Chapter II :
The educational conception of the Brothers
at J.B. De LaSalleAll begins one morning in March 1679, the day when Mr. De La Salle met a man named Adrien Nyel who came to Reims, seeking possibilities to establish a free school for poor children. Mr. De La Salle was solicited in order to find a parish priest who accepted to welcome Mr. Nyel in his parish. The first school was opened on April 15, 1679 in the Saint Maurice parish whose the parish priest was Monsieur Nicolas Dorigny. As for Mr. De La Salle, he thought that his mission was concluded.
But, « active, enterprising, Mr. Nyel had barely sketched a foundation that he thence commenced another »
[1]. By the frequent absences of Mr. Nyel, the accelerated recruitment of inexperienced pedagogical teachers threatened with defeat to schools barely open. Not wanting this good work to be lost gradually from the beginning, Mr. De La Salle reunite these young teachers in view of an educational action, which was the commencement of his progressive engagement until the end of his days : at first lodge them with him, then live with them in their society and reach to total spoliation to be poor with and for the poor. From that day forward and until 1718, Mr. De La Salle suffered a number of contradictions, misunderstandings, incomprehensions, ordeals... before drawing up the Common Rules of the Brothers of Christian Schools :«
It was in the prospect to procure this advantage to artisan citizens and the poors that one instituted the Christian Schools ».[2][this text already existed in the so-called Rule of 1705, see CL 25]
1- Image of an educator according
to Mr. De La Salle
« It requires that the school proceeds well ! » The expression is repeated many times in the letters of Mr. de La Salle to his disciples. The multiple foundation of new schools set out again in all the territory of France according to the demand of the parish priests in the same way as through the government proves that success ! But what does one mean by "a school that proceeds well" ? Lasallian pedagogy goes beyond the strict limits of school. It extends
to the initiation of "good manners". Anxious to aid the children of « artisan citizens and the poor » to fit well into society, Mr. De La Salle wrote the "Rules of Propriety Decency and of Christian Civility" that the students read every afternoon to be trained on the text reading and be well full of concrete details to good manners of society in the XVII century in view of helping them to fit well into society. This is besides contemporary criticism that one can do for this educational model which would adapt the child to simple social conditions of its time and consequently sometimes to make him accept the unacceptable.In reality, « De La Salle did not have other pretensions than to set the means of human promotion, spiritual and, whenever possible, Christian, with the reach to young people and especially to those who are found the more withdrawn. This promotion includes all the different dimensions of man »
[3], for example a complete education of man in paying attention to the reality where one lives. A pedagogical text of Jean-Baptiste De La Salle rather widespread by the following epoch, published in 1706, entitled "Conducting of Christian Schools " minutely guided the first Brothers to well fulfil their function of educators who hold firm to this triple movement : « be attentive to reality, to allow oneself seize by the needs that appear in the world of young people and seek with creativity ways to transform that reality »[4].2- According to its successors
Through the years, disciples of Mr. De La Salle take rather more and more consciousness of their role as educator, expressed in this article of the current Rule (1987) : « the Lasallian institutions and their pedagogy focused on young people, adapted to the epoch where they live, anxious to prepare them to take their place in society ».
[5]Procure human and christian education to the poor
[6]; open to other forms of teaching and education adjusted to the needs of the epoch and the country [7] ; attentive primarily to educational necessities of the poor who aspire to take consciousness of their dignity as man [8] ; In their educational action, they seek to conjugate the efforts of cultural progress with the announcement of the Word of God [9] ; The Lasallian institutions and their pedagogy are focused on young people, adjusted to the epoch that they live, anxious to prepare them to take their place in society [10] ; in an attitude of fraternal accompanying, they (the Brothers) make oneself available to all and help them to uncover, appreciate, and assimilate the evangelical and human values [11] ; in the purpose to bring their students to take charge of their own formation and develop their social responsibility, the Brothers assign them an active role in all the life of the educational institution, in the liveliness, discipline, and study [12] ; The Brothers are conducted to resolutely engage oneself, by the educational service, in the promotion of justice and human dignity [13]. With an open and soundly critical spirit, the Brothers study religions, ideologies, and cultural attainments of the sectors where they are implanted. They become thus capable to integrate the positive values and bring a better contribution to the education of the people who surround them [14] ; based on gratuitousness and hope, the Institute also go at the present time in sectors where there exists only little or no possibilities to develop [15] ; "together and by association", they take on this work of salvation in a profession where "the poor are evangelized" and where young people grow into such humanity people and sons of God [16]. Such were the paths opened by Mr. De La Salle and that his successors have followed for more than 300 years, manifested in the Rule of the Brothers of Christian Schools.Likewise, « "the Declaration on the Brother in the world today" represent one of the principal "Acts" of the 39th General Chapter of the Institute of Brothers in 1966-1967. During the course of the first session of this Chapter repeatedly appeared the necessity of a document of synthesis envisaging the whole mission of the Brother in the present world »
[17].The citations of the Declaration hereafter are the result of notes coming from the Brothers and through « innumerable exchanges, courageous confrontations, multiple reactions » between the chapter capitulations arriving at the fundamental questions in relation to the renewal of the Institute. The Declaration does not bring all solutions to questions posed by a world in evolution. Meanwhile, it plays a capital and important role in realization of the renewal of the Institute and invites each Brother to recover oneself to the path, esteem oneself as interpellated for a revision and perhaps a true conversion, in receiving it as a call to surpass, in the light of the texts of Vatican II.
In light of the text of Vatican II, Gaudium et Spes
[18], the General Chapter affirms that « in sense of its cultural value, the school constitutes a privileged instrument of education » [19]. Indeed, "it is the characteristic of the human person not only accede truly and fully to humanity by culture" (Gaudium et Spes, 53,1). Furthermore, "by its profound nature, man is a social being and, without relation to others, he can neither live nor expand his qualities" (Gaudium et Spes 12, 4).Educate children according to the « customs which we bear to conform » (Durkheim), the child is bound to learn how to live with the generations that lived before him. Thus, the Lasallian school « plays an important role in access to culture »
[20] and will exert oneself to promote the « dynamism and expansion of a new culture without vanish the lively fidelity in the heritage of traditions ». It will favor « the multiplication of cultural exchanges » in such a manner that is not « held in defeat the ancestral wisdom nor endangered the proper genius of each people » (Gaudium et Spes) [21].« Become a man, competent in your profession, independent, liable, and christian however much you want » is expressed and formulated in the educational project of a school of the Brothers in Paris, Notre-Dame de la Gare. It is indeed a reflection of the No. 41 of the Declaration : « Brother exercises his apostolical ministry when he exerts himself to awaken the young people to the consciousness of the seriousness of existence, the belief of the greatness of human destiny ; when he helps them to accede, with intellectual rigor and care to seek the truth, at the autonomy of personal reflection ; when he contributes to help them conquer their liberty as well about all prejudice and ideas made as the sociological pressures or internal forces of disintegration of the person ; when he arranges them to pledge their liberty, their intelligence, and competence to service their Brothers, open them to others, teach them to listen to them, seek to understand them, to give them confidence and to love them ; when he inculcates the sense of justice, fraternity, fidelity »
[22].« It is in this spririt that the school will strive to develop attention, to form judgment, to sharpen critical spirit particularly in a world where it must use up discernment in the mass of information, and keep its inner liberty in spite of all the propagandas. His role is more indispensable than ever to form a man to reflection and, by the effort of meditation, mediation, and study… »
[23]. It « seeks to prepare with realism its students for their professional life, marriage, and family life, service of the temporal city » [24]. « For a better knowledge of these realities and needs of the world in evolution, considering to give a realistic education and better adapted to the demands of modern life, the Brothers will have the greatest advantage to continue the dialogue with the former students… » [25]Concerned with the formation of the young people for a better life in the future, to be able to fit more or less in society, find a place, its place, « Brother is placed in the surrounding of his students whose he shares the interests, worries, hopes »
[26], « in preparing them to a life more conscious, more responsible, more human in a word » [27].Since the 39th General Chapter of 1966-1967, « the revival is upon the order of the day for the majority of Brothers »
[28]. Faithful to the spirit and charisma of Mr. De La Salle, the institute expands without ceasing, first in France and at present in the entire world. Faithful also to the demand of adaptation to the environment and "at the epoch when they live" Brothers may wonder what has thereof occured. How to uncover in the experiences of yesterday, the spirit of Mr. De La Salle in the different complex situations in each country today ? Several Brothers are devoted to the theoretical search and authentic fundamentals but with the willingness to adapt oneself, to "stick" to life, « taking into account the modern mentality » [29]. The studies published in the Lasallian Cahiers testifying, which are to the Brothers such as Maurice Auguste, Mr. Sauvage, LM. Aroz, Mr. Campos…In fact, the Declaration of the 39th Chapter further remains "a permanent defiance" to "being Brothers today", such is the title of the 1997 Pastoral Letter of Superior General Brother John Johnston.
« But how do we respond to these questions : who, what, why, for whom, and how ? We do not have any reason to await a direct Revelation of God »
[30].For all educational action, it hardly is not possible to obtain immediate results and « there is no more "method" of discernment which brings "guaranteed results" »
[31]. « In reality, however, we do not "find" the responses ; on the contrary, in the prayer communion with our Brothers, we "decide" and "choose" the responses that we believe to be in conformity with the will of God ».[32]The Declaration was accepted by the 39th General Chapter September 6, 1967. In writing this Pastoral Letter of 1997, John Johnston was conscious that the world of 1997 was well different from the world of 1967 and that « 1967 was "another different world" than the one in which our Founder and the first Brothers have lived »
[33]. However, « Thirty years old, it was and still is a prophetic appeal to creative fidelity to charisma that Jean-Baptiste De La Salle received the Holy Spirit » [34].Being conscious that « The Declaration is an affirmation of identity, role, and mission of the Brothers »
[35], throughout his letter, John Johnston constantly invites « every one to resume the path on the renewal of adaptation and to respond with fidelity and dynamism to the demands of our vocation » [36] which is the purpose of the Declaration, « to live authentically and wholeheartedly in the present moment – live with dynamism, creativity, enthusiasm, joy, pride… ». In a word, we must strive to "being the Brothers of today".Likewise, he desired « a serious study of these documents » of the part of the Brothers, that aid them to « determine the major priorities » which « should motivate and influence our decisions at this moment of our history ». The personal initiative is necessary and encouraging. But in a collectivity, it risks to « derive our notion of identity of this natural conviction that every man is possessed of his own identity and its continued existence »
[37] and to forget that « the action must always be prepared by reflection about the founder texts . These priorities need to be transformed into general purposes and concrete objectives. Efficacious programs must then be well developed to the degree to enable us to realize the objectives and advance towards our purposes » [38].
[1] Lapierre Charles, Monsieur De la Salle. 4e éd.,F.E.C., France Region : 1992, p. 52.