News

After many years of discussion, on April 11, 2022, the province of France formally became the Delegation of France under the Superior General in Council.  This is the first time we have used this structure in the Institute.

With declining numbers, the brothers of the province of France have been very active in preparing for the future.  The various legal associations that are responsible for four schools, a number of properties and particularly the house at Paradis have been established so that the work continues.  Their previous legal structure of a union, which held the assets of the brothers, has been transformed into an endowment fund with the brothers as its beneficiaries.  These structural changes are part of the legal landscape of France and allow for the support of the brothers and the continuation of the mission into the future.

Discussions with the provincial council and at province assemblies had raised a number of possibilities with the province membership as to future structural options within the Institute.  The general chapter of 2018 had asked that “the Superior General in council undertake, in collaboration with the entities, a study, not on the structures (province, delegation, conference) but on new configurations of these structures.”  With the active participation of the brothers of the province of France, the general council worked with them to craft a new structure responsive to their needs. We are grateful for the openness of the brothers of France to work with the general administration in finding new ways to continue the life and mission of the brothers in France.