On Friday, 17 October, Unilasalle in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) awarded honorary doctorates to Brother Armin Luistro, Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Brother Olavo José Dalvit, Visitor of the Brazil-Chile District, and Brother Paulo Fossatti, National Councillor for Education in Brazil and President of the Board of Directors of the Brazilian Union of Catholic Education (UBEC).
“Thank you for this profound honour. I accept this singular distinction not as a personal recognition, but as a celebration of our shared Lasallian vocation, a calling that transcends borders, languages and generations”, said Brother Armin before the academic community presided over by Brother Jardelino Menegat, rector of Unilasalle-RJ.
Witnesses of fraternity
The Brother Superior General highlighted, in a special way, the profound significance of the University awarding the title of Doctor Honoris Causa to three Brothers in a single ceremony: “It could very well be a prophetic sign, a reminder that, in a fractured world, our Lasallian mission remains to be witnesses of fraternity. We are not called to do things on our own as individuals, nor for our self-glory, nor even to leave a mark on this world. After all, Lasallians have a special calling to create schools of fraternity, spaces where it becomes possible to live together as brothers and sisters, despite differences in language, culture, interests or belief”.
In this sense, evoking the dream of our Founder, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, which “continues today in classrooms from Manila to Maputo, from Rome to Rio”, Brother Armin assured that “each Lasallian school is not just an institution, it is a declaration that fraternity is possible”. In this way, he continued, “we are saying to the world: ‘yes, it is possible to live as one family’”.
Schools of fraternity
Recalling that in his first apostolic exhortation Dilexi te (I have loved you), Pope Leo XIV “highlights the Founder’s contribution (…) by offering free education, a solid formation and a fraternal environment”, because “De La Salle saw the classroom as a place for human development, but also for conversion”, the Superior General affirmed that “when our schools open their doors to the young and the poor, when our lessons cultivate compassion instead of competition, we are not just educating minds, but we are forming hearts into the image of Christ”. “This is the essence of Lasallian education: to transform spaces of learning into schools of fraternity, where the experience of God’s unconditional love for all nurtures the mustard seed that could transform the world”.
This contribution is highly significant in a world weary of division, when “the walls that separate us – social, economic, political – seem more insurmountable than ever”. Yet “fraternity remains the antidote to despair”, as Brother Armin expressed. “Our gift of fraternity sparks us the courage to listen instead of shout, to reach out instead of withdraw, to build bridges instead of walls”.
The Lasallians’ commitment to quality education for the most impoverished remains relevant and increasingly necessary. “To be a Lasallian today means proclaiming, in word and deed, the good news of encounter: to make room in our hearts for our sisters and brothers, especially those who have been forgotten by society”, urged Brother Superior General.
Therefore, “Unilasalle’s honour bestowed on us three Brothers should serve as both a reminder and a commissioning: that, as De La Salle Brothers, we may strive to be living parables of communion and authentic fraternity”, he concluded, highlighting the imperative to “continue building schools of fraternity, where love becomes action, faith becomes justice, and learning becomes service”, because “fraternity is not a dream of the past, but a mission for the present and the future”.
Before the ceremony in which he was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa at Unilasalle-RJ, Brother Armin Luistro, together with Brother Rafael Cerón, General Councillor, met with Lasallians from the Brazil-Chile District between 8 and 10 October, when they visited some Lasallian educational works in Brazil.
* Photos: Brazil-Chile District/Unilasalle RJ.