LEAD Story 354

What does it mean to be a Brother in the time of Covid-19?

Brothers from all over the world gave their thoughts and reflections as they continue to accompany each other as one Lasallian Family through these very interesting times. Click on the link or image to view the video playlist on YouTube.

https://tinyurl.com/WDConsecratedLife

#DeLaSalleBrothers #FSCVocations #ConsecratedLife #YouArePartOfTheMiracle #WeAreLaSalle #LaSalleWorldwide

In Chinese tradition, the 7th day of the Lunar New Year is called, 人日 (Renri). It is a happy occasion celebrating everyone’s birthday. This year, 人日 fell on February 18. Coincidentally, it was also the date of a truly special and auspicious District Council (DC) Meeting.

The DC members met once again online to conduct the Chapter of Vows. This type of meeting brings a festive spirit to the whole of LEAD since 33 Young Brothers expressed their intention to renew their vows, while 2 applied for Perpetual Vows.

To start the gathering on a solemn note, Br. Armin set a prayerful mood through giving reflection periods accompanied with fitting music. Each Young Brother was personally thought of and fervently prayed for.

The whole process was done online --- using modern tools of communication, including the anonymized voting. Unprecedented in format it may be, but with the grace of God, everything went smoothly without technical difficulties.

After the Chapter of Vows, some time was spent for business matters and other announcements.

TheInitial Formation Board (IFB6) online meeting was held on January 26, Saturday, from 10:30 AM to 12 noon. This year we rejoice that 33 Brothers in temporary vows are due to renew their commitment, and 2 Brothers have applied for Final Vows.

In 2021, five Brothers will be preparing for the perpetual profession. Please keep in your prayers Brs. Abet Pia, Cliff Sy,Johnny Perapong,John Win Kyaw, and Paul Mata. Also, four Brothers were identified to participate in online Formation programs from Emmaus: Center for Psycho-Spiritual Formation and Accompaniment.

Meanwhile, the Vocations Promotions Board (VPB5) met online on Friday, February 5, from 2:00 PM to 3:10 PM. The VPB reflected upon and defined its roles and functions. The VPB asks for the cooperation of all the Brothers and Lay Partners currently involved in vocation work. (Text: Br. Antonio Cubillas FSC)

PHILIPPINES - We had a cordial meeting with his excellency, Archbishop Charles J. Brown, who recently arrived in the Philippines in November 2020. He is the new Papal Nuncio to the Philippines appointed by Pope Francis.

He joyfully shared with us his first volunteer year with the De La Salle Brothers in New York. He was very generous in offering his help and services in the Lasallian Mission including being invited to events hosted by De La Salle Philippines.

Interestingly though, the good Archbishop noted that he is looking forward to running and there was an instant connection with Br. Dodo Fernandez who is fond of running as well. We were also surprised that he is excited to learn Filipino so he can celebrate the Holy Eucharist using the local language. (Text & Photo: Br. Armin Luistro FSC)

THAILAND - The Brother Visitor makes his virtual visit and dialogue to the Brothers of La Salle Sampran Formation House in Thailand from February 15-16, 2021. This new normal situation made the visit more interesting and reflective for the Brothers, as the community is reminded to embrace the changes brought by the pandemic and the changes of living with diverse community cultures, members, and age groups. The dialogue revolves around the bountiful blessings brought by the Holy Spirit like new hobbies and activities of the Brothers in the formation community that lighten the burdens of Covid19. The Brother Visitor recalls the famous line from various documents of the Institute – “Brothers without Borders”, as the community welcomes Br. Eugene from the Philippines and the four young candidates from different tribes. The Brother Visitor ended the dialogue by thanking the community for their efforts in supporting the young candidates in their formation and for making the community a place to rediscover the beauty of God through nature and the passion of each Brother. (Text & Photo: Br. Eugene de Luna FSC)

L.I.V.E. LEAD (Lasallian Initiative for Volunteer Experience in LEAD) is a formation and volunteer development program for young Lasallians of Lasallian East Asia District (LEAD).

This year, the theme of L.I.V.E. LEAD is "LEAD REFRESH: Young Lasallians Working towards Recovery, Resilience and Renewal of the Lasallian Mission". This is a Young Lasallian Congress via videoconferencing held for 6 consecutive Saturdays.

Click on the images below to view the recaps of Day 1 (2021 January 23) and Day 2 (2021 January 30) on YouTube.

Special thanks to Ms. Jeanne Carmel Puertollano for working on these videos.

Find out more: https://www.lasalle-lead.org/livelead

PHILIPPINES - Two hundred and fifty-seven Lasallians from all over the country attended the Lasallian Visions 2021 online gathering last January 29th, but for what? Their reasons varied.

Though originally intended to lay down an apt venue for the discussion of the two institute documents Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission: Challenges, Convictions, and Hopesand Identity Criteria for the Vitality of Lasallian Educational Ministries, the participants came to the meeting bringing their own expectations. A big part of the attendees admitted that, more than anything else, they were looking forward to meeting fellow Lasallians from different parts of the country. Some believed that opportunities like this should be used to check on how Lasallians are getting on or how they do schoolwork especially during this time of the pandemic.

That said, still a good number were interested to find out what the institute documents are all about and how the Lasallian Visions 2021 community can help them digest and realize the message of the documents.

The meeting hosted almost 50 breakout rooms whose discussion prompts centered on the living Lasallian heritage that prevailed over the years in the history of the Lasallian family in the Philippines. The gathering also featured a sharing from Ms. Linda Ferrer, a revered faculty and administrator from University of St La Salle Bacolod. Toward the end of the meeting some student-reactors were invited to share their insights on the result of the survey on the most outstanding characteristics of La Salle schools.

Also present were over 25 members of Signum Fidei Philippines, whose usual last Friday meeting was merged with the LSV 2021 online gathering. Representatives from the College of St Benilde Deaf Community joined the activity as well, with Ms. Nicky Perez and Ms. Dea Faustino as the interpreters.

The gathering is part of the LSV 2021 series of online gatherings meant to popularize the institute documents and ignite and enrich discussions about them. The succeeding meetings are scheduled February 26, March 26, and April 30. (Text & Photos: Br. Emong Viroomal FSC)

Find out more :https://www.facebook.com/groups/lsvisions2021

Education journalist Toshimasa Ota in January 2021 released a book entitled, ‘Top 10 Super Preparatory Schools Showdown’, where he featured an in-depth analysis of public and private high schools in Japan who have shown impressive passing rates in the country’s competitive universities and public medical school examinations.

Toshimasa presented separate rankings for those who have successfully passed the entrance examinations of The University of Tokyo (for the east), Kyoto University (for the west), and 50 Public Medical Schools, and a summary comparison which spanned from 2016 to 2020. La Salle Gakuen in Kagoshima ranked in the Top 10 spot in the final analysis.

In his online articles, Toshimasa said that until the 1960s, the public schools used to be at the top of the rankings but from the 1980s, the private schools gained significant traction. For the University of Tokyo, most of the top schools were private schools for boys. La Salle Kagoshima landed in the Top 13 on that list. For Kyoto University, the public schools fared better due to the expansion of the school districts in Kansai in recent years.

For the public medical schools ranking, La Salle Kagoshima was ranked as the Top 4 in the list. While La Salle Kagoshima used to rank higher in Tokyo University in years past, the new ranking in the public medical schools reflects the shift in career goals, mainly in the field of medicine, as a response to the increasing needs of an aging population.

One of the school’s former pillars, Br. Marcel Petit FSC, wrote in a 1983 Lasalliana article, “[In Japan, Catholic] schools are operating under a handicap, which only a high reputation, based upon academic superiority and excellent moral training, will enable them to overcome. Catholic schools must be outstanding schools if they wish to succeed.”

As the school celebrates its 70th founding anniversary, Br. Marcel’s words continue to be an enriching piece for reflection, not only for the school community but also for the Lasallian mission in Japan. (Text & Photo: Br. Aikee Esmeli FSC)

(Original articles may be found on the following links. If opened through a Google Chrome browser, a rough English translation option would be available.)

“名門私立中高が超進学校になれた歴史的な必然"
https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/401854

"入試直前おさらい 最難関国公立大学合格ランキング”
https://style.nikkei.com/art.../DGXMZO67913370W1A100C2000000

La Salle Gakuen’s 70th batch of senior high school students in their graduation ceremony last February 10

HONG KONG - La Salle College has set up the first Aerospace Laboratory among all secondary schools in Hong Kong. Equipped with a full motion Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved advanced aviation training device, the FMX Redbird, can provide a realistic training environment, including 3-axis motion and wrap-around visual effect. Students who are interested in flying a Cessna 172 plane and aiming at obtaining their first solo pilot certificate, stay tuned for our latest updates! (La Salle College Facebook Page)

https://topick.hket.com/article/2867808/#lscofficial#LSCSTEM#AerospaceLab

St Joseph's Institution International School Malaysia (Tropicana PJ Campus) achieved another set of outstanding results again for Cambridge Int Mathematics - IGCSE November 2020. 92% of all grades scored either an A* or A grade. These results represent an excellent performance by the students. The exams were taken under extraordinary circumstances during the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO), but the students were still able to focus on their revision and preparation. We look forward to supporting them in the coming months as they prepare for the Cambridge Additional Mathematics paper in May. (Text & Photo: Mr. Tony Lai)

Congratulations, Brs. Dennis Magbanua FSC and Lucas Ah Do FSC, for respectively completing the Marine Biology diploma at Centre of Excellence and for finishing the course in Tutorial Class in English Grammar 6 & Writing Skills at De La Salle University - Manila!

The Young Lasallians in LEAD - Brothers, youth coordinators, and students - share their experiences on being Lasallians today.Special thanks to Ms. Ed-Linddi Ong, Youth Coordinator in Singapore, for preparing this video.Click on the image to view the LEAD Story Flashback episode on YouTube.

Ms. Coreen Paul, a member of the LEAD Mission Council and the LEAD Initial Formation Board, shares her experience on the Lasallian association for mission.Click on the image to view the LEAD Story Flashback episode on YouTube.