The Brothers' mission in the Philippines began in 1911, when the first group of foreign Brothers arrived in Manila. At first, people thought that the Brothers were like the Spanish friars of the conventos since they were men of God who taught the youth the basics of the Christian faith. But as people worked with the Brothers, they began to understand that the Brothers were not priests, but full-time religious educators who were inspired by the example of their founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle and have consecrated their lives for the service of youth. If the Brothers then had been involved with priestly functions, the Brothers would not be able to totally dedicate their time to  the young.
This is why, to this day, the Brothers remained lay religious completely devoted to the ministry of the religious education of youth. Although the Brother does not officiate in the Sacraments, it is the life of the young people that the Brother seeks to transform.
The Brother Visitor
The Brother Visitor is the official title of the head of a particular District of the Christian Brothers although for purposes of communication with non-members of the La Sallian family, the title, Brother Provincial is used because of its commonality with the title used to describe the district heads of other religious congregations.
The Brother Visitor is the person responsible for assigning Brothers to their communities and providing for the different posts of responsibility as deemed necessary by the District Chapter. He is also responsible for admitting candidates to the Novitiate as well as the making of vows. Also, as specified in canon law, he is authorized to issue writings on matters of religion or morality.
The Philippine District has had eight Brother Visitors, who are elected for three-year terms. The first was Brother Justin Lucian FSC, who was elected in 1970 and was also the last Auxiliary Visitor from the Baltimore District. The incumbent is Brother Edmundo Fernandez FSC.
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