Another historic event was held on 9 October 2021 with the gathering of more than seventy (70) Brothers, alumni, former students and lay partners at the 1st LEAD Alumni Online Gathering, entitled "Be The Miracle". Br. Armin Luistro FSC delivered the keynote address. In his inspirational talk “You are all Part of the Miracle!” he said "it is my hope and prayer that our Lasallian alumni will re-engage with us, will re-imagine how best we - partners, women and men, and Brothers - working together so that we create many more opportunities to open up the educational ministry to many more, who are outside of our own campuses and those who need our help."
The online event is one of two responses to the call of the Brother Visitor of the Lasallian East Asia District (LEAD) and as mandated by the 3rd District Chapter for the LEAD Mission Council to strengthen the bond among Lasallian alumni and former students and to promote their active participation and involvement in the Lasallian Mission.
In response to this call and mandate, the LEAD Mission Council organized the LEAD Alumni Organizing Committee composed of representatives from the seven countries. Among the members of the LAOC are:
After a series of online meetings, two (2) projects were identified and agreed to be adopted and promoted:
- Organize the 1st LEAD Alumni Online Gathering and
- Adopt and support the La Salle Mae Hong Son, a new Lasallian school in Northern Thailand, near the border of Myanmar, in the district of Khun Mae La.
The Primary Objectives of the alumni gathering are:
- To deepen understanding of the Lasallian Identity (who we are) and the Mission.
- To promote the Lasallian alumni’s active involvement and participation in the Lasallian Mission.
- To foster fellowship and camaraderie among LEAD Alumni.
Secondary Objectives:
- To foster and promote the One La Salle spirit of fraternity and brotherhood/sisterhood among LEAD alumni and former students. To develop a sense of belonging as Lasallians in the mission.
- To become aware of and accept to collaborate with other Lasallian alumni and former students in East Asia particularly in adopting a common project.
On 9 October 2021, the 1st LEAD Alumni Online Gathering was held with more than seventy (70) Lasallian alumni and former students attended. Some seventy-eight Lasallians registered to participate.
The event was held via Zoom video conferencing and was live streamed using the LEAD and DLSAA Facebook accounts. Full video recording of the event is available at: DLSAA FB https://fb.watch/8ycx6xC3oV/ and LEAD FB https://fb.watch/9qYOfriXtw/.
During the gathering, Br. Joseph Dat Hoang FSC presented the proposed La Salle Mae Hong Son project. This newest La Salle school will be built in northern Thailand near the Myanmar border to benefit the hill tribe people of Thailand, many of them were migrants from Myanmar who have become local residents.
The LEAD Alumni Organizing Committee, represented by one of its members, Mr. Rupert Gwee, President of the Patrician Society, the alumni association of Saint Patrick’s School (Singapore) and also a member of the Christian Brothers School Board of Management, presented the La Salle Mae Hong Son donation plan, a fund-raising program to assist and support the proposed school.
The participants were also informed of the development of the La Salle Mae Hong Son microsite <http://www.lasalle-lead.org/lsmhs/>, located as part of the LEAD website. It contains a rich collection of information regarding the proposed school, its location in the province of Mae Hong Son, Thailand, in the district of Khun Mae La, the main beneficiaries and the Lasallian Mission.
The LEAD alumni participants agreed to adopt the LSMHS project with alumni federations and associations, old boys and girls clubs, will provide support and assistance to make the La Salle Mae Hong Son school a reality, to benefit countless young men and women of the hill tribe.
