I. Charism - La Salle.org

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IV. DISCOVERING, LIVING, SHARING THE GIFT OF GOD
The Brothers were exhausted by their tasks, and their morale began to
falter under the multiple burdens they had to face. Their health suffered,
as did their virtue, and it was at the expense of both that they
persevered for two years in this state of servitude. […]. When one of
them succombed to illness or exaustation, De La Salle sent a more vigorous
Brother to replace him, but that could not go indefinitely. 83
This situation lasted from May 1705 to June 1707. Meanwhile,
Monsieur de La Salle had transferred his Novitiate to Saint-Yon, in
July/August 1705. It is obvious that the spiritual life and the apostolic
dynamism suffered gravely: “the body and soul, the spiritual
and the temporal, health and regularity, all must have suffered from
this” 84 Blain tells us.
The Brothers speak out again.
To get out of this situation, it was the Brothers who spoke out and
questioned John Baptist de La Salle. This time it was not in the heat
of the moment as in 1702, nor even in reaction to a too unreal sermon
on Providence as in 1682, but by means of a report in which
they expressed their feelings, their aspirations and their solutions.
While he hesitated and remained undecided in the midst of such
reflections, he received from his disciples a memorandum which
helped him make up his mind. In their document the Brothers
brought out clearly how necessary it was to get out of the hospice,
where the spirit of their Institute ran as much risk as their health did.
The advantage to the poor, as well as their own, required it. Nor was
it difficult for them to prove their case. Since they were too few in
proportion to the number of students, they could not do a good job.
The classes were too big; the teachers were overworked, and many of
the children were neglected; overwork affected not only the health of
83
Blain, op. cit., Book Three, p. 518. (CL 8, p. 23-24).
84
Blain, op. cit., Book Three, p. 518. (CL 8, 3, p. 23).