DLSU President elected as General Councilor for the Lasallian Brothers in Rome, administrative transition expected by mid-August

A new chapter opens up for the President of DLSU.

Incumbent DLSU President and Chancellor Br. Ricky Laguda FSC was elected as the General Councilor of the Lasallian Brothers, following the events of the Brothers’ 45th General Chapter in Rome last May 22. 

Hailing from the Philippines, Laguda will be the General Councilor that represents the Pacific Asia Regional Conference (PARC). The five General Councilors and their teams represent different regions of the world, including North America, Latin America, Pacific Asia, Africa, and Europe. 

As a religious institute composed of representatives from 80 countries, the Lasallian Brothers’ central government is based in Rome and executes the Lasallian mission across the globe.

As a member of the central government team, Laguda, along with four other General Councilors, will be serving as advisers to the also newly elected Superior General Br. Robert Schieler FSC and Vicar Br. Jorge Gallardo de Alba FSC. 

Laguda’s next steps

Due to his election, Laguda clarified in an email interview with The LaSallian that he will be maintaining his seat as DLSU President and Chancellor until mid-August 2014. 

Because of the responsibilities of the General Councilor, Laguda states that although leaving DLSU is a hard decision, “I need to ‘let go’ of the Presidency in DLSU.”

Regarding the consequential administrative changes soon to take place within the University, Laguda assures the community, “A transition plan will be put in place by mid-August.”

About the 45th General Chapter

These elections are part of the General Chapter of the Lasallian Mission, which occurs every seven years.  During each chapter, delegates from the Institute of Brothers of the Christian Schools convene to evaluate the previous chapter.

Furthermore, Laguda explains that each General Chapter will determine the direction of the next Lasallian Mission. 

Included in the activities of the 45th General Chapter is the election of the institute’s new central government, which is done through convening the votes of different Brother delegates around the world, says Laguda.

The 45th General Chapter is ongoing and takes place from April 22, 2014 to June 8, 2014. Because of this, Laguda says that he cannot comment on the general plans and directions for the new Lasallian Mission in Pacific Asia yet.

As the General Councilor for PARC, Laguda will be following his predecessor, Br. David H. Hawke FSC.

Alongide him, the other newly elected General Councilors of the Lasallian Brothers are as follows:  Br. Pierre Saïdou Ouattara FSC for Africa; Br. Paulo Petry FSC for Latin America, Br. Aidan Illtyd Kilty FSC for Europe and the Middle East; and Br. Timothy Coldwell FSC for North America.

More information about the new General Councilors and their responsibilities can be found at http://www.lasalle.org/en/2014/05/election-of-the-general-councilors/ .