Present and future leaders gather for poignant ceremony

Brother Superior General Armin Luistro continued his tour of the District with another busy day in Castletown.

Day three of the visit involved a cross over between Student Leadership Programme and the Ministry Leaders Conference, highlighting the rich diversity in the District and how we are all working together to nurture and sustain the Mission.

Following prayer, the students enjoyed a mindfulness/meditation session with the Castletown Retreat Team of Derek, Marie and Liam, while the members of MEL Committee Ireland had the opportunity to meet Br Armin.

During the meeting they outlined the work of the committee and the many activities and initiatives that are planned for the District in the future.

Br Armin and Br Joel met with the student leaders along with Br Joel and Br Ben, which provided the students with the opportunity to outlie the many Lasallian activities that take place in their schools.

Facilitated by Pat Walsh, the session once again highlighted the importance of the student leaders in promoting the Five Core Principles, and ensuring that they are very much part of the school culture.

Br Armin answered a number of questions from students and explained that the most rewarding part of his job is the opportunity to meet with so many students across the globe. The many different challenges they experience allows him the chance to get a wide perspective on what young people are dealing with in the modern world.

The Superior General extended an invitation for students to visit the Generalate in Rome and challenged them to connect with a Lasallian school from another culture or country and to see what they could learn.

He suggested that this would be a real game changer the individual, their school and Lasallians across the District, and to imagine how powerful it could be to realise that they are all your brothers and sisters.

Students, teachers and Heads/Principals joined together after lunch and were welcomed by Br Ben Hanlon who thanked all the Heads/Principals for all they do as leaders of the Lasallian Mission in this District.

He thanks the students, who are the future leaders, and all those who had organised the events over three days.

Following prayers led by Heather Ruple, Br Armin then addressed the gathering and reminded all that God had a reason for calling them all to be present.

He said he hoped that the gathering would be inspired by the fire of the spirit of La Salle to make a difference in the world.

Another important part of the session was the presentation of The Lasallian Leavening Fund certificates by Br Armin and Br Ben to the 19 schools that had developed projects. District Bursar, Kevin Humphrey, outlined the work that had been done on this initiative which sees one of the Mission Assembly Directional Statements come to fruition.

A very moving part of the session saw students take the opportunity to express their gratitude to teachers. On behalf of all young people in the District, three students spoke to pay tribute to heads and principals, before Fionnuala Moore – as the principal of the newest school in the District, Lecale Trinity Grammar in Downpatrick – accepted an icon of the Founder on behalf of all Heads and Principals. The relevance of the icon was explained by students.

The Heads and Principals then moved to the main conference area where they were officially welcomed by Aidan Cassidy and Stephen Cachia to the conference entitled ‘Leavening Movement: Growing together in the Lasallian Dream’.

Br Armin delivered the keynote address – ‘Our Heart is in the Peripheries’ – who began by outlining The Leavening Movement and how we can connect it to what is happening in the world today.

He reminded all that the journey to the peripheries is at the very heart of the Lasallian story pointed out that we don’t have to attempt to change the world with one big project, but that small steps are the key to ensuring our circle of influence grows.

Brother Superior encouraged all to find space to experience an encounter at the peripheries and  assured them that they will change as a result. This, he explained, is the most beautiful gift of our ministry.

Ministry leaders then had the chance to reflect on the message of Br Armin with some very interesting contributions that reflect the great work already being done, and the opportunities to improve in the future.

As an example of the great work being done in schools and centres to help those on the peripheries, three examples of good practice were shared.

Stephen Cachia, head of he Educational Mission in Malta, spoke about how schools are exploring new ways to make caring for our environment a key part of the educational journey.

De La Salle College Waterford Principal, Tom Bourke, then outlined how a new initiative to help students with autism to thrive in the school.

Dominic McKenna, Head of St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy, reflected on how their schools community work to inspire and support each other.

The participants then gathered in the main house in Castletown for a special celebratory dinner, during which they had the opportunity to honour a number of people for their dedication to the Lasallian Mission over the years.

Mick Walsh (DLS Waterford), Ciaran Maguire (DLS High School Downpatrick) and Joe McCann (St Patrick’s High School Downpatrick), have retired from their positions as school leaders, and they were thanked for their dedication and enthusiasm in helping to sustain the Mission in our schools.

Mary Lally was also thanked for her wonderful work as Designated Liaison Person who dealt with safeguarding in Ireland, and her loyalty to the Brothers along with attention to detail in her role was highlighted.