Photo © Vatican Media
Brother Armin Luistro, FSC, Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, presented Pope Leo XIV with a first-class relic of Blessed James Miller on May 15, during an audience with Christian Brothers and more than 130 Lasallian Partners.
Along with the relic, Brother Armin gave Pope Leo a brief text summarizing the life, work and martyrdom of Brother James Miller; a handwritten letter from Brother Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría, FSC, former Superior General and friend of the pope; a medal commemorating the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of Saint John Baptist de La Salle as patron saint of educations; and some Institute texts.
As the date marked the anniversary of recognition of the Institute of the Christian Brothers as a religious order, the pope said, “After three centuries, it is good to see how your presence continues to bear the freshness of a rich and vast educational entity, with which, in various parts of the world, you still dedicate yourself to the formation of the young with enthusiasm, fidelity and a spirit of sacrifice.”
In his remarks, Pope Leo reflected on two aspects of the Brothers’ history: attention to current events and the ministerial and missionary dimension of teaching in the community. At the end of his speech, he blessed those in the audience and extended his apostolic blessings to all in the Lasallian family.
The Brother James Miller Guild is pleased that Pope Leo, who was a missionary for many years in Peru, is now in possession of a relic of missionary and martyr, Blessed James Miller. We pray that God bless the new Holy Father.
Read the text on Blessed James Miller.
Read the full remarks of Pope Leo XIV.
Relic photo courtesy of the Office of Information and Communication of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.