Seven Brothers to the Philippines
Seven Brothers to the Philippines
On September 18, seven Brothers from various Districts of the United States set sail for Manila, Philippines, from San Francisco, CA. The two Baltimore Brothers were Brothers Damian Luke and Damian Peter. They were volunteering to teach at De La Salle College in Manila. This is the first large group of Brothers to go to the Philippines from the US. The New York District representatives in the group were Brothers Bonaventure John and Casimir Stanislaus.
St. La Salle Auxiliary Bulletin (Barrytown), December 1936, p. 19. St. La Salle Auxiliary Bulletin (Ammendale), September 1936, p. 12 and also Bulletin des Freres Chretiennes, January 1937, pp. 101-102.
Brothers’ Schools Suffer from Spanish Civil War
Brothers’ Schools Suffer from Spanish Civil War
Reports from the Spanish Civil War are sobering. Before the unrest, the Spanish Christian Brothers had 1,260 members and taught 32,000 students in 120 schools. But wherever the Loyalists (Communist-oriented forces) assumed control, the religious schools and institutions have suffered disastrously.
Brothers’ Schools Suffer from Spanish Civil War
In many Loyalist areas, the Brothers’ schools have been transformed into military barracks, with the Brothers being dispersed, imprisoned, or murdered, such as the 22 Brothers killed at Turon (northern Spain) in 1934.
St. La Salle Auxiliary Bulletin (Barrytown), September 1936, p. 1.
Pope Pius XI Officially Welcomes Brothers to Rome
Pope Pius XI Officially Welcomes Brothers to Rome
History was made on October 27 when Pope Pius XI received the Superior General and the Assistant Superiors General in an audience at the Vatican. It was the first such reception by the Pope and the collective Brothers’ leadership since the transfer of the Brothers’ headquarters (Generalate) to Rome. Among other topics, the Pope expressed his concern for the recent destruction of so much of the Brothers’ works in Mexico and in Spain.
Pope Pius XI Officially Welcomes Brothers to Rome
St. La Salle Auxiliary Bulletin (Barrytown), March 1937, pp. 40-41.
Visiting Future-Pope Pius XII from Rome Welcomed to Catholic U in D.C.
On October 22, 4,500 persons came to the gymnasium of Catholic University in Washington, D.C. (where the Student Brothers attended collegiate classes) to honor Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, the Papal Secretary of State and the Cardinal Protector of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, who was visiting from Rome. Just three years later, this same Cardinal would become Pope Pius XII. But while he was in D.C. that year, Cardinal Pacelli told the audience that the former rector of Catholic University had asked him to teach Roman Law many years earlier. Before he left the campus he granted a holiday for all of the students. Brother Eliphus Victor, Provincial of the NY District, had a lengthy private interview with Cardinal Pacelli, during which he expressed interest in Manhattan College.
On November 28, the Cardinal wrote a short letter of appreciation to Brother Eliphus Victor for the hospitality shown to him during his tour of the United States. That letter was later replicated in French and in English.