Lasallian Glossary

a person formally honored by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools for having served Lasallian ideals in some extraordinary way; the affiliated member of the Institute may use the initials ‘AFSC’ after his or her name.

an organization devoted to the mission of the Church.

a man who is seriously considering, usually in a non-residency program, whether or not he is called by God to become a Brother of the Christian Schools.

name for a convention held for Brothers and Lasallian Partners from the entire Region, District, or more locally.

a vow of the Brothers of the Christian Schools by which they promise to associate themselves for the service of the poor through education. The term also describes a present-day movement of Lasallians committed to the mission.

a Brother nominated by the Visitor and appointed by the Superior General to assist the Visitor and substitute for him in his absence. Also known as Auxiliary Provincial.

a board of trustees or directors is the body of duly appointed agents entrusted with oversight of the work of a trust (such as a School Corporation) and the direction of its mission.

title given to vowed religious of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Comparable to titles such as “Sister,” ‘’Father,” ‘’Reverend.” Commonly used in other religious orders to denote a vowed religious who is not an ordained priest. The official religious habit worn by Brothers throughout the world, especially on formal occasions, but replaced by other approved garb in various locales, is a black robe with a white ‘bib’ called a ‘rabat,’ similar to that worn by judges and barristers in England.

 the English translation of “Fratres Scholarum Christianarum,” the official name of the religious institute founded by Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Familiar shorter references to this Institute are to “the Christian Brothers” or–more distinctively–to “the De La Salle Christian Brothers.”

the initial formation of a Brother consists of a year or two of postulancy, a year of novitiate, and five to eight years in which he pronounces annual vows. After he pronounces final or perpetual vows, he is considered to be in continuing formation for the rest of his life.

a Regional two-year formation program focusing on participants’ understanding of De La Salle’s story and vision, Lasallian pedagogy, and the Christian roots of Lasallian spirituality addressing the signs and issues of Lasallian ministry.

an intensive program, two weeks each summer over three consecutive years, of formation and education that studies the life and work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle.

the Code of Canon Law (latest revision published in 2000) contains some 1680 canons, or official regulations, governing Roman Catholic cardinals, bishops, priests, Brothers, Sisters, institutes, laity, parishes, schools, sacraments, etc..

 an adjective used to describe any person or action that conforms to the requirements of Canon Law, such as a Visitor or a formal visitation.

a grace or spiritual gift given to those in apostolic or missionary work in the service of others; e.g., the gifts of preaching, prophecy and healing are charisms; the term is sometimes applied to entire institutes as well as to individuals.

 acronym of the Italian phrase for International Lasallian Center, a program of Lasallian formation conducted at the Generalate in Rome, in which Brothers, Lasallian Sisters, and Lasallian Partners from around the world participate. The length of each CIL program varies from one month to nine months.

a man who indicates an interest in becoming a De La Salle Christian Brother and with whom the Brothers remain in contact as he discerns his life’s vocation.

 the Declaration on the Brothers of the Christian Schools in the World Today (called for short “the Declaration”) is a document prepared in 1966, prior to a revision of The Rule by the General Chapter, meant to provide, in common language, an understanding of the spirit, purpose, and work of the Brothers.

the local religious superior of a community with terms limited by Canon Law or by the Rule.

a geographical area in a region containing enough Brothers to form an official, canonical, administrative unit in the Institute under the direction of a Visitor.

an assembly of Brothers and Lasallian Partners from across the District to propose directions and priorities for the District for the ensuing four years.

a policy-shaping body of Brothers elected to nominate Visitors and to formulate legislative acts adapting the Rule to local conditions; it normally meets every four years.

legislative acts or directives coming forward from a District Chapter.

a canonically required board of Brothers, advisory to the Visitor and possessing certain canonical authority; a majority of its members are elected; the council meets several times each year.

the team that advises the Visitor and shares in the administration of the Midwest District. Members of the District Leadership team are the Visitor; Auxiliary Visitor(s); Director of Administration and Operations; Superintendent of Lasallian Education; Chief Development Office; and District Health Care Coordinator.

a program overseen by the Region that pairs Districts or sub-Districts for mutual support and assistance. The schools of RELAN are twinned with schools and ministries in the District of Lwanga (Africa).

an expression for the training and education by a religious institute of its members and partners.

initials which follow a Brother’s name to indicate membership in the Institute. In Latin, Fratres Scholarum Christianarum (Brothers of the Christian Schools).

the General Chapter is conducted at the Generalate in Rome and is representative of all Brothers worldwide; legislation is undertaken, and the Superior General is elected for a seven-year term. The General Chapter held in 2014 was the 45th in the history of the Institute.

a council that assists the Superior General in Rome. The Superior General and the Vicar General are members of the General Council. The other seven members are Brothers from throughout the world who are elected by the General Chapter or appointed by the Superior General.

a Brother chosen to assist the Superior General and his Vicar in administrative work of the Institute at the Generalate in Rome. He acts officially as a permanent advisor to the Superior General during his term.

the De La Salle Christian Brothers’ headquarters in Rome, often called the Center of the Institute or by its Italian name Casa Generalizia.

a gathering of Brothers and Lasallian Partners from RELAN, originally organized by Brother Frank Huether, FSC, to address educational concerns on an annual basis, typically in November.

the term “institute” is a term that is technically more correct than the traditional terms “congregation” and “order” to describe a canonical group of consecrated religious in the Church. The full name of the society founded by Saint John Baptist de La Salle is “The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.” In the Lasallian world, to refer to the “Institute” or the “international Institute” is to refer to the worldwide Lasallian mission in its totality.

an association of heads of the Lasallian colleges and universities of RELAN.

an association of the chief administrators, generally presidents and principals, of the secondary schools of RELAN.

a structure advancing the Lasallian Mission in RELAN. LEC exists to serve the Districts of RELAN by developing policies and programs focused on formation for mission, supporting and expanding mission activities and ministries throughout the Districts of the Region, and creating greater partnerships in and outside the Lasallian world to strengthen the vitality and viability of the heritage established by De La Salle. LEC is a recognized Regional structure that allows for the shared responsibility for the Lasallian Mission among the Brothers of the Christian Schools and their Partners.

a council of Brothers and Lasallian Partners, advisory to the Visitor on issues related to the Midwest District’s mission; similar to the Mission and Ministry Council in other Districts.

see “Partner” below.

See RELAN.

regional formation program to ground Lasallians experientially, practically, and spiritually in the Church’s option for the poor and in Lasallian association for the educational service of the poor. Programs focus on topics such as immigration, violence and peace, and homelessness.

lay men and women, primarily recent graduates from Lasallian schools, who donate one or two years of service to Lasallian schools and works in various parts of the world.

an international movement and formation program which empowers students to be examples of faith, service, and community through mission experiences, retreat programs, social justice education, and service-learning opportunities.

from the Latin root meaning “send,” the term includes the various works or apostolates to which the Church sends people and institutions. The briefest standard definition of the Lasallian educational mission is this: “The purpose of this Institute is to give a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, according to the ministry which the Church has entrusted to it.”

see “Lasallian Mission Council,” above.

a man in the Brothers vocation program who has completed the postulancy phase and enters the Novitiate. A Novice receives a Brother’s robe and undertakes a year-long formation program prior to taking first (temporary) vows and proceeding with further academic and pedagogical training (The term is used similarly in other institutes of consecrated women and men).

the program (or building) in which the Novices receive their training. The Novitiate for RELAN is located in Hyde Park, Chicago, IL.

the most common and preferred term used to describe people who are co-workers, associates, or colleagues of the Brothers in their schools and other enterprises. Non-Brothers formed in the Lasallian charism and working in the Lasallian mission are commonly called Lasallian Partners.

a man formally accepted as a candidate for entry into the De La Salle Christian Brothers and the Novitiate.

the title used in most institutes to denote the person whom the Brothers call Visitor.

the official name of the offices where the Visitor, Auxiliary Visitor, and their staffs work. The Provincialate office for the Midwest District is located in Burr Ridge, IL. It also refers to the community in which the Provincial (Visitor) resides.

In the Midwest District, this is the community of Brothers which includes the Visitor and Auxiliary Visitor as well as other Brothers.

a geographical area officially designated as a union of several districts and generally selected on the basis of contiguity and common languages.

the Lasallian Region of North America is abbreviated as “RELAN” and can be referred to, in context, simply as “the Region.”  RELAN includes the Midwest District, the San Francisco New Orleans District, the District of Eastern North America, and the District of Canada Francophone. It is one of five Regions in the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

 a supervisory board of Brother Visitors from RELAN.

a board composed of representatives from all Districts in RELAN. The RFB is advisory to the RCCB.

a board of representatives from all Districts in the Region. The purpose of the RMFB is to promote formation in the Lasallian educational mission for all persons associated with Lasallian ministries.

a board of vocation directors from all Districts and others working in vocation ministry in the Region. The purpose of the RVFB is to advise the Visitors on vision and direction for Brothers’ vocations and the Lasallian vocation.

rights and duties retained by the Midwest District for itself according to the bylaws of those school corporations of which it is a member.

a canonically approved set of approximately 143 statements (along with sub-statements) pertaining to the mission, duties, and practices that the Brothers throughout the world adapt locally as directives for their communities and districts. The Rule was last updated in 2015.

a separately incorporated entity that operates a given school. In the Midwest District, each school corporation is governed by a board of trustees or directors.

at the Generalate in Rome, secretariats promote and support the work of local leaders throughout the Institute in several areas of endeavor. There are four secretariats: Lasallian Educational Mission; Lasallian Family and Association; Solidarity and Development; Being Brothers Today.

Service de Coopération Lasallienne Internationale, an agency at the Generalate which coordinates contributions to various economically needy Districts and apostolates around the world.

the highest officer of the Institute with canonical rights and duties; he works and resides at the Generalate in Rome, and is assisted by a Vicar and Councilors. Today, the Superior General is Brother Robert Scheiler, FSC, of the United States.

second highest officer of the Institute. Today, the Vicar General is Brother Jorge Gallardo de Alba, FSC, of Spain.

the Religious Superior of a District, often called Provincial, and having canonical rights and duties. Today, the Visitor of the Midwest District is Brother Michael Fehrenbach, FSC.

the Brother in charge of the District program for assisting young men and women to properly discern their calling in life and especially to prepare men interested in the Brothers’ way of life to discern whether or not they are really called to it.

traditionally, the three vows taken by religious and members of other forms of consecrated life in which a formal promise is made to live in celibate chastity, in communitarian poverty, and in obedience, according to an approved Rule. Many institutes have additional vows, as do the Brothers, who also take a vow of stability and a vow of association for the educational service of the poor in accord with the same Rule. First vows, annual (or temporary) vows, and final (or perpetual) vows are terms that respectively describe vows taken for a single year at the end of the Novitiate, and vows taken for a single year which are renewable on an annual basis until the time for final vows (generally at the age of twenty-five, or after at least five years of annual vows).

an international movement, promoted by the International Council of Young Lasallians, keeping young people engaged in the Lasallian mission through faith sharing, service of the poor through education, and community building. For the Midwest District, this includes young teachers and staff, Brothers, administrators, volunteers, as well as current and former students within the range of 18-35.