PETALING JAYA: Catholic brothers and fellow Lasallians strengthened their fellowship at an event organised by the Malaysian Federation of Lasallian Alumni Associations (MFOLSA) recently.
The trio are Lasallian East Asia District Auxiliary Visitor, Brother Antonio Cubilas from Mexico, and Brother Carlo Rementilla and Brother Miggy Crisostomo from the Philippines.
MFOLSA secretary James Sia said their visit was for students and teachers to mix with younger brothers.
"It also provided younger brothers an opportunity to experience Lasallian missions and family life in Malaysia.
"Brother Cubilas encouraged Brother Rementilla and Brother Crisostomo to visit La Salle schools in Malaysia to experience and understand the culture here.
"Their visit was to boost the morale among Lasallians and reignite the Lasallian heritage for the La Salle Brothers in Malaysia's 170th Gala Dinner in November."
Catholic brothers are teachers at hundreds of St John Baptist de La Salle schools worldwide.
The event, at the La Salle Provincialate off Jalan Gasing, was attended by MFOLSA committee members, Franciscan Club of Kuala Lumpur (FCKL) alumni, La Salle Petaling Jaya alumni and former Lasallian teachers.
Present were Brother Director of Malaysia Brother Andrew Loke; Brother Ambrose Loke; Brother Augustine Julian; MFOLSA president Micheal Simon and its treasurer, Paramjothy Kandiah; and St Francis Institution of Melaka alumni Simon Chan Teong Hoe and Anthony Chan Tai Keong.
The three brothers, Sia said, had arrived in Penang on June 12 and began their visit at St Xavier's Institution there, then to St George's Institution in Taiping and St Michael's Institution in Ipoh and thereafter to La Salle Petaling Jaya.
He said they were now visiting St Francis' Institution in Melaka and St Andrew's School in Muar, Johor.
There are now 29 La Salle schools in Peninsular Malaysia and six associated schools in Sabah and Sarawak. St Xavier's Institution in Penang is the first Lasallian school in Asia.
"Brother Cubilas hopes their visit will inspire more young Catholics to pursue teaching at missionary schools and to help educate Malaysians of all races and creed.
"It is the brothers' wish for youth to better understand the pedagogy and best practices put forth by them.
"These brothers are a special breed as they not only practise a religious life but have strict discipline and sound knowledge to impart quality education to schoolchildren," said Sia, who is FCKL secretary.
It was for this reason, he added, that the dedication, sacrifices and services of the La Salle brothers lived on 170 years after their arrival in Malaysia.
"To commemorate their arrival, we will host run-up activities to the gala dinner, which will mark a new milestone for the La Salle mission in Malaysia.
"The brothers belong to the St John's Baptist de La Salle fraternity that imparts quality education to all levels of society, especially the last, lost and least.
"If not for them, only the elite and upper-class society would have gained knowledge through education."
He said the La Salle brothers' journey to Malaysia began with six pioneers — Brother Liefroy Bajon, Brother Lothaire-Marie Combes, Brother Venere Chapuis, Brother Gregory Connolly, Brother Switbert Doyle and Brother Jerome King — who were roped in by young French priest Father Jean-Marie Beurel.
They left Antwerp, Belgium, in December 1851, and arrived in Singapore on March 29, 1852.
Brothers Bajon, Doyle and Connolly stayed in Singapore while Combes, Chapuis and King set out to Penang at the invitation of Beurel, arriving there on April 16, 1852.
From then on, the brothers moved to India, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Vietnam, Hong Kong and eventually the Philippines.
By 1875, they had set up at least 10 schools in the region, said Sia.
During the early period, Brother Aloysius Gonzaga Pin was appointed as the brother director from 1879 to 1898 while serving at St Xavier's Institution.