Among the many animation processes led by the Lasallian Latin American Region (RELAL), the XXXVII Regional Visitors’ Conference and the gathering of directors of ‘Leavening’ communities have represented two significant moments in the recent life of the Region and its commitment to the peripheries.
XXXVII Regional Visitors’ Conference
The Regional Visitors’ Conference, in its 37th edition, took place in the city of Buenos Aires (Argentina), from 21 to 24 October, with the participation of the Brother Visitors of the Districts of Antillas-México Sur (Br. José Francisco Flores), Argentina-Paraguay (Br. Nicolás Chamorro), Bolivia-Perú (Br. Jorge Aguilar Reyna), Brasil-Chile (Br. Olavo Dalvit), Bogotá (Br. Diego Díaz), Central America-Panama (Br. Manuel Orozco), México Norte (Br. Carlos Castañeda), Norandino (Br. Luis Bolívar), as well as the Auxiliary Visitor of Antillas-México Sur (Br. Jean-Ollin Jean Baptiste), the Secretary General of RELAL (Br. Vinicio González), and Br. Martín Digilio, General Councillor of the Institute.
This Regional Visitors’ Conference was characterised by an atmosphere of fraternity and Lasallian spirituality, in contact with the realities of the host country, its art and its culture; all that provided an appropriate space to address various topics on “the pedagogical and pastoral life of La Salle and the Lasallian educational works in Latin America and the Caribbean“. It also looked in depth at leadership strategies, institutional challenges and the impact of the Lasallian mission in both the educational and social areas.
Gathering of directors of ‘Leavening’ communities
Similarly, the gathering of directors of ‘Leavening’ communities of RELAL, held in the city of Yopal, in the east of Colombia, on the campus of Utopia of the Universidad de La Salle, represented a propitious moment to share the learnings so far, “in the understanding of what it means to be ‘Leaven’ in the territories and the challenges that this entails”.
The gathering, which took place from 15 to 17 October, was attended by Brother Martín Digilio, General Councillor, Brothers Vinicio González and Andrés Riveros, for the Regional Animation Community, as well as the directors of the nine Leavening communities in the Region, including the Utopía campus.
“To enrich and clarify the principles of the Leavening movement, based on some references of the Magisterium of the Church and the reflections raised in the Institute”, was one of the key purposes of the meeting, which also identified “common criteria in the community annual programs of these communities”, while deepening the needs of the Leavening communities that require to be accompanied through formative programs.
Both meetings had as a backdrop the imperative of the option for the poor and vulnerable, with the certainty that “our heart is in the peripheries”.
* With information and photos from RELAL and the District of Argentina-Paraguay.