De La Salle Brothers Philippines

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The De La Salle Brothers - Philippine District is part of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, the largest congregation of Roman Catholic religious Brothers who are exclusively dedicated to education.^[1] The Institute was founded in Reims, France in 1680, with over 75,000 Brothers and lay colleagues who conduct schools as well as educational works in about 80 countries worldwide.^[1]

[edit] Background

The nine pioneer Brothers at Paco

In the aftermath of the Philippine Revolution against Spain and the Philippine-American War which immediately followed, the Protestant faith, first introduced by the new American Colonial Masters and aided by the newly arrived American Teachers-theThomasites, was gaining a foothold among Filipinos because of the then strong anti-Spanish Friar sentiment existing at that time.^[2] Due to the then very small number of Catholic educational institutions in the country, the then American Archbishop of Manila Jeremiah James Harty, himself an alumnus of a De La Salle Christian Brothers school in St. Louis, Missouri, would appeal to the Superior-General of the Christian Brothers in 1905 for the establishment of a De La Salle school in the Philippines. While there was a growing pressure for a De La Salle school, Archbishop Harty's request was rejected, because of the Christian Brothers' lack of funds. Nonetheless, Harty continued to appeal to Pope Pius X for the establishment of additional Catholic schools in the country.

[edit] History

[edit] Arrival in the Philippines

On March 10, 1911, upon instructions from the Vatican to the La Salle Generalate, Brothers Blimond Pierre (who would serve as the school's first director), Aloysius Gonzaga, and Augusto Correge, arrived in the Philippines from Europe. Six other De La Salle brothers arrived between March and June: Brothers Louis, Camillus, B. Joseph, Celba John, Imar William, and Martin. They came from the United States, Ireland, Luxembourg, and France.

Together, on June 16, 1911, the Brothers opened the first La Salle school in the country. The location is at the former Perez-Samanillo Compound on 652 Calle Nozaleda in Paco, Manila. The school was first attended by 100 students.^[2]

[edit] Reactions from the Locals

St. La Salle Hall as it was completed in 1921

The initial perception of Filipinos about the then newly arrived De La Salle Christian Brothers were that they were no different from the Spanish Friars who were previously the sole handlers of Philippine education for almost three hundred years. Over time, the Brothers established their congregation as being a group of full-time religious educators who have consecrated their lives for the education of the youth.

In 1921, the Brothers transferred the school from its original site in Paco, Manila to the then-wooded newly-constructed Taft Avenue in Malate, Manila because of the increasing school population. During this time, the Brothers' devotion to education would be cemented by the numerous visits of head of states to De La Salle and by the proclamation of De La Salle as the Philippine Islands' Premier School for Boys by Dr. Paul Monroe and a commission of American educators, after an eight-month cross-country inspection of existing Philippine schools in the 1930s.^[2]

[edit] The February 12, 1945 Massacre

After the war, the school chapel, formerly dedicated to St. Joseph, was blessed and re-dedicated to the Most Blessed Sacrament

On February 12, 1945, a Japanese military officer along with 20 soldiers forcibly made their way into the college, which was then a refuge for 70 people, including 30 women and young girls, 16 De La Salle Christian Brothers and the college's chaplain-Redemptorist Father Cosgrave CSSR (an Australian), and the adult men of two families. The then De La Salle College Director-Brother Egbert Xavier FSC (an Irishman) was about two days earlier forcibly taken by a group of Japanese soldiers and was never seen again. The Japanese soldiers herded these people into the school chapel where they were subsequently shot, slashed, or bayoneted. Those who did not die in the attack would be later be left to bleed to death and the Japanese attempted to violate the women who were dying from their wounds. The chapel was then set on fire by the Japanese but since it was built of marble and concrete it was not destroyed. Only ten of the victims survived amongst them only one De La Salle Brother.^[3]

The 1939-built magnificent and elegant De La Salle Main Chapel survives to this day. One of the very few structures to survive the near utter destruction of Southern Manila during the February 1945 Liberation of Manila.

The following are those who were massacred on February 1945 by the Japanese:

• De La Salle Christian Brothers

[edit] The Philippine District

Up until the 1960's, the Brothers in the Philippines was a Sub-District (Province) of the De La Salle Institute District of San Francisco and thereafter, up to the establishment of the Philippine District in 1970. On February 2, 1970, the Philippine Province became an independent District of the Institute, to be known as the De La Salle Brothers in the Philippines. At present, the Sub-District of Myanmar is under the Philippine District.

[edit] The Brother Visitor

The Brother Visitor is the official title of the head of a particular District of the Christian Brothers although for purposes of communication with non-members of the La Sallian family, the title, Brother Provincial is used because of its commonality with the title used to describe the district heads of other religious congregations.

The Brother Visitor is the person responsible for assigning Brothers to their communities and providing for the different posts of responsibility as deemed necessary by the District Chapter. He is also responsible for admitting candidates to the Novitiate as well as the making of vows. Also, as specified in canon law, he is authorized to issue writings on matters of religion or morality.

The Philippine District has had eight Brother Visitors, who are elected for three-year terms. The first was Brother Justin Lucian FSC, who was elected in 1970 and was also the last Auxiliary Visitor from the Baltimore District. The incumbent is Brother Edmundo Fernandez FSC.

[edit] See also

• De La Salle Philippines
• Brothers of the Christian Schools
• De La Salle University-Manila

[edit] Notes and References

[edit] External links

• Philippine Lasallian Family Official Website