Founder’s Day event reflects strength and unity of our District

The District of Ireland, Great Britain and Malta celebrated Founder’s Day with a special service on Friday May 14th that highlighted the sense of meaning and purpose that exists in our vibrant District.

The theme of the event was A Million Dreams: Honouring the Founder’s Legacy by Discovering Our Purpose, which allowed the District Lasallian Family to come  together on Zoom to celebrate the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle, our Holy Founder, with prayers and videos led by the District Vocations Team.

It proved to be a wonderful ceremony that reflected the warmth, unity, passion and faith of the Lasallian Family within our District, and the reaction to such an uplifting experience was one of great positivity.

There were many messages shared that summed up the success of the event with Auxiliary Brother Ben Hanlon expressing his feelings.

“I have just been attending the Lasallian online celebration and I feel compelled to express my gratitude. The online District Celebration and Awards ceremony was fantastic and full of meaning. Well done, especially to Heather and to all those who prepared it and all those who took part. Yes, De La Salle is alive and well. And thank you so much to our partners and associates who are so proud, so enthusiastic and skilled in taking on this challenge. 

“Thank you, St La Salle for giving us such a rich heritage and thanks to all of you who are proudly handing it on,” stated Br. Ben.

After all the efforts put in by the Vocations Team in organising the ceremony, Co-ordinator of Mission Initiatives, Heather Ruple, was delighted to witness a special moment as Lasallians in the District came together, and also celebrated the role of our young people.

 “Founder's Day was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate not only the legacy of St. John Baptist de La Salle, but to also celebrate an important characteristic of who we are as a Lasallian Family by inviting young people to consider their purpose and vocation. 

“It was a moment when Lasallians in the District of Ireland, Great Britain and Malta came together to remember what we are a part of, celebrate the hard work and dedication of our young people, and dream of what the future holds for them,” she stated.

“The Vocation Team felt honoured to be able to be a part of the culmination of a lot of effort and hard work of the young people who participated in the Lasallian Awards, and the many groups who made our Founder's Day event possible.

“The Vocation Team was excited to premiere, in the context of prayer and celebration, four Vocation Videos meant to invite young people to understand that all have a purpose and vocation; that God has a plan for their lives. The four-part series will be developed into a Vocation tool for schools to support efforts in building a Culture of Vocations,” added Heather.

All staff and students from De La Salle School Basildon tuned into the ceremony and according to Lay Chaplain, Doug Mongan, the opportunity to Schools to come together as one and celebrate Founder’s Day 202 certainly made a big impression on everyone.

Doug shared the reaction of some of the students that summed up the positivity of the event.

Although in Basildon, we felt included

It was fun

Very informative

Inspiring

Creative

Felt exclusive

Impressive - all the Lasallian schools in the District

In awe of how many schools were in the District

Very well put together

It was a lovely Inclusive way of marking Founders day 2021 across the district and feeling one family

The ceremony, which also included the Lasallian Awards 2021, was hosted by the St Cassian’s team and saw Founder’s Day celebrated through prayer and video.

The opening prayer was read by Br. Martin Curran, while there were further prayers from De La Salle School, St Helens students, Gabriella Arnold and William Vose, and a Gospel reading by Audrey Borg from De La Salle College, Malta.

A presentation reminded us of the inspiration of our Founder and encouraged all Lasallians to honour his legacy by finding our purpose, before David McArdle (De La Salle College Dundalk) offered up a prayer of thanksgiving for the life of John Baptist de La Salle and reflected on De La Salle’s life journey and the effect if had on the world.

David then introduced Jo Millea (De La Salle School St Helen’s) and Yvonne Joye (Benildus Pastoral Centre) who spoke about how they discovered their purpose and Lasallian Vocation.

Audrey Borg (De La Salle Senior School Malta) and David McArdle (De La Salle College Dundalk) reflected on how, as teachers, they had discovered their Lasallian Vocation, highlighting the fact that it is more than about simply teaching a subject but also about the shared experiences.

The Lasallian Vocation from a Brother’s perspective was outlined by Br. Chris Palatino (St Mary’s College, California) who was inspired by the Brothers at school to dedicate his life to serving young people and in that way he found meaning for himself and others with a vocation that gives him great joy.

 The programme was brought to a close by Auxiliary Visitor Ben Hanlon who began by expressing his sincere thanks to the Young Lasallian Council, Vocations Team, the Mission Committees in each country, and the District Mission Council for organising and leading the day.

He also thanked the Brothers’ Communities for being present, adding that it meant so much to the Lasallian Family.

“I am so proud of all those who have taken part in this very special day. The Founder would be extremely proud of the dedication to the Lasallian spirit of each of you. It is great to be a Lasallian and thank you for your participation,” he explained.

“The theme is A Million Dreams: Honouring the Founder’s Legacy by Discovering Our Purpose, and De La Salle encouraged his students and teachers of his day to ask God to reveal their calling. He would encourage all of you today to follow your dream – not just today but in the months and years ahead,” added Br. Ben.

The ceremony then concluded when Auxiliary Visitor Br Ben Hanlon and his ensemble to sang the traditional hymn of the Founder, Honneur et toi, which has been sung by Lasallians for centuries.

 All in the District are grateful to Heather Ruple Gilson, Co-ordinator of Mission Initiatives, and Jo Millea, teacher at De La Salle School, St Helens for all the effort and planning that went into the event. A special thanks also goes to the Isobelle Cording and Sara Amarilas at St Cassian’s, Kintbury, who masterfully coordinated the technical side of the Prayer and the Awards Announcements.