Formation & Mission Council travels to Rome

Members of the University Council for Lasallian Formation and Mission include, from left: front, Sarah Fischer; Val Fitzgerald; Sr. Judy Schaefer; standing, Br. Alberto Gomez, General Councilor; Simon Wachira, Nairobi campus; Br. Robert Schieler, General Councilor; Br. Jorge Gallardo, General Councilor; Tim Gossen; Dr. Mary Louise Wise, Dr. Mary Fox; Br. Lawrence Humphrey; Dr. Roxanne Eubank; Dr. Stephen Pattee, Dr. Deborah Pattee; Dr. Greg Sobolewski; Br. David Hawke, General Councilor; Valerie Robeson; Dr. Dorothy Diehl; John Schollmeier; Br. Alvaro Rodriguez Echeverria, Superior General; Dr. Thomas Mans; Ann Smith; Br. William Mann, president-elect; Dr. Jerry Ellis. Not pictured is Mary Thole.

The University Council for Lasallian Formation and Mission traveled to Rome and the international center of the Christian Brothers for a week of Lasallian formation, Feb. 10-16.

The group was welcomed to the Generalate by the General Council of the Christian Brothers who hosted a reception for the Saint Mary’s Council members their first evening in Rome. Although the SMU Council members were exhausted from traveling, the warm welcome received by the Brother Councilors set the tone for an exciting week.

The week-long program consisted of the following themes: The Lasallian Story, Catholic Intellectual Tradition, Lasallian Charism and Association, Catholic Social Teaching, Lasallian Higher Education, and Spirituality. Speakers included representatives from the international leadership of the Christian Brothers, including Brother Thomas Johnson, Vicar General; Brothers Claude Reinhardt, General Councilor in Rome; Robert Schieler, General Councilor for the USA-Toronto Region; Brother John Cantwell of the International Lasallian Center staff; Brother Alain Houry, Archivist; and Brother. William Mann, President-Elect of Saint Mary’s. Additional speakers from The Angelicum University and the Pontifical Council for the Laity rounded out the program. Speakers represented Australia, France, Peru and the United States and provided the Council with a perspective of the international nature of Lasallian education.

The week was capped off with a Commissioning Ceremony that was presided over by Brother Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría, Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

The Council was formed last September by Brother Chancellor Louis DeThomasis to develop, guide and nurture the Lasallian charism of the university. It is comprised of 14 members of the faculty and staff from both the Winona and Twin Cities campuses. Dr. Mary Fox has served as coordinator of the Winona division and Dr. Roxanne Eubank serves as coordinator of the SGPP division. Brother Lawrence Humphrey, Director of the Office of Mission, serves as moderator of the Council.

In Rome, the Council was joined by Dr. Thomas Mans, Academic Vice President for the college, and Mr. Simon Wachira, representing the Nairobi campus of Saint Mary’s. Brother William Mann, president-elect, was able to be with the Council for the entire week, as well as present to a session on Lasallian Spirituality.

“Both Rome and the international Generalate of the Brothers worked their magic on the group,” according to Brother Lawrence, Council moderator. “The experience of being at the center of the Institute, and the opportunity to learn from its international leadership, provided a uniquely remarkable experience for the SMU Council. Our time together in Rome has served to intensify our commitment to further the Lasallian mission of Saint Mary’s.”