating duties, defending public
in democratic processes, in- good, strengthening the
serting themselves in politics social fabric, participating
and policy-making, growing in the democratic
in ethics and the aesthetic di- processes, being
mension. These citizens must concerned about policies
possess a civic ethics that and politics.
manifests itself consistently
in their daily actions, by honesty, solidarity, transparency, account-
ability and compassionate understanding.

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

4.4 Critical Thinking and Interiority.

New technologies have great educational potential. They make it possi-

ble to have large amounts of information at hand, navigate an immea-
surable ocean of knowledge, access millions of documents, know in real
time what is being discovered and the topics on which scientists are
working. Thanks to all this, we can interact with people to discuss and
exchange ideas and experiences. In short, its possibilities exceed the
imaginable. Certainly, these possibilities also carry dangers. We know,
for example, how many problems indiscriminate communication has
caused with people who stalk, corrupt, destroy, attract, steal and use,
protected by the anonymity cyber networks provide.

Superficiality and a poor interior life are causes for concern because
they facilitate the sovereignty of the "post-truth." Their influence has
made objective facts matter less to public opinion than emotions and
personal beliefs.

Thus, this realm of "post-truth" replaces truth with frequently repeat-

ed lies that exacerbate feelings, gives rise to positions that separate
what one feels and thinks from what is said. In addition, it institu-
tionalizes the lie based on this secret morbidity that, at its core, un-
critically accepts political decisions based on fallacies, even if reality
proclaims something different. An aggravating feature of all this is
that this "fluid" world begins to be governed by people who openly lie
in a convincing way. They deny what is undeniable (global warming,
the evolution of life, minority rights, inclusion and respect for women),
promise what is unattainable and awaken the anarchist, racist, ho-
mophobic, narcissist that too frequently resides in some hearts.

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

Pathways forward / recommendations:

We face the urgent need to educate for contemplation, interiority and

depth. In short, today more than ever it is important to form peo-
ple's criteria, help them develop their capacity for analysis and critical
thinking, turn their doubts into a search engine. Essential learning
consists of knowing how to digest, through contemplation, reflection
and silence, the abundant information ingested, using it to under-
stand the world and its relationships, by communicating with others
by expressing one's own
thoughts reasonably and Today more than ever, it is
calmly. Education must important to train people’s
be patient and unrushed. judgment, to help them
These qualities can be ex- develop their capacity for
pressed through the meta- analysis and for critical
phors "mental rumination" thinking, promoting the
and "simmering." spiritual dimension and
interiority of young people.
It is, therefore, urgent to
promote pedagogies that encourage reading and provoke a discussion
that develops an exchange of views and generates personal positions
with informed opinions and clear and precise conceptualization. This
type of reading is indispensable when faced with the impressive frag-
mentation that results from reading on the web. Hyperlinks suggest
jumping from one idea to another idea, from one author to the next,
until one is flooded with information that forms a complete and dif-
ferent idea about a topic. Reading books in their entirety, with a cor-
responding analysis and group discussion, are means that favor depth,

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

meta-analysis, dialogue with the author, as well as understanding

other perspectives. All of these are necessary conditions for deepening
thought and overcoming the superficiality imposed by fragmentation.

The world of social networks can favor levity and the loss of interiority
to emptiness. Lasallian education feels called to offer means that favor
reflection and awareness, as well as options that provide answers to
questions about the meaning of life, the world and history.

On the other hand, the Lasallian educator, inflamed with apostolic

zeal, feels challenged to promote the spiritual dimension and the in-
teriority of young people. To this end, the educator designs method-
ologies, creates alliances and motivates young people to increase this
human dimension that is capable of brightening their being. The exag-
gerated and uncritical use of technological means of communication,
the desire for immediacy, for ephemeral relationships and complacency
prevent young people from fully knowing each other and developing to
the fullest. Those virtues that are cultivated and flower from within
the person need a space for their consideration and flowering.

The spiritual crisis manifests itself fundamentally in the loss of the

meaning of life and in religiosities inconsistent with the defense of
what is profoundly human and without real expressions of mercy and
responsibility in relationships with others. This reality should lead
us to work hard so that social networks create human networks. The
loneliness full of noises, the adolescent's life with bubbles of virtual
worlds, absolute dependencies and loss of freedom in the world of new
technologies are undermining interpersonal relationships and the deep
communication of being and meaning. The Lasallian ethic is relational.

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

It is, therefore, an expression of the most genuine Gospel values and of

all the most venerable religious traditions. These values include loving
one's neighbor as oneself, forgiving, accompanying, and expressing in
mercy the presence of God who is love.

4.5 Integral Ecology.

In contexts that favor consumerism, materialism, and the reductionist

understanding of effectiveness, among others, young people find it dif-
ficult to answer existential questions, even to ask them, and therefore,
often do not find an answer that satisfies their thirst, their reason for
being. The human heart is the bearer of seeds of goodness and gener-
osity, together with the ability to commit oneself to what is right, just,
beautiful, deeply human. This is the starting point for understanding
integral ecology.

Pathways forward / recommendations:

The possibilities of Lasallian education are enormous for the creation

and strengthening of educational proposals for "ecological citizenship"
(Laudato Si, 211).

'Laudato Si' [LS] proposes an education that considers and gives impor-
tance to the realities of a degraded, disrespected, overexploited and
little cared for "common home." Thus, it is worth remembering that
"Our efforts at education will be inadequate and ineffectual unless we
strive to promote a new way of thinking about human beings, life,
society and our relationship with nature" (LS, 215).

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

Integral ecology is, pedagogically, one of the best generators of edu-

cational approaches that could be characteristic of the new Lasallian
educational proposal. This, in turn, would favor curricula based on the
search for meaning, and problem-based learning. This type of learning
would make it possible to construct knowledge, learn phenomena that
touch the mind and also affectivity and emotions, and understand the
possible interrelation of the natural, social and human sciences, as well
as their consequent ethical impacts. Likewise, we could speak of de-
mocracy and the human condition
Pedagogically
as realities generating the study of
speaking, holistic
history, of political, cultural and
ecology is one of
religious traditions, of power and
the best sources for
the indeterminate decisions that
educational focal
lie scattered in governments or for a
points which could
characterise the new nation-state that does not yet seem
Lasallian educational ready to respond to the problems of
global governance and stability.
project.
The curriculum, the contents, the defense of biodiversity and human
life, daily practices, knowledge of geographical spaces, contemplation
of the landscape, models that sustain the economy of educational
institutions, purchasing and consumer decisions, and others, are ex-
amples of means that Lasallian education puts at the service of the
development of an awareness of the role we all play in protecting the
environment. These same means help the sense of intrinsic responsi-
bility associated with all social and personal decisions, and remind us
that any action, however small it may seem, can have devastating or
constrictive effects on our common home. Certainly, this ecological
theme runs through the entire educational project, its relationships, its
proposals, its quality criteria, its intentionality and its actual practice.

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In short, Lasallian educational processes form human beings to live

alternative lifestyles to the logics of domination, of excessive and pred-
atory consumption, and of disrespect for life, ambition and destructive
selfishness. These styles will provide cultural transformations that
generate other social logic; "a new beginning," as Pope Francis says.

4.6 International Network.

We are part of an
international Institute
The complex realities that af-
which is present in
fect all cultures and countries
all continents and in
dramatically affect the social
diverse cultures, and
situation, and they push entire
this gives us enormouss
populations into poverty and
possibilities because
exclusion. Our internationality
of the plurality of
demands positions and com-
educational provision,
mitments shared by Lasallians
the breadth of outlooks,
in defense of life, care for the
the realisation of
environment, access to qual-
joint projects, the
ity education, the welcoming
optimisation of
of migrants, the defense and
human talent and the
protection of the rights of chil-
infrastructures available.
dren, the responsibility, among
others, to act against the scan-
dalous inequity that rules the world.

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Pathways forward / recommendations:

Lasallian education cannot be oblivious to the impressive evolution

that school institutions have experienced in recent decades. To begin
with, it is always necessary to win the trust of society by offering
quality educational proposals, which reaffirm its ability to inspire val-
ues and attitudes for current contexts, which teach learning, opening
doors to spaces and pointing out pathways to happiness.

We are part of an international organization, present on all the conti-

nents and in diverse cultures, which offers us enormous possibilities.
Our educational networks will be able to strengthen the possibilities
derived from its universality thanks to the plurality of educational
proposals, the expansion of their aims, the realization of common
projects and the optimization of human talent and infrastructures.
A proposal with these characteristics will be very significant for the
world. Our networks must be an expression of quality, values, and
commitment to social justice. Our networks must be generators of
hope and an expression of solidarity.

Our commitment to what is deeply human and to an education that is

coherent with reality, forces us to overcome the temptation to create or
maintain successful schools and universities in fractured or unfeasible
societies due to the practical ignorance of human rights or unbearable
inequality; or else schools and universities will fail due to their inabili-
ty to update themselves and respond to societies that are transforming
and worlds that are evolving. The Lasallian proposal, fueled by faith,
hope, and ardent zeal, transcends the temptation of self-preferentiality
and commits itself to the causes of humanity and the permanent calls
of the Church summons the world and men and women of good will.

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4.7 Beyond the School.

Education should be under- Education should not be

stood as a synonym for school. viewed as synonymous
The validity of this statement with school. Our Mission
is confirmed by the unusual has found other pathways
growth of online education to follw through informal
and home schooling, of the education, pastoral action,
relativization of "university evangelisation in other
degrees," which are being re- forums and by virtual
placed by certificates in work presence in the media
competencies, or assumed by outside the school setting.
corporate universities.

Recent approaches to the same higher education are not far from as-
suming that the traditional university institution could have its years
numbered. In fact, the loss of face-to-face students in many of our
institutions is constant. Furthermore, the rigidity of the traditional
university proposal is thought to generate great concerns, among oth-
ers, about the sustainability of institutions, the demand for high-qual-
ity research, the development of infrastructures. Meanwhile there
are proposals for virtual education, for for-profit university networks,
state offerings and on-site work education, all this to the detriment of
humanistic and classical education.

Pathways forward / recommendations:

Undoubtedly, Lasallian educational action has privileged the formal

institution, be they primary and secondary schools or universities.
However, in places where it is not possible or convenient to establish
these institutions, our mission has found other channels, for example,
non-formal, informal education, pastoral action, evangelization in

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other public/civic settings, and recently a presence in virtual media

and unschooled settings. Realities often bypass the imagination. Our
reflection on transmitting values by means of new virtual forms of
fraternal educational relationships is still in its infancy.

The speed with which these changes, as with those mentioned above,
occur should impel us to develop models of Lasallian inspiration which
have a significant presence with these new realities. Possibly, we do
not have to be in all contemporary educational creations; but neither
can we ignore them.

4.8 Educational proposals to pursue and transform.

The last decades have been prolific in educational advancement. Among

the most important to be noted are the progress of cognitive psychol-
ogy, computer science, communication technologies, neuroscience,
advances in genetics, philosophical reflection, critical perspectives of
social systems, and new paradigms that pose different conceptions of
discipline itself and of scientific methodology. All of these have influ-
enced education as never before, and, consequently, have influenced
pedagogies and instructional strategies. New educational paradigms
emerge, and, without a doubt, inspire, question and challenge, con-
sciously or unconsciously, explicitly or implicitly, Lasallian educational
processes.

The Lasallian school has distinguished itself for being a comprehensive

education project (Saturnino Gallego, Volume II, 1986: 45), implement-
ed through pedagogies based on the intense educational relationship
between teacher and student, as well as the strength of the fraternal

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community and the group as a mediator of learning as expressed ear-

lier in this document. The present times are different. Although many
of the original inspirations of basic education – literacy, arithmetic,
language learning, professional skills and a reason to live – retain their
inspiring power. Consequently, they can be reread in current contexts
without entering into unsustainable historicisms, such as wanting to
find the roots of new paradigms in the pedagogies, updated in the fol-
lowing centuries, of the 18th century school. The cognitive revolutions
and developments in science and technology of the past few decades
were simply unimaginable then.
The rereading of the
fundamental values of It is f itting that we become
our tradition and the aware of the new dynamics
study of the historical, that affect contemporary edu-
social, ethical and cational processes.
political implications will
make the education we 4.8.1 In dialogue with
provide more relevant, emerging paradigms.
provided they are The decades at the end of the
approached as complex 20 th centur y a nd the yea rs
problems and in terms since the beginning of the pres-
of a pedagogy for the ent century have been fertile
mediation of conflicts on all knowledge fronts. The
and dissention and by turbulent decades of the 60s
cooperative learning. and 70s allowed the creation of
alternative educational projects
and the liberating and critical pedagogical positions that even today
continue to show their strength. For example, the novel expression of
popular education. However, today the range is greater and conducive

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to fertile dialogues between centuries-old educational traditions, such

as ours, and theoretical proposals that support current educational
projects.

Today, new paradigms that impact education are also appearing force-
fully. The emerging paradigm of complexity implies a break with the
determinism and positivism of science, the fragmentation of knowl-
edge, the linearity of thought, and the emergence of unsuspected prob-
lems and threats. At the same time, this paradigm presumes different
approaches, such as inter-discipline and trans-discipline, for the ap-
proach to knowledge and the solution of problems, systemic thoughts,
hologrammatics, auto-organizational theory, that is, a new epistemol-
ogy that poses enormous challenges to education and the school.

To continue insisting on a compartmentalized school for the approach

to the acquisition of knowledge is simply impossible. Thus, for us
Lasallians, honest dialogue is necessary to enrich the knowledge so
essential for these times with our educational heritage. The reread-
ing of the founding values of our
tradition and the study of its his- Today, establishing
torical, social, ethical and political the conditions for
implications would make our ed- learning and support
ucational proposals more relevant. in the development
If they were approached from the of judgment and
perspective of complex problems, character are seen as
pedagogies for the mediation of more important than
conflicts and dissent, and coopera- information itself.
tive learning would be favored.

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4.8.2 From the perspective of learning rather than from the

perspective of teaching.
The school and the teacher are no longer the dispensers of knowledge.
It is impossible to do so in a world in which computer resources make
available to all people the knowledge accumulated in the most diverse
areas. Obviously, in the
same world, knowledge, The traditional Lasallian
truth, falsehood, lies, and values find new possibilities
all sorts of approaches that for their up-to-date
demand criteria for dis- implementation in the
cernment and character to pedagogy of accompaniment.
seek the truth coexist.

Thus, a fundamental change in the functions of the school and the

teacher is proposed. Today, more than the information itself, it is
important to generate the conditions for learning and to ensure the
accompaniment that forms the criteria and the character. The need
then arises for pedagogies that can form the criteria and the conse-
quent character of the teacher. This function consists in the educa-
tional mediation between the subject who learns and the object to
be known, between the absolutism of the criteria of truth attributed
to the teacher and the autonomy of those who are learning to discern
their own criteria.

Critical reading, a return to the classics, permanent dialogue, pur-

poseful debate, discussion that fosters the understanding of different
positions or opinions on various topics, the exploration of different
theoretical or political approaches, the study of religious traditions,
and the approach to cultures are examples of educational mediations
essential today in the Lasallian educational project.

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The values of the Lasallian tradition find the possibility of being up-
dated in the pedagogy of accompaniment. This pedagogy reaffirms the
possibility of each one, the ability to find one's own journey and the
necessary freedom to walk with responsible autonomy. If the pedagogy
of fraternity makes us brothers and sisters among all, it also makes the
educator the older brother and sister of the students. It is a relation-
ship that privileges "going with," and "next to (alongside)" in autonomy
and ongoing care. It is the power of the educational relationship of our
Lasallian heritage.

4.8.3 The teacher: irreplaceable

If there is anything role and educational authority.
that has distinguished If there is anything that distin-
Lasallian education guishes the Lasallian proposal,
right from its origins, it since its origin, it is the dignity
is the dignity accorded of the teacher, the importance
to the teachers, the assigned to his/her role in the
importance assigned educationa l process a nd the
to their role in the recognition of his/her ability to
educational process impact the character formation
and the recognition of the children and young people
of their ability to assigned to their care. Currently
influence character functions, methodologies, and
development in paradigms have changed. How-
children and young ever, the presence of an upright,
people. generous, creative, and respectful
teacher continues to be the pri-
mary element for the success of the Lasallian educational process.

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Integrity, example, depth, vision, respect, tenderness, ardent zeal, faith

and hope will always be the virtues that will characterize the upright
teacher's ability to mediate. The practice of these virtues points out
pathways, encourages dreams, shows horizons, accompanies toward
the achievement of autonomy, challenges, and generates mediating
scenarios. The result of all these actions is the growth and personal
development of the student, the empowerment of their personal capac-
ities and solidarity with common projects.

Not in vain did Saint John Baptist de La Salle conceive of the teacher
as an older brother / sister, guardian angel, minister of Jesus Christ,
role model, reflection of transcendence and depth, and inspirer of op-
portunities and projects. The rich educational achievement that this
vision creates generates life, forms character, enables learning, builds
fraternity, and enhances the personal vocation of each child and young
person it educates.

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CHALLENGES PATHWAYS
The educational service of the poor
Because of their poverty, many The big challenges for the Lasal-
children and young people lian school is to be accessible to
receive a bad education or the poorest.
none at all. Committed to the cause of social
justice, equity and the defense of
the rights of children.

Human solidarity
Scientific advances have changed Dialogue between science and
the structures of power, the humanity. The future of the
means of production and our planet calls for universal human
personal, family, social and solidarity.
workplace relationships. New The pedagogy of fraternity.
frontiers of dehumanisation.

Citizenship and political life

Fragility of institutions, citizens Formation for citizenship.
who are indifferent to political
problems, corruption and the
destruction of democracy.

Critical thinking and interiority

The educational potential of Educating for contemplation, the
modern technologies and their spiritual dimension, interiority
inherent dangers. and depth.
Superficiality and the lack of inte- Forming citizens who are critical
rior life, which facilitate poverty. and aware of reality.
A world in flux.

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CHALLENGES PATHWAYS
Holistic ecology
Styles of life that favour predato- Holistic ecology could be a
ry consumption, lack of respect characteristic of a new Lasallian
for life, diminishment affectivity educational provision.
and the logic of domination. Protection of the environment.

International network
Our international status calls for New educational networks
positions and commitments to strengthen the possibilities
be shared among Lasallians. resulting from our universality.

Beyond formal schools

The unaccustomed growth in Our Mission can find pathways in
virtual education, home-based non-formal education, pastoral
schooling, combined with a action, evangelisation, a
diminution in the numbers of presence in virtual media and
students and the rigidity of among children deprived of
traditional education. school.

Educational Provision
• In dialogue with the emerging paradigms (complexity, mediation,
cooperative learning)
• Education centred in the pupil (a pedagogy of accompaniment and
learning)
• The irreplaceable role of the teacher and his/her power as an educa-
tor (dignity and capacity to educate)

The following outline is a way to visualize the relationships between

the different elements indicated. Likewise, it is offered for personal
reflection and for a better understanding, knowing that there may be
other forms or presentations and syntheses.

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 LASALLIANS

1680 1719 1808 1905

Foundation Lasallian education is The birth of Lasallian

of the Institute recognised by the Church higher education

The Conduct of Schools Taking shape as the Lasallian education is

pedagogy of fraternity present in almost all the
different forms and types
of education

Brothers Lay Believers of other

religions

Benefactors Former Students Religious Institutes

A new view of childhood The development of public

education in the world

The French Revolution World Wars

112
 FROM COMMITMENT TO COMMITMENT
Challenges, convictions and hope:
In the reality of constant change in human society, thousands of educational
communities and establishments are continually discovering the Mission which
God entrusts to them, and they associate with one another in order to bring
human and Christian education to poor children, young people and adults,
so that they can learn to live with justice and fraternity.

Justice, peace,
fraternity
1962 2000 2020

Lasallian education adapts itself Lasallian education is enriched by

to many countries and cultures a wider Association

Lasallian education is
renewed by the study of the Holy
Founder and of the
Second Vatican Council

Women Collaborators Associate

Young Lasallians Volunteers NGO

Vatican II New challenges for the

educational Mission

Technological Revolution

113
CONCLUSION:
OUR
DECLARATION
Around 1694, when writing the "Memoir on the Beginnings," John
Baptist de La Salle understood how the plan of God was carried
out through him and in the Institute that he founded together
with his Brothers. He expressed it himself in these words:

God, who directs all things with wisdom and gentleness and
who does not force our wills, wishing to have me take care
of the schools, led me imperceptibly and over a long period of
time from one commitment to another in a way I did not at all
foresee in the beginning.
(Memoir on the Beginnings).

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In the same way, God so leads me today. Lasallians know that

the story that began more than 340 years ago continues to
amaze us today as the expression of God's plan. With wisdom
and kindness, God has guided the Institute to find, in every
century and according to different circumstances and places,
the means, the people, the committed groups and associates to
continue this mission of a human and Christian education for
children, young people, and adults, especially the poor. In this
way, the adventure that began with a small group of teachers
became, first, a community of Brothers and, over the years,
an enormous group of committed Lasallians. These men and
women, belonging to many different cultures, languages and
traditions, dedicate their lives to advance horizons, touch hearts
and inspire minds through an education that enables them to
generate opportunities that promote the transformation of lives,
persons and societies.

The life of Lasallian educational groups is nourished by a passion

for the education of the poor, those who suffer, those who await
our offer of solidarity and invite us once again to take a risk and
to be creative. Rather than cling to the past, we prefer to build
the future. We choose life and hope. We reaffirm our faith in the
goodness of human beings and in our passion for humanity.

The contemporary age is marked by an extensive weakening

in credibility of institutions that carry out a mission requiring
creative proposals. Despite this, the present moment is a time
of hope and creativity. Societies and individuals are seemingly
finding ways to overcome the many problems of an age marked
both by inequality and injustice, as well as by means of making
new inspirations flourish, of creating new commitments, and of
facilitating a new spring. The power of hope once again launches

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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

the commitment of Lasallians to the human and Christian ed-

ucation of children, young people, and adults in whom we find
the face of God and the best expression of what is deeply human.

In this way forward and strengthened by our convictions and

traditions, we make a few proposals for the present and the fu-
ture. We accept the past with gratitude, embrace the present
with joy and look to the future full of hope, animated by the
deep faith that this pathway we are following is the work of
God; and so:

WE DECLARE THAT
We f irmly believe that children and
1 young people are a call to hope and com-
mitment. Our educational institutions and proj-
ects focus on people and promote their integral
development. To this end, they create healthy, safe
and respectful environments, defend the rights of
children, young people and adolescents, and create
situations where duties and rights are defended,
respected and promoted.

We believe that in the faces of the impover-

2 ished and vulnerable we find God's saving
power. Our tradition is rooted in the preferential
service for the poor, the excluded, those considered
irrelevant, that is to say those children and young
people for whom their vulnerable condition is an
obstacle to the building up of their dreams for the
future and to their having a dignified and happy

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life. Today our commitment is to identify the new

forms of poverty - which are always to be found at
the frontiers of dehumanization, in a lack of oppor-
tunities and in marginalization - and to serve those
who suffer from these poverties.

We believe in the inspiring and mediating

3 power of the educator. The teacher is funda-
mentally a witness who accompanies and inspires
because his/her example inspires, challenges, accom-
panies and orients. The teacher is the fundamental
mediator of educational processes because they
create the pedagogical relationship that favors the
integral growth of the children and young people
with whom they share life and mission. Their pres-
ence illumines, points out horizons, generates envi-
ronments for learning, promotes autonomy, suggests
paths and transmits principles. In this way, they
contribute to the formation of free, autonomous and
responsible people.

We believe that the educational commu-

4 nity is a core component in the building
up of the person and the transmission of
values. Fraternity and the sense of community are
the greatest and the best contribution of Lasallian
pedagogy to educational processes. This fraternity
promotes the harmonious growth of people, helps to
find meaning in life, makes it possible to create bonds
of affection and solidarity, communicates security
and respects differences. In addition, it helps to build
common dreams and transformative commitments.

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We believe that our Lasallian association

5 is a gift from God to the world and an ex-
traordinary means to continue the legacy
received from our living three-hundred-
year heritage. Our association is also expressed
in networks of educational communities that
allow themselves to be impressed by the realities
of the learners. Brothers and laypeople committed
to the educational mission are the present expres-
sion of God's plans. Therefore, we respond together
and by association to the needs of children and the
youth of the world.

We believe that education makes possi-

6 ble the search for and transmission of
the truth. We have a positive view of the ability
of young people to be passionate about this. All
of our institutions share this optimism, which
is consistently nourished by the fundamental
conviction that inquiry, through the different
disciplines, discovers different but complemen-
tary knowledge, and points to the knowledge of
a transcendent truth that eludes us and, at the
same time, draws us irresistibly.

We believe that education is a fundamen-

7 tal, powerful and productive resource for
the care of the Earth and the defense of
the habitat where life can f lourish and
sustain itself. Our educational proposal has
to be a real engine of commitment to an integral
ecology that challenges with alternative par-

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adigms, predatory consumerism, technocratic

tyranny, lifestyles inconsistent with human and
integral development. We know that we cooperate
in this type of advancement if we ensure that all
advancement is socially participatory, culturally
appropriate, technically fair, ecologically sound,
economically equitable, politically impactful, eth-
ically responsible and spiritually meaningful.

We believe in the transforming capacity

8 of education. Education is the most import-
ant intervention in the formation of the human
being insofar as it allows the communication of
values, the acquisition of knowledge, the building
up of human networks, the expression of dreams
and the emanation of a new paradigm about the
human being, society, life and our relationship
with nature. Education builds equity to the extent
that it generates opportunities for personal, com-
munity and social development, while dignifying
people and transforming societies.

We believe that Lasallian education is

9 an expression of Christian humanism.
Our educational proposal is an expression of hu-
manism because its objective is integral formation.
Consistently, in this proposal, intellectual devel-
opment, the development of faith, the understand-
ing of science, and the living out of values, are not
understood as isolated dimensions, but as dimen-

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sions that involve and feed each other. Therefore,

the objective of Lasallian education is to form peo-
ple of mature and robust faith, with clear ethical
criteria, who exercise leadership through service
and who are committed to working for the com-
mon good and the building up of more just and
peace-promoting societies.

We believe in the evangelizing power of

10 the school. The Lasallian educational proposal
is nourished by the most genuine values of the
Gospel, such as respect for people, love of neigh-
bor, mercy and compassion, freedom and respon-
sibility, justice and equity, care for life and nature.
We also believe that the presence of God's love in
every man and woman reveals the sacredness of
life and peace as the greatest good of our living
together.

11 We believe that today's realities demand

taking risks and being creative. The school
must always be updated, capable of remaking it-
self and responding to the needs of children and
youth. For this same reason, new educational proj-
ects must be brought into being, and others must
surely die. Our peoples urge us to look to rural
areas, indigenous groups, migrants, poverty belts
of megalopolises, and frontiers of dehumanization
to respond creatively to their specific and pressing
needs.

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

We believe that another world is possi-

12 ble, and that education is a fundamental
force for building it. Our educational perspec-
tive aims to build societies where peace, equity,
social justice, civic participation, the raising up of
common dreams, and respect for freedom and dif-
ference are possible. We visibly demonstrate our
commitment to the building up of a more dem-
ocratic and just society, as well as our option for
an integral and sustainable human development
that benefits everyone. To educate for peace is to
educate for justice and solidarity.

With our eyes fixed on God, our faith in the goodness of the
human being and our commitment to children and young peo-
ple, we advance toward the demanding and exciting horizons of
this 21st Century. The conviction that a better world is possible
moves us, the passion for humanity brings us together, and hope
encourages us along the way.

Indivisa
Manent
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 Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission

GLOSSARY AND
ACRONYMS
AIMEL
International Assembly for the Lasallian Educational Mission
International gathering of Brothers, Partners and Associates to re-
flect, evaluate and decide on matters concerned with the Lasallian
educational mission. The Assembly is committed to responding to the
present realities based on the Lasallian charism. Participation of all
the Districts is carried out by means of delegates, of which two thirds
are not Brothers.

Asociation
Association is the process for the communion of those who, from their
vocation, share Lasallian mission, the charism, and spirituality. The
term has been used frequently in the Lasallian tradition and is related
to the expression "together and by association." It has its origin in the
commitment made by John Baptist de La Salle and 12 Brothers on June
6, 1694. Through the vows of association, obedience and stability, they
pledged to maintain the educational mission. This historical act is the
foundation of the association of the Brothers of the Institute through-
out its history.

Currently, association now refers to the new forms of commitment on

behalf of the Lasallian educational mission, the result of the partici-
pation of new agents who are involved in it.

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Associates
"We recognize as being associated with Lasallian mission all intention-
al groups and all persons who respond to an interior call by an edu-
cational commitment which has Lasallian characteristics, and which
has been authenticated by a competent authority" (Circular 447, p. 6).

"[Association] can be expressed in diverse ways:

- For the Brothers, the vow that forms part of their religious profession.
- Some lay Lasallians will choose to express it publically after a process
and according to the customs of their District.
- Other lay Lasallians will live it out implicitly through their commit-
ment in the Lasallian mission" (Circular 461, p. 7, 4.10).

Benefactors
Refers to people who, self lessly, perform well or support others in
achieving their projects. The benefactor offers resources and supports
to carry out the educational work. Since the Institute's origins, the
Brothers of the Christian Schools have counted on the generosity and
good will of people who have provided support for the achievement of
the educational mission.

The Brother of the Christian Schools in the World Today:

A Declaration
The profound renewal of the Catholic Church, begun by Vatican Coun-
cil II, invited religious Institutes and Congregations to "return to the
sources" that gave them origin to update (aggiornamento) in light of the
world's new reality. In 1967, as a result of a process of consultation and
deep reflection throughout the Institute, the Declaration was issued.
The Brothers, in this document, claimed as foundational the person
and spirituality of John Baptist de La Salle (the source), rediscovered
their identity in response to the needs of the Church and the world.
The Declaration was highly relevant for the renewal of the Institute.

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Brother Superior General

"The Brother Superior General is elected by the General Chapter and
he exercises his authority over the whole Institute, in accordance
with the norms of Canon Law and Institute legislation. His mandate
runs until the following General Chapter (seven-year term). He can be
re-elected" (Rule, 126).

Brothers of the Christian Schools

Members of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.
"Each Brother takes upon himself the responsibility for integrating
within his own person these constitutive dimensions of his vocation:
consecration to God as a lay religious, the apostolic ministry of edu-
cation, especially among the poor and community life" (Rule, 12). "The
Brothers express their consecration" by the "vow of association for the
service of the poor through education, stability in the Institute, obe-
dience, chastity and poverty" (Rule, 25). The Brothers are also known
as "De La Salle Christian Brothers" or "De La Salle Brothers" in different
parts of the world.

Canonization
The Catholic Church's process by means of which the life of a person
is investigated to identify their virtue and recognize their sanctity. It
also refers to the liturgical celebration in which the Church declares
a person a Saint and includes their name in the liturgical calendar of
the saints.

Catholic Church (Roman)

Ecclesial community of faithful baptized followers of Jesus Christ and
his message. The Catholic Church recognizes in the Roman Pontiff
(Pope) the Vicar of Christ on Earth. As for hierarchical structure, its
headquarters are located in Vatican City.

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Brothers of the Christian Schools

CIAMEL
International Council for Lasallian Association and the Educational
Mission
"The International Council for Lasallian Association and the Education-
al Mission (CIAMEL) is a deliberative and collaborative body of Broth-
ers and Partners representing the worldwide Institute. It is established
for the animation and direction of all existing and future educational
programs that embody the Lasallian mission"
(CIAMEL Statutes, 1)

Declaration
Public and formal pronouncement made by a community or a social
group to express their convictions and positions on a certain matter.

General Chapter
The Assembly of the Brothers of the Christian Brothers and the highest
authority of the Institute that meets ordinarily every seven years.

"Responsible for the whole Body of the Institute, the Chapter is qual-
ified to undertake in its name a periodic evaluation of the life of the
Institute, to provide for its continuing adaptation and renewal, and to
set out the main guidelines for future action. In addition, the Chapter
elects the Brother Superior General and the Brother General Councilors"
(Rule, 112).

General Council
"The mission of the Brother General Councilors is to assist the Brother
Superior General in the government and the animation of the Institute.
They share with him and under his authority all the tasks of the gov-
ernment of the Institute" (Rule, 127).
"The General Chapter fixes the number of General Councilors," depending
on the Institute's needs, "which must not be lower than six" (Rule, 120).

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Gratuity
The expression refers to what is gratuitous or free. For the Brothers,
this term expresses the condition of openness that Lasallians works
have to grant educational service to those who require it, regardless
of their economic, political, religious, cultural or social characteristics.

Guadalupana De La Salle Sisters

Religious Institute of pontifical right founded in Mexico in 1946 by
Brother Juan Fromental. They share in the charism of John Baptist de
La Salle with the Brothers. The Institute was approved by Pope Paul
VI and recognized by the 43rd General Chapter (2000) as associated
with the Institute for the Lasallian educational mission. This Institute
is under the care of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico and
Latin America (https://www.hgs.org.mx).

Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools

"The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, approved by
the [Papal] Bull 'In apostolicae dignitatis solio' of Pope Benedict XIII, is
an Institute of pontifical right, composed exclusively of lay religious"
(Rule, 4). The Brothers, founded by John Baptist de La Salle, dedicate
themselves to the integral education and formation of children and
young people, preferably of those most in need. "The members of this
Institute live in community and call themselves Brothers" (Rule, 5).

IALU
International Association of La Salle Universities
The network of Lasallian institutions of higher education in the world.
This network actively supports the promotion of the educational vision
and charism of John Baptist de La Salle, facilitating opportunities for
collaboration, research, exchange and development among its member
institutions.

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Laity (Layperson)
"The term laity is here understood to mean all the faithful except those
in holy orders and those in the state of religious life specially approved
by the Church. These faithful are by baptism made one body with
Christ and are constituted among the People of God. They are in their
own way made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly func-
tions of Christ; and they carry out for their own part the mission of
the whole Christian people with respect to the Church and in world"
(Lumen Gentium, 31)

La Salle Sisters
Religious Institute of diocesan right, founded in Vietnam in 1966 by
Brother Bernard Le-Van-Tam. The Institute was approved in 2002 and
shares in the charism of John Baptist de La Salle. They were recognized
by the 43rd General Chapter as associated with the Institute for the
Lasallian educational mission. (https://www.thelasallesisters.org)

Lasallian Charism
"The Lasallian charism is a gift of the Holy Spirit given to the Church in
view of human and Christian education" (Rule 19). The grace or gift is
granted in the person of John Baptist de La Salle and embodied in the
Lasallian community (Lasallian Essays 3, p. 37).

Lasallian Educational Mission

"The purpose of this Institute is to provide a human and Christian
education to the young, especially the poor, according to the ministry
which the Church has entrusted to it. Christian schools, which need
to be constantly renewed, are the preferred sphere of activity for the
Brothers. The Institute is open also to other forms of teaching and
education, suited to the needs of time and place" (Rule, 3).

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Lasallian Family
"The expression Lasallian Family designates all those who participate
in the Lasallian educational enterprise, especially those who are mov-
ing toward a sharing in the spirit and the mission of St. John Baptist
de La Salle" (Circular 435, p. 49). "All who participate in the Lasallian
educational enterprise belong to the Family" (Circular 461, p. 54, 5.14).

Papal Rescript
Official document of a Pope in which he expresses his response to a
petition or a consultation.

Partner
A person who, not being a Brother, participates in the Lasallian mission
in many different ways. Its distinctive feature is participating in the
mission. The 43rd General Chapter refers to Partners as those people
who "share our mission in its multiple educational, catechetical, apos-
tolic and professional aspects, and make it possible for the mission to
be accomplished" (Circular 447, p. 4).

Perpetually Professed Members

Refers to the Brothers of the Christian Schools who have professed
final vows.

Rule of the Brothers of the Christian Schools

The document that contains the Constitutions and Statutes that
regulate the life of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. "The Rule
manifests the charism of the Institute and defines the meaning of the
Brothers' life in today's context. It shows them how to live out the
Gospel as the Founder did" (Rule, 158).

The current Rule went into effect on September 8, 2015.

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Secular
This word comes from the Latin saecularis, which derives from saeculum
whose meaning is: what is related to the world, to the century, to what
is finite. The secular (saeculum) refers to the distinction between what
is of the century, earthy, or finite from what is not. In this sense, what
has to do with God (infinite) is separated from what is not (finite, of
the century). By derivation, the expression secular is still used, in some
sectors of the Institute, to refer to the person who does not belong to
the ecclesiastical or the religious state.

Secularization Laws
Laws enacted in France in 1904, during the government of Émile
Combes, which prevented Religious Congregations from dedicating
themselves to education. This law caused the closure of thousands
of schools and the departure many Brothers of the Christian Schools
from this country. The following year, in 1905, the French government
approved the Law on the Separation of the Church and State.

Self-referential
This expression refers to the action of analyzing, evaluating and judg-
ing a situation or reality exclusively from one's own experiences, that
is, from the reference itself, without considering other contexts. The
world is believed or thought to function in accord with one's own
reference.

Shared Mission
"Today, the Brothers pursue the Lasallian mission in partnership with
men and women who recognize the relevance of the Lasallian charism"
(Rule 13).

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Signum Fidei
Latin expression that means "sign of faith." Official emblem of the In-
stitute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. It also refers to a group
of lay educators committed to living the Lasallian charism and spiri-
tuality. The "Signum Fidei" Fraternity was recognized as "associated"
with the Institute by the 43rd General Chapter (Circular 447, p.5).

UMAEL
World Union of Lasallian Former Students
This international network integrates confederations and associations
of graduates of Lasallian schools and universities. Its objectives are:
1) to defend and promote freedom of education, 2) to collaborate and
support Catholic institutions so that they can carry out their mission
and purposes without obstacles, and 3) to work so that education is
available to as many young people as possible.
(https://www.lasallian.info/umael)

Vatican Council II
A Council is a meeting or congress of the bishops and other members of
the Catholic Church, or a part of it, to deliberate and decide, in common,
matters of interest to the Church. The Ecumenical Council is convened
and chaired by the Roman Pontiff (Pope), and its decisions apply to
the entire Catholic Church. Vatican Council II, convened by Pope John
XXIII, began in 1962 and concluded in 1965. The decisions of Vatican
Council II were expressed in 16 documents, considered, for their rele-
vance, a source of inspiration and renewal for the Catholic Church, This
Ecumenical Council was closed by Pope Paul VI.

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ACRONYMS AND
ABBREVIATIONS
WORKS CITED
The Complete Works of John Baptist de La Salle, J. M. Valladolid
Common Rules of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
The Conduct of the Christian Schools
The Letters of John Baptist de La Salle
Meditations
Memoir on the Beginnings
The Rules of Christian Decorum and Civility

INSTITUTE DOCUMENTS
The Brothers of the Christian Schools in the World Today:
A Declaration (1967).
Circulars of the Brothers of the Christian Schools: Circulars 435, 447, 461.
Lasallian Essays.
The Lasallian Mission of Human and Christian Education: A Shared
Mission (1997).
The Rule of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (2015).

CHURCH DOCUMENTS
Apostolic Exhortations Evangelii Gaudium [Joy of the Gospel]
To the Bishops, Clergy, Consecrated Persons and the Faithful.
On the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today's World.
Encyclical Letter Laudato Si [Praise be to you] On Care for Our
Common Home.

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