The Pastoral Visits of the Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools began this 2025 on the African continent. From 5 to 10 January, the Lasallian Region of Africa-Madagascar (RELAF) welcomed Brother Armin Luistro, who visited Chad in the District of Central Africa (DAC).
Brother Anatole Diretenadji, General Councillor, who accompanied Brother Armin on this first Pastoral Visit, together with Brother Emmanuel Mboua, Visitor of the District of Central Africa, testified that “Brother Superior General was warmly welcomed by the community of N’Djamena”, in the capital of the country.
From there they went to Kélo, a small town 400 km from N’Djamena, where “the welcome was particularly cordial”, as Brother Anatole commented. There, students, teachers and Brothers had prepared a “street of honour” on both sides of the road leading from the school to the Brothers’ community, thus expressing their joy and hope for Brother Armin’s visit.
All the details were very well taken care of by the Lasallian hosts and organisers. This was evident in the fraternal and community encounters with the Brothers, as well as in the meetings that the Superior General held with the team of the Lasallian Educational Mission (MEL) of Kélo, and in the valuable exchange he had with the young Lasallians.
20 years of educational service in Kélo
“The highlight of the visit was the Eucharistic celebration of thanksgiving presided over by the Bishop of Lai [Mgr Nicolas Nadji Bab] to mark the 20th anniversary of the Lycée Saint Joseph de Kélo”, underlines Brother Anatole, who adds that “the ceremony was attended by a large number of students and their parents, and the Governor of the Province of Tangilé, accompanied by his staff, who was also present”.
For his part, Brother Armin addressed a message to the educational community of Kélo, within the framework of this significant moment of celebration and thanksgiving, underlining “the valuable contribution of the two Lasallian works in the formation and education of the children and youth of Chad”.
Lasallian education: a real hope
“Despite the challenges posed by sometimes difficult living conditions, the Lasallian educational mission represents a real hope and a living force”, continued the Superior General, who also stressed the testimony of “cooperation between families of different religious traditions”, valuing “the commitment of the teachers, which makes it possible to create an educational environment where the values of sharing and evangelisation flourish, offering a safe space for young people”.
On his return to N’Djamena, Brother Superior General’s Pastoral Visit continued at the Centre Technique d’Apprentissage et de Perfectionnement de La Salle, where he took part in a civic-cultural event and shared a message with the students before meeting the Brothers and Lasallian Partners in the ministry, an occasion which he used to encourage them in their work, often challenging due to the rigours of the climate.
Although there were some incidents in the capital towards the end of the visit, which attempted to destabilise the government, Br. Armin’s pastoral itinerary went smoothly until the last day, 10 January, when he concluded his “pilgrimage of hope” with a meeting with the Archbishop of N’Djamena, Mgr Edmond Jitangar.
According to the latest Institute Statistics, the District of Central Africa is composed of 32 Brothers of the Christian Schools and has nine communities. In Chad there are six Brothers leading two educational works together with a valuable group of lay Lasallian collaborators.
