The delegates to the 45th General Chapter in the Lasallian Regions of North America (RELAN) and Latin America (RELAL) will hold a pre-Chapter meeting on January 14 – 18, 2014 in Brazil. The meeting is an opportunity for the delegates to know one another better and to become more knowledgeable about the issues that will concern the Chapter as a whole including the election of the next Superior General.
“It is customary for groups of delegates to come together to discuss some of the main issues that are planned or should be a part of the upcoming Chapter,” said Brother Robert Schieler, General Councilor for RELAN. “It is particularly valuable to meet this year because at the Chapter we will elect a new Superior General. We need to discuss what kind of leadership the Institute needs at this time in our history.”
Brothers Edgar Nicodem and Robert Schieler, General Councilors for the two Regions, will begin the meeting presenting how each Region has carried out the mandate and decisions of the 44th General Chapter. All delegates will discuss what has been a source of encouragement since the last Chapter.
At this pre-capitular meeting, the 34 Brothers representing the RELAN and RELAL delegations will participate in multiple sessions reflecting on topics such as the overall experience in these two Regions since the last Chapter in 2007, the 2013 International Mission Assembly, the International Assembly of Young Brothers, and the proposed revisions to the Brothers’ Rule. Most importantly, discussions will be held about the future of the Institute for the next seven years. There will be a special welcoming dinner on the evening of the first day, as well as a day set aside for visiting some of the nearby sites and Brothers’ communities.
“It is important for us to meet so as to know each other better before the Chapter, strengthen our bonds, and build fraternity so that we enter the Chapter open to the Holy Spirit and respond to identified needs that the Chapter may surface,” said Brother Robert.
The 45th General Chapter of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools will take place in Rome April 22 – June 8, 2014.