RELAN

Epiphany of the Lord
2024-01-06

WEBINAR | Spiritual Care For a Busy Educator
2024-01-11 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
This webinar is a part of the 2024 continuing formation series, which launched in the fall of 2023, hosted by the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN). Lasallian educators from across the Region have designed these webinars to provide opportunities to discuss current trends in Lasallian Catholic education. The webinar presenters will offer resources to bring back to the classroom, office and educational community.

SPIRITUAL CARE FOR A BUSY EDUCATOR
Date: Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. ET
Speakers: Brother Matthew Chiantella, FSC, Director of Student Life, San Miguel High School, Tucson, AZ; Brother J.D. Macioce, FSC, Business Teacher, La Salle Academy, Providence, RI
Through this session, participants will be invited to consider their faith journeys as a lifelong experience and will touch on the importance of attentiveness to spiritual self-care in the midst of their busy daily lives. Participants will leave with an understanding of different tools that can serve as resources in cultivating a maturing faith in relation to their vocation as an educator.
REGISTER HERE!

Check out more 2024 webinars here >

Commemoration of the Transfer of the Relics of Saint John Baptist de La Salle
2024-01-26
John Baptist de La Salle was buried in the chapel of St. Suzanne on Holy Saturday, April 8, 1719. On July 6, 1734, his body was transferred to a chapel at Saint Yon. The tomb was vandalized during the French Revolution but the relics were not. In 1841, the superiors received approval to have the relics moved to the Generalate.

After the Brothers were expelled from France in 1904, the relics were taken from Rouen to Lembecq-lez-Hal in Belgium. In 1937 they were transported to Rome where they arrived on January 26, the anniversary of the promulgation in 1725 of the Bull of Approbation of the Institute. The relics are now in the church of Saint John Baptist de La Salle at the Generalate in Rome.

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LACU Meeting
2024-02-02
The Lasallian Association of Colleges and Universities (LACU) will gather for a meeting February 2 in Washington, D.C.

LACU encompasses the six Lasallian institutions of higher education within the Lasallian Regional of North America (RELAN), including: Christian Brothers University, La Salle University, Lewis University, Manhattan College, Saint Mary’s College of California and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.

Blessed James Miller, FSC
2024-02-09
February 13, 2020, marked the inaugural memorial for beatified Brother James Miller, FSC. Brother James was killed in the afternoon of February 13, 1982, while repairing a wall just outside “La Casa Indígena De La Salle” in Guatemala.
In 2010, Brother James was designated a Servant of God and a martyr for the faith, and on Thursday, November 8, 2018, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing that Brother James Miller died as a martyr. Brother James is the first De La Salle Christian Brother from the United States to be beatified. Brother James was beatified on December 7, 2019, in Huehuetenango. The Church calendar now considers February 13, the date of his death, as a memorial observance in the liturgical year.
Learn more about Brother James’ life, legacy and cause for canonization at brotherjamesmiller.org.

Encountering Lasallian Spirituality: A Workshop and Retreat
2024-02-11 13:00 - 2024-02-14 20:00 | Bethany Center, 18150 Bethany Ctr Dr, Lutz, FL, 33558, United States
Taking place February 11-14 at the Bethany Center in Lutz, Florida, this retreat-style formation experience will offer dynamic sessions on the tradition of spirituality, personal spirituality and themes of Lasallian spirituality, alongside reflection time, communal prayer and liturgical experiences. Participants will return to their local contexts renewed in faith and grounded spiritually, inspired to more fully integrate their spirituality into ministry and community.
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Saint Miguel Febres Cordero, FSC
2024-02-13
Francisco Febres Cordero was born into a family that has always been prominent in Ecuadorian politics. Crippled from birth, he had to overcome family opposition to realize his vocation to be a lay religious, the first native of Ecuador to be received into the Institute. Brother Miguel was a gifted teacher from the start and a diligent student. When he was not quite 20 years old, he published the first of his many books, a Spanish grammar that soon became a standard text. In time his research and publications in the field of literature and linguistics put him in touch with scholars all over the world and he was granted membership in the National Academies of Ecuador and Spain.
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Feast of Brother James Miller
2024-02-13
February 13, 2020, marks the inaugural feast day for the newly beatified Brother James Miller, FSC. Brother James was killed in the afternoon of February 13, 1982, while repairing a wall just outside “La Casa Indígena De La Salle” in Guatemala.
In 2010, Brother James was designated a Servant of God and a martyr for the faith, and on Thursday, November 8, 2018, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing that Brother James Miller died as a martyr. Brother James is the first De La Salle Christian Brother from the United States to be beatified. Brother James was beatified on December 7, 2019, in Huehuetenango. The Church calendar now considers February 13, the date of his death, as a memorial observance in the liturgical year.
The Midwest District has provided resources, includes two new prayer resources, to use to celebrate the feast day of Blessed Brother James.
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Brothers in Initial Formation Gathering
2024-02-16 - 2024-02-19 | Carmelite Spiritual Center, 8419 Bailey Road, Darien, IL, 60561, United States
The Brothers in Initial Formation Gathering will take place February 16-19 at the Carmelite Spirituality Center.

Lasallian Association of Secondary School Chief Administrators (LASSCA) Conference
2024-02-25 - 2024-02-28 | Rosen Plaza Hotel, 9700 International Drive, Orlando, FL, 32819, United States
The Lasallian Association of Secondary School Chief Administrators (LASSCA) Conference will take place February 25 – 28, 2024 at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida.
Learn more about LASSCA >

Johnston Institute (DENA)
2024-03-14 - 2024-03-16 | Bon Secours Retreat Center, 1525 Marriottsville Rd, Marriottsville, MD, 21104, United States
The sixth and final meeting of the fourth cohort of the Brother John Johnston Institute of Contemporary Lasallian Practice will take place March 14-16, 2024, at the Bon Secours Retreat Center in Marriottsville, Maryland.
Learn more about the Johnston Institute >

WEBINAR | Retired Lasallians Connect and Contribute
2024-03-19 18:00 - 19:00
This webinar is a part of the 2024 continuing formation series, which launched in the fall of 2023, hosted by the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN). Lasallian educators from across the Region have designed these webinars to provide opportunities to discuss current trends in Lasallian Catholic education. The webinar presenters will offer resources to bring back to the classroom, office and educational community.

RETIRED LASALLIANS CONNECT AND CONTRIBUTE
Date: Tuesday, March 19, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. ET
Speakers: Robert N. Ortbal, Co-chair, Lasallian Companions, Midwest District, Burr Ridge, IL; Joan E. Williams, Busy Person Retreat Coordinator, Lasallian Companions, Midwest District, Burr Ridge, IL
Retired Lasallians in the Midwest, known as Lasallian Companions, share their experiences building community, enriching their spiritual lives, and assisting ministries. Retirement does not mean losing connection to or commitment to the Lasallian charism. Through both large group and small group gatherings, as well as individual contributions, Lasallian Companions connect and contribute throughout the year with monthly book, articles and movie discussions via Zoom, yearly in person gatherings as well as providing retreat ministries with assistance. For several years, including during COVID, Lasallian Companions remained connected with each other, the Midwest District and the larger Lasallian world by offering assistance and service to ministries and other organizations. Together, and in association, the Lasallian charism is a lifelong gift that those who have retired from active ministry can share with one another and the current Lasallian ministries.
REGISTER HERE!

Check out more 2024 webinars here >

Johnston Institute (Midwest)
2024-03-21 - 2024-03-23 | Dunrovin Christian Brothers Retreat, 15525 St Croix Trail N, Marine on St Croix, MN, 55047
The sixth and final meeting of the fourth cohort of the Brother John Johnston Institute of Contemporary Lasallian Practice will take place March 21-23, 2024, at Dunrovin Christian Brothers Retreat in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota.
Learn more about the Johnston Institute >

WEBINAR | Integral Ecology: A New Lasallian Educational Project
2024-04-16 18:00
This webinar is a part of the 2024 continuing formation series, which launched in the fall of 2023, hosted by the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN). Lasallian educators from across the Region have designed these webinars to provide opportunities to discuss current trends in Lasallian Catholic education. The webinar presenters will offer resources to bring back to the classroom, office and educational community.

INTEGRAL ECOLOGY: A NEW LASALLIAN EDUCATIONAL PROJECT
Date: Tuesday, April 16, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. ET
Speakers: Brother Gus Sinco, FSC, Director, Environmental Sustainability Education Initiative, RELAN
Integral Ecology (IE) reveals that the ecological crisis is not a collection of problems to be solved, but a symptom of a deeper human and spiritual crisis. At its core this crisis is our lost connection to the natural world and our own origins. IE education is an approach to teaching and learning that seeks to understand the interconnectedness of all of creation and provide an answer to the present human and spiritual crisis. Recognizing that our spiritual needs are just as important as our physical needs, we cannot truly heal the environment without also healing ourselves. “Integral ecology is, pedagogically, one of the best generators of educational approaches that could be characteristic of the new Lasallian educational proposal” (Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission [2020], p. 100). IE education seeks to help students develop a deeper relationship with God through a better understanding of the natural world and the environmental impact of their actions. It also seeks to help students develop the skills, knowledge and sense of responsibility they need to protect God’s gift and live more sustainably.
REGISTER HERE!

Check out more 2024 webinars here >

Brother Raphaël Louis Rafiringa, FSC
2024-05-15
Br. Raphaël Louis Rafiringa was born in Tananarive (Madagascar) on May 1, 1856.
His indefatigable missionary effort suffered as a result of two wars, one in 1883 and the other in 1895. All the missionaries having been chased from the island, Brother Raphaël confronted this difficult situation with a superhuman courage that was crowned with success. As a sign of their recognition of this, the French authorities decorated him with the Madagascan gold medal of merit. As a result of his remarkable literary effort, he was named a member of the Madagascan Academy. He died at Fianarantsoa on May 19, 1919.
On Oct. 18, 1979, the Brothers of this great island requested of Pope John Paul II the introduction of the Cause of the Servant of God.
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Buttimer Institute, 2024
2024-06-23 - 2024-07-06 | Manhattan University, 4513 Manhattan College Parkway, Riverdale, NY, 10471, United States
The 2024 Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies will be held Sunday, June 23 – Saturday, July 6 at Manhattan College in New York. Buttimer is an intensive Lasallian education and formation program that studies the life, work and spirituality of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and the origins of the Lasallian educational mission. Learn more about Buttimer >

LSJI, 2024
2024-07-15 - 2024-07-20 | Brother David Darst Center, 6336 S. Kilbourn Ave., Chicago, IL, 60629, United States
The 2024 Lasallian Social Justice Institute (LSJI), themed “Urban Intersections of Injustice,” will take place July 15-20 at the Brother David Darst Center in Chicago, Illinois. LSJI is a formation program for the based on the Gospel and our Lasallian vocation to the promotion of social justice and service to the poor. Learn more about LSJI >

Johnston Institute, Regional Gathering
2024-07-22 - 2024-07-25 | Lewis University, 1 University Parkway, Romeoville, IL, 60446, United States
Johnston’s fifth cohort participants will gather as a Region from July 22-25, 2024, at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.

The Brother John Johnston Institute of Contemporary Lasallian Practice is a two-year Regional formation program that focuses on deepening participants’ understanding of Saint John Baptist de La Salle’s story and vision, Lasallian pedagogy, the Lasallian promotion of justice and Lasallian spirituality while utilizing contemporary texts to inform and influence current and future Lasallian practice.

Transfiguration of the Lord
2024-08-06 08:00 - 17:00

Saint Benildus Romançon, FSC
2024-08-08
Pierre Romançon was born June 14, 1805, in Thuret, France. He was so far ahead of his classmates that when he was only 14 years old the Brothers engaged him as a substitute teacher. From 1821 to 1841 he taught in elementary schools before being appointed as director of a new school in southern France in 1841. He served in that school for the next 20 years, educating the boys of the village, many of whom had never been to school. The school became a center of social and intellectual life of the village. Saint Benilde died Aug. 13, 1862.
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Video by Ed Sirois, La Salle Academy, Providence, RI

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
2024-08-15

Saint Solomon Le Clercq, FSC
2024-09-04
Saint Solomon was secretary to Brother Agathon, the Superior General, after having been a teacher, director and bursar. He was martyred on Sept. 2, 1792, during the French Revolution. He was the first Brother of the Christian Schools to be martyred, and the first to be beatified. He was canonized in a ceremony in Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City on Oct. 16, 2016, with Lasallians from around the world in attendance.
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Blessed Martyrs of Rochefort
2024-09-04
Blessed Brothers Roger, Léon and Uldaric were martyred in 1794 during the French Revolution. They were beatified on Oct. 1, 1995, as part of a group of 64 martyrs who died for their faith.
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Nativity of Blessed Virgin Mary
2024-09-08

Tradition and Transformation Through the Lens of Lasallian Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
2024-09-16 18:00 - 19:00
TRADITION AND TRANSFORMATION THROUGH THE LENS OF LASALLIAN DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING

Date: Monday, September 16, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. PT
Speakers: Dr. Carol Ann Gittens, Dean of the Kalmanovitz School of Education, Saint Mary’s College of California, Moraga, CA, and Alexsandra Walton, Director of Inclusion and Belonging, Saint Mary’s College High School, Berkeley, CA
One critical topic in the conversation of Lasallian tradition and transformation is Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB). This webinar is developed from the more comprehensive Lasallian Institute for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging offered in the summers of 2022 and 2023 at Saint Mary’s College of California. Building on Huether 2021, where the emphasis was on inclusion and belonging, the institute was launched. Over two years, 50 participants have engaged in this deep work for their school communities.
This presentation is for Lasallian educators who are curious about what DEIB means, who want to begin or advance their own professional development in DEIB and who want practical strategies to bring back to their ministries. The concept of belonging has been a critical element in the tradition of Lasallian schools. How do we continue that tradition today? We are committed to linking DEIB work to our Lasallian Catholic heritage and highlighting where participants can deepen their awareness and approaches of this critical topic for our times.
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Learn more about the fall 2024 Regional webinars.

Blessed Scubilion Rousseau, FSC
2024-09-22
Blessed Scubilion Rousseau, FSC, was born March 21, 1797, in Annay la-Côte, France. He was serving as a catechist in his native village when he was introduced to the Brothers. He entered the novitiate in 1822. After 10 years of teaching in schools throughout France, he left for the island of Reunion where he dedicated the rest of his life to teaching and caring for the enslaved natives. He died April 13, 1867.
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Johnston Institute, SFNO Gathering
2024-10-10 - 2024-10-12 | The Cenacle on the Lake, 5500 St Mary St., Metairie, LA, 70006, United States
Fifth cohort Johnston participants from the District of San Francisco New Orleans (SFNO) will gather October 10-12, 2024, at the The Cenacle on the Lake Retreat Center in Metairie, Louisiana.

The Brother John Johnston Institute of Contemporary Lasallian Practice is a two-year Regional formation program that focuses on deepening participants’ understanding of Saint John Baptist de La Salle’s story and vision, Lasallian pedagogy, the Lasallian promotion of justice and Lasallian spirituality while utilizing contemporary texts to inform and influence current and future Lasallian practice.

Saint Jaime Hilario Barbal, FSC
2024-10-11
Manuel Barbal Cosan was born on Jan. 2, 1898, in Enviny, a small town at the foot of the Pyrenees in northern Spain. Known for his serious nature, he was only 12 years old when, with the blessing of his devout and hardworking parents, he entered the minor seminary of the diocese of Urgel. He soon developed hearing problems and was advised to return home. Convinced that God was calling him, he was overjoyed in 1917 to learn that the Institute of the Brothers would accept him in the novitiate at Irun, Spain.
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Saint Martyrs of Turón
2024-10-11
In 1934, Turón, a coal-mining town in the Asturias Province in Northwestern Spain, was the center of anti-government and anticlerical hostility in the years prior to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War. The Brothers’ school was an irritant to the radicals in charge of the town because of the religious influence it exerted on the young. The Brothers were known to defy the ban on teaching religion and they openly escorted their students to Sunday Mass.
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Brothers in Initial Formation Gathering
2024-10-11 - 2024-10-14 | Carmelite Spiritual Center, 8419 Bailey Road, Darien, IL, 60561, United States
The Brothers in Initial Formation Gathering will take place October 11-14 at the Carmelite Spirituality Center.
