Animators’ Gathering is both uplifting and productive

The Animators’ Gathering held in Castletown on January 26th and 27th provided another reminder of the wonderful work being done to look after the young people in our schools and to strengthen the Lasallian Mission.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the organising team, the presenters, enthusiastic participants and hosts, it proved to be a very productive and uplifting time for all involved, while the presence of Br. Visitor Ben Hanlon and Auxiliary Visitor Tommy Walsh added a great deal to the experience for all.

Organised by Jo Millea and Heather Ruple from the Office of Mission, the gathering offered an opportunity to meet with colleagues, share ideas and gain further insights into events in the District, while also enjoying a bit of social time.

During the opening prayer, Jo Millea introduced the idea of the puzzle theme which symbolised how our individuals talents come together to create a strong and unified District.

Anna Baird (Beneavin De La Salle College) spoke on the work of the MEL Committee, the initiatives they promote and how the committee can support Animators.

Heather Ruple then introduced ‘A Conversation for the Lasallian Family’ and spoke about how it can be a useful tool for Animators to open up discussions.

After a very enjoyable social evening on Thursday, the gathering saw a number of schools share good practice in how they promote the Lasallian Ethos on Friday morning. Anna Baird, Aidan McGuinness (De La Salle Dundalk) and Liam Fleming (De La Salle Macroom) all discussed how the Lasallian Values are integrated into school life.

Heather then reflected on some of the major events on the global front over the past year with details on the General Chapter and AIMEL, and spoke about how the outcomes create a vision for the future of the Lasallian Mission.

Jo followed up by outlining the importance of the upcoming Mission Assembly and how this will discuss the vision and priorities for the District over the coming years. The Animators were then invited to discuss the three themes from the Horizon Statements and the feedback from those groups will form the basis of the discussions in Malta.

The gathering concluded with presentations from the three Pastoral Centres in Ireland with Eugene Smith (Dublin), Margaret McClory (Belfast) and Derek Doherty (Castletown) providing details of the retreats on offer to the schools in our District.