The Lasallian Family in Portugal welcomed the visit of Brother Armin Luistro, Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, who arrived on Thursday, 8 January, accompanied by Brother Joël Palud, General Councillor, and departed on Sunday, 11 January, after several days marked by fraternity, communion and the strengthening of Lasallian identity and sense of belonging.
Friday, 9 January, was dedicated especially to a visit to La Salle Barcelos School. The day began with a morning reflection next to the statue of the Founder, a significant moment of connection with the Lasallian charismatic roots and of welcoming Brother Armin. Throughout the day, the Brother Superior General held a meeting with the educators and met with the students on two separate occasions, showing genuine closeness and simplicity that were greatly appreciated by the educational community.
In the afternoon, he visited the NGO SOPRO, where he was able to perceive first-hand their charitable and social work. He then travelled to Braga to visit the S. Caetano school, thus strengthening ties with the different Lasallian presences in Portugal.
On Saturday, 10 January, a gathering with the Lasallian communities took place, conceived as a space for deep and sincere dialogue. Each community shared two strengths and two weaknesses in an exercise of community discernment. In this same context, the Brother Superior General and the Brother General Councillor offered their vision of the current reality of the Institute, emphasising universality as one of its great strengths and, at the same time, as a challenge: a common identity that is sometimes lived with different rhythms and processes in the diverse realities of the Lasallian world.
Brother Armin also highlighted the mission carried out by the Lasallian communities in Portugal, not only in the pastoral area, but also in the ecclesial area and, in a very special way, in the social area. In this context, he encouraged them to continue deepening this line of openness, which he pointed out as a clear sign of God’s presence in the midst of the communities and as a call to face the future with hope.
Overall, these were days of true fraternity and communion, in which the Lasallian world of Portugal made itself known to the Superior General. The presence of Brother Armin Luistro was experienced as a genuine boost to identity and belonging, and as a source of joy and gratitude for all those who make up the Lasallian family in Portugal and in the Arlep District (La Salle in Spain and Portugal).