Lasallian Spirituality
La Salle College Antipolo, being one of the 16 La Salle schools in the De La Salle Philippines network under the Lasallian East Asia District anchors its principles of formation to the Lasallian Spirituality observed universally by the Lasallian Family all over the world and the provisions in Lasallian Guiding Principles.
Life of the Founder
Our story started with one man and a dream three centuries ago. The man – John Baptist (Jean Baptiste) de La Salle – born to a wealthy family in Rheims, France on April 30, 1651 had a dream – education of the poor. De La Salle believed that education gave hope and opportunity for all to live better lives of dignity and freedom, lives which all people deserve as children of God.
De La Salle was a man of refined manners, a cultured mind, and a great practical ability, in whom personal prosperity was balanced with kindness and ability. He lived in times not unlike our own, where society is characterized by a great disparity between the rich and the poor, and where the few who were rich controlled the lives of the many that were helpless, hopeless, and powerless.
Convinced that he could serve God more devotedly and concentrate on his mission more dedicatedly as a religious, de La Salle consecrated himself to God and finally became priest at the age of 27.
Disturbed by the disparity he saw and felt around him, and firmly believing that all men and women ought to live more fitting for them as children of God, de La Salle devoted himself to the education of the poor, starting with recruiting young men who were out of work training them to become good Christian teachers right in his own home, transferring to another house when his family and friends pressured him from accepting his “recruits” into his home. He abandoned his family home, moved in with the teachers, renounced his position as Canon and his wealth, and so formed the community that became known as the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1684, when he was only 33 years old. Through his congregation of young men dedicated to serve God through the education of the poor and the Christian formation of the youth, de La Salle led the way in establishing charity schools and teacher training colleges all over France.
However, de La Salle’s enterprise met opposition from the ecclesiastical authorities who resisted the creation of a new form of religious life, a community of consecrated laymen to conduct gratuitous school “together and by association”. The education establishment resented his innovative methods and his insistence on gratuity for all, regardless of whether they could afford to pay. Nonetheless de La Salle and his Brothers succeeded in creating a network of quality schools throughout France that featured instruction in the vernacular, students grouped according to ability and achievement, integration of religious instruction with secular subjects, well-prepared teachers with a sense of vocation and mission, and the involvement of parents. In addition, de La Salle pioneered in programs for training lay teachers, Sunday courses for working young men, and one of the first institutions in France for the care of delinquents.
John Baptist de La Salle was a pioneer in founding training colleges for teachers, reform schools for delinquents, technical schools, and secondary schools for modern languages, arts, and sciences. His work quickly spread through France and, after his death, continued to spread across the globe. In 1900 John Baptist de La Salle was declared a Saint. In 1950, because of his life and inspirational writings, he was made Patron Saint of all those who work in the field of education.
But his age and tireless labors were catching up on him. De La Salle became ill for many months, rallying occasionally to take up his work but finally sinking into terminal decline. Even on his deathbed his troubles did not cease. He learned that the Archbishop of Rouen had withdrawn his authorization to celebrate the sacraments for the community because of a dispute with the local pastor, who wanted him to bring the entire population of Saint Yon, including those in confinement to his parish church for Mass. Yet his long practice of self-effacement and submission to God’s will had made him tranquil in all situations. His Gospel journey had taken him long past the point at which any personal injustice could wound him. “Oui, j’adore en toutes choses la conduit de Dieu a mon egard.” Translated to English: “Yes, I adore God guiding me in all the events of my life.”
At four o’clock in the morning on Good Friday, de La Salle made an effort to rise from his bed as if to greet someone, then joined his hands, raised his eyes to heaven, and died. He was buried on Holy Saturday in a side chapel of the local parish church, Saint Sever. Since it was Holy Week, the more solemn funeral rituals were delayed until the following week. Throughout Rouen, and soon throughout the Society, word spread that “the Saint is dead.” But the providential extension of his life, work, and influence was just beginning.
REFERENCES:
http://www.dlsfootsteps.org/about/dls.php
http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/inside/lasalliana/stjohn.asp
http://www.lasalle.org/en/who-are-we/st-john-baptist-de-la-salle/
Foundation Principles
of Lasallian Formation
“As he became aware, by God’s grace, of the human and spiritual distress of the ‘children of the artisans and the poor’, John Baptist de La Salle devoted himself to forming schoolmasters totally dedicated to teaching and to Christian education. He brought these teachers together in a community and subsequently founded with them the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.”
In creative fidelity to our Founder’s inspiration, we, the Lasallian formators in the Philippines, commit ourselves to assuring the vitality and continuity of the Founder’s mission by providing a genuine Lasallian formation to all members of the Lasallian Family in the Philippines.
Believing in a God of goodness and compassion who wills the integral liberation and salvation of all, we as Lasallian formators commit ourselves to educating and forming persons of faith and zeal who will make the saving compassion of God a living and effective reality in the lives of men and women today, especially those who are poor and vulnerable in society.
We believe that the vocation of an authentic Lasallian is essentially a free and willing collaboration with God in the work of building truly human communities that reflect the values of God’s kingdom as expressed in the Gospel. Thus, the process of Lasallian formation is about enabling persons to acquire the vision, values, attitudes and practices that support collaboration with God’s creative and redemptive action in the world.
In the Lasallian tradition, there are three constitutive elements that enable this participation.
The Spirit of Faith
The Spirit of Faith flows from a relationship of communion with the Triune God who wills to save all people by drawing them into a life-giving communion with him and with one another in the Lasallian tradition, the spirit of faith is a spirit that allows one to:
discover God’s active presence in his Word, in men and women, in the poor, in nature, in history, and in ourselves;
judge and evaluate things in the light of the gospel,
search for God’s will in order to carry out his saving plan;
unite one’s actions to the ongoing saving action of God in the world; and
trust in God’s loving presence and providence when acting or discerning God’s will.
Zeal for the Integral Salvation of All
Zeal is the active expression of faith in gospel witness and service. It is oriented towards the integral salvation of persons, particularly the poor and the excluded. Zeal is the enthusiastic and total gift of self for the sake of the mission expressed in such qualities as gratuity and generosity, creativity and fortitude, compassion and commitment. It involves a preferential concern for the poor and the vulnerable. The desire to be of greater service to others conditions the quest for excellence and continuous self-improvement.
Communion in Mission,
Mission as Communion
Communion recalls the dynamics of association by which the first Brothers bonded together for the sake of the particular mission entrusted to them by God. Communion has four dimensions. As a relationship with God, it is the source of all mission and ministry; as a way of accomplishing mission, it suggests the solidarity and collaboration that comes from sharing in one vision, one spirit and one mission; as a way of relating to others, it suggests openness to all persons and the desire to be brother or sister to all especially those in need; as a goal of mission, it suggests the unity that comes through reconciliation between God, human beings and creation.
Principles of Lasallian Education in the Philippines
St. John Baptist de La Salle and his companions discerned God’s call to service in the human and spiritual distress of the poor and abandoned children. As a concrete response to this divine call, they associated together to conduct schools that would make the benefits of a quality human and Christian education accessible to the poor.
Today, the mission of human and Christian education is a wide-ranging collaborative effort entrusted to men and women of diverse backgrounds and gifts, who, in creative fidelity to de La Salle’s vision, commit themselves to making the benefits of a transformative human and Christian education available to all, most especially to the poor. Each member of the Lasallian Family lives out this commitment through association in a Lasallian educational project according to his or her particular role and area of competence.
As inheritors of de La Salle’s legacy and collaborators in the Lasallian Mission, we are convinced that...
Lasallian education is a mission of integral human and Christian development and liberation. Lasallian education nurtures the spirit of faith, which enables persons to interpret reality and to judge and evaluate things in the light of the Gospel, to unite one’s actions to God’s, and to rely on His presence and providence when acting or discerning His will.
Lasallian education, as an active and visible expression of faith, is marked by zeal: the wholehearted giving of oneself to the service of others, in gratuity and generosity, in creativity and fortitude, in compassion and commitment.
Lasallian education is a communion in mission marked by a fraternal spirit, where in union with God, we work together to build a world that is more humane, just and fraternal, where no one is excluded from the banquet of life.
Lasallian education forms disciples and citizens, prophets and professionals, who bring the transforming power of the Gospel to bear on culture and on every human endeavor in order to realize God’s kingdom of justice, love and peace.
We believe that...
Lasallian schools are communities that are committed to continuous renewal and transformation in collaboration with others to accomplish their common mission.
Lasallian students work together creatively, constructively, and enthusiastically to realize the Lasallian mission.
Lasallian educators are resources for social and community development and are role models of Gospel and Lasallian values.
Lasallian educational experiences prepare the students for competent and responsible participation in the world of work, the family, the community, and the wider society.
Principles of Lasallian
Social Development
As Lasallian institutions, we understand that genuine social development and the fullness of life for everyone in God’s plan requires our institutions to fulfill our educational mission and subsequently:
Bring Forth Awareness and a Deeper Understanding of Social Realities
Lasallian institutions must strive to develop among its members greater recognition of the realities of human suffering and the stewardship role that each share in preserving the integrity of God’s creation and creating a humane and just society.
Effect Liberating Action
Individually and collectively, Lasallians must act to eliminate forms of human suffering that contradict the God’s plan of fullness of life. Avenues and opportunities for self-propelled individual, collective and institutional life-affirming action to respond to varied social issues must be provided in every Lasallian institution.
Be in Solidarity with Progressive Elements of the Larger Community to Bring Forth a Society that is in Keeping with God’s Plan
As member of a community, of the nation, and of the global village, Lasallian institutions must work in solidarity with peoples and institutions that share the conviction in denouncing and working towards the elimination of unjust practices and social structures that deal death on the suffering majorities, promoting the participation of the underrepresented and implementing other life-giving interventions.
Lasallian Guiding Principles
A Lasallian Education challenges learners to realize their full potential.
Commits to the well-being and development of the learner.
Connects learner’s prior knowledge, life experience and interest with classroom setting.
Engages students in problem solving, critical thinking, and other activities that make subject matter meaningful.
Creates a physical environment that engages all students.
Uses results of assessment to guide instruction in order to challenge learners
A Lasallian Education brings Christian perspectives to bear on human understanding, skills and values of the learners.
Promotes self-directed, reflective learning in all learners from the point of view of the Gospel
Directs instructional planning to integrate Gospel perspectives and values
Uses multiple sources of information to assess learning that includes Gospel perspectives and values.
Establishes and communicates learning outcomes for students that integrate Gospel perspectives and values.
Establishes evidence of service
A Lasallian Education is dynamic and encourages differentiation, diversity, and synergy amongst learners that are fraternal, caring, and respectful.
Implements learning activities that address student learning styles.
Responds to issues related to the diversity and equitable treatment of all students.
Uses a variety of instructional strategies to respond to students’ diverse needs.
Establishes an environment that promotes fairness and respect.
Uses materials, resources, and technologies to make subject matter accessible and engaging to students.
A Lasallian Education ensures that the learners translate knowledge into something useful in actual practice for the betterment of society and the Church.
Involves and guides students in assessing their own learning in response to the needs of the society and the Church.
Translates knowledge into something useful to the society and the Church
Develops student understanding through instructional strategies that are appropriate to the subject.
Establishes a constructivist approach to learning.
Works with communities and other groups to foster collaboration and ensure student success.
A Lasallian Education prepares the learners to participate responsibly in the world of work, family, community, nation and Church.
Facilitates learning experiences that promote autonomy, interaction, and choice.
Promotes social development and group responsibility.
Establishes and maintains standards for student behavior.
Plans and implements classroom procedures and routines that support student learning.
Work with colleagues to improve professional practice and become more responsible in accomplishing school goals and related responsibilities.
The Lasallian Guiding Principles (LGP)was the product of the 2008 Philippine Lasallian Family Convocation (PLFC). The strategic directions of the 16 schools in the De La Salle Philippines network were anchored in these principles. However, being a dynamic member of the institute and the district, the Philippine sector held the 2015 PLFC to reflect on how the sector has been for the past seven years, guided by the LGPs. The output of the 2015 PLFC was a set of 16 resolutions categorized into four themes: (a) Leadership and Formation; (b) Excellence in Education; (c) Accessibility; and (d) Operational Efficiency.