DISTRICT ASSEMBLY UPDATE July 8, 2002

Preparations for the historic District Assembly on Mission continue as the event date nears. Approximately One hundred forty assembly delegates will arrive on the Saint Mary's College campus in Moraga on Saturday and Sunday, July 27 and 28, with formal registration on the 28th. Delegates will be housed in the college dorms and other campus residences, and will maintain a busy schedule that includes committee work, General Assembly meetings, liturgies and socials. The assembly will follow on the heels of several weeks of District and Regional gatherings at the College that began in mid-June with the second annual Religious Studies Institute, followed by the Buttimer Institute, Lasallian Leadership Institute, and the fourth annual Lasallian Youth Assembly - "To Be the Holy Presence."

The Assembly on Mission will be similar to the two District Convocations held in 1998 and 1999 in Burlingame, California, in that it will bring together Brothers and Partners in discussion and prayer concerning direction of the Lasallian educational mission in the District of San Francisco. A focus of the 1999 Convocation was the implementation throughout the District of the Context for Action/Action Plan, which has served as the guide for the District mission for the past three-and-one-half years. The assembly will follow a stricter schedule and procedures than those of the Convocation, however, as individual committees and the General Assembly work toward the creation of plans that will take the mission on the West Coast beyond 2003, which will also mark the 135th anniversary of the arrival of the first De La Salle Christian Brothers in San Francisco.

Invited observers will be in attendance at the assembly's openi ng Mass and dinner, and some will attend various assembly sessions during the week. Brother William Mann, FSC, Vicar General, Rome, and Brother Claude Reinhardt, FSC, member of the General Council, Rome, will participate as assembly consultants, and will share their reflections, hopes, and expectations concerning the District of San Francisco, will provide the delegates with a needed international perspective, and will witness the District Assembly on Mission as the first time in the history of the Institute that such an assembly is being undertaken in this way and on this scale.

Restating the Purpose of the Assembly and Procedures

During the past several weeks, delegates have received resources and materials pertinent to their assembly work, including committee assignments, readings, reports, updated schedules for the event, and an impressive document titled Rules of Procedure for the District Assembly on Mission (see below). These rules constitute the framework in which discussions and debates will take place, issues will be raised and addressed, and committee work will be formulated into assembly propositions that will be forwarded to the Brothers for consideration at their 11th District Chapter convening in October 2002 at Mont La Salle. An introduction to the week's schedule reminds participants of the important tasks before them:

Purpose of the Assembly: To formulate direction for the Lasallian educational mission in the District of San Francisco for the next four years.

Procedure: Review the current District Action Plan, sections B-E, material pertaining to the educational mission from District Chapter Acts and Acts of the 43rd General Chapter, and offer propositions and reports based on these to formulate direction in the District for the next four years. Have committees set up in a way to deal with various areas of the Action Plan, sections B-E.

These four sections of the Action Plan address: B) The Lasallian Educational Mission, C) Leadership and the Structure of Educational Works, D) Regional and Overseas Apostolates, E) Stewardship. Section A - The Brothers' Personal, Community, and Apostolic Life - will not be a focus of the assembly's work, as it is specific to the Brothers and will be addressed by the them during the Fall 2002 Chapter.

"A Response to the Context for Action/Action Plan"

A document of critical importance to the work of the assembly was distributed to delegates in early July - A Response to the Context for Action/Action Plan. In a message to delegates, Visitor Brother David Brennan described the report as defining "the ways in which the District of San Francisco has responded to the directives in Sections B through E of the 1999 Action Plan, as well as to directives to our District from the 43rd General Chapter [Rome, 2000]," with which a supplement to the District Action Plan was created two years ago. The Action Plan has guided the District since its creation, and will be an important basis for setting future direction. Members of the District Leadership Team and leaders of District schools and apostolates contributed to the report, which was compiled and produced under the direction of the District Office of Education at De La Salle Institute. "The Response and the activities it documents demonstrate the inspired and faith-filled efforts of many persons across the District of San Francisco to be attentive and responsive to the directives [in the Action Plan]," says Brother David. "Since the beginning of my term as Visitor in 1995, I have continually expressed my strong belief in the value of an effective plan and in commitment to such a plan. The Context for Action/Action Plan has served the District well."

Assembly Schedule

The assembly will open on Sunday, July 28 with a liturgy, welcome dinner, and a keynote address by Brother David. Members of the District Leadership Team will address the assembly throughout the day on Monday, July 29. Leadership Team reports will focus on various topics pertinent to the educational mission: the Lasallian Education Corporation (LEC) (Brother Stanislaus Campbell, FSC); the Brothers' Role in the Educational Mission (Brother Thomas Jones, FSC); District services to educational apostolates provided by the Office of Education (Mr. Gery Short); finance (Mr. Steve Taylor); Lasallian school boards (Mr. Richard Sprague); expansion and maintenance of facilities (Mr. Ron Tapper). Brother Craig Franz, FSC, President of Saint Mary's College of California, will address the gathering about the state of Saint Mary's College.

Tuesday and Wednesday, July 30 and 31, will focus on the work of delegates in ten separate committees:

Committee work and meetings of the General Assembly will take place Thursday, August 1, and the General Assembly will meet throughout the day on Friday, August 2, concluding with a liturgy and Brother Visitor's remarks to close the assembly.

Assembly Rules of Procedure

The Rules of Procedure will provide the structure for proceedings during the week-long assembly. The format is based on the procedures for the Brothers' District Chapter, which occurs every four years. The rules cover every aspect of procedural formalities, including time limits for addressing the assembly, responsibilities of the assembly moderator and tellers (vote counters), instructions for submitting committee reports to the General Assembly and endorsements of those reports by the General Assembly, points of order, suspension of rules, amendments, and debates. A helpful glossary defines terms used in the rules, as well as the duties of assembly officers.

Reminders for Assembly Delegates

Monday, July 15 is the closing date for responding to the online Discussion Forum. Sixty-eight delegates have submitted responses to date, and others are encouraged to log on to the District web site and complete the survey. Thank you for your participation!

Watch the Web Site for Assembly Week News

Frequent news reports from the assembly will be published on the District Web site during the event week, July 28 - August 2. Be sure to check back and follow the progress of the first-ever District of San Francisco Assembly on Mission.