The De La Salle Brothers are this year marking their centenary in Malta with the grim reality that they are a dying breed.
There are just 18 Maltese Brothers left, all of whom are well into pensionable age - a far cry to half a century ago when several young enthusiastic men formed part of the community.
The last man to take the plunge into the Brotherhood for good did so well over 20 years ago.
The few young men who chose this path in recent years have left the order to concentrate solely on teaching. Others could not handle the thought of celibacy and started a family.
Brotherhood is no longer a popular vocation, three long-serving Brothers admitted with The Times.
The situation has become so desperate that the Brothers recently had to take the difficult decision to shift powers to lay persons in what is being described as a "shared mission" or a "vow of association".
For the first time ever, a long-serving teacher was appointed headmaster of De La Salle College. Shortly there will be new junior and senior school heads at Stella Maris College and a junior head at De La Salle. All assistant heads are lay persons.
There are now nine brothers at De La Salle College in Cottonera, six at Stella Maris College in Gzira, one at the Brothers' home at Mellieha, one is currently in Rome and the other in Kenya. There are no more Brothers at St Benild's - an offshoot of Stella Maris College.
DLS director Bro. Martin Borg believes the shortage problem boils down to the fact that nowadays people shun commitment of any kind. "People don't even want to commit themselves to marriage, let alone Brotherhood," he said.
"At 25 we make perpetual vows for life. That's a big decision for any young man to take. The Brothers' life is not easy. So people will question why they should become Brothers when they can still be teachers and earn money, start their own family, and live freely, while being good Christians."
The Brothers are descendants of French Priest John Baptist de la Salle who, in the 17th century, felt there was a need for good and sound education, based on a Christian background. He was canonised in 1900 and proclaimed patron saint of teachers 50 years later.
Sadly though, the Brotherhood remained shrouded in misconceptions and many still believed Brothers were "half-baked priests", individuals who could not make it to the priesthood, Bro. Martin said.
Brothers were first and foremost religious people, even before becoming teachers and practically all kept on studying well into their old age, while keeping in touch with their students.
Bro. Martin said it still remained to be seen to what extent the La Sallian spirit would live on if there were no Brothers occupying the top positions.
"Brothers are renowned to have a certain charisma that cannot be compared to others. But we hope this spirit will live on through our teachers," Bro. Martin said.
He said the Brothers had broached the subject of transferring powers to lay teachers in the past but never had the courage to do it.
The crisis of vocations is hitting all of Europe, to the extent that there is just one Brothers' novitiate for all of the continent when in the past there used to be a novitiate or two in each country.
DLS junior school headmaster Edward Galea says the blame can be laid squarely with the existing Brothers themselves. "We did nothing to lure people into the community," he said in a frustrated tone.
People were also apprehensive about being Brothers because they did not want any close ties to religion, Bro. Edward said.
Bro. James Calleja, 85, one of the longest serving Brothers, said the fact that Brothers could not say Mass could act as a deterrent for anybody wanting to join the community.
It was Bro. Benoit Constant who founded De La Salle College back in 1903 when the Brothers set up house in Strada Buongiorno, Cospicua.
In 1936, the Brothers acquired a large plot of ground known as Il-Hawli which houses De La Salle College.
A total of 1,500 students attend De La Salle and another 1,100 at Stella Maris, both employing 168 and 92 teachers respectively.
Bro. Martin insists DLS still has all the qualities found in the best schools on the island, especially since a lot of money is invested in personnel.
But financing remains a major problem. Ever since the school debacle of the 1980s, when the government insisted on free schooling for all, and the subsequent introduction of the donation system, the school's finances have been drained.
The money the school receives in donations barely covers the salaries to the extent that another Lm125,000, which should be going to maintenance, is invested in personnel, Bro. Martin explained.
Each term, a letter is sent to every parent detailing the costs faced by the school which make it possible for parents to work out the donation they feel they should make.
However, the system is often abused, Bro. Edward says, to the extent that some parents pay a measly Lm5 for their son's education.
Still, despite such hurdles, the Brothers strongly believe the school has a solid foundation and that the community's touch had been ingrained in their teachers.
Evidently, not everybody is convinced of a bright and rosy future.
Asked how he saw De La Salle in 15 years' time, Bro. Edward paused, smiled, and uttered: "It will be just another private school... hopefully they won't change the name."