Life Has Changed

The most recent Pastoral Letter from Brother Bob Schieler, Superior General begins with wondering what post-pandemic life could be like. Of course, since no one actually knows, we have to begin by confessing our belief in the Spirit of God that is constantly creative and creating and who calls us to be like God in our own creative approach to living our shared mission.

We know life has changed. What was, is no longer. We have a global experience of and a new appreciation for life and death. The trauma of the pandemic has been matched by the ongoing trauma of climate disruption and the newer trauma (in this country) of insurrection, sedition, and a new kind of political violence. We are experiencing economic disruptions, dislocation, a homelessness never experienced before by the new homeless. We hear the cry for racial justice and recognition of the humanity we all share.

We cannot live as though none of these things has and is happening. Every person has been impacted and the poorest among us have carried the heaviest load.

The Signs of the Times

Our shared “Lasallian” history and our faith tell us the response cannot be that of individuals but only a communal approach can be meaningful. Community has always been central to the Lasallian experience. For us brothers that has meant coming together around a sacramental mission. We live in close proximity with people we might never have thought of living with because the salvation of the young is so important. We talk about them, we plan around them, we pray with them in our heart alongside the Jesus who we claim resides there.

The Institute has been consistently calling us to rethink how we do things and how we form and advance the commitment to Association that makes mission possible. Together and by Association is the central vow of the brothers. That along with obedience and fidelity are what define us.

In light of this context, our District Office leadership team has defined the vision we hope to implement as the weeks and months come to us. There are four key elements, or pillars, if you prefer, that form the foundation of the vision: Identity, Vitality, Sustainability and Transformation.

Identity

Who are we as Lasallians? The call is to deepen our understanding of the charism given to the Church through John Baptist de La Salle and the early teaching community that came to be known as brothers to one another and the Brothers of the Christian Schools to the world.

Here are some central elements, though not exhaustive, of that identity. First and foremost is the notion of “Together and by Association.” This is a communal effort. Community requires that we build relationships of trust and appreciation with each individual. Every person must believe he or she plays a critical role in the effort. Second is obedience by which I mean listening to one another until we are listening in the same direction–it is deep mutuality and dialogue. Third, it is a sacramental mission because we brothers and sisters become the very face of God for those we encounter and serve. We are the vehicle through which a meeting with the sacred takes place. Forth, these factors are important for mission not for themselves. And we understand that this is God’s work and we are collaborators. Therefore, our life of prayer must be living and thriving even when God seems absent. Our faith must continue to grow, and we must always remember that doubt is not the opposite of faith but leads us deeper.

The primary obstacle to faith is certainty. We must always remain open to the creativity of the Holy Spirit who leads us in ways we might not have anticipated.

Central to the development of an identity around these elements is formation. We do not proselytize but invite our associates to journey deeper by walking with us one step at a time. This includes administrators, faculties, staff, board members – each one of us.

It means central to the way we live mission is the formation of community. We are convinced that we have one another’s back, that we have the help and resources we need to succeed.

As we recruit donors and students, retreatants, partners of all kinds – we must communicate clearly that this endeavor is about faith, transformation, spiritual journey, community and preparing the young and not so young with the skills for a viable life in the world.

Vitality

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life who guides us as we strive to procure the glory of God through our fraternal witness, our apostolic ministry of education and our commitment to improve the lives of those who are poor. This is the first paragraph on page three of the most recent pastoral letter. We believe in the giver of life. We share life with all things that exist. If you are able to be outside and to lie back at night look into the sky. The very substance that you see in the 400 billion stars is also you and every other thing on this small marble rotating in space. We are all made of the same minerals and chemical compositions. The great diversity that we see, the tallest trees, the smallest insect, things covered in greens and blues and all the shades and hues of colors we do not know how to name are one. Life’s diversity is one great unity – coming from a single source. We share DNA with all that is. This is life – a great and beautiful dance in which all creation holds hands and moves together. So vitality is a question about how we animate and give life to our institutions. It is about how we commit ourselves to animate and excite our relationships with living spirit. We commit to upholding the dignity of each and every person as well as to promoting a deep respect for all life on the planet because all of it is sacred.

I told the bothers that we share nearly 60% of our DNA with bananas (it’s true) and some of them told me they would never be able to eat their breakfast in the same way. Let’s ask ourselves how we build community with our donors and others who contribute to the mission even though they are not in “the middle of the daily action” on site. We can never minimize anyone if we take “Together and by Association” and the dignity of each person seriously. Our community is always invitational. Remember the parable of the man who wanted to host a great banquet. His invited, important, guests refused the invitation for a multitude of “reasonable” excuses. His response was to invite prostitutes, sinners, the marginalized underappreciated people who were considered unessential. What we learn here is that God’s banquet table is open to all. We ought never take anyone for granted and must demonstrate our appreciation in multiple ways. In the same way, our ministries must be living faith-filled communities of respect, inclusion, excellence committed to justice and the service of those who are poor. Without attention to these things, we destroy our identity and our institutions become lifeless. Vitality is critical. If our ministry is not living and breathing, we have no reason to exist.

Sustainable

By this we mean relationship. When the relationships in a family break down the entire structure falls apart and whether the members simply co-exist or separate, the life is gone. We must be about building healthy relationships among ourselves, with families, with donors and the communities in which we exist. Educational institutions have sometimes been compared to the old medieval castle surrounded by a mote. The elites were holed up inside and the rest of the community was kept out. Sustainability requires us to fill in the mote, let down the drawbridge and move into the community and to allow the community entrance to the hallowed ground. Our ministry and our educational communities must be transparent and open. All of this must be built upon the basic elements of our shared identity and the way in which we promote life.

We know that sometimes we get pushback from those who do not agree with us or understand us. That’s why a deep understanding and the conviction of our identity is so important. In disagreement, we see opportunity and enter dialogue with conviction about our core principles and our faith in the Holy Spirit. It is possible to build relationship with those who disagree with us when we promote mutual respect and not relinquish our fundamental values. Once again, we do not proselytize but invite. And, for relationship to be authentic, we also must be open to change. That doesn’t mean we relinquish what is central to us but possibly we have been challenged about how we live what we proclaim. The Spirit requires us to remain always open.

Transformation

We invite families, students, retreatants, donors and other contributors to a spiritual journey. The spiritual journey is a journey to deeper and deeper authenticity. When I joined the brothers, I was told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. I was given clothes that looked like everyone else’s. I was given a new name. What I’ve learned over the years is that I cannot put on the Lord Jesus Christ. If that is what I do, I can just as easily take him off. I’ve learned that clothes don’t make an ultimate difference. I learned that my name was quite good enough because it truly represents me. Christ lives in me, Michael. Christ issues forth from inside of me. I am a son of God as you are sons and daughters of God. Our life journey is to move toward the God who draws us to the heart of all that is Sacred. St. John Duns Scotus said that God is Being itself. Theologian Paul Tillich said God is the Ground of Being. So, our mission is to take this journey in community and to accompany those who respond to the invitation to walk toward the Ground of Being and Being itself – the heart of all that is Sacred – with us.

It is the invitation we extend to our students and retreatants. In our relationship with donors, it is establishing the partnership in which they come to a deeper understanding that they stand with us in the holy work we attempt to do.

You are critical members of this Lasallian community. You are an external face of all that we proclaim to be. The challenge for us is to commit to the journey together and by association. We are in this together. There isn’t just St. Pats, or Holy Family, or the Darst Center or St. Mary’s University. We are a network that proclaims the great unity underlying the diversity of life. If we are not a Midwest Team, a Midwest District Community we are the less for it. Let’s be a holy community-together for the sake of a sacred mission. If we are, we will reflect the fundamental unity of life more completely.

Things to think about

Our shared “Lasallian” history and our faith tell us the response cannot be that of individuals but only a communal approach can be meaningful. Community has always been One Idea:

The disaffiliation from the Church will impact motivation to send students to Catholic Schools and enrolment might continue to decline. A second factor is the cost of private education in the USA which continues to get more expensive. A third factor is a shrinking child population so there are fewer students to recruit. A fourth factor is virtual education. COVID has taught some families that they can do quite well studying at home through public education.

We dream of a network of Lasallian ministries more tightly together. An example would be that students get a degree from the Lasallian Network rather than an individual school. Schools could collaborate to reduce costs and offer more advanced and unique programs. For example, not every school has a Mandarin Chinese teacher. However, the Network could hire one who would teach virtually to students from the entire District’s geography. We could consider a tighter relationship with our retreat/spirituality centers and find new ways they can be helpful in the spiritual formation of our students.

The Region is helping finance the Academic Travel program developed by our secondary school, De La Salle High School in Minneapolis, that promotes the global reality of the Lasallian Mission by creating partnerships among our schools world-wide and structuring student exchanges for short periods of time.

Our publishing house, Saint Mary’s Press, now known as Lasallian Education and Research Initiatives, has given birth to Springtide which is researching the connection to faith among young people. Springtide disseminates its findings which our ministries can use to their advantage. to the Lasallian experience. For us brothers that has meant coming together around a sacramental mission. We live in close proximity with people we might never have thought of living with because the salvation of the young is so important. We talk about them, we plan around them, we pray with them in our heart alongside the Jesus who we claim resides there.