Tenth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

The Founder of the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools and Universal Patron of Teachers, John Baptist de la Salle is a prolific writer. He had written more than 200 manuscripts and today’s Lasallian Family has published several of the Saint’s spiritual writings. Most popular are the Meditations for the Time of Retreat, Meditations on Sundays and Feasts, Conduct of Christian Schools, Memoir of the Beginnings to name a few. Originally written in French, the writings had been translated into different languages that reach the farthest of Lasallian communities across the globe. It could be deduced that such a reservoir of spirituality and depth of faith of St. La Salle cut across nations and generations. This paper shall attempt at presenting a reflection on and an analysis of De La Salle’s collection of writings. Through a rigorous survey and careful analysis of the compendium, the researcher identifies references to environmental consciousness, care for the earth, integrity of creation and themes that point to the Saint’s ecological values. In as much as Lasallians today are challenged to continuously grow in faith, zeal for service and communion in mission, it is paramount that they grow in deeper awareness of what is happening to Mother Earth, and embrace ecological conversion that will commit them to doing their share to save the cosmos. If St. La Salle were alive today, he would be at the vanguard in upholding justice, peace and integrity of creation.