For a week in early February, five Lasallians – one delegate from each Region of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools – gathered at the Generalate in Rome for the first in-person meetings of the “new” International Council for Lasallian Association and the Educational Mission (CIAMEL). CIAMEL is a representative body of the Institute responsible for animating, accompanying and promoting the Lasallian Educational Mission and Association in accordance with the decisions and orientations of the International Assembly for the Lasallian Educational Mission (AIMEL) and the 46th General Chapter.
Dr. Kurt Schackmuth, chief mission officer and vice president for student life at Lewis University (Romeoville, Illinois – Midwest District), serves as RELAN’s delegate to CIAMEL. The following is a brief reflection on his experience in Rome.
By Dr. Kurt Schackmuth
The fact that the first in-person meeting for the “new” CIAMEL took place in Rome at the Generalate was incredibly significant. Each of our sessions was held in the Sala Giovanni Paolo II (Pope John Paul II Room), where we were surrounded by historic paintings and imagery depicting key moments in the life of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and the evolution of the Institute. It was these iconic images that Brother Superior General Armin Luistro, FSC, referred to as the “DNA” of the Institute in his opening remarks to us. He described these artworks as powerful symbols of our roots as a Lasallian family.
Brother Armin has great expectations for our small group. Again referring to our meeting space, he proclaimed that this was a “big room for big dreams” and he encouraged us to think boldly and differently about our work. He explained the nature of CIAMEL and its role within the new Institute governance structure, emphasizing the 46th General Chapter’s desire to “refound” the Institute in this age of synodality.
It was in this spirit, that Brother Armin and other members of the General Council who joined us for several of our meetings, explained the vision for CIAMEL – a vision in which we collaborate with and advise Brother Superior General, the General Council, and the International Economic Council (IEC), so as to achieve unity at the global level of the Institute in setting directions for the orientation, accompaniment and monitoring of the structures of mission and association to strengthen the global Lasallian family. It would be an understatement to say that we members of CIAMEL felt overwhelmed by the gravity of such important responsibilities and expectations.
During those first few days, the five of us spent time getting to know one another and learning more about the strengths, challenges and priorities of each Region. As “delegates from” and not “representatives of” our respective Regions, we now needed to cultivate our skills and abilities as “Institute thinkers” if we were to achieve the bold vision set forth for CIAMEL. We soon discovered how diverse our experiences and backgrounds were, given the context, structures and compositions of our Regions. We spoke in three different languages (English, French and Spanish), with each of us coming from very different parts of the Lasallian world.
While I represented RELAN, which is fairly homogenous in terms of culture and language and also quite advanced in terms of formation and mission advancement structures, our CIAMEL president, Coreen Paul hailed from Kuala Lampur, Malaysia (PARC), where there is great religious and cultural diversity, yet strong identity as a Lasallian family. Jean-Marie Ballenghien represented RELEM, where there are issues related to secularization that pose challenges for Catholic education. Doris Nzoundja Njiki from RELAF described the growth of the Region’s Lasallian higher education sector and the increasing number of Brothers in various states for formation, but explained that structures to support mission advancement, such as MEL Councils or Mission Councils were not as robust. And from RELAL, Adriana Bolaños described a vibrant Region that wishes to attract greater visibility for mission related projects while identifying more Partners for collaboration outside the Region. Despite our differences, we all shared a passion for the Lasallian educational mission and we felt energized about our unfolding work together.
And so, it was within this context combined with a strong sense of common purpose that we set to work studying and discussing the Final Report of the Third International Assembly of the Lasallian Educational Mission (AIMEL) along with the Leavening Project and the documents of the 46th General Chapter. We met with several Commission Chairs and Generalate Office leaders and spent time discussing future plans and initiatives that CIAMEL could propose and champion. By the end of the week, we had identified a handful of actions and initiatives that we could spend more time developing over the next few months. We will continue to meet via Zoom until our next in-person meeting in Rome this July. These meetings will include Brother Visitors from around the Institute and others.
This whole experience was amazing and I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead in this way and for the confidence that has been placed in me by so many. Lots of work lies ahead as our small council continues its international mission advancement efforts.
Photo above: Dr. Kurt Schackmuth
Photo Courtesy Communications and Technology Service, Generalate