Today, the sight of a Lasallian brother walking the corridors of a La Salle school in his white robe is a rarity. It has been 9 years since the retirement of the last Lasallian Brother Director, Bro. Paul Ho, from St. Xavier’s Institution in Penang. Ironically, St. Xavier’s Institution is the first school established by the Lasallian Brothers in 1852. And it has been 2 years since the retirement of the last Lasallian Brother teacher, Bro. Michael Kum, from St. Francis Institution, Malacca.
Many young Lasallians today, not only have not seen a Brother in his robe but are unaware of who the Lasallian Brothers are or their contributions to the very school they are studying in, or the significant contributions the Brothers have made to Malaysian education.
This will change. The Brother visitor, will be making a tour off all the La Salle schools in Peninsular Malaysia, starting with the Klang Valley schools in May 2018, the Southern Schools in June 2018 and the Northern Schools in July 2018.
Brother Visitor will be visiting La Salle Schools on the following dates:
2 May 2018 – St. John’s Institution/La Salle Brickfields/La Salle Sentul
3 May 2018 – La Salle Petaling Jaya/La Salle Klang
27 June 2018 – St. Andrew’s Muar/St. Francis’ Institution Melaka
28 June 2018 – St. Paul’s Institution Seremban
For month of June and July, we are awaiting confirmation of dates from Brother Visitor.
Who is the Brother Visitor?
THE BROTHER VISITORIN
THE INSTITUTE OF THE BROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS.
( DE LA SALLE BROTHERS )
There are 36 Districts or Provinces in the world governed by the Superior-General and his Council. The District of Lasallian East Asia District (LEAD) is composed of the following countries in East Asia, viz. Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. The Headquarters or Provincialate is in Hong Kong from where the Visitor administers the District.
The Brother Visitor is appointed by the Brother Superior General, based in Rome, Italy, with the advice of his Council. Prior to the official appointment, the District sends results of the vote taken to determine the list of candidates for the Office of Brother Visitor.
The Brother Visitor is the guarantor of the unity and vitality of a District. He is the one primarily responsible for the District and is its principal animator. He exercises his authority in accordance with the norms of Canon Law (Church Law), the Legislation of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the Directives given by its District Chapter that is held every 3 or 4 years.
Prior to the birth of the District of LEAD on 15th May 2011, the countries of Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong were under the governance of the legacy District of Penang headquartered in Penang from its foundation in 1852. The Provincialate then shifted to Petaling Jaya in Selangor in 1959 soon after Malaya received is independence on 31st August 1957.
After a long history of 159 years, directed by Brothers Visitors from France and Ireland, the first local born Visitor took Office in1961 and continued to be administered by competent local Brothers till mid-May 2011. Before the LEAD District was instituted in 2011 the District of Penang was led by 25 Brothers.
The first Brother Visitor of the LEAD District is Bro. Edmundo Fernandez (54 years) from the Philippines. With seven (7) countries under his jurisdiction he has endeared himself very well to about 150 Brothers in this vast District composed of Filipinos, Thais, Myanmarese, Malaysians, Singaporeans, Irish, Indians, Australians, Spaniards, Mexicans, Canadians and Americans.
The Brother Visitor, Bro. Edmundo Fernandez, lovingly called Bro. Dodo by all Lasallians, once shared that he had once visited a Lasallian School and officiated at the morning assembly. He asked the young students if they knew who he was. There was silence and he received many blank looks. He then asked the students if they knew who Harry Potter was and whether they heard of Hogwarts School. All the students nodded and shouted “yes”.
Well, Bro. Dodo told them, he is La Salle Schools’ Dumbledore! The young Lasallians cheered and clapped. They now know who the Brother Visitor is!
So Lasallians, our Brother Visitor is coming to visit your school. Let’s give him a rousing welcome and show him the magic of the Lasallians in Malaysia!