Our Lasallian
Heritage
An Orientation & Introduction
to the Lasallian Heritage
What We Hope to Achieve
• Growing Familiarity with the
Lasallian educational mission
Goals
 Informational
 Reflective
Agenda
 Common Terms
 Our Mission
 Our Founder
 Around the Lasallian World
 Two Growing Networks
 Essential Characteristics of
Lasallian Ministries
Opening & Closing Our Prayer
 Opening:
• “Let us remember….
• that we are in the holy presence
of God.”
Closing:
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Saint John Baptist de La Salle…
Pray for us!
Live, Jesus, in our hearts…
Forever!
Common Terms
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St. John Baptist de La Salle
De La Salle
La Salle
Lasallian
Lasallian Schools
Common Terms
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Fratres Scholarum Christianarum (FSC)
Brothers of the Christian Schools
De La Salle Christian Brothers
Lasallian Partners or Colleagues
Common Terms
 International Institute
• Superior General: Br. Álvaro Rodríguez Echeverría, FSC
• General Chapter
• International Assembly on Mission
 District
• Brother Visitor
• District Chapter
• District Assembly on Mission
Saint John Baptist de La Salle
and the Gospels
Our
Founders
Rheims, France - 1679
The Situation –
• Rampant Poverty
• Multi-Generational
The Need –
• What can be done to
break the cycle of
economic and
spiritual poverty?
Meanwhile, on the other side of
town…
John Baptist de La Salle 1679
 Newly Ordained
 Privileged Background
 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…
However…
One Commitment Leads to Another
 Assists Adrien Nyel
 Works With Teachers
 A Challenge: Trust in
Providence
 Establishes a Teaching
Community
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…
The Gentle Persistence of God
And if I had ever
thought…
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.
One Commitment Leads 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
 To provide an education to
those who did not have access
to a quality, Christian
education
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”
Our Worldwide Mission
The purpose of this Institute
is to provide a human and Christian education to
the young, especially the poor, according to the
ministry which the Church has entrusted to it.
-- The Rule of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
Video Overview
 De La Salle – A Reflection
• Brother Gerard Rummery, FSC
• Australia
• General Councillor for 14 years
• Significant Contributor to Lasallian Studies
• Focus Question:
• If you were sitting around a campfire with people who
had never heard of John Baptist de La Salle, what would
you tell them?
Stop and Reflect
Our Lasallian World
Around the World in 5 Minutes
The International Institute 2009
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81,000 Partners
The United States-Toronto Region
2009
Districts of the United States/Toronto Region
■
100 ministries
■
56 high schools
■
14 “Miguel”
schools
■
3 “Cristo Rey”
schools
■
7 Colleges /
Universities
■
3 elementary
schools
San Francisco District
Programs for
Youth with
Special Needs
Midwest District
■
New Orleans/Santa Fe District
District of Eastern North America (DENA)
Two Growing
Networks
of Schools
San Miguel Schools, 2009
Cristo Rey Schools, 2009
Goals
of
Lasallian
Ministries
Board Work
Parent
Programs
Curriculum
Co-Curricular
Programs
Development
Goals of
Lasallian
Ministries
Campus
Ministry
School
Policies
Student
Service
Programs
Hiring
Admissions
For Reflection and Conversation
 Recall a time when you were a
student and…
• …a teacher treated as a person in a
powerful way. What did the teacher
do? What did you learn from the
experience?
Lasallian Core Values and
Beliefs
As Articulated in
Goals of Lasallian Ministries
Goals of Lasallian Ministries
• 2005: Regional Education Board
(REB) commissions a group to revisit
and bring up to date the 1986
“Characteristics of Lasallian Schools”
• Result: “Goals of Lasallian
Ministries” document shared with
the Region
Umbrella Mission Statement
“The Lasallian ministries of the United
States-Toronto Region respond to the
needs of those entrusted to our care.”
“While the nature of these ministries may
vary across the Region and evolve in
response to the signs of the times, they
possess the following general goals”. . .
1. We Instill Gospel Values
 Let us remember…
 Imago Dei
 Caring and Love for All
Persons
 Witness to the Example
of Jesus and the Heritage
of the Church
 Promote Personal and
Communal Spiritual
Growth and Reflection
2. We are Animated by and Foster a
Spirit of Faith & Zeal
 Let us remember…
 Our “work” is a “ministry”
and a “vocation”
 See all things with the “eyes
of faith”
 Compassion and Care, with
special attention to those
most in need
 The Power of Prayer
3. We Exercise a Preferential Option
for Those Who Are Poor
 Fullness of Life for All
 Special Consideration
Given to Those in
Greatest Need
 Concern reaches beyond
the local community
 Both Social Action and
Social Change are values
“I was hungry, thirsty, naked, sick,
a stranger, a prisoner…”
4. We Develop and Maintain Diverse
Programs Meeting Recognized
Standards of Excellence
 Holistic Education:
 Mind, Body, Spirit, Heart
 Goal: “To have a life as well as make
a living”
 A challenging environment
 For each one “entrusted to our care”
 Professional Development & Spiritual
Formation
 Accountability and Honest Evaluation
5. We Create and Sustain Respectful
Human Relationships in Community
 Goal: Everyone Finds a Place
 Inclusion Instead of Exclusion
 Parents, Students, Alumni, Friends
 Special Concern for Those Most in Need
 Focus on Quality Relationships
 Collegial, Collaborative Style of
Decision-Making and Governance
 The Transformative Power of Example
 Involved with the Local and Larger Church
 United by a Common Mission
Essential Characteristics

We Instill Gospel Values

We are Animated by and
Foster a Spirit of Faith & Zeal

We Exercise a Preferential
Option for Those Who Are Poor

We Develop and Maintain
Diverse Programs Meeting Recognized
Standards of Excellence

We Create and Sustain Respectful Human
Relationships in Community
Stop and Reflect