Letter from Br. Superior on the International Lasallian Days of Peace

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21 September 2015

 

Dear Young Lasallians

As the International Council of Young Lasallians launches its annual initiative on September 21st for its Days for Peace enjoining the worldwide Lasallian community to pray for peace in our world and peace in our hearts, peace continues to elude our fragile planet.

The war in Syria, terrorism, and the strife of civil conflicts in various countries around the world has created today’s migration crisis causing untold suffering to millions of our brothers and sisters.  These must be the focus of our prayer and the focus of our action this year.

A Gospel Adventure is the theme for our global Lasallian Family in 2015 – 2016.  The Gospel passage inspiring our theme is the parable of the Good Samaritan. A man going from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who strip him and beat him. A priest and a Levite pass by without helping him. But a Samaritan, a foreigner, stops and cares for him, taking him to an Inn where the Samaritan pays for his care.

The General Council and I invite all Lasallians to re-read this parable in the light of our personal and collective responsibility to respond to the poor in our midst and the migrants on our borders.  This is a journey that requires us to embrace their condition with mercy and compassion. This is a journey of understanding of what it means to be human amidst a world that is increasingly indifferent at best and hostile at worst to the poor, the widow, the orphan and the stranger in our midst.

Locally, Lasallians, including you young Lasallians, are responding with mercy and compassion.  I encourage you to become familiar with and support any initiatives in your District.  Create your own as well.  Above all, align yourself with groups advocating for peace and for support of migrants.  Challenge the political leaders of our nations to treat all people with dignity and build instruments of peace, not war.

As Pope Francis quotes in his encyclical Laudato Si, “Let our time be remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life.”

Sincerely in Saint La Salle,

 

Brother Robert Schieler, FSC
Superior General

Shake Drill

In line with our Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Emergency Preparedness initiatives under Facilities and Environmental Program Management (FEPM), we call on our Lasallian Family to continue to build a culture of safety, preparedness and resilience in our schools and communities. 

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De La Salle Philippines' passing rate in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (March 2015)

100% passing rate for first time takers in the Licensure Examination for Teachers last March 2015.

Elementary Level:
De La Salle John Bosco College
De La Salle University
University of Saint La Salle

Secondary Level:
De La Salle John Bosco College
De La Salle University
La Salle College Antipolo

Passing rate (all DLSP schools) for first time takers for both levels is 85% (204/241 takers)

 

Lupang Hinirang Featuring De La Salle Philippines

Benilde presents the DLSP National Anthem video featuring the 16 De La Salle schools in the country.

This is De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde's gift to De La Salle Philippines in celebration of our 25th Jubilee.

Lupang Hinirang sung by Coro San Benildo.

Produced by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde-Center for Institutional Communications (Benilde-CIC).

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE6z7R--Ck0&w=854&h=480]

De La Salle Alma Mater Hymn

The De La Salle Alma Mater Hymn video highlights campus landmarks of all 16 DLSP schools in the country.

This is De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde's gift to De La Salle Philippines in celebration of our 25th Jubilee.

Alma Mater Hymn sung by DLSU Chorale.

Produced by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde-Center for Institutional Communications (Benilde-CIC)

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nPuDjWDc-8&w=854&h=480]

De La Salle Philippines Statement on the Mamasapano Incident

We invite all Lasallians to reflect on the encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that resulted to the violent and senseless loss of human life. We share with you this statement of concern and commitment in the hope that it will deepen our conviction as educators to be in solidarity with our fellow Filipinos. May we make our own their anguish and their hopes for a lasting and sustainable peace.

THE CONTINUING PURSUIT OF PEACE IN MINDANAO:
IN SOLIDARITY WITH YOUNG PEOPLE RENDERED VULNERABLE BY SITUATIONS OF CONFLICT

     De La Salle Philippines (DLSP) grieves with the nation over the loss of lives in a bloody encounter last January 25, 2015 in Mamasapano, Mindanao.  We mourn with the families of all those who were killed -- the forty-four members of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the eighteen combatants from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the four civilian casualties, among whom was an eight-year old child.  

     As Lasallians, we support the calls for an impartial investigation so that we may know the facts behind the Mamasapano incident and set aright our relationship with those wounded and aggrieved by selfishness, mistrust or fear.

    The Mamasapano incident aggravates a situation of fear and poverty.  Decades of armed-conflict have heavily affected the well-being of the people of Mindanao, with children being the most vulnerable to suffering.  Whenever there are military or police encounters with rebel groups, communities are forced to evacuate to ‘safer’ places.  Such displacement takes a heavy toll on our children and those who are physically weak.  

     After the clash at Mamasapano, some 6,620 people were displaced and classes in thirteen nearby public elementary schools were suspended (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs). This adds to the thousands of people, who until now, have not been re-settled after the so-called Zamboanga siege in October 2013. An unseen collateral damage in all these is the healthy growth of our children and young who cannot develop fully in an environment of fear and instability.

     Educating children, particularly of the poor -- instilling appropriate values and equipping them with relevant tools and skills so that they can be responsive and responsible citizens -- is primary in our mission as a network of Lasallian schools. We thus pray for a more conducive environment where Mindanao’s children can attend school, learn, and play without tension or fear.

     Amidst fears that the Mamasapano incident could derail the peace process, the Lasallian community stands firm that the peace process should in fact continue.  We are in solidartiy with our countrymen who are committed to the vigorous pursuit of lasting peace in Southern Philippines.  Even as investigations on the Mamasapano clash proceed, we ask both government and the MILF leadership to continue with the peace process; and for Congress to pass the needed legislation to enable the diverse groups in Mindanao to be heard, have their rights to develop acknowledged within the framework of our Constitution and live in peace. 

     As Lasallians, we will continue with our vigil and prayers for the families of the casualties and all the people who were affected. We shall also educate ourselves further on the peace process and on the complexities of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).   

     Lastly, we ask our people to act with sobriety and discernment as we grieve the lives that were lost and as we hurdle the challenge of restoring to wholeness the lives of those who have been displaced.  In these times we believe that what is asked of us as citizens is to reflect on the needs of our nation and to give shape to our collective aspiration in the name of the young and vulnerable people who can only discover their better selves in an atmosphere of peace and mutual acceptance.

_______

February 10, 2015

Br. Jose Mari Jimenez FSC
President, De La Salle Philippines (DLSP)

 

Thank You, Teacher.

"The books are important, and so are the pencils, blackboards, and the chairs, but if there are no teachers, who will bear the weight and the responsibility of educating the next generation?"

 

As we celebrate World Teacher's Day, let us all thank the people who made a difference in our lives - our Teachers.