Book review

Title

Book review

Language

English

Source

Volume 1 (Issue No. 472) July 1968

Year

1968

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

F^l o THF BRO'IHI-.R OF THF CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS IN THF WORLD TODAY, bv Delegates to the Thirty-Ninth (ieneral Chapter; Rome: Bro thers of the Christian Schools. 1967: reprinted in Manila. The image of La Salle schools on Taft Aventie. in Green Hills, and in Bacolod is familiar to many Filipinos who have in one way or another come into contact with the work of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in this countrv. And set these men remain an enigma to a large number of even their closest contacts. The Brother is the religious who wears the polo b.irong: lie is the celibate who does not sav Mass: he is the layman who is consecratid bs cows and lives in communits. To answer puzzled minds, not onlv here but the world over, the (icneral Chapter ci the Brothers, meeting as a representative body in Rome, formulated a Declaration entitled "Brothers of the Christian Schools in the World Icdav." It was formallv promulgated in Rome on December 6, 1967 and lias since been re-published bs the Brothers localis in a 55-pagc booklet and made available- tor general sale in several citv bookstores and in Brothers' schools. Describing the Declaration. Brother Leo Kirbv. regional superior for the I.nited States, the Philippines, and parts of Africa, says: 'his Declaration is the answer to the question all of us have been ..sking. and which many have asked of us: "Brothers of tile Christian Schools, what are you?" The Brothers, young and old. their parents, alumni, students and friends even the whole world wail find in this Declaration the specifics of what it is to be a Brother. I lie Deciaration is well thought out and carefully worded, containing material that happily finds relevance, not onlv in the Brothers' lives, but also in the iic<- of all religious, and often ot all Christians. An introductory section lays the ground-work, "faithful to the spirit of Vatican 11 which invites religious families to undertake the work of renewal and adaptation (- 1) as the Declaration itself says. It directly faces the challenge of the twofold task: renewal, "which demands a return to the sources found in the Gospel and in the origins of the Institute (- 2)"; and adapta tion. bv which the Brother is “sensitive to the problems which arise in each successive period of human history (—8) ' and studies the signs of the times "so that he will be much more effective in bringing the gift of salva tion to the world of today. (- 10)." The task is the paradoxical one of 521 taking a iZip backward and a step forward simultaneously, a going into both past and future for the sake of the present. But the paradox is only seeming. The Superior General, Brother Charles Henry, states: If we were to look back only to our foundations, we would be engaging in a sort of spiritual-apostolic archeology. If we were but to project ourselves only into a possible future, we would be engag ing in dreams. Were we to observe only the present, we would be in a position only to change and to change with each changing present. The following section contains the essence of the Declaration, a succinct expression of the six key constitutive elements of the Brother's specific vocation. The remainder of the Declaration further clarifies and expands ideas latent in these six. The first key principle touches upon the mystery of the Brother's defini tive call from God to a particular manner of living his baptismal consecration to the fullest. It speaks also of the imperceptible but very active role of the Holy Spirit, and the nobility of a life under the Spirit's guidance. The importance and centrality of the second constitutive element makes it worth quoting there: The Brother gives full and explicit expression to his baptismal consecration by making a public profession of vows which are re ceived by the Church, in an exclusively lay Institute. (# 13). In the further elaboration, the Declaration makes clear the nature of the Brother as fully a religious, for which reason he takes the views (poverty, celibacy, obedience, fidelity, and service to the poor) and lives in community; and just as fully a layman, for which reason his apostolate, his spirituality, his activities, and even his garb (in the Philippines, the polo barong) are that of a layman. The Brother is not a mestizo, half religious and half layman, but is fully both: a layman (not a cleric) by function in the worshipping community, and a religious (not a secular) by state of life. As the Declara tion puts it, “the religious state of life is not, an intermediate one between the clerical and lay states. Rather, the faithful of Christ arc called by God from both. (# 16).” Thirdly, the Brother is one who lives in a community of similarly con secrated laymen in order to pool resources with them for the greatest good: “When the Brothers associate themselves together and live in community, they stimulate and help one another to procure the glory of God through the salvation of men. (# 22)." The fourth principle affirms that the Brother is one who furthers the kingdom of God by “an educational mission in community which the Insti tute carries out with special reference to the poor (# 13).” His life is es sentially apostolic, and the form of apostolate he takes is one of education, a task which, in our day more than ever, is second to none. A re-emphasis ol 522 the Chapter on service of the poor is not only timely in the light, of 'today's atmosphere of world solidarity, it is also relevant to the local situation, where economic and social stratification is often alarmingly patent. In an excellent section on defining who the poor are, the Declaration cautions against two extremes: a too rigid interpretation defining the poor from a purely economic point of view which may belittle institutions which serve the poor indirectly but very considerably, and a too loose interpretation defining poor too broadly which may lead to indifferent complacency with the status quo. It thus im plicitly acknowledges the services of such local institutions as De La Salle schools in Manila. Green Hills, and Bacolod, where the imparting of social justice and sensitivity to the poor is a main concern, where financial support to aid poorer provincial schools is earned, and where the existence of many poor students cannot be overlooked, those with poverty of intelligence, po verty of affection, poverty of faith, and poverty of economics, these last being provided for by numerous scholarships. The Declaration also encourages the the work of the Brothers in schools in Batangas, Mindanao, and Negros and their efforts in supervising and assisting in thirteen other schools in provincial areas through out the country. This aspect of the Brothers’ work, in the Philippines, though perhaps less known, has to be properly considered if one is to have an accurate picture of these inen and their apostolate. The last two constitutive elements are a further elaboration of the Bro ther's life. The fifth points out the intrinsic value of providing students with a full, human, balanced education. The principle echoes a postulate formu lated for the Brothers by St. John Baptist de la Salle himself, “Do not dis tinguish between the work of yopr apostolate from that of your sanctification.” Finally, the role of the school as the preferred but not the only means of the apostolate is defined. In the Philippines, though the school is the primary means, it is not the only one; Brothers carry out an extensive catechetical program in Muntinglupa and head such professional organizations as the Phil ippine Association for Technological Education. These, then, are the main ideas of the Declaration. In the expansion of these ideas, gems of thought very often turn up which happily can be treasured by the cleric or the secular, as well as by the Brother, such gems as ‘The achievement of a personal vocation through fidelity to the continual guidance of the Holy Spirit is the life-long task of every individual. (# 15).” Others abound, especially those on the true notion of catechesis and its importance, the integration of deep personalism and a community of charity, and the necessity of renewing basic foundations for meaningful flexibility. The little pamphlet cannot be too highly recommended, not only for Brothers and religious, but for other laymen and for clerics as well. A reading of it will reward priests, teachers, parents, and thinking Christians, not only with relevant ideas worth further thought, but also with a better understanding of the man they address as “Brother.” • Bro. V. Ordnez, F.S.C.

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