“By their fruit you will know them.” — Matthew 7:16

December 1st marked a quiet yet meaningful moment of connection here in Hakodate. I accompanied four Junior High School students who eagerly accepted the invitation to join a simple activity with the students of the Hakodate School for the Deaf. The initiative was led by Ms. Natalie Correia, who participated in the PARC Justice and Peace Workshop in Malaysia last September 2025.

December 15, 2025: St. George’s Secondary School in Taiping held three major events today: the official opening of a vegetable and fruit garden workshop, the naming ceremony of the school field, and the closing ceremony of its 110th Anniversary celebrations. The events were witnessed by Brother Andrew Loke Yew Wah FSC, La Salle Brother Director for Malaysia, members of the Board of Governors, teachers and students.

The Lasallian community at De La Salle Medical and Health Sciences Institute proudly celebrated a historic achievement of having 15 topnotchers from the school in the December 2025 Occupational Therapists Licensure Examination (OTLE). It has also ranked 3rd among the top-performing schools and accomplished a 95.24% passing rate for first-time takers and 89.55% overall performance.

Since August, the school also scored excellent results in the licensure exam for physicians, medical technologists, speech language pathologists, pharmacists, nurses and physical therapists.

By Br. Rodrigo Treviño FSC

The very first Lasallian East Asia District (LEAD) School Leaders Congress took place in Hong Kong on 8 & 9 December 2025 at the Royal Plaza Hotel. A total of 110 school directors, supervisors, principals, vice principals and school administrators from six countries of LEAD attended the two-day event.

“Ireland is my homeland. It’s so green and beautiful that it’s called the Emerald Isle. It’s a land of fertile plains, rolling mountains, many lakes, beautiful beaches and craggy headlands. I was born into a big family of 12 members.

My job is to carry out the work of the De La Salle Brothers who were founded for the education of youth. I joined the Brothers for that purpose and the joy and the satisfaction I have received from this work is deep and rewarding.”

The area in Ireland where Brother   Alphonsus   was   born is known as the “sunny south east.” It receives more sun annually than other parts of the country. Something of that climate must have rubbed off on Brother Alphonsus, for he displayed a sunny temperament all his life. When he smiled, and that was quite often, the sun smiled.

He was born on the 9th January 1930 in Rathangan, Co. Wexford, Ireland. He was given the name Martin in baptism. There were six boys and one girl in the family and Brother Alphonsus was the youngest. One of his brothers, Patrick, became a priest. 

Brother Gregory did not speak too much about himself. We were fortunate, therefore, when he recently agreed to give an interview for the Lasallian East Asia District. The interview gives us a lovely insight into his life, into his attitudes, into what made him tick.

“I feel indebted to the Lord for his goodness and tender love all these years of my life. The secret is trying to live in peace and harmony with my fellow men and myself. Be happy and contented with your life. It is also very important to pray for good health. 

Br Paul Sun was a remarkable man by any standards. In this article we concentrate mainly on his Lasallian connections but, in truth, his whole life was interesting and inspiring.

In many ways, Brother Thomas was an extraordinary missionary. Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect is that his first assignment was to St. Joseph’s College, Hong Kong, and there he remained to the end of his days. Fifty-three years of unbroken service to the same school is an achievement in itself. The Brothers used to joke that he had married his first love and remained faithful to her all his life.