Brother Chris Patiño, FSC, a Brother of the San Francisco New Orleans District (SFNO), was elected General Councilor on May 20, 2022, at the 46th General Chapter. He is a graduate of Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, California, and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson and a master’s in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois. He received the habit of the Brothers in 2007 and pronounced final vows in 2013. Brother Chris began his teaching career in 2004 as a Brother aspirant and founding faculty member at San Miguel High School in Tucson, Arizona, and later served at his alma mater, Cathedral High School. He was also instrumental in founding the Lasallians Without Borders initiative of the Districts of SFNO and Mexico Norte. In 2015, Brother Chris was appointed SFNO Director for Vocation Ministry. In this role, he has been an active and influential presence in numerous national religious vocation organizations and events.
Pictured at top, from left: Brothers Armin Luistro (Superior General), Chris Patiño, Anatole Diretenadji, Martin Digilio, Carlos Gabriel Gómez Restrepo (Vicar General) and Ricky Laguda. Not pictured: Brother Joël Palud.
Brother Timothy Coldwell, FSC, served as General Councilor for RELAN from 2014-2022. Read his reflections below, including from the 46th General Chapter.
Reflections by Brother Tim
The Source
Journey is a familiar motif for us. Life is a journey, as is high school, marriage, wilderness hiking, and so on. And the preeminent spiritual motif is the Paschal journey, Jesus’ journey in and through death to new life. Holy Week and the Easter season are when we re-enact...
As much as I get on my soapbox about silence and solitude, I spend my waking hours immersed in words and the noise they create. I swim in an ocean teeming with conversations, podcasts, news, articles, books, movies, music and meetings. I find philology, linguistics and etymology fascinating, and...
The Quaker philosopher and educator, Douglas Van Steere (d. 1995), tells the story of the Jewish philosopher and educator, Martin Buber (d. 1965), who broke the silence at a Quaker Meeting House, and said, “The greatest thing that any man can do for another is to confirm the deepest...
In our community oratory on a recent evening I lit three candles, signifying the third week of our Advent journey, an inner journey of discovery that I am thrilled to share annually with my community. Together we deepen our understanding and widen our embrace for what Jesus means for...
The reality of the virus, whose name is now a household word, continues to teach us many lessons. We are learning first-hand what advantages virtual interaction is bringing us, just as we are reaffirming the value of physical interaction. We have a felt sense now of what virtual presence...
Each academic year the colleges and universities are the first to hold graduations, a ritual that signals the end of an academic year. The secondary schools soon follow and then we notice the morning traffic is appreciably lighter as the daily commute to elementary and secondary school ends. Teachers...
April 7, the death date for John Baptist de La Salle, set by the church community as the day for the memorial of this saint, often gets overlooked because it occurs in Lent or in Easter. We are now at the midpoint between the memorial of April 7 and the solemnity of May 15, the date he was declared patron saint of all teachers of youth. Most short...
There are increasing signs that we can return in person and in numbers with more regularity to that sacred ground we call school. Our students are leaving their “bunkers and bubbles.” It is not a new question, but one that receives more attention in these challenging times: what do...
One of the lenses through which to look at our daily decisions is that of “attention.” Without thinking too much about it, we move from one thing to the next and shift our attention as we go. And sometimes we split our attention and try to focus on more...
After leaving the Zoom room an email went around, “It was really great to be with all of you today for our gathering. In these uncertain times, it was nice to see your familiar faces, laugh a little, and talk about that which we consider our collective calling.” A...
