RELAL: 12th Regional MEL Council and 2nd Council of Consecrated Life

From 8 to 14 April, in the Casa La Salle de San Francisco Acatepec, located in the city of Puebla (Mexico), a meeting was held for Brothers and Lay Lasallians who coordinate the educational mission and formation in the Districts of the Lasallian Region of Latin America (RELAL), within the framework of the 12th Regional Council of the Lasallian Educational Mission (MEL) and the 2nd Council of Consecrated Life.

“Meeting face-to-face has been a great opportunity to continue to carry out as a Lasallian Family the task entrusted by the Creator to our Holy Founder, to procure the Glory of God through the educational ministry in the Christian Schools, with a special focus on the most needy, the most vulnerable”, said Brother Vinicio González, Executive Secretary of RELAL. Vinicio Gonzalez, Executive Secretary of RELAL, in summing up this week of immersion in a process of intense and enriching work, oriented towards the implementation of the Plan de Acción Regional (Regional Action Plan), which includes the planning of the Educational Mission and the Lasallian Consecrated Life in Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The central purpose of this meeting was to establish a solid vision for the future of the educational mission in our ministries, as well as to strengthen the processes of support and formation for the Brothers of our Region“, Brother Vinicius affirmed, recalling that “together and by association we get engaged in a synodal journey, following the example of the first disciples, to go beyond the dispensable, to head towards the existential peripheries and to make our hearts burn right there”.

For that purpose, the meeting counted on the contributions of Father Antonio Kuri Breña, from the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit, who accompanied the reflections of the assembly by underlining the importance of returning to Jesus to recognise him as “the centre of the Church and of our spiritual life”, urging Lasallians to “innovate without losing sight of the founding values and principles, identifying the importance of learning from past mistakes in order to build a more promising future”. In this sense, Fr Antonio highlighted the need to get adjusted to a changing and challenging context, readapting visions and strategies to effectively address contemporary issues.

Similarly, the participants of the meeting addressed various topics with the support of some experts. Dr. José Ramón Barreiro, from Universidad La Salle México, spoke about the importance of “leadership with purpose”, while Mr. Cristhian Guzmán and Ms. Anaí Rodríguez, from the same University, focused on the issue of “educational marketing”, and Dr. Raúl Linares Callejas, from Universidad La Salle in Cancún, spoke about “educational quality”. 

All, from different perspectives, highlighted the importance of understanding the needs of students and establishing positioning strategies for La Salle in the  society, as well as promoting a holistic approach oriented towards continuous improvement.

As a result of the meeting, the participants of both Councils defined the activities with which they hope to take on the Regional Action Plan, also sharing some significant advances of the ‘Leaven Experiences’ of the Region, as well as the action plan of each of the RELAL networks.

The 12th Regional Council of MEL and the 2nd Council of Consecrated Life counted on the support, participation and guidance of the Regional Animation Community. “Together, as a Region, we continue to move forward with the ideal of being a beacon that enlightens all projects for the benefit of Lasallians in Latin America and the Caribbean,” concluded the organisers.

* * With information from RELAL.