From 2 to 22 December 2023, a dozen Brothers of the Christian Schools from Latin America and the Caribbean are participating in La Vega (Dominican Republic) in the retreat in preparation for Perpetual Vows organised by the Lasallian Region of Latin America (RELAL).
The three-week retreat offers participants a unique experience of fraternal encounter, Lasallian identity and spirituality, with a fourfold purpose:
- To joyfully share the experience of being Brothers.
- To value the experience of the Regional encounter among Brothers as a privileged moment in the vocational process.
- To interpret the personal life story and the experience of God from the perspective of narrative identity.
- To give thanks to God for the gift of vocation and life.
“By means of the narrative methodology, it is hoped that the participating Brothers will rewrite their vocational story and share it with each other, so that they can reread some constituent elements of their Lasallian identity”, commented Brother Luis Bolivar, who is part of the team of Brothers accompanying the retreat in the Dominican Republic, one of the Sectors of the District of Antillas-México Sur.
On this occasion, Brothers from the Districts of Argentina-Paraguay; Central America-Panama; Bogota; Bolivia-Peru and Brazil-Chile are taking part. By promoting this retreat each year, RELAL seeks to provide “a valuable contribution to the discernment for the profession of the Brothers’ perpetual vows”. This is the 29th Regional retreat.
Brothers Vinicio González, RELAL’s Secretary for Mission and Management; Pedro Orbezua, in charge of Lasallian formation in the District of Antillas-México Sur; and Luis Bolívar, who has been part of the Secretariat for Formation of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in recent years, compose the team responsible for coordinating and accompanying the retreat.
On behalf of the General Council of the Institute, Brothers Martín Digilio and Ricardo Laguda will also accompany the retreat from 14-17 December.
We invite all Lasallians to unite spiritually, accompanying with our ongoing prayer during this time of Advent these twelve Brothers who are preparing to give their definitive yes to the Lord as religious Brothers of the Christian Schools.
