ASSEDIL, the European Association of Heads of Lasallian Institutions, was founded at a meeting in Ostie in 1990. It meets every year in one of the major cities of Europe. In 1994, in Strasbourg, Brother John Johnston delivered an address about Lasallian education in Europe. This year, year of the Jubilee, the meeting was held in Rome from March 9-12. In the photograph at the left, next to the Superior General, is Brother François Kerdoncuf, Delegate General and Secretary of ASSEDIL.

On Friday, March 10, the group came to the Casa Generalizia for a presentation by Br. John Johnston, FSC, Superior General. The title of Br. John's address was "The Lasallian School in Europe Today and Tomorrow." The presentation was made in the Chapter Hall and was attended by 150 participants from 15 European countries. The participants included heads of schools, members of councils, parents, financial officers and youth from some of our schools. Several Councillors and Brothers from the Generalate also attended.

Following Br. John's address, the participants attended mass in the Generalate Chapel, recently renovated in preparation for the Jubilee year. The choir from Manhattan College, New York, USA, was staying at the Casa while on a concert tour of Italy and was able to sing at the Mass.

Conducted by Br. James Loxham, the choir's voices were a beautiful addition to the standing room only crowd that filled the Chapel. The Choir is seen here following their rehearsal. In the background is the Reliquary of our Founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle, Patron of Educators. The choir will perform in Rome and Florence on this trip.

Bishop Nosiglia, President of the O.I.E.C. (International Organization for Catholic Education, an affiliate of UNESCO), celebrated the Liturgy. During his homily, he commended the headmasters and the Brothers for their leadership in education in Europe.

Following the Liturgy, the group was hosted to a private tour of the Vatican Museum. History was made because they were the first group to use the new entrance to the museum. Following years of work and the removal of 40,000 cubic meters of earth, the new entrance is a spectacular addition to the museum.

We were divided into language groups and were given a very informative presentation by a number of the Vatican Museum staff who were most gracious in explaining many of the pieces of art and pointing out the various restorations that have been done for the Jubilee Year. The group was quite impressed with the newly cleaned Raphael Rooms and of course the Sistine Chapel. It was a delight to be there with so few people. We felt indeed privileged.

The day was topped off by Sodexho. This company not only runs the Vatican Museum Restaurant, which it has done for the last seven years, but many of the restaurant facilities in our Lasallian schools both in Europe and the Americas. They are in 70 countries and have 270,000 employees. They hosted us to a wonderful five course meal that was complemented by some very special wines. Thank you Sodexho for a wonderful evening.

Every convention of course has behind the scenes people who spend a great deal of time preparing for the gathering. This convention was no exception. In the photo is Br. Giuseppe Lazzaro(photo/right), Regional of Italy. He was one of the organisers of this year's conference and is seen with Br. Alain Houry(photo/left) at a reception that preceeded the dinner. Br. Giuseppe is also president of Scuola Nuova Travel.