LORD, T HE WORK IS YOURS
Drawing a lesson from a parable Jesus says, “Every student of the Scriptures who becomes a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like someone who brings out new and old treasures from the storeroom” (Matthew 13:52). As this Bulletin has demonstrated, this Region is blessed with a storeroom full of treasures for mission and community. There are old treasures of fidelity and generosity and new treasures of open and energetic responses to the future as it unfolds.
There are old treasures of fidelity and generosity and new treasures of open and energetic responses to the future as it unfolds.
Two stories of the many that emerged in this Bulletin witness to these old and new treasures that fuel the charismatic dynamism. One is of the men and women in Francophone Canada who wish to associate closely and live in communion with the Lasallian charism. Associates express their will to follow Christ according to the Lasallian charism in association with the Brothers. They deepen their understanding of the educational spirituality of the Lasallian charism. One could say their desire is not simply to belong to the Lasallian movement but to be Lasallian. In a similar way, Lasallian Volunteers strive to be Lasallian. Over the years, a dozen men have completed their service as volunteers and entered the Brothers’ formation program, some of whom have pronounced first vows, and there are now 85 former volunteers currently serving in the Lasallian mission. Many of these are in leadership positions as animators, principals and presidents. They also serve in leadership positions at the District, Regional and international level. In North American culture at large, there is an impetus to be pragmatic, entrepreneurial, innovative, divergent in thinking, and open to taking risks. RELAN’s vitality and creativity can be traced, in part, to that impetus. At the same time, there are clear signs of immobility and fragility. The surrounding economic, social, political climate is dynamic, and the educational communities are impacted by those tensions and challenges. We hope this Bulletin has shed light on how this Region has engaged its reality with fidelity, generosity, openness and energy.
Bulletin 260 | RELAN | 94
