Following a spiritual retreat last December, six Brothers of the Christian Schools of the Lasallian Region of Latin America (RELAL) and the Arlep District (Spain – Portugal), will express their definitive consecration to God by the profession of perpetual vows, that is to say, for life, in accordance with the Bull of Approbation and the Rule.
According to the formula of consecration, these are the vows of association for the service of the poor through education, stability in the Institute, obedience, chastity and poverty (cf. Rule 25). In this way, and “in response to the personal call of the Holy Spirit, the Brothers consecrate themselves entirely to the Most Holy Trinity” and “for this purpose, they associate with one another to procure the glory of God in the ministry of Christian education” (Rule 23).
In order to prepare themselves adequately for this significant moment, Brothers Eduardo Cardosa and Juan Pablo Reynoso, from the Mexico North District; Jhon Stiven Tordecilla, Daniel Alejandro Lozsán and Rubén Darío Hernández, from the Norandino District; and Álvaro López, from the Arlep District, participated in the spiritual retreat organised by RELAL between the 1st and 21st December 2024 in the municipality of Criúva, in the south of Brazil.
An encounter with God
It has been “21 days of retreat in preparation for perpetual vows in which we were invited to climb Jacob’s ladder, to come to an encounter with a God who calls us and loves us, to remain with him and to descend giving thanks to him and to so many Lasallians, Brothers and family members who have been with us throughout our lives”, remarks Brother Álvaro López, underlining that “it has also been an experience shared with other Lasallians, with other Brothers and which has allowed us to enter into our hearts, into the central principles of our faith, our vocation, and to lay the foundations for a ‘yes’ for ever“.
For his part, Brother Rubén Hernández values the joy of sharing with Brothers from Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico and Spain, highlighting that “it has been an experience of faith in which we have been able to share life and recall in the light of the Word the constitutive dimensions of the Brother’s vocation: faith, fraternity and service“, following in the footsteps of the Holy Founder, who “reminds us of the importance of our vocation for the Church (…), a charism which does so much good in the lives of so many young people and children entrusted to our care”.
Called to be Brothers
Making a stop on the pathway in order to find oneself and remembering that “for many years and in many ways [God] has been calling me (…), he has been telling me that he loves me and that he invites me to a plan of life, to a very special, very particular way of life , which is the Lasallian way”, was one of the greatest riches of this spiritual retreat, as Brother Eduardo Cardosa observes.
To facilitate this journey of spirituality, prayer and fraternal communion, the spiritual retreat was accompanied by Brothers Ulises Vera, from the District of Argentina-Paraguay, Marcelo Salami, from the District of Brazil-Chile, and Vinicio González, from the General Secretariat of RELAL.
In the footsteps of De La Salle
“This year our retreat in preparation for the perpetual vows of the Relal was organised following the proposal of the method of prayer by St. John Baptist de La Salle in its three main parts,” explains Brother Ulises. “Thus, the first week was centred on recognising the presence of God, and we took as a sign our own history, constructing a vital timeline. The second week was focused on what the Founder calls the matter of prayer, which is that encounter and that intimate conversation with Jesus Christ (…) And the last few days have focused on the third part of the method, this review and thanksgiving which prepares us to return to life, to commitment”.
Below, we share some testimonies of the Brothers who participated in the spiritual retreat in preparation for the perpetual vows organised by RELAL.
