The Brothers’ Community at St. Joseph’s Institution in Singapore became the venue of the 32nd District Council Meeting which was held on 2019 October 26.
The DC members had an entire day discussing matters relating to LEAD. They concluded the meeting with a Eucharistic Celebration presided by Fr. Matthew Tan, SJ.
After the mass, all the DC members, together with Br. Ricky Laguda (PARC General Councillor), and the rest of the Brothers in Singapore, went out for dinner in an Italian restaurant.
The De La Salle Brothers of Myanmar had its Annual Country Assembly at De La Salle House, Yangon, Myanmar last 1 November 2019.
This year’s Assembly coincided with the Canonical Visit of the Brother Visitor, Br. Armin Luistro FSC . He was accompanied by the Auxiliary Visitor, Br. Felipe Belleza FSC. All 12 Brothers, except 1 young Brother and a senior Brother, were at the De La Salle House at Yangon by 29th October 2019. The Brother Visitor had personal interviews and community dialogue on the 30th of October with the Yangon Community, followed by the Maymyo Community on the 31st of the same month.
On the 1st of November, the Assembly of the Brothers of Myanmar was held. Br. Felipe acted as chair. The assembly began with a short prayer led by Br. Josaphat. It was then followed by the opening remarks of Br. Noel Lal, and then a message from the Brother Visitor. La Salle Centre Yangon and Maymyo Boarding House ministries were presented. Br. Josaphat updated the Brothers on the status of the Myanmar initial formation personnel.
Br. Felipe presented the New Brothers’ House project in Yangon. The new ministries in Myanmar we r e a l s o p r e s e n t e d , f o l l owe d b y t h e announcement of sector appointments of Br. Joseph Than Htaik Aung as Sector Bursar; Br. Fel ipe as the Myanmar Young Brothers’ Conference Coordinator; and Br. Noel Hrang Lal as the Representative of the Major Religious Superiors of Myanmar. Br. Visitor then announced the 2020 community assignments for Myanmar and mentioned his concluding remarks. The Assembly ended with a Eucharistic Celebration at the Brothers’ Community Chapel. (Text & Photos: Br. Noel Lal FSC)
Archivists from the different Districts of the Institute gathered in the Motherhouse in Rome last 29-31 October 2019 for the Meeting of Lasallian Archivists. The meeting was the first endeavor of the Institute to bring together the people responsible for taking care of this important part of Lasallian history and patrimony. Sessions included discussions on the significance of the archives in the context of the Institute and its mission, the imperative and challenge of digitization, and common platforms for the sharing of resources. Visits to the archives and libraries of the Institute as well as those of other religious congregations provided well needed inputs on records and pat r imony management . The occasion was likewise an opportunity for the participants to share and learn about the experiences of the Districts in the management of their respective Lasallian heritage and to continue collaboration and professional formation in its future gatherings. Representing LEAD in the meeting were Mr. Paul Tam Kin Kwok (HK) and Ian Saulog (PH) who shared with the group the research and collaboration efforts of the Hong Kong Sector and the current efforts in enriching the LEAD Archives. (Text & Photos: Mr. Ian Saulog)
The Young Brothers of the Philippine Sector gathered together on 2019 October 27-30 for the Young Brothers Conference 2019.
Read more about the Young Brothers Conference 2019 with Br. Kino Escolano’s Reflection:
Written by: Br. Kino Escolano FSC
Photos taken by: Br. Alex Diaz FSC, Br. Mark Salvan FSC
As a response “to throw ourselves into the void of uncertainty and to open our ideas to new borders, new challenges, new calls ,” the young brothers of the Philippine sector gathered together in the recently concluded Young Brothers Conference 2019. Held from October 27 to 30, 2019 and spearheaded by Br. Mark Salvan, the YBC2019 was divided into two parts.
“I promise and vow… to go wherever I may be sent and to do whatever I shall be assigned, either by the Body of the Society, or by its Superiors. ” Guided by this line for the formula of vows, it is our responsibility to keep ourselves ready for any assignment that the Institute will ask us to do. In line with this, the first part of YBC2019 was dedicated to learning. Hence, the October 27 was called Education Day. On this day, the young Brothers gathered together in Horacio Cebrero Hall in the Central House of De La Salle Philippines. The sessions prepared on this day were responses to the call for the young Brothers to step up and take on the responsibility of setting directions for our school through membership in the Board of Trustees. While others are still looking ahead into this responsibility, being part of the BOT has already been a reality for some young Brothers.
How is one expected to conduct one’s self in a board meeting? This is the first question that this day sought to answer. With the help of Atty. Cirilo Tolosa and Atty. Isabel Tolosa-Datu, the young Brothers were oriented with the what’s and how’s of a board meeting. Parliamentary procedure was very interesting. At least by theory, we were able to understand the basic things that we ought to know. The BOT is the governing body that guides the schools towards the realizations of their mission and vision. The Tolosa lawyers explained the procedure as well as the roles of the members of the board during the meeting. Specifically, they highlighted the responsibility of the chairman, school president and corporate secretary. At the end of their session, they demonstrated to the young Brothers a role-play of a board meeting. The simulation was participated by Br. Alex Diaz, one of the young Brothers who are on the board of some of the schools. The young Brothers were fascinated by this session. They asked some questions relevant to the topic.
Mr. Ed Chua, DLSP Chief Executive Officer, also gave a session on the difference between Board of Directors and Board of Trustees. He made his session very interesting by giving some anecdotes from his rich experience as a member of several corporate organization. He challenged the young Brothers to speak up their minds most especially during a meeting. On hindsight, it was him encouraging the Brothers to be critical thinkers. The advisory and oversight roles of the board were given careful attention. Immediately after lunch, Mr. Mon Tolosa, Chief Finance Officer of DLSP gave a session on some accounting jargons used in financial reports. His session served as a review for Brothers with a background in finance and accounting. While for those who came from different academic background, the session became a crash course on the finance side of the school.
The insightful education day opened the YBC2019 strong. After which, the young Brothers travelled to Bohol to strengthen fraternal bonds through recreation. The days from October 27 to 30 were spent in blissful experience of the natural beauty of the island. The chocolate hills, Loboc river cruise, colonial churches, tarsier sanctuary and the crystal water of Bohol have been witnesses to the youthful vigor of our brotherhood. Our meals have been made more special by our lively conversations. In the second part of the gathering, the young Brothers gained energy from being together in rest and recreation. The 4-day stay on the island of Bohol, Philippines helped us create our shared memory.
New challenges call for informed and energized responses. YBC2019 provided us with new knowledge for which we are called to use and enrich for the advancement of our mission. Also, it gave us the canvas where we have rewritten our stories of fraternity anew. These stories energize us to make bolder responses to new calls that the signs of the time bring about.
Source: www.straitstimes.com
SINGAPORE - Students of Lasalle College of the Arts will no longer have to travel to different campuses for classes when a new $50 million building is ready by 2025. The 12-storey block to be built on a 6,000 sq m plot of land next to the college's McNally Street campus will help to centralise the school's facilities. It will also be connected to the nearby Rochor MRT station. In recent years, the school has had to lease art facilities in Winstedt Road, classroom spaces in nearby buildings as well as studios from Mediacorp to accommodate a growing student population.
The McNally campus was intended for 1,850 students, but the student population is currently about 2,700.
While the land was earmarked for Lasalle since it moved to the McNally site 12 years ago, funding was a challenge until the Ngee Ann Kongsi pledged $50 million last year.
This is both the Teochew group's single largest donation, and the largest donation received by Lasalle to date.
In a speech on Thursday (Nov 14), Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said it is apt that two historic institutions are coming together to contribute to the nation's future in its bicentennial year.
"Their collaboration is also a testament to how far we have come along this journey from Singapore to Singaporean," added Mr Heng, who noted that a Teochew foundation is donating tens of millions of dollars to an arts school founded by a Catholic order.
"This is not something that happens readily in other parts of the world today, and something that we should treasure and never take for granted," said Mr Heng, who is also Finance Minister, at the cheque presentation ceremony at Lasalle's McNally campus.
The De La Salle brothers first came to Singapore in 1852 to teach at St Joseph's Institution. They went on to set up several schools in Singapore.
It was Brother Joseph McNally who started the St Patrick's Arts Centre in 1984 with 27 students, which would later become Lasalle.
Work on the new building, with a potential gross floor area of 20,000 sq m, will start in 2021 and is expected to take three to four years to complete.
It will include new facilities like a 300-seat lecture theatre, a music recital hall, a film studio, and new galleries on the ground floor that will be open to the public.
The building will also feature a glass facade that opens out to Rochor Canal Road.
Speaking to the media before the event, Lasalle chairman Peter Seah said that he expects the demand for arts education to continue growing.
But whether the school can help meet the demand depends on government policy and space constraints. Lasalle's expansion will help cater to its current student population of 2,700 only.
In his speech, Mr Seah called the new building Lasalle's "crowning glory", and thanked the Kongsi for its generosity.
"Your momentous contribution will no doubt create new and exciting opportunities in the arts that will impact Singapore culturally and socially for many years to come," he said, announcing that the new building will be called the Ngee Ann Kongsi Building.
Ngee Ann Kongsi vice-president Richard Lee said that it was "honoured" by the decision to name the building after the Teochew organisation.
"We hope our gift will enable Lasalle to become a place of intellectual wealth in which your students will treasure and enjoy their academic pursuits and aspirations to be future leaders in the arts and creative industries," he said.
The Kongsi has been donating to Lasalle since 2007 when the school first moved into its McNally campus. These donations have included a Steinway grand piano and $6 million towards books, online databases, scholarships and bursaries.
Most of us feel comfortable and at peace in nature. This is why the International La Salle Institute for Sustainability of the Environment (ILISE/Victorin), headquartered in Chicago, USA, wants to use nature’s power to improve peace in the world. ILISE/Victorin believes that we can promote human justice and human rights through sustainable development education and projects.
Dr. Martin Montoya, FSC, Executive Director of International La Salle Institute for Sustainability of the Environment (ILISE/Victorin) created the “Green Loop” concept with the purpose of promoting hope for peace among young people through activities in natural areas as a neutral place, and henceforth expand coexistence across the local community involved.
For this reason, Dr. Montoya conducted an investigation with several researchers from Lasallian universities to analyze various conflicts around the world, and to study the positive impact of introducing Green Loops across the globe. Using the research findings, Dr. Montoya designed the Green Loops plan.
This plan is a guide for actions that can help preserve and maintain natural areas and avoid radicalization. The aim is to improve the lives of young high-risk people that could be shattered by the current and future conflicts in a globalized world. For these reasons, according to this Green Loop plan, all institutions that have a nature area or are close to one, have an important community function. These institutions can become the best allies to improve tolerance and peace between local young people and their environment.
The “Green Loop” plan can be classified as an excellent and simple strategy to introduce social and environmental education in academic environments. The “Green Loop” plan entails five steps to be adopted:
Currently there are three Lasallian educational centers implementing this Green Loop plan. These centers are located in high conflict areas around the world:
The coordinators of these educational centers strongly believe in the philosophy of the Green Loops plan to help them save nature and bring about armistice among settlers in places where local conflicts currently exist. In addition, Green Loop projects have the invaluable support of De La Salle Solidarietà Internazionale ONLUS in Rome, Italy, who is sponsoring this initiative to find grants support.
A Green Loop being established in an unsettled area can help contribute to a peaceful coexistence. Expanding the Green Loop plan in these natural areas around the world, can be beneficial in bringing people together with the same hope for peace, as well as to help set aside differences and avoid conflicts. If your educational center would like to implement the “Green Loop” plan, please feel free to reach out to De La Salle Solidarietà ONLUS: www.lasallefoundation.org, foundation@lasalle.org
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