School president, Br. Allan J. De Castro, FMS, was recently appointed by the General Council of the Marist Brothers congregation as provincial for the East Asia province. The appointment was announced by the Superior General, Br. Ernesto Sanchez Barba, FMS, in a letter to the province on December 23, 2021. Br. Allan will begin his assignment on April 21, 2022 and will hold office for three years. In the letter, Br. Ernesto cited Br. Allan’s strong support from the Brothers of the Province as revealed by the sondage (a formal survey among the Brothers) prior to the appointment. He also praised Br. Dominador Santiago, FMS, current provincial, for his “leadership in an attitude of availability and listening, taking important decisions, and accompanying the different realities in (the) Province . . .”

A province in the context of this article is an administrative unit of the congregation that is usually limited to a specific geographical region. The East Asia Province is composed of Marist Brothers communities in the Philippines (Philippine Sector), Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong (China Sector), Korea and Japan (Korea-Japan Sector). The Province also administers communities of Brothers in mainland China. A Provincial heads the Province.