Warm welcome for Superior General’s visit to District

Brother Superior General Armin Luistro began his tour of the District with a visit to St John’s Education Centre in Glasnevin on Monday October 14th.

It was a fitting way to commence the two-week visit as Br Armin, along with General Councillor Br Joel Palud, saw at first hand the wonderful work being carried out on behalf of the Lasallian Mission.

The Centre is a collaboration between De La Salle and Holy Faith Sisters, and caters for the needs of students who find themselves on the peripheries.

Along with Brother Visitor Ben Hanlon and Brothers Armin and Joel received a very friendly welcome from the Holy Faith Sisters, Sr Enda Mullen (Central Leader), along with Team Members, Sr Dolores Madden and Sr Vivienne Keely.

The warmth of the reception from the Holy Faith Sisters is captured in the photograph above where the group enjoyed a fun and informal chat over tea before commencing their tour of the Centre.

The visitors were greeted by Chair of the interim Management Committee, Joe Twomey, and Secretary, Bernie Hughes, and also met the team of  Anne Murray (Education Project Leader), Chris Cleary (teacher), Br John McDermott (Finance Committee), Claire Hughes (Administration) and Casey Harris (teacher).

All were praised for the passion and dedication which they bring to ensure that the centre continues to thrive. The team is supported by Sr Vivienne, Eleanor Fahey and Brian Grimes on the Board of Management.

Three students, Alex, Bobby and Leroy, led the visitors on a very informative tour of the Centre, explaining some of the projects they have undertaken along with the subjects and supports that students are provided. They even had time to entertain Br Armin and Br Palud with a demonstration of Gaelic Football.

The Superior General was particularly taken by some of the positive imagery that decorated the walls of the Centre, including the example above.

Br Armin thanked all students, staff and Board members for their kind invitation to visit, and he commented on the fact that this Centre reflected very much the values and vision of our Founder, St John Baptist de La Salle.

“When he began opening schools, De La Salle wanted all students to feel welcome but I believe that in the pursuit of having excellent schools, we can sometimes push out the students who don’t fit into that model.

“The Mission of De La Salle is to look after all students and I think that we have to look at the fact that we can change so much about schools. Thank you for the reminder as this is why St John’s is so important – this is what we want to bring to other parts of the global family”, he added.

The next stop for Brothers Armin, Palud and Ben was at the Le Cheile Schools Trust to meet the body who carry out the role of trustees of Lasallian schools in Ireland, before travelling to Castletown in the afternoon.

This trip represents a significant milestone for Br Armin as his arrival in Ireland means that he has now visited 50 of the 80 countries in the global Lasallian Family since being elected Superior General.

Brother Armin will be accompanied by Brother Joel Palud, a member of the General Council, with responsibility for Europe. Brother Chris Patino, General Councillor with responsibility for  North America will join them in St Cassian’s.