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 News of the Institute and Lasallian Family
Rome, February 10, 2004
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 Br.
Ignacio García murdered: On February 6, we received from Burkina
Faso the sad news that Br. Ignacio García has been murdered. Up to the
present time we do not know the exact circumstances or motives of this
tragic death.
Br. Ignacio García was born 31st July 1941 in Pedrosa del Río (Burgos)
in Spain. He made his Novitiate in Bordighera (1958-1960) and
Scholasticate in Hérouville St Clair. He did his university studies in
the Universities of Lyons and Caen (France). In 1981 and in 1997 he made
CIL in Rome.
Br. Ignacio exercised his apostolate for practically all of his life in
Africa: in Rabat (Morocco), Niamey (Niger) and above all in Burkina Faso
in the colleges of Toussiana, Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. He was
currently the Director of the College of Tounouma, Bobo Dioulasso, and
was setting up a new project in agriculture "Project Climate".
May our selfless missionary rest in peace and may the Lord reward his
long years of apostolic endeavours in African lands. |
 Vacation
Mission: Every year in January, the Lasallian District of São Paulo,
Brazil, promotes a kind of volunteer work called "Vacation Mission",
which focuses mainly the education and evangelization of poor people
from the northeast of the country, where poverty is more accentuated.
In 2004 the Lasallian mission was present in two different cities:
Aquidabã-SE and Nossa Senhora da Glória-SE. It was seven days of hard
work including visits, talks, celebrations and meetings with the local
community (catechists, youth, parents, children, teachers, and pastoral
workers).
One of the most important lessons we took from this mission is that
sometimes the needs of the people are more than simply material
assistance. They need to be listened to with interest, to feel that
someone is concerned about their lives.
Besides this, the people from the northeast give us an extraordinary
example in living the faith. Despite all the difficulties they face day
after day, their hope, belief and trust in God remains strong and they
go ahead with the conviction that better days will come soon.
It was a fantastic experience to get in touch with such a different
reality and to see God everywhere in that place, living faith,
community, service and love in a most simple way.
(ICYL@lasalle.org
With the special collaboration of Renato Gil de A. Rangel)
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 Madrid, La Salle Center for Advanced University Studies: The PRODIS
awards are an initiative by which CERMI (Spanish Committee for Persons
with Disabilities) Madrid hopes to show its recognition and gratitude
for those persons, institutions and organizations that have
distinguished themselves in collaborating and working with persons with
disabilities in the Madrid metropolitan area. These awards, inaugurated
this year, are given in two categories, for individuals and for groups,
and have been awarded, in addition to La Salle University Center, to
Telemadrid Television, María Luisa Ramón-Laca, President of CERMI Madrid
since its founding up until last year, and to José Fernández Iglesias, a
SER journalist.
CERMI Madrid hopes to use this award to recognize the pioneering efforts
of the La Salle Center for Advanced University Studies in the training
of professionals involved in working with persons with disabilities.
This year these efforts have included various formative and documentary
activities such as the roundtable discussions on "Accessibility and Jobs
for Persons with Disabilities," and the Third Interdisciplinary Social
Education Symposium on "Social Education and Disabilities," the First
Interdisciplinary Symposium on "Assisted communication for children with
multiple disabilities," or the Second National Congress on psychomotor
issues entitled "Movement, Emotion and Thought," in which CERMI itself
collaborated. This is in addition to the enlargement of the Center's
facilities by the building of the "Accessible Accommodations Room" in
which alternative solutions available on the market were shown which
overcome accessibility and environmental problems. Many institutions and
firms collaborated in this venture and it has been incorporated as a new
learning tool for students.
 All these activities are aimed at sensitizing the university community
to the world of those who are disabled and reaching out to them,
becoming aware of the many possibilities that these persons represent in
life's different areas, from self-sufficiency to employment.
The award ceremony was presided over byAlberto Ruíz Gallardón, Mayor of
Madrid. Also in attendance were Ana Botella, third deputy-mayor and
Pedro Calvo, Councillor for Community Security and Services. CERMI
Madrid was represented by Pedro Martínez Núez, acting President and
Miguel Paraíso Sobral, Secretary General.
For more information, visit the web site at:
www.eulasalle.com
(Juan Antonio Ojeda Ortiz) |
 A
Special 100th Birthday Celebration: Congratulations and good wishes
to Brother Erminus Joseph Melofchik, FSC who celebrated his 100th
Birthday on Friday, January 23rd. Brother Erminus Joseph is now the
oldest FSC Brother in the world. He served as Regional Director of
Formation at Christian Brothers Conference, as Visitor General of the
U.S., and as Novice Master for the Baltimore District for years.
Happy 100th Birthday, Brother! |
 Canada
Honors Brother Lawrence Spitzig: The Government of Canada has
appointed Brother Lawrence Spitzig, FSC (Toronto native, now member of
the District of Penang, Malaysia) a Member of the Order of Canada.
Brother Lawrence's honours will be awarded at Rideau Hall, Ottawa on
February 20, 2004 by the Governor General of Canada.
"The Order of Canada recognizes people who have made a difference to our
country. From local citizens to national and international
personalities, all Canadians are eligible for the Order of Canada -- our
country's highest honour for lifetime achievement."
For more information on this award go to
http://www.gg.ca/honours/order_e.asp
Congratulations, Brother Lawrence! |
 La
Salle School, Albany, Celebrates 150 Years: La Salle School in
Albany, New York, USA is celebrating its 150th anniversary during the
year 2004. La Salle School was started in 1854 as an orphanage called
St. Vincent's Male Orphan Asylum.
In 1923 the name of the school was changed from St. Vincent's Orphan
Asylum to La Salle School. The school has been on the same tract of land
for the 150 years. At first it was farmland far from the city
population, but today it is in the center of the city population and
surrounded by two colleges, a high school and the diocesan pastoral
center. Over the years over 500 Brothers have served at the school and
today there are six Brothers on the staff.
The school has served young men with special needs following the
tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle and his work at St.Yon.
Throughout the years as the needs of the young men changed, the school
went from being an orphanage to a school for destitute and
poverty-stricken boys, to a school for boys whose families could not
care for them because of the break up of the family and poverty, to a
school for young people who experienced failure in school and the
community, to the present time where the school serves young people
committed by the courts because of delinquent behavior and psychological
needs. A staff of over 200 professionals cares for the boys in several
different programs: residential, day treatment, prevention programs,
community connections, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and sexual
offenders.
The anniversary year started with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Howard
Hubbard, DD, AFSC, Bishop of Albany. The Bishop is a graduate of La
Salle Institute in Troy, New York and is an Affiliated Member. Brother
Robert McCann gave the homily at the Mass. The Mass was followed by a
reception at the school.
(Br. Robert McCann) |
 125th
Anniversary: February 1, 2004, marks the 125th anniversary of the De
La Salle Brothers in Catalonia for it was on that date in Barcelona on
Pont de la Parra Street where the first De La Salle Brothers arrived
from France.
This was the cradle and the seed which, with the passage of time, were
transformed into the present-day La Salle Comtal School. The De La Salle
Brothers are delighted to be able to celebrate this event because it
represents the overall service the Institute has provided in Catalonia.
La Salle Comtal, like many other Lasallian schools throughout Catalonia,
has worked to train many generations of citizens.
It is for this reason that the 125th anniversary will be celebrated by a
series of events, some at the local level and some at the institutional
level. The following events have been planned so far:
A poetry festival
Founder's Day celebrations (May)
Hiking to Montserrat with a special offering to the Blessed Virgin
More information is available (in Catalan language) in the History
section of the La Salle Comtal web site:
www.sallecat.org |
If you have news notes that you would like us to consider
publishing, please email us: lasallew@lasalle.org |
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