Tokyo – Japan - Friendship and Consecration in Our Institute Golden Jubilee of Japanese Brothers: Brother Kyoichi Ishii was born on March 24, 1924 in Tokyo. A week later, not far from Tokyo, in the city of Narita, Brother Shigehiko Ohtomo was born. They met when they were students in Sophia University in downtown Tokyo: Ishii in the German Language Studies Department and Ohtomo in the English Language Studies Department. Those were difficult days of recovery after long years of war and hardship. Sharing a common dream of serving God as Christian Educators, Ishii and Ohtomo soon became friends and, together, applied to join the De La Salle Brothers. They were part of the first group of Japanese young men who joined our Institute. Together, they made their novitiate and pronounced final vows on August 22, 1956. Although they had been always good friends and, since joining our Institute, good Brothers as well, until recently they had never been together in the same community.

Brother Ishii has been instrumental in the formation of practically all the other Japanese Brothers as Master of Novices. As President of La Salle High School in Hakodate he founded its Junior High School section when he was already over 70, ten years ago. But it is his long commitment to La Salle Home, our Youth Welfare Center in Sendai that fills him with well deserved satisfaction. This is the first Lasallian institution in Japan after WW II. At the beginning it was a haven for war orphans, but little by little, with the general economic recovery, it started receiving boys from dysfunctional families: single parents’ children, boys whose parents are physically or mentally ill, children whose family environment is not ideal and so on. At present, there are 70 boys and girls whose ages range from 3 to 18. At La Salle Home every attempt is made to give them the warmth and love they lack in their homes. Brother Ishii was its active President until last March, just a week after his 82nd birthday.

Brother Ohtomo was directly involved in the shaping of La Salle High School in Kagoshima. This is the first Lasallian School in Japan. Just two years after its foundation the young Brother Ohtomo was sent there to teach, a place he soon adopted as his second home. As teacher, principal and president, Brother Ohtomo was to remain in Kagoshima for most of his active life. Since its inception, La Salle Kagoshima has maintained outstanding academic standards that have made it the private school with one of the highest rates of graduates qualifying for the best Japanese universities. To talk about La Salle in Japan is to talk about graduates with top grades and promising careers underpinned by a Christian and human formation. Brother Ohtomo served this beloved school until his late 70s. Now, on the 50th anniversary of his final vows and on his 82nd year of life, he keeps himself very active translating many Institute publications into Japanese.

The Delegation of Japan rejoices in the gift it has received with in the persons of Brothers of such caliber and their witness of friendship, brotherhood and fidelity.
^{(Br. Jorge Gallardo de Alba)}

Bogotá - Colombia - ISSO 9001-2000: After hard work by all the education community headed by Br. Rector José Vicente Henry Valbuena, De La Salle College Bogotá, after being evaluated and approved with respect to the international norm ISO 9001: 2000 - NTC-ISO 9001: 2000, has obtained the Icontec-IQNet Certificate of Quality. This applies to educational services activities involving pre-school, primary school and secondary school as well as complementary services in catering and school transport.

This is a big step for Lasallians and is a cause for pride for all the Lasallian community of the District of Bogotá, which is taking it as an example for all the other Lasallian institutions to obtain this recognition. (www.colsalle.edu.co)
^{(News - Bogotá)}

Guadalajara -Mexico TRIBUTE TO BR. JOSÉ SANCHEZ FOR HIS WORK AS A BOTANIST: October 5th was a day of celebrations for Br.José and for the entire Lasallian community of Mexico because in the person of Don José, UNAM had recognized the scientific work carried out by the French and Mexican Brothers in the first 100 years of the presence of Lasallians in our country.

Among those present could be found a good number of relatives of Br.José, the fathers of some of our Brothers, pupils from the preparatory school and the secondary school as well as a representative group from the primary school.

Already in the past, Br.José had received other tributes which had not been made public but which could be found in his book of collections or in publications about his research work published by foreigners and known only to specialists.
^{(The Community of Guagalajara)}

Rome – Italy – New Web Site for the Young Lasallians Movement: This is to inform you that the new national (Italian) site of the Young Lasallians Movement (MGL) (www.giovanilasalliani.it) is now online with many new sections and much more dynamic than the previous site.

If you are interested you can register as a user in order to take advantage of the Movement’s newsletter.

We extend to the MGL our wishes that they may constantly grow in faith, fraternity and service.
^{(Mario Presciuttini)}

Québec - Canada - New Design for their Web Site: Take a look at the new website of the French Canadian Web Site. You will find a lot of interesting information about what's happening in this part of the world. (www.delasalle.qc.ca)
^{(News - Canada Francophone)}

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