Remembering the Presence of God: A Lasallian Engineers Creed to Life

By James Benjamin Zapata, CE, MP

Introduction
Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God.
The first time I actually heard this statement was last July during the college entrance test.
Before the exam, the proctor led the prayer uttering let us remember that we are in the holy
presence of God. I found this somewhat strange considering I have been a devout Roman
Catholic all my life and the usual rote I (and probably all people I know) pronounce to invite
everyone in an invocation is to let us put ourselves in the presence of God. It was like taboo
from what I feel everyone generally follows.
As a freshman student, I was puzzled why Lasallians chant this instead of the usual. In my
opinion, changes may only be valid if these are better than the former. Simply put it why fix
something that isnt broken? Truly there must be reason this was preferred than putting
ourselves in the presence.
Fortunately, this was explained in our Engineering Orientation. Instead of putting ourselves,
we remember that we are always in the presence of God in prayer. Remember was best used
because we remind ourselves that every moment is holy because God is present in all things at
all times.
Now we know what thepresence of God means; and wherever we are or whatever we are doing
we know that He is there and we have learned to speak to Him in every circumstance. That is
what is meant by being Lasallian and we are Lasallians. (Goussin 2005)
Truly one would know a Lasallian by this simple prayer. It defines in general what St. John
Baptist De La Salle has been teaching since that God is not only present when we seek to
experience and be close to God, but God is present always. (Goussin 2005)
He reminds us that starting any day or work in the presence of God is essential to fulfill ones
duty well (Goussin 2005). It gives us inspiration that everything will do well because we know
that the Holy Spirit is beside us every time like a toddler brave to do anything because he is
confident his parents are around. It serves as an inspiration more than an intonation.
But in this modern day when we are all working in a fast-paced and stressful environment, can
we still remember or even feel the presence of God? Is giving time to pray and recognizing the
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Lord before everything efficient when so may work is waiting for us on our tables? Can we still
live the Lasallian way of life?
Yes. Definitely.
As Lasallian engineers, we are expected to observe this because this has been the core-defining
value that makes us unique in such a way as to perform well but still expressing deep faith. As
men of science and God, we are tasked to live and follow De La Salles teachings but at the same
time sharing knowledge to all. Simply put it: we are who we are because of Him.

The Lassalian Engineers Credo

I am a Lasallian Engineer.
I take deep pride in my profession.
As a Lasallian Engineer, I believe in
The Divine Providence
who gives life I have to support,
who endowed us with material goods for the benefit of mankind,
and who guides and shapes our destiny;
The Dignity of Men
that makes life and work worthwhile;
The Right of Men to a Better Life
which I should always guard and serve;
The values of Competence, Integrity, Teamwork, Professionalism and Honesty
needed to carry out any responsibility;
The Development of Science and Technology
as the key to improving life and attaining prosperity;
And the search for the Ultimate Good
as lifes objective.
In this spirit, I am committed to uphold the Lasallian values of Religio, Mores and Cultura and
to the pursuit and ethics of my profession.
The Lasallian Engineers Credo is a creed or formula of profession by Lasallian Engineers that
sums up their confessed belief and professed system of work parallel to the life and teachings of
De La Salle. It describes how each Lasallian Engineer rests his faith in God, respects his
neighbors and values the gifts of science and culture to men.
Creeds were formulated to summarize or put in record all doctrines and canons agreed to be
faithfully observed and followed by a group. It may be likened as a profession of faith or a
promise to life by someone who mentions it every time.
Much like the invocation let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God and the
prayer In all these, we, together and by association, dedicate our life and work to God, Who
alone guarantees the fulfillment of our Lasallian dream, Lasallian Engineers vow to always
believe in divine providence, respect dignity of men, protect rights to better life, observe
engineering ethics, harness knowledge, and find the common goodness among all.
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It serves as a guiding principle for all Engineers whenever challenges are met in life.
Divine Providence
In theology, Divine Providence is a belief that God governs or is in complete control of
everything. Providence is God Himself considered in that act by which in His wisdom He
so orders all events within the universe that the end for which it was created may be realized
(Catholic Encyclopedia, 2012).
Lasallian Engineers believe in His Divine Providence because God is omniscient or is in all
things. His presence surrounds us every day and guides us to do well always. Remembering that
we are in His presence teaches us that through the Lords Providence we are given new life each
morning, supplies us with all that we need and molds us with the days lesson on how to be better
the next day.
Believing in His wisdom without doubting is believing that God is always with us as De La Salle
teaches.
Dignity of Men
All men are equal in the eyes of God. In the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians, Paul reminded
everyone that"All baptized in Christ, you have all clothed yourself in Christ and there are no
more distinctions between Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female, but all of you are one
in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27). Hence, it is a must for everyone, Lasallian or not, to respect
and honor his neighbor.
Respecting ones worth is seeing Jesus in everyone. The way we value our brethren reflects how
we value Christ as the Lord to whom we were created in His likeness (Genesis 1:27), the same as
De La Salles reminder that God is in everything and everyone as well.
Without respect to our fellows, we can never live or work happily. Goodness is viral it is
passed and received instantaneously. Finding everyones worth and valuing them guarantees our
everyday life and work will be worthwhile.
Right of Men to Better Life
Everyone has a right to a better life. More than Human Rights (right to life), a better life simply
means improvement in ones way of living be tangible or intangible tangible in the sense of
acquiring more material wealth and intangible in the form of spiritual or moral prosperity. Hence,
as a Lasallian Engineer, we are duty bound to protect and preserve this as taught by De La Salle.
John Baptist De la Salle believed that education gave hope and opportunity for people to lead
better lives of dignity and freedom (Wikipedia 2014). This was why he helped the new
congregation Sisters of the Child Jesus, and after meeting Adrian Nyel, established a school for
the poor called the Institute of the Brothers of Christian Schools.
He saw that there was a need to protect poor children into falling into the deeper pits of poverty
and vices that would pull them away from the love of God. De La Salle believed that for them to
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be saved, he will need to embrace them and show them the path to better lives. And this may
only be done through proper and moral education.

Competence, Integrity, Teamwork, Professionalism and Honesty

The virtues of competency, integrity, teamwork, professionalism and honesty are mostly the
foundations or core values of every engineering canon. As Lasallian Engineers, we are trained to
be competent, not competing; full of integrity, not only integrating; works as a team, not into tim;
professional, not pro-rational; and honest with respect to Christian morals.
Being responsible is not simply being committed but showing and observing these five values in
ones work. One may be responsible in paper but to share successes and failures of partners/coworkers/subordinates is better.
Dedication best describes responsibility through competence,
professionalism and honesty more than commitment alone.

integrity,

teamwork,

Development of Science and Technology

Gone are the days when the Church persecutes philosophers and men of science. Today, science
is geared to produce technology to aid man and improve his life. Lasallian Engineers are not only
lovers of science but of technology that helps the community prosper. This may be proven by the
outreach programs of engineering departments ranging from sharing of facilities and instruction
to developing communities through research of faculty and students.
DLSU sharing its resources and sciences to impoverished communities aligns the universitys
new vision-mission of leading learner-centered research university, bridging faith and
scholarship in the service of society, especially the poor. What the poor lacks the university
community compensates thereby forming wholly the society.
Prosperity is not seen on one person alone but through the improved lives of many.
Ultimate Good
De La Salle believed that there is goodness in everyone. Let us remind ourselves that we are in
the holy presence of God tells us that all that He created are good (1 Timothy 4:4). John Baptist
De La Salle found this true after transforming lives of unprivileged children in the 16th century.
He met them intemperate and rowdy yet under his and the Brothers guidance, they were
transformed to good students rearing to help their community.
Finding common good is a trait Lasallian Engineers is unique. Believing that God is present in
all things, they find beauty from trials and problems at work. Despite harshness and sensitivity of
situations, Lasallian Engineers are trained to live from this and learn.
Only through failures can we see the best lessons of our lives.
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Reflection
Saint John Baptist De La Salle teaches us that there is goodness in all things. He instills this
lesson to us through the practice of remembering that we are in the holy presence of God in
starting our prayers and meditations. The silence we hear helps us reflect and feel that God is
beside us always. Hence, remembering is uttered because we never really lost Gods presence
since.
The Lassallian Engineers Credo is a vow of dedication of every Lasallian Engineer to live the
life and teachings of De La Salle in his practice of engineering. To be a Lasallian Engineer is to
be a friend of science and the community who are always the main beneficiary of every research
and development produced.
Through faith-centered engineering, we bridge the gap between classes of the community. De La
Salle tells us that to see the goodness in everyone, we need to reach out and extend our hands to
the needy. Thus, Lasallian Engineering goes beyond than research and development but also
teaching minds while touching hearts and transforming lives.

References
Biblica (2011) New International Version Bible, Collorado, USA: Biblica
De Leon, Martin Domingo (2014) COE 5000 Integration (Lecture
Presentation), Manila, Philippines: De La Salle University
Dela Cruz, Efren (2014) De La Salle University History and MissionVision Statement (Lecture Presentation), Manila, Philippines: De
La Salle University
Galgo, Arnel (2014) The Lasallian Reflection Framework (Lecture
Presentation), Manila, Philippines: De La Salle University
Goussin, Jacques, FSC et. Al. (2005) MEL Bulletin 21: A Lasallian
Practice: Finding the Presence of God, Rome, Italy: Brothers of
Christian Schools
Knight, Kevin. (2012) Catholic Encyclopedia, USA: www.NewAdvent.org
Oxford University Press (2009) Oxford English Dictionary Second
Edition, Oxford, UK: University of Oxford
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