The Antilles is celebrating the centenary of the arrival of the first Brothers, 1905 - 2005: Fifteen French and Canadian Brothers arrived in Havana, Cuba, on September 10, 1905, and they began teaching on September 14. That was the beginning of the District of the Antilles. The first Visitor was a Frenchman, Brother Adolfo Alfredo. The District grew appreciably, with over 50 Cuban vocations and several from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. There were 11 schools in Cuba and several Brothers left behind indelible marks in the fields of science, pedagogy, and love of youth. Among them is the Federation of Catholic Cuban Youth, found throughout Cuba, and widely supported by the Bishops.

In 1961 all our schools in Cuba were lost and the members dispersed to other countries. Not being able to recover completely from that horrible time in its history, in 1989 three Brothers were permitted entry into Cuba. In 1995, four more Brothers arrived. A new vocational process has begun which, slow as it is, offers promise of a good future.

The current Delegation of the Antilles, which includes Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Haiti, and a Lasallian work in Miami, Florida, USA, is celebrating this anniversary with special festivities. In Cuba, the centennial year began officially with a historical conference in January. On April 2 there was a grandiose national Lasallian pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity at El Cobre, in which more than 600 participated. They came from all the places where the Brothers were formerly as well as from where the Brothers are currently. The two superiors of the Delegation were in attendance, Brothers Adalberto Aranda and Pedro Fernández. The Eucharist was concelebrated by the Bishop of Bayamo-Manzanillo, Monsignor Dionisio García, two priests, and three deacons, all of whom are former students of the Brothers. After supper, the Rosary was recited in the open air, under torchlight and candles. The event ended with the return of the image of Our Lady of Charity, carried in procession on a float, to the shrine, for the final blessing on that wonderful afternoon of Marian prayer.

The next celebration will happen on the occasion of the visit of Brother Superior General to all the countries or areas of the Delegation, from June 25 until July 8. We are deeply grateful for this wonderful gesture of our Brother Superior and we hope to contribute to the encouragement of all those who work in this beautiful area of the Antilles.
^{(Br. Salle Santiago)}

A further event commemorating the centennial of the arrival of the Brothers in Cuba will be a musical show of Cuban composers. As part of the celebration, Br. Alfredo Gabriel, FSC will be recognized for his musical talent and contribution to Cuban music. The event will take place at TEATRO ARTIME, in Miami on July 1, 2005 at 8:00pm.
^{(Br. Donald Johanson)}

Provincial Meeting of Lasallian Educators, São Paulo, Brazil: With the theme “Pedagogical Lasallian Practice - may schools go well” and with the motto “La Salle, competence, firmness and tenderness”, we had the Provincial Meeting of Lasallian Educators (PMLE) 2005, in São Paulo, Brazil, May 26-28, 2005.

Attended by teachers, collaborators, Brothers and undergraduates, two hundred and thirty seven vibrant educators participated in the meeting which was considered a great success. The joy, the animation, the celebrations, the workshops, the lectures and informal moments, all contributed to the fraternity and the mutual knowledge to the personal and communitarian growth of the participants.

It was organized by the Educative Mission Commission of the Lassalian Province of São Paulo, and Brother Nery was “its heart.”

The “La Salle Social Services Center” provided the decorations and the musical animation of the group was memorable. We remember with joy that everybody sang and danced “Sou Lassalista” (I am Lassalian) and “Vem canta” (Come to sing), songs from the new CD of the Lasallian District of São Paulo.

Congratulations to the participants of the meeting.

Visit the Province site – www.lasalle.org.br - to see some photos of the event. Inside the window “Communicação,” just press the “Banco de fotos.”
^{(Br. Paulo Petry)}

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