A Year of Courage, Community and Renewal. Lasallian Year in Review – 2025

If 2025 had a defining word, it might be trust.

Trust in new leadership. Trust in young people. Trust in partners. Trust in change. Trust in a God who continues to guide the Lasallian mission through disruption and possibility. Trusting an unknown future to a known God!

Across Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan and Papua New Guinea, 2025 was not simply active. It was formative. Beneath the events and announcements ran a deeper current: strengthening the foundations of mission for the years ahead.

A New Chapter of Leadership

The year opened with the appointment of Br Peter Bray as Brother Visitor and the commissioning of a new District Council. This was more than transition. It marked a deliberate commitment to renewed stewardship and accountability.

That commitment became tangible. The creation of the General Manager role at La Salle District Centre strengthened governance, financial sustainability and operational coherence. The commencement of a District Safeguarding Officer embedded safeguarding leadership at District level, reinforcing consistency and compliance across ministries.

District Statutes were ratified. Structural reviews progressed from consultation to implementation. Care for elderly Brothers was strengthened through specialist support. These were not background adjustments; they were intentional investments in long-term stability.

Listening Before Acting

One of the defining movements of 2025 was disciplined listening.

Sector Stocktakes in Papua New Guinea and Pakistan invited Brothers, staff and partners to speak candidly about strengths, pressures and priorities. In Pakistan, the Brothers’ Assembly and governance review demonstrated a community prepared to examine itself with honesty and courage.

A review of La Salle District Centre prompted reflection on how best to resource and structure provincial support. The result was clearer alignment between leadership, finance, safeguarding and operational systems.

The emphasis throughout was not on preserving structures, but on ensuring fidelity to mission. Renewal began with attentiveness — and the resolve to respond.

Mission in Motion at La Salle Centre

If governance strengthened the framework, young people energised the mission.

Throughout 2025, formation was not merely discussed — it was delivered. Seventy-five student retreats engaged more than 7,000 young people across the District. The Lasallian Youth Gathering brought 180 young leaders together under the theme Pilgrims of Hope, affirming that they are not future custodians of the charism but present protagonists within it.

Student-led service initiatives, faith formation experiences and leadership programmes demonstrated that Lasallian formation is lived in action.

Alongside this, the District continued to operate at scale:

• 13 adult formation programmes

• 55 newsletters and more than 100 published articles

• Over 8 million social media views

• 37 Foundation-funded projects supporting communities in PNG, Pakistan, Bethlehem and Kenya

These figures represent formation deepened, students accompanied, communities strengthened and stories shared widely.

Much of the most significant work unfolded quietly. Volunteer induction and safety processes were strengthened. Safety and Care Plans, training frameworks and risk management systems were refined. Financial planning focused intentionally on long-term sustainability.

The visible fruit of 2025 rested on steady, often unseen commitment.

Education that Transforms

Across diverse contexts, Lasallian education continued to respond creatively to need.

In Papua New Guinea, eight new classrooms opened at La Salle Technical Secondary School in Port Moresby, expanding opportunity for students whose access to education reshapes families and communities. Breakfast Club initiatives and infrastructure appeals reinforced the link between dignity and learning.

In Pakistan, catechists were commissioned and formation pathways strengthened. In Australia and New Zealand, schools invested in literacy development, STEAM facilities, vocational education and wellbeing-centred leadership.

Different contexts. One enduring mission.

Safeguarding, Wellbeing and Responsibility

In 2025, safeguarding and wellbeing moved further from policy into lived culture.

With District-level safeguarding leadership in place, procedural strengthening was matched by cultural consolidation. Governance oversight, training and compliance frameworks matured, contributing to the District’s 100% ACSL Safeguarding Audit outcome — a significant milestone reflecting systemic commitment.

At the same time, educator workload pressures and community wellbeing were acknowledged with realism. Kids Helpline reaching its nine-millionth contact underscored the importance of accompaniment and attentive presence.

Education cannot transform unless it first protects dignity and builds trust.

Together and by Association

Shared responsibility was particularly evident throughout the year.

Affiliations honoured lay partners whose service embodied the charism in governance, safeguarding and education. Awards recognised educators and students whose witness strengthened communities. Benefactors were acknowledged for generosity that sustains opportunity.

Company Members, Boards and Committees facilitated significant strategic and capital decisions with prudence and foresight. Brothers and lay leaders worked side by side in practical collaboration.

Association in 2025 was not symbolic. It was operational, responsible and future-focused.

The charism belongs to all who choose to live it.

Memory and Continuity

The year also carried moments of remembrance.

We gave thanks for the lives of Brothers who died in 2025, including Br Bill Firman and Br Colin Griffin, whose fidelity shaped classrooms and communities across the District, and around the world.

Remembrance in the Lasallian tradition is not nostalgia. It is a reminder of responsibility — to hand on what we have received.

Hope with Substance

If one thread ran consistently through 2025, it was hope grounded in action.

Hope that strengthens governance.
Hope that matures safeguarding culture.
Hope that opens classrooms.
Hope that funds projects across continents.
Hope that accompanies a young person at the moment they most need to be heard. 

Hope that emerged from a conviction that action in the Mission was worth doing.

As we begin 2026, we do so not because 2025 was uncomplicated, but because it was purposeful, during that time it was worth putting energy, commitment, resources into the Missions. Foundations were strengthened. Systems matured. Young people were empowered. Communities were supported.

The Lasallian mission continues — steady, relational and responsive.

One thing is certain: the Lasallian mission continues because people continue to say yes; because individuals choose to be generous, creative, and kind; because people choose to remember that we live in the holy presence of God; because so many people continue to preach the Good News at all times and sometime choose to use words!