Glossary Of Terms

Below is a comprehensive compilation of Lasallian Terms.

* Denotes a term defined elsewhere in this glossary.

A

Affiliated Member: a man or woman formally inducted into a special group of those who have served Lasallian ideals in some extra-ordinary way; the member may put initials AFSC after his or her name to indicate, Affiliated Brother of the Christian Schools.
Animator: a member of the Baltimore District* Mission and Ministry Committee*.
Apostolate: those places where the shared mission* is realized: schools, retreat centers, child welfare centers, and other places.
Auxiliary Visitor: a Brother appointed by the Visitor* and approved by the Superior General* to assist the Visitor and substitute for him in his absence. Also know as Auxiliary Provincial.

B

Benefactor: a man or woman formally given this title for rendering extraordinary material help to the Institute*.
Buttimer Institute: an intensive nine week study program spannning three years. The program is based on the life and times of St. John Baptist de La Salle. The program takes place over the course of three consecutive summers.
Brother: title given to vowed religious of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Comparable to titles such as 'Sister,' 'Father,' 'Reverend,' it is commonly used in other religious orders to denote a vowed religious who is not an ordained priest.

C

Canon Law: the Code of Canon Law (latest version published in 1983) contains some 1680 canons, or official regulations, governing Roman Catholic cardinals, bishops, priests, Brothers, Sisters, institutes, laity, parishes, schools, sacraments, etc.
Catechize: to instruct believers in the faith.
Charism: the foundational inspiration of the Lasallian Family* given to the church by the Spirit of God in the person of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the founding Brothers.
Colleagues: persons who share with the Brothers in the Lasallian Mission. Colleagues can come from different lifestyles, or the ways in which people live according to their vocation - married, religious, or single.
Council: members of a group whose responsibility is to advise the Brother Superior (on the General Councillors) or the Brother Visitor (District Councillors).

D

Declaration, The: a document prepared in 1966, inspired by Vatican II. It preceded a revision of The Rule* by the 39th General Chapter* and described in visionary terms the spirit, purpose and work of the Brothers.
District: a territorial division of the Institute* with its own council and Brother Visitor*. Our district is the Baltimore District.
District Chapter: authoritative and legislative body of the Brothers of the District*. Frequency of meetings varies from District to District but is usually every three or four years.

E

Evangelize: to spread the Gospel message.

F

Formation: a process of education by which people can learn about the Founder and live according to his spirit.
FSC: Initials put at the end of Brothers' names to indicate membership in the Institute* called (in Latin) Fratres Scholarum Christianarum (Brothers of the Christian Schools) and known informally as Christian Brothers or De La Salle Brothers.

G

General Chapter: international authoritative and legislative body of the Brothers (see previous section for more detail).

H

Habit Taking Ceremony: the ritual in which a new Brother* receives the robe*, or habit, of the Institute*.
Huether Workshop: a national gathering of Brothers and teaching colleagues originally organized by Bro. Frank Huether to address educational concerns on an annual basis.

I

Institute, The: the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers).

L

Lasallian Family: All people, groups, and movements that find their inspiration in the educational approach and spirituality of St. John Baptist de La Salle.
Lasallian Leadership Institute: a professional, comprehensive formation program for leadership within Lasallian institutions and ministries throughout the U.S. and Toronto Region. The 'L.L.I.' was created to expand the partnership between lay people and the Brothers. It convenes, over the course of three years, for one week each summer and for two weekends throughout each year.
Lasallian Spirit: Spirit of faith and zeal (faith dynamically expressed in the works of apostolic communities).
Lasallian Volunteers: lay women and men who donate one or more years of service to Lasallian schools and works in various parts of the world. During this period of service, Lasallian Volunteers affiliate themselves with the ministry of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, sharing in the apostolic and, in some locations, in the community life of the Brothers.

M

Ministry: "a charism recognized, approved and institutionalized by the Church for the building up of the Body of Christ."
Mission: to give a human and Christian education to the young, especially in schools, with the service of the poor as a priority, in order to evangelize and catechize*, to promote peace and justice, accomplished together as a shared mission*. (42nd General Chapter* of the Brothers of the Christian Schools)
Mission and Ministry Committee: an advisory group comprised of Brothers, lay people and other Religious, with representation of each of the ministries in the District*.

N

Novice: a person who enters the novitiate*, receives the robe*, and undergoes a year-long program of spiritual formation prior to taking first (or temporary) vows* and prior to proceeding to further academic and pedagogical training.
Novitiate: the program (or even the building) in which a novice* receives his training.

P

Partners: Brothers and colleagues* in the mission.
Provincial: the term used in most institutes to describe the person whom the Brothers call Visitor*.
Provincialate: the administrative center of the district* and the community in which the district administrators reside.

R

Region: a territorial division of the Institute* made up of several districts. There are seven districts in the United States/Toronto Region: Baltimore, Long Island - New England, Midwest, New York, San Francisco, Santa Fe - New Orleans, and Toronto.
Religious: word to describe that form of consecrated life recognized by the Church where priests, Sisters, and Brothers take public vows and live in community. (Note: diocesan priests directly under a bishop do not belong to this category.)
Robe: the official religious habit worn by Brothers throughout the world, especially on formal occasions, but replaced by other approved garb in various locales. With the robe, a Brother wears a white 'bib' called a 'rabat'.
Rule, The: officially describes and defines the life of a Brother of the Christian Schools. The current Rule was issued in 1987.

S

Shared Mission: the term used to describe the common apostolate of Lasallian education among Lasallian partners*.
Superior General: the highest office of the Institute*. He works out of the generalate in Rome and is assisted by a vicar and councillors.

V

Vicar General: the second highest office of the Institute*.
Visitor: the one primarily responsible for the district* and the principal animator of a district. He is often called "provincial"*.
Vocation: the call an individual experiences from God to live life as a responsible baptized person.
Vows: commitments of religious consecration taken by religious and expressed in the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools through vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, association for the service of the poor through education, and stability in the Institute according to the Rule*. First vows, annual vows (or temporary), and final (or perpetual) vows are terms that respectively describe vows taken for one year at the end of the novitiate, vows taken for one year and renewable on an annual basis until the time for permanent vows (generally after the age of twenty-five or after at least five years of annual vows).