General Chapter Week 2: Together, and by Accompaniment

The Capitulants moved into the Evaluation Stage at the start of last week, listening to reports and evaluations from around the Institute.

By Br. Robert Schaefer, FSC
Principal

The presentations by the Regional Councilors, the Secretariats and others showed both the vitality that exists for our mission as well as the fragility and challenges our Institute faces.

The opening days of the Chapter and the three days of retreat which helped set the tone of discernment among the Capitulants moved into the Evaluation Stage at the start of last week and it will continue into this week.  As part of the General Chapter’s responsibility to evaluate the life of the Institute since 2007, the Superior General and his Council, along with the various secretariats presented reports of their work for the past 7 years.  In order to ensure that the work progresses, there has been a structured approach of receiving the reports.  Once the reports have been presented, the Capitulants are permitted to ask questions of clarification to the presenters.  Given the cultural and linguistic diversity, the moderators have had to work hard to keep this structure in play and have done so successfully – for the most part.  After the presentations and clarifications, the Capitulants have reflected on and discussed the presentations in both language and regional groups.  This has allowed for effective sharing among the Capitulants.

While such a format can be a bit dry and tempt one toward distraction – especially one with attention challenges to begin with – it has been a great opportunity to see the vast panorama that is the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 2014.  The presentations by the Regional Councilors, the Secretariats and others showed both the vitality that exists for our mission as well as the fragility and challenges our Institute faces as it seeks to fulfill our mandate of offering a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor.

Br. Chris Patiño from the New Orleans-Santa Fe District (right) gives the report of the International Young Brothers’ Assembly that took place last year in the Philippines.

In reflecting on the week and seeking to find a common theme, I was most excited by three of the presentations this past week: the presentation on the 2013 Mission Assembly, the Report of the International Assembly of Young Brothers and the Report of the International Assembly of Young Lasallians.  If I had to pick one word that would unite these presentations it would be ACCOMPANIMENT.  The Mission Assembly used the word “co-responsibility” to describe how the Lasallian mission will be advanced with Brothers and Lay Partners accompanying each other in areas of pedagogy, evangelization and forming meaningful educational communities. The Young Brothers spoke of their desire for more a more intentional life that is characterized by a spirit of discernment in the community which requires the effective accompaniment by the Brother Directors and Brother Formators  And the Young Lasallian report highlighted the pastoral model of accompaniment as the most effective way to guide young people along their vocational journey toward union and reconciliation with God.

But accompaniment also implies accountability and responsibility and it was clear that the ongoing challenges facing our Institute require strong leadership to ensure our vitality.  The discussions and reflection thus have begun to focus on the emerging themes and the best strategies for advancing our mission over the next seven years.  The weeks ahead look to be interesting as the General Chapter, united in the Spirit of Faith and Zeal, seek to make decisions in the best interest of the young people entrusted to our care.