Mission schools celebrate La Salle Day

TANJUNG ARU – Some 600 students including teachers and religious brothers from La Salle Secondary school celebrated their La Salle Day with a Mass presided by Fr Rhobby Mojolou at Stella Maris Church May 15. The day was also celebrated in conjunction with the Feastday of St John Baptist de La Salle, their patron saint, and Teachers Day 2015. Principals and teachers from Stella Maris Secondary school and Sacred Heart Primary school also joined in the Mass.

Being a La Sallian himself, Fr Rhobby addressed the students with full understanding of time spent in a La Salle learning institution. He began his homily by telling the students that despite many challenges, school remains to be a joyful place where friendships are formed naturally.  However, due to the diverse backgrounds, misunderstandings could happen. Being boys, sometimes the option chosen would be to settle them physically.  Explaining from the Gospel, he urged the students to remember that they are called to be childlike and not childish. Being childlike is to be open to God to any changes or guidance in the way we think, act and live. Being childish is only thinking of one’s self, being selfish and spoilt. Then Fr Rhobby asked them, “So which one are you?”

Taking the cue from the theme of the celebration is “La Sallians enter to learn, leave to serve’, Fr Rhobby invited the students to continue God’s work of creating the world through their different talents and to do something more for society. Meanwhile through education, the students were encouraged to have a childlike character, allowing God to create them into the person that He wants them to be.

The Mass ended with a recessional hymn ‘Our Founder Song’ and ‘Alma Mater’, proudly sung by all the students and joined by Fr Rhobby with great gusto. Truly once a La Sallian, always a La Sallian.– Linda Edward