PHILIPPINES - October 29, 2021 - The Vocations Ministry Office of the De La Salle Brothers of the Philippines had its first online youth camp entitled “Brothers and Beyond”. Student leaders from various La Salle schools in the Philippines and the Lasallian East Asia District gathered and engaged with Brothers Aikee, Jeano, John, Mark, Marvin, and Nico to creatively learn and share about the relevant issues that young people are encountering today specifically on productivity, self-care, and creating a good impact.
Br. Weegee’s Closing Message:
“In our Brothers and Beyond Youth Camp today, I hope you were able to see your Lasallian education in a different light. Amidst the world’s crisis today and since the beginning of our Lasallian story with Christ and the inspiration of St. John Baptist de La Salle, our schools have been fields where young people are formed to be Lasallians for God and Country.
The COVID19 pandemic has, without a doubt, sent us - with the rest of the world - to live our lives within the confines of our homes and within the cyber space. School foundations have been shaken, and our life as students has been digitized, among others. We cannot put into words the various changes that this has brought, but we know that the whole experience has not been easy, and we continue to hope that together we see the end of this pandemic soon.
However, amidst the darkness that this experience has brought us, we see a silver lining where everyone helps everyone else to shine. Amidst the darkness, we look within ourselves and see how our own little light can shine for others and with others. Amidst the darkness, we look for that one Light who guides us on our way, so that TOGETHER we may go BEYOND.
Beyond this COVID Pandemic, for sure, but also BEYOND our own limits, beyond our online classes, beyond our comfort zones, beyond our unhealthy attachments, beyond the structures of our school, and beyond what we have already been used to.
And to do that, I hope you learned today how important it is to take care of yourselves, so that you can have a good impact on others, while striking a healthy balance of productivity and rest. All these are tools for us to go beyond ourselves, and to be of service to others.
Friends, on behalf of the De La Salle Brothers of the Philippines, we thank you for being with us today and we hope that you enjoyed your time with our Brothers in your camps.
We hope that you continue to recognize Christ who walks with you, the Spirit who inspires you to continue discovering your purpose, and the Father who assures you that even amidst the darkness we experience today, there will be life, love, and peace in the end. And that together, as Brothers and Sisters, we can always go BEYOND.
Live Jesus in our hearts, forever!”
We would like to thank all our campers and camp masters for being with us. Let us continue to respond “Yes, Bro!” to Christ’s invitation. See you at our next camp in February 2022. (Text: Br. Weegee Enriquez FSC; Photos: Br. Carlo Rementilla FSC)
