1. The Lasallian Heritage
An Orientation For Students
in Lasallian Schools
2011
Introduce myself
My role in the Office of Education
Previous experience
Mr. Greg Kopra and Mr. Gery Short, Contributors

2. Opening & Closing Our Prayer
“Let us remember….
that we are in the holy presence of God.”
Closing:
Saint John Baptist de La Salle…
Pray for us!
Live, Jesus, in our hearts…
Forever!
Point our our common opening and closing prayer rituals
Opening Prayer: Seeing and Blessing Young People

3. Common Terms Introduction to our Culture
St. John Baptist de La Salle
De La Salle
La Salle
Lasallian
Lasallian Schools
Fratres Scholarum Christianarum (FSC)
Brothers of the Christian Schools
De La Salle Christian Brothers
Lasallian Partners or Colleagues
St. John Baptist de La Salle: Founder
Highlight various spellings
Lasallian Schools: formerly referred to as “Brothers’ Schools,” our schools are now commonly referred to as “Lasallian Schools” to indicate that this mission is shared between Brothers and “others”

4. Common Terms International Institute (like Federal)
Superior General: Br. Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría, FSC (like a C.E.O. of a company)
General Chapter
International Assembly on Mission (with lay people collaborating)
District (like State)
Brother Visitor: Brother Stanislaus Campbell, FSC
District Chapter (sets direction for the ministry)
District Assembly on Mission
House (like City)
Brother Superior: Brother, FSC
International Institute: refers to all Lasallian works around the world – over 80 countries, nearly 900,000 students, 77,000 Partners/Colleagues, 6,000 Brothers. The headquarters of the International Institute (or just “Institute”) is in Rome.
Superior General: the title of the Brother elected in Rome at each General Chapter (once every 7 years) to lead the Institute. Br. Alvaro was just elected at the 44th General Chapter to a second term, which runs from 2007 to He works with a General Council of Brothers to oversee Lasallian works throughout the world.
General Chapter –gathering of Brother representatives from every District in the world – takes place every 7 years – focuses on issues related to the international educational mission, to governance of the Institute (esp. global governance, electing Superior General, Vicar General, and General Council), and issues related to Brothers’ life
International Assembly on Mission – first held in 2006 just prior to the 44th General Chapter – gathering of Brothers and lay Partners from throughout the world – specifically to address mission-related issues in the International Institute
District – the Institute is divided up into 11 geographic “Regions” – each Region is divided into “Districts” or “Provinces”
Brother Visitor: the title of the Brother elected by his fellow Brothers in the District at each District Chapter (every 4 years in this District) to lead the District. Works with a District Council of Brothers, along with others, including lay Partners, to govern the District. Br. Visitor is elected, in this District, for a four-year term, renewable once. After that, he continues working in Lasallian ministry somewhere.
District Chapter – held every 4 years, including representative Brothers from throughout the District; elects Brother Visitor and addresses issues related to the educational mission, Brothers’ life and identity, and governance.
District Assembly on Mission – also held every 4 years just prior to the District Chapter; addresses issues related to the educational mission; includes representative Brothers and lay Partners from throughout the District
De La Salle Institute – the “legal” title for the District offices in Napa at Mont La Salle – provides educational, financial, and legal support to District works. Often abbreviated as DLSI.

5. Saint John Baptist de La Salle and the Gospels
Our Founder
Rooted in reality
Shaped Lasallian Education
How can we make the De La Salle experience more than superficial?
Now, let’s take a few minutes to consider the Founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and Lasallian Education – Saint John Baptist de La Salle.
First, we will consider his background – family, upbringing, etc.
Second, we will consider the events that led him into devoting his life to education of the young, especially the children of the poor and working classes.

6. Rheims, France - 1679 The Need –
A way up and out for children of the poor and working classes
Economically
Spiritually
Educational opportunities for children of poor and working-class parents were few and inconsistent in 1679 Rheims –
Families could not afford the 1-on-1 tutoring available at a price;
Some charity schools existed – sponsored by parishes – but they were very inconsistent in their education – oftentimes it was quite inadequate
A group of Sisters had recently opened a school for girls from poor and working class families – this was a start…but nothing of consistent quality was available to boys…
Without education, these children grew up to remain in the same difficult situation their parents faced. Something had to be done to help them up and out of their difficulties…
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7. John Baptist de La Salle 1679
Newly Ordained
Privileged Background
Oldest of 7 children
Should have been in the military, but wanted to be a priest
A Person of Deep Faith
Committed to Doing God’s Will
A Path for the Future?
Whatever God Desires…
Education Does Not Appear to Be in the Cards…
Meanwhile, also in Rheims, was John Baptist de La Salle, a man with a plan that does not include creating a system of schools for children of poor and working-class parents….but a man who is deeply committed to doing what he perceives to be God’s will for his life…
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8. However… We all have experienced the “howevers”….. -- next slide --
Other than his parents dying unexpectedly, De La Salle’s life had unfolded mostly according to plan up until his ordination. Even the untimely death of his parents, which required him to take a break from his seminary studies for a time to care for his younger siblings and put the family affairs in order, did not throw him off for long. He resumed his seminary studies in Rheims and was ordained at age 27. After ordination, however…
His spiritual director died, leaving him the care of a group of sisters in Rheims who ran a school for poor girls…
While visiting these sisters at their convent, he met Adrien Nyel, who had come to visit the sisters to get help opening a school for poor boys. The sisters encouraged him to speak with De La Salle…
After one school opened, the demand grew for another school, so a second opened…
Nyel soon left to open other schools in other towns. De La Salle was left to care for the schools, which were staffed by teachers who were not well-trained, well-mannered, or well-versed in their religious truths…
De La Salle began working with these teachers, encouraging them to trust in God, that God would provide for them. They eventually challenged him, noting that, should the schools close, De La Salle would be OK (as a priest, a canon, and a person with quite a family inheritance) while they would find themselves on the streets…
Ultimately, De La Salle gave away much of his wealth to purchase food for the local people in a famine, and he took vows with 12 teachers, forming the original “Brothers.” This commitment took place in 1694 – only 15 years after the first school opened.
The point here is that his life unfolded in a way that he had not anticipated, leading him to his unique understanding of God’s providence in our lives – a faith perspective that has a serious impact on our work to this very day…
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9. One commitment leads to another
La Salle has his own life plans, but also has a strong commitment to God
His spiritual director dies and leaves him to support a group of sisters in starting a charity school for girls

10. One Commitment Leads to Another
Assists Adrien Nyel
Establishes a school for boys
And another, and another….
Nyel leaves for other works leaves La Salle to work with the teachers
Each “circumstance” is really an opportunity – drawing De La Salle deeper and deeper into this commitment to establishing a system of schools
Ultimately, these events challenge De La Salle to rely on the providence of God to a degree that he never had before – he had always called others to trust in God’s goodness, but he had lived a fairly comfortable life up to this point. This evolving venture, however, was risky – uncertain – fledgling…
It is in retrospect that De La Salle notices clearly in faith the hand of God in all this craziness – in the funny, unanticipated twists and turns his life has taken
Be quick in treating this slide…folks have heard this story before! Focus on the step-by-step nature of the call….
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11. Challenged in Faith Trust in Providence
La Salle had a strong belief in God and that God will provide, but he needed to be realistic: the teachers challenged him by responding, “…easy for you, you are well off, we still have to eat…”
So he establishes a Teaching Community

12. Community makes the difference
Why establish a community?
La Salle: “We are brothers to each other and older brothers to those entrusted to our care.” (This shows the relationship between the faculty and students.)
How can we show that we are a community at DLS?

13. The Gentle Persistence of God
“I had not thought of doing this before, but not because others had not suggested that I do such work… And if I had ever thought this was the outcome, I would have dropped
the whole project…”
de La Salle’s reflection
15 years later
It was, because of these two events, the encounter with Monsieur Nyel and the proposal made to me by this lady (Madame de Croyeres), that I began to take care of the school for boys. I had not thought of doing this before, but not because others had not suggested that I do such work. Several friends of Monsieur Roland had tried to inspire me in this direction, but the work had no appeal for me, and I did not feel inclined toward it. And if I had ever thought that the care I took of the school masters, simply out of charity, would impose on me the duty of living with them, I would have stopped doing this. For, naturally, I ranked lower than my valet those whom I was forced to employ in the schools, particularly in the beginning, and the very thought that it would be necessary to live with them would have been insupportable to me.
….Apparently, then, it was for this reason that God, who directs all things with wisdom and gentleness, and who is not accustomed to force the wills of [persons], but who wanted to lead me to take complete direction of the schools, did this, in a very imperceptible manner, and over a period of time, so that one commitment led me into the next one without my having foreseen this in the beginning.
-- from The Memoire on the Beginnings
There’s something about timing. De La Salle was not ready to undertake this work when it was first proposed to him….I wonder who proposed this to him?
Initially, he “did not feel inclined toward it.”

14. The Gentle Persistence of God
“God, who directs all things with wisdom and gentleness…
…one commitment led me into the next one without my having foreseen this in the beginning. “
It is in hindsight – in the rear view mirror – that De La Salle sees clearly the hand of God in things. This is why prayer is so absolutely important to De La Salle. It is in prayer that he (and we) is able to look back and see things clearly. It is what we are about this weekend on retreat – and what we are encouraged to do in varying ways as a normal part of our lives…

15. The Gentle Persistence of God
La Salle was successful because:
He wasn’t overwhelmed,
God worked with him according to his ability
Level by level, little by little
God won’t give us a challenge that we are not able to try

16. Response to the Need Response to God’s Call
Being led from one commitment, from one decision, to another.
To help open a school
To assist teachers
To establish a community of educators – “Brothers”
To dedicate his life “in association” with these Brothers
Education is the way “up & out”
Not just a living…making a difference in the world
De La Salle’s faith – a strong belief that God was calling him to this work – allowed him to seek new responses to the problems confronting the poor children who came to the schools for an education.
He believed that God would not desire the salvation of these young people without giving people like De La Salle the wherewithal to accomplish it.

17. Who are the Brothers? serve others through education
live in community, praying together daily
consecrate themselves to God
live in the spirit and charism of a long tradition
share their mission in a global “Institute”

18. The Mission of Lasallian Schools
The purpose of this Institute is to give…
a human and Christian education to the young,
especially the poor, in whatever need
according to the ministry which the Church has entrusted to it.
-- The Rule of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
With only the title up, introduce this slide as the“Mission Statement” for all Lasallian schools around the world.
The “Rule” – a collection of guidelines for the Brothers’ work and living. The Rule was most recently revised in 1987.
The Institute…A term referring to the “organization” – the De La Salle Christian Brothers and their lay Partners and their ministries around the world; also used to refer to “De La Salle Institute” (District Headquarters)
A human and Christian education … We’ll get back to this later in the program…for now, suffice it to say that this education addresses both the practical, daily “human” needs of students as well as the “spiritual” needs of the students
Especially the poor…Special concern for the neediest student…Every school is challenged to serve the poor through service learning programs, community service projects, immersion experiences, and other opportunities to provide direct service to the poor…Every school is challenged to admit more students from low income families…A gradual return to our original charism while still honoring the current situation in our schools
the Church…The Catholic Church has special affection for the Brothers – De La Salle canonized in 1900 and named Patron Saint of All Teachers in 1950…“Big C” and “small c” catholic…Used to be called “Brothers” Schools – now called “Lasallian” Schools

19. Stop and Reflect I learned… I was surprised… I discovered…
I’m beginning to wonder…
I’m getting clearer about…
I have a question about…
Give people 1 minute to complete one of these sentences –
Pair up with one person to share.
Ask for responses in the large group.
Take a break.