Final Message from the IYBA

“…I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance.”

(John 10, 10)

Dear Lasallians,

With these above words of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we recognize that only he can give us abundant life that proceeds from the Father through the Spirit. Our Holy Founder situated the mission of the Brothers in this Trinitarian movement: introduce the children and young people we educate to a life of grace.

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Time to Go...

In his remarks at the Opening Liturgy, Brother Álvaro quoted a text from the Pope's address to Argentinian young people during World Youth Day. The focus of the text was the responsibility one has as a Christian to "go out" and serve one another, especially the least among us.  Brother Álvaro's words challenged the Brother Delegates to not focus on themselves during the assembly, but to look outward and leave ready to "go out" and serve.

Brothers David Caretti, Anwar Martinez, Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría, Peter Nguyen, and Christopher Patiño

Fast forward 10 days and Brother Álvaro (during his closing remarks to the delegates) says that during these 10 days he has seen an "evolution" take place. The assembly moved from a time very focused on our dreams and concerns to developing propositions to a moment of taking ownership, of committing ourselves to "go out!" This commitment is articulated in a set of commitment statements. The statements are introduced by a set of collective convictions we hold about the Institute and its future followed by making it clear that the Young Brothers are prepared to lead "together and by association" and respond to the needs of the time.

The assembly has allowed us to experience holiness! It has challenged each of us to look towards the future with eyes of faith by recalling the gift of our consecration, our being rooted in Christ.

Bro. Chris (center)

The assembly has been a time of fraternal joy! It has allowed us to see the many gifts we have to share, especially the gift of community. We not only want to be Brothers to those we serve, but also commit ourselves to deepening our sense of brotherhood with one another.

The assembly reminded us of the need for the mission! It has been made clear that the young, especially the poor need the Lasallian mission and that we need to find ways to ensure we are responding to the poor. We recognize that young people evangelize us as much as we may evangelize them.

A message to the Institute will be published in the next 24 hours and will help capture the richness of the International Young Brothers Assembly. The Preparatory Commission looks forward to submitting a complete report to the 45th General Chapter.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Live Jesus in our hearts!

--Brother Christopher Patiño

     More on Day 10 >
     More on Day 9 >

The Pastoral Ministry of Vocation

Today,  we covered the last topic for discussion--the Pastoral Ministry of Vocation. Prefaced by a presentation from Br. Joseph Fernando, former General Secretary for Formation, the young Brothers were challenged to live authentically a life aligned with the Gospel Call, such that we become the living face of Jesus to the young whom we serve, as the beginning point of vocation promotion.

Brother Peter (right)

During the conversations, two additional common threads surfaced. First, there was a desire to have the vocation efforts make good use of social media, especially through the help of notable marketing firms. Second, there was a hope to initiate programs either formal or informal where young men be offered a "taste" of the life and work of the Brothers in a meaningful way,  prior to entering the house of postulancy.

At the end of the day, it all comes back to the importance of the relationships that we each hold--to God, to others, and to ourselves.

--Brother Peter Nguyen

     More on Day 8 >

Exploring Manila

Sunday was a complete change of scenery for the delegates and other participants of the IYBA, for instead of dialogue, presentations, and discernment, we explored the sights, sounds, and history of Manila. Guided by a host of Aspirants and IYBA Volunteers, we made our way through many places.

The day began with Sunday liturgy at La Salle Green Hills and included lunch with the Alumni Association, where they expressed great gratitude for the guidance of the Brothers, not only during their years at Green Hills, but also in the years that followed. The delegates boarded buses, making their way into the heart of Manila to explore the historical sites. A number of our stops included hearing about one of the Philippine national heroes, José Rizal, and his having sought to expose the mistreatment of Filipinos by the Spanish by means of his fictional writings. We then visited the art gallery of the National Museum where the largest painting of the Philippines is housed, the "Spoliarium.” The tour continued into Intramuros where we stopped at the Church of San Augustín and Fort Santiago. All of these sites spoke richly of Filipino history which is greatly intertwined with both Spanish and American influences.

Please don't think that our day was filled solely with educative experiences, for we spent the next two hours at "MOA." The Mall of Asia the largest mall in all of Asia, which is owned by one of the donors of De La Salle University, Henry Sy. Our guides have also loved showing us their shopping centers.

The capstone experience of the day was our visit to The Chapel of the Most Blessed Sacrament at De La Salle University. This was the place where the Brothers and local civilians were murdered by the Japanese on February 12, 1945, as the Americans were entering Manila. Upon entering the room, I could personally feel the reverential presence of the room, and its history is quite palpable. We were told the story of the massacre by Brother Bernie Oca, FSC, President of De La Salle in Zobel, and he pointed out the many tiles which still remained stained by the blood of the victims. We had evening prayer in the chapel, and concluded the day with dinner at the University.

Blessings from the Philippines!

--Brother David L. Caretti

     More on Day 7 >

Reflecting on Spiritual Life

The tone was set by RELAF with morning prayer that was very conducive to start the reflection on Saturday's theme: Consecrated Life & Interior Life.

Brother Álvaro

Our Superior General, Brother Álvaro, gave a personal reflection on the theme and so invited us to reflect more deeply on its significance and importance in our lives as Brothers. It is in our daily lives that we are invited to live the Gospel values and thus become witnesses of a personal relationship with Jesus, one that is simple and unpretentious. It is in this way that we can become true "members of the body" and more authentic and real Brothers for those people that we encounter on a daily basis. As Brother Álvaro said, "It is in our everyday lives that we are called to live a personal relationship with God in a simple way. This relationship is a dialogue, founded on grace that is made manifest in love for all persons, living beings, things and the world (44th General Chapter)."

I am very grateful to all of the Brother Delegates because I was able to get a glimpse of the spirit that permeated throughout the entire day. It was in this spirit that we continued with the rest of the schedule and were able to rediscover the great gift that is contained within the gift of our consecration, our vocation as Brothers of the Christian Schools.

I would like to thank Brother Álvaro for his inspiring and humbling words and to all the Brothers present during the Assembly for their continued support and inspiration. We, the Brothers from RELAN, are keeping all of you in our thoughts and prayers.

Live Jesus in our hearts...  Vive Jésus dans nos coeurs...  Viva Jesús en nuestros corazones... Forever!  À jamais!  ¡Por siempre!

--Brother Anwar Martínez

     More on Day 6 >

Association: A Gift to Share

Association as a gift to share. This was the focus of the day on Friday, August 1. The Young Brothers discussed their hopes and concerns with regards to association. The day allowed for Brothers to ask tough questions, discern deeply, and propose ways of moving forward. The delegates agree that the mission needs a Lasallian family working together to provide "a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor." How association is lived within the Lasallian family is a much more complicated issue.

Two dreams caught my attention and I wish to share them with you....

"The Young Brothers commit to be at the forefront of seeking ways to innovate and diversify responses in serving the poor in all its forms (economic, psychological, spiritual, etc)."

"We dream of an association of Brothers where sharing our goods in common is lived out."

As we arrive at the midpoint of the assembly, the gathering has been characterized by a fraternal spirit. The Brothers have grown in appreciation for one another and the many gifts each one of us contributes to the mission.

From Manila, the RELAN Young Brothers send you our prayers.

Live Jesus in our hearts forever!

--Brother Chris Patiño, FSC

     More on Day 5 >

A Witness to Dedication

As a lead-in for the next day's topic on the Association and Educational Service for the Poor, today the young Brothers were assigned into small groups and sent out to various educational ministries. Some are close by, while others are not quite so. One group at least started their long commute at 4:30 a.m. to the Jaime Hilario Integrated School. Another--much luckier--group traversed an even longer distance by foot across the street from their bedroom to the Bahay Pag-Asa ("house of hope") where they spent the day with the court-adjudicated young men in residence.

My group was with the autistic children at the Neurological Development Center. Who knew that the simple act of "playing" would expend so much psychic energy and require so much patience. We were edified at the level of dedication among the lay teachers--nothing short of a true vocation, as we gave witness to it. We are thankful for our lay Partners, and at the same time we hope that their Spirit would become contagious, and rub upon all of us in our Institute.

--Brother Peter Nguyen

          More on Day 4 >

More pictures from service sites: 

• Neurodevelopmental Center (De La Salle Health Sciences Institute)
• Jaime Hilario Integrated School-La Salle (Bagac, Bataan)
• Barangay Zone 1-A (Dasmariñas, Cavite)
• Barangay Batas Dao (Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, Cavite)
• Bahay Pag-asa Dasmariñas