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 News of the Institute and Lasallian Family
Rome, March 9, 2004
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 La Salle University, Bogotá Colombia: Pictures from the ceremony in which Brothers Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría and Pedro Antonio Bedoya, were granted doctoral degrees, honoris causa, by La Salle University, Bogotá Colombia, on February 23, 2004. |
Lembeek (Belgium) is celebrating the centenary of the arrival
of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. In 1904, the law which wiped
out education by religious congregations in France was promulgated. For
the Brothers' Institute the results were disastrous. More than 800 of
the Brothers' schools were suppressed. Of the 200,000 students of the
Brothers in France, 120,000 were deprived of teachers.
 It was decided to transfer the Mother House of the Institute abroad.
Eyes were turned towards Belgium, a friendly catholic country, a land of
freedom.
It only remained to make a choice between the various properties on the
market as recommended by the best informed of the Belgian Brothers.
Brother Michel de Jésus, Director of the house of Groot-Bijgaarden drew
attention to a castle at Lembeek, near Brussels, with rather sizable
outbuildings. He urged the Brother Superior to delegate two of his
Assistants to report on the suitability of the property and to make a
judgement on the possibility of setting up there the various services
forced to leave the Mother House in rue Oudinot, Paris.
 The inspection was satisfactory and the act of purchase was signed on 10
February 1904. On 2 March following, the first Brothers took possession
of the new house in Lembeek. The 6 hectare property included an imposing
castle built between 1618 and 1624 by the seigneur de Lembeek, Guillaume
de Richardot.
Extensive conversion and construction works were undertaken in the
Lembeek domain. A free school was opened for the local children.
On 29 June 1906 the reliquary containing the remains of Saint John
Baptist de La Salle arrived at the new Mother House.
 In 1936 the Mother House was transferred to Rome and the last Brothers
left the Lembeek house in 1968.
The centenary of the arrival of the Mother House in Lembeek will be
commemorated by an exhibition in the parish church in Lembeek (30-31
October and 6,7,13 and 14 November 2004). The organisers are still
looking for documentation relating to the period of the Mother House in
Lembeek (1904-1936).
Contact: Mr. D. Vandenplas, Baesberg 7, 1502 Lembeek (Belgium)
e-mail: vandenplas.d@skynet.be.
(Mr. D. Vandenplas) |
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