The Region’s participants
Lasallian Global Women’s Symposium
From The Quadrangle – Manhattan College’s student newspaper
Jaspers Attend Lasallian Women’s Symposium in New Zealand
This summer two female Jaspers traveled over 8,000 miles to uncover what a Lasallian identity meant to them as women.
The 2017 Lasallian Global Women’s Symposium (LGWS) took place from July 16 to 19 in Auckland, New Zealand at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and was attended by approximately 120 people. Two of them, senior Alannah Boyle and graduate assistant Jacqueline Martin, were representatives of Manhattan College.
Martin became involved with the Lasallian mission during her time as an undergraduate at Saint Mary’s College of California. Once Martin later learned of the LGWS, she knew she wanted to attend. Her trip to Auckland was made possible through funding by other Lasallians from various institutions.
“I was really surprised at how many different Lasallians whom I had never met before were willing to help sponsor me so I could be a part of this experience,” she said.
Boyle, on the other hand, felt that the symposium was relevant to research she was conducting within the Lasallian network regarding women’s issues and the Catholic Church’s response to sexual assault and violence. Like Martin, she received funding from numerous sources, including student life and academic offices.
Boyle and Martin were two of ten women from the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN) who elected to attend the symposium, along with female students, faculty, and staff from other Lasallian institutions across America. Within the symposium, over one dozen countries were represented.
The symposium sought to address the evolving role of Lasallian women, largely due to their presence in the order. While Lasallian brothers account for just two percent of the order’s entire membership, laywomen make up 56 percent, Martin stated. Click here for the full story >
Click here for the report
Final Report of the Lasallian Women’s Symposium
Ten women from the Lasallian Region of North America, including Alannah Boyle, Maryann Donohue-Lynch, Jacquie Martin, and Mary Wilby PhD, from the District of Eastern North America, along with Brother Edward Phelan, FSC, then-Auxiliary Visitor for DENA, were among the attendees. The 114 participants gathered from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Vietnam, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Africa, the Philippines, Malaysia, Italy and Hong Kong.
The final report summarizing the international gathering is now available >