11 September 2010

Greetings from the Casa Generalizia where the General Council returned recently from its Annual Retreat and is now engaged in plenary meetings until the end of the month. The Rule Commission is meeting currently with Ambrose Payne, Christie Croos and Mike Valenzuela involved from PARC. The International Council of Young Lasallians will meet here soon and there are also over one hundred Oblates of Mary Immaculate holding their General Chapter in the house.

VISIT OF BRO SUPERIOR TO PARC PHASE TWO: Bro Superior’s visit begins in Pakistan on 9 October, followed by Sri Lanka, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Australia and Myanmar. In Pakistan we will celebrate 50 years of the Brothers’ presence, the Final Vows of Bro Sajid and 50 years of La SalleHigherSecondary School, Multan. In Sri Lanka, a special awards ceremony for Lasallians will take place. While in Japan we celebrate 50 years of La Salle, Hakodate. A new residence for retired Brothers will be opened in Sydney, Australia. And in Myanmar we have the special celebration of 150 years of the Brothers’ presence. These are but a few of the activities planned for the visit which will culminate with the PARC/General Council meeting in Penang.

PARC MEETING WITH GENERAL COUNCIL: Following the recent meeting of EXCO, this morning I finalized the programme with Maureen Clearly facilitator. In the next few days I will send you some preparatory work which will be required to be completed and submitted to her by 15 October. Tom Lavin and Anthony Rogers have the logistical planning under control. By now I expect that all who require letters of invitation for visa purposes have been in touch with them.

Prior to the meeting, the Brothers of the General Council will visit PARC; Jacques D’Huiteau, India; Alberto Gomez and Gabriel Some, Japan and Vietnam; Edgar Nicodem, Sri Lanka and Philippines, Claude Reinhardt, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong; Jorge Gallardo de Alba, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea; Robert Schieler, New Zealand and Australia. Bro Thomas Johnson, Vicar General will visit Myanmar and Pakistan during 2011 in response to invitations to give a retreat and young Brothers’ programme.

LEAD: The first sondage process towards the nomination of the first Brother Visitor will be completed by 20 September, with the second sondage to take place during October.

LA SALLE NOVITIATE BOARD MEETING: The special meeting called for the evening of 16 November invites your participation having consulted the Formation Commission and District/Sub-District/Delegation Council. Rory Higgins, Director will be present.

BROTHER EDMUNDO FERNANDEZ: Dodo will be leaving shortly for a sabbatical in Vermont, USA. We wish him well for this time of grace. He will join us at the Penang meeting with the General Council.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: In RELAL, the two Districts of Brazil and the Delegation of Chile are due to have a Constitutive Assembly as they move towards forming one District in 2012. Eighteen Brothers from RELAL are currently in a programme preparing for Final Vows. In RELAF, the novitiate for French speaking sectors in Burkina Faso has twenty five novices across a two years’ programme. The USA/TOR Region has five novices in their novitiate, including one from Australia. This coming weekend the novitiate for Europe will open with six novices including three from Spain, two from France and one from Italy.

IN YOUR PRAYERS: Kindly keep the intentions of Pakistan in your prayer. Tom Lavin has been keeping all informed of the deteriorating condition of Bro Michael Jacques whom I am sure is in your prayers.

Kind regards and prayers for your intentions.

David Hawke FSC
General Councillor for PARC Region