Category: RELEM

The VIII Meeting of the Associates of the District of Arlep was held on 21-23 March at the Granja Escuela de La Salle Llíria (Valencia, Spain) and was attended by around 70 people.

Brothers Joël Palud, General Councillor of RELEM and David García, member of the Institute’s Association Commission were invited to participated in this event. Mrs Heather Ruple-Gilson was also invited, but her flight was cancelled due to problems at Heathrow airport.

The dynamic prepared by the Coordinating Committee of Asocaciados focused on conviviality, mutual knowledge of the participants, as well as the discovery of some of the socio-educational works that are developing their mission in the lands of the district. Specifically, the following were presented Proyecto Azahara (Cordoba – Andalusia), Proyecto Fratelli (Lebanon), Procomar (Valladolid), Scampía (Naples – Italy), Nou Horitzó (Valencia) and Obra San José (Madrid). All of these works are characterised by the work of the volunteers who carry out these initiatives, which show that La Salle continues to offer creative responses to the needs of the 21st century, rooted in the different localities.

On Sunday we had the joy of witnessing the public commitment of 2 new associates of the ‘Algo +’ community of Paterna (Valencia). Throughout their process, they have followed the rhythm of formative meetings proposed to them by this community, and on Sunday they completed a part of their journey as Christians and Lasallians, making a public and explicit commitment to the educational mission with the brothers and other associates.

Last Friday 14th and Saturday 15th February, the representatives of the Association and of the Fraternities of the Region met at the Generalate, convened by the RELEM team, to hold the first face-to-face meeting as the commission. This Commission was born as a committed reading of the Regional Strategic Initiative No. 3a, which we gave ourselves at our last Assembly of the MEL of the Region, which called for the creation of a regional team/commission on the Association. Around an agenda, the delegates shared the current affairs of their district/delegation concerning the Association (activities carried out/planned). Further, Bro. Mario Chiarapini, in charge of the Lasallian Charismatic Family Office, explained the wealth of responses to the Lasallian Mission which, from each of the environments in our Region, is being given, highlighting the different realities which exist, but which are under the same breath of the Lasallian spirit. In the afternoon session on Friday and Saturday, analyses and proposals were made as to what elements of formation could be offered to the Districts/Delegations which have not yet begun the journey of Association. We are grateful for the welcome which the Generalate always gives us for this type of meeting.

HE Ms Mangin was accompanied by Father Bernard Planche, the embassy’s ecclesiastical adviser, for a brief but intense visit. The talks focused mainly on the situation of our educational works in the Holy Land, but we were able to broaden our horizons to all the places where we are present in the Middle East.

The Consulate General of France in Jerusalem has long played a special role in protecting religious communities and institutions of French origin. The current climate of tension is a legitimate cause for concern, and it is in this context that the Ambassador is meeting with the congregations present in Rome that have works in the Holy Land.

We were able to draw up a fairly exhaustive picture of our presence and the difficulties currently being encountered in our schools in Jaffa, Jerusalem, Beit-Hanina and Bethlehem, as well as at Bethlehem University. We don’t know how long the crisis will last, but the impact is obvious, particularly the economic impact on families who are finding it harder and harder to pay school fees. In the District as a whole, which also includes Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, it is a real challenge for families to continue their studies. Another clear sign of the worsening situation in the region is that many young people see their future more securely abroad than in their own country…

Our schools are mainly French-speaking: several prepare students for the French baccalauréat, and with success rates that are all the more remarkable given that most of these students do not speak French at home. The interview was also an opportunity to recall how the presence of members of French diplomatic representations at academic or cultural events in our schools is always seen as a strong sign of support and encouragement.

Beyond teaching the French language, we are passing on a whole humanist tradition of openness, tolerance and fraternity. This dimension of education is all the more essential today: when young people of all faiths not only live together but forge genuine bonds of friendship, they give the lie to those who see us as irremediably condemned to confrontation. Sowing the seeds of peace in the generations of tomorrow’s Middle East through education is more urgent than ever.

Br. Joël Palud, fsc

On Monday and Tuesday 27th and 28th May 2024, the RELEM MEL Council, together with the RELEM Team, held the meeting corresponding to the third trimester of the 2023-2024 academic year. As usual, it was held at the Generalate.

Monday’s session was devoted to a brief reminder of the projects approved to form part of Proyecto Levadura, as a region, thinking about what the next ones should be.

Subsequently, in smaller groups, we discussed the dynamics which could be developed around three themes which emerged from the last Regional Assembly: Accompanying Young Lasallians, Evangelisation and connecting the Region with the teams and commissions of the Institute. On Tuesday, almost the whole morning was given over to the working group on axis no. 1, which emerged from the Assembly, to comment on its work plan in order to be able to be present within the time limit set for the Assembly. There was a presentation of the experience lived by the Young Lasallians in Upper Egypt, within the movement of “Fraternity in action”. There was also an update on life in the Districts, bringing us up to date on the various situations being experienced at District and Delegation level.

The meeting was used as an opportunity to say goodbye and to thank Brother Jesús Félix Martínez for his work as councillor of the Arlep district over the last few years.

C’est pilotés par Loïc Gastard, responsable de la formation, que ces étudiants en «Mastère Spécialisé Management de la Transition Énergétique» ont fait halte à Rome au cours du mois de mars. Le séjour a débuté par une visite de la Maison Générale des Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes commentée par le frère Joël Palud (conseiller Général et ancien professeur à l’ECAM Lasalle).

Une conférence s’en est suivie avec des représentants de la Fondation La Salle sur les projets financés au plan international et allant dans le sens du développement durable : accès à l’eau potable au Paraguay, panneaux solaires sur différents campus dans le monde… Les étudiants ont aussi découvert les possibilités de volontariat de courte ou longue durée pour mettre, un temps, leur compétences d’ingénieur au service d’un projet de développement. Pour l’anecdote, les étudiants ont également apprécié le passage par les archives où le F. Hilaire avait sélectionné des documents, notamment sur l’ECAM des origines et quelques originaux de lettres autographes de Jean-Baptiste de La Salle.

Mais ce n’était qu’une parenthèse : le groupe a surtout poursuivi ses activités à Milan par des visites d’entreprise ciblées sur le développement durable, les statégies bas-carbone et les différences d’approche, sur ce point, entre la France et l’Italie.