I. Charism - La Salle.org

IV. DISCOVERING, LIVING, SHARING THE GIFT OF GOD 79
school teachers who remain lay-persons, live in fraternal communities
being supportive of each other and devoting themselves to the
education of the children of the poor in urban parishes.
2. This Community is commonly called the Community of the Christian
Schools and at present rests upon - indeed, is rooted in - Providence.
Those who live in it follow a Rule and are dependent for everything, having
no personal possessions, and treat one another as equals.
3. The members of this Community devote themselves to teaching
tuition-free schools, in towns only, and to give basic religious instruction
every day including Sundays and Holidays. (MH 0,0,2 & 3. See
Rule and Foundational Documents, Lasallian Publications, Christian
Brothers Conference, Landover (MD, 2002), p. 181.
John Baptist de La Salle had been seriously ill for a long time and
even at death’s door, both in Paris and later in Reims. Brother Henri
L’Heureux, on whom he had counted, had died fairly suddenly. He
had lost a friend and his anticipated successor. His death called into
question the orientation of the government of the Society, its future
and that of John Baptist de La Salle. He could no longer think of
retiring. Once again he found himself faced with a choice: To what
was God calling him To remain at the head of the Society and consolidate
it Should he let the Society live its destiny, which appeared
clear in the context of the time: it would break up into small communities
attached to a parish or to a town, which would disappear
or become dispersed when persons were changed either among the
Brothers or at the head of parishes. If he decided to remain what
should he do The choice of the priesthood for one or other of the
Brothers was, at the very least, postponed until later (the time needed
to prepare for this by studies). Besides, John Baptist tended to
rule it out, seeing in the death of Brother Henri L’Heureux a sign
from Heaven. Nevertheless, his own recent illness had shown the
dangers of having everything rest on his own shoulders. Whenever
he was in Paris there were difficulties in Reims; and vice-versa.