The Vow and Spirit of Association Realizing
the Potential
Donald Mouton, FSC
Proceedings of Regional Convocation II
Moraga, California
August 9-15, 1990
Saturday, August 11, 1990
General Session - 8:30 a.m
In her book, The Art of Eating, M. F. K.
Fisher has a chapter on the potato. She begins by stating that there are two questions
which can easily be asked about a potato: what is it, and why is it? The answer to the
first, she points out, is self-evident: a dictionary defines a potato as "a
farinaceous tuber used for food." The second question, why is it?, she continues, is
perhaps too impertinent to be answered. She does, however, attempt an answer by saying
that the potato's function is to serve as a gastronomic complement, hardly ever a main
course in itself.
The same two questions could be asked today of the vow of association in our Institute.
For an answer to the questions one could begin by reading the 1987 Rule of the
Brothers of the Christian Schools, which shows that the vow of association should have a
pervasive influence on the life of a Brother and of the Institute. Association expresses
the religious consecration of each Brother and is part of the vow formula (Art. 24, Art.
25); it is a characteristic of the response to the call of the Spirit and the charism of
the Founder to exercise the apostolic ministry of education (Art. 2); it creates
solidarity among the Brothers in support of the apostolic activity of the Institute (Art.
39a); it is a commitment to education for the poor (Art. 39, Art. 20); it is a
characteristic of the Brothers' community and mission, from the beginning of the
Institute, to respond to the needs of the young people who are poor and far from salvation
(Art. 16, Art. 47).
Thus, association has something to do with the three essential dimensions of the Brother's
life: consecration, mission, and community. But the 1987 Rule also indicates that
association does not characterize only the Brother's life and mission. The spirit of
association is to be shared with our lay associates who wish to live according to the
spirit of the Institute and to participate in its mission (Art. 17, Art. 146).
In their Letter to the Lasallian Family (February 2, 1989) Brother Superior and the
General Council recognized that John Baptist de La Salle made the spirit of association a
central aspect of his work; in large part that spirit accounted for the Institute's
success from the very beginning. Association was an innovative approach to educational
practice at the time. It distinguished the teachers in the Society of the Christian
Schools from those in the Petites Ecoles or the Ecoles de Charité. These latter
were often alone and moved frequently from one place to the next. This same spirit of
association, though the forms it takes may differ, should characterize the Lasallian
Family. "Together and by association" is an expression that is being utilized
more and more within the Institute and among our lay associates. Various forms of
Lasallian associations are emerging now throughout the world and will probably continue to
do so.
Is this broadening of the understanding of association an authentic unfolding of its
potential, or is it simply baptizing and expediency due to a diminishing number of
Brothers? Or, worse yet, does this broadening represent a deviation from the original
intention?
It can safely be said, I believe, that having lay associates is for most Brothers now
quite normal, even useful, and some will admit, a blessing. This, of course, was not
always the case. The 1897 General Chapter issued a statement calling for the reduction in
the number of "lay auxiliaries" and warning the Brothers to have but rare and
very reserved relations with them (Thirteenth Session, March 26, 1897). The 1946 General
Chapter directed that the "feminine element" be urgently eliminated and the
"civilian element" be prudently reduced. Furthermore, no new schools should be
opened in a District where the civilian employees surpassed in number a certain proportion
of the number of Brothers (Fifth Commission, 1946).
While we can be thankful that these statements are in welcome obscurity in the archives of
the Generalate in Rome, we can still ask what it means to move from rejecting lay
associates, to tolerating them, to accepting them, to welcoming them, and finally to
inviting them gladly (1987 Rule, Art. 17) to join us in "association."
To try to shed some light on this matter, I will indicate the role association played
during the foundational period of the Institute. Once it is determined how fundamental the
idea of association was in the minds of the Founder and the early Brothers, I will attempt
to see what was the essential meaning of association.
ORIGINAL FORMULATION OF THE VOW OF ASSOCIATION
The vow of association was first pronounced at a time when the group of teachers founded
by John Baptist de La Salle was in a precarious situation. Personal antagonisms,
opposition to the Founder's work, internal problems, and fragile health that almost led to
his death towards the end of 1690 posed critical questions for De La Salle as to the very
future of his enterprise. In this crisis De La Salle decided to bind himself by vow with
two other Brothers to establish the Society of the Christian Schools at whatever the cost
might be, even if all others should abandon it.
On November 21, 1691, De La Salle and two courageous Brothers, Nicolas Vuyart and Gabriel
Drolin, made the "vow of association and union" to establish the Society without
being able to withdraw from this obligation, even if only we three remained in the said
Society, and if we were obliged to beg for alms and to live on bread alone. (1691 Vow
formula, Cahiers lasallien 2:40)
This "conspiracy" to act unanimously and with common consent for the
establishment of the Society - probably unknown to the other Brothers at the time - is
often referred to as the "heroic vow" (CL 2:40). To vow association in 1691 was
to make an act of hope at a critical time when the work of De La Salle and the early
Brothers was in serious jeopardy.
Indeed, in 1691 the Society was still an unrealized ambition. It would begin to take shape
on June 6, 1694, when ten other Brothers pronounced this same vow with De La Salle and his
first two associates. The expression of the formula in 1691 "to procure with all our
ability and efforts the establishment of the Society of the Christian Schools"
becomes in 1694 "I promise and vow to unite myself and to remain in Society."
Because of the vow of association, the Society was now an incipient reality; it became
officially established when recognized and protected in its rights by proper authorities.
Years later, the Letters Patent of September 1724 and the Bull of Approbation of January
1725 completed its establishment. Of the three who made the heroic vow 34 years earlier,
only Brother Gabriel Drolin lived to see that courageous ambition fully realized.
The vow of association modified the structure of the group, which already had a private,
temporary vow of obedience and a distinctive habit, reinforcing its cohesion. In fact,
communities in Reims and in the surrounding region had existed for several years before
the 1694 vow ceremony. A few years before, De La Salle claimed the right to call his small
group of teachers a "community" with its attendant rights and privileges (Mémoire
sur l'habit, 1689-1690; CL 11:349-354). The vow of association involves more than
joining together in a community to work in a particular school. It situates the Brothers
and the communities within the larger dimension of the Society.
That the Brothers were conscious of this is seen by the fact that the word Society
appears four times after the act of association:
to do anything in the said Society at which I shall be
employed, whether by the body of the Society, or by the superiors who will have the
government thereof. Wherefore, I promise and vow obedience to the body of the Society
as well as to the superiors; which vows of association, as well as stability in the said Society,
and of obedience, I promise to keep inviolably all my life. (1694 Vow formula, CL 2:42,
emphasis added)
At this first General Chapter of 1694, then, it was decided
that the Brothers would take perpetual vows of obedience, stability in the Society, and
association to conduct the gratuitous schools: "to keep together and by association
gratuitous schools wherever they may be."
The formula of vows used on June 6, 1694, was similar in structure to that of the heroic
vow in 1691:
a. commitment to procure God's glory;
b. statement of the purpose of the vow of association;
c. mention of the vows pronounced (association, obedience, stability).
This formula has served as the Institute pattern ever since.
Note that commitment to association forms the center of the formula. The source of this
commitment is the desire to procure God's glory; from this commitment follow the other
vows. Thus, the very structure to procure God's glory; from this commitment follow the
other vows. Thus, the very structure of the formula points to the centrality of the vow of
association:
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, prostate
with the most profound respect before your infinite and adorable majesty, I consecrate
myself entirely to you to procure your glory as far as I am able and as you will require
of me.
And for this purpose, I, John Baptist de La Salle, priest, promise and vow to unite myself
and to remain in society with Brothers Nicolas Vuyart, Gabriel Drolin, and [the ten other
names follow] to keep together and by association gratuitous schools wherever they
may be, even if I were obliged to live on bread alone, or to do anything in the said
Society at which I shall be employed, whether by the body of the Society or by the
superiors who will have the government thereof.
Wherefore, I promise and vow obedience to the body of the Society, as well as to the
superiors: which vows of association, as well as stability in the said Society, and of
obedience, I promise to keep inviolably all my life. (1694 Vow formula, emphases added)
THE ELECTION OF JUNE 7, 1694
That the vow of association was significant for the collective identity of the group was
made clear on June 7, 1694, the day following the pronouncing of the perpetual vows. De La
Salle proposed to those who had pronounced vows to elect one of their own as Superior of
the Society. At first the Brothers would not hear of this, but they agreed to an election
after De La Salle insisted. The results of the balloting were clear: De La Salle was
unanimously elected Superior. A second balloting at De La Salle's request produced the
same results. De La Salle accepted, buy only after the Brothers designed a Declaration
stating that this election would not constitute a precedent for the future. In fact, the Declaration
prohibits the future election as Superior of a priest or of anyone not associated with the
Brothers.
In addition to affirming the lay character and autonomy of the Society, the act of
election constitutes a clear expression of the importance of association for the group.
The election of De La Salle as Superior is a consequence of their association:
We, the undersigned [the names follow], after associating
ourselves with John Baptist de La Salle . . . declare that, as a consequence of these vows
and of the association which we have formed by them, we have chosen as our Superior John
Baptist de La Salle . . . and that we will not have or accept any Superior who has not associated
himself with us, and has not made vows like us and like all those who will be associated
with us in the future. (CL 2:43, emphasis added)
THE LETTER OF APRIL 1, 1714
At the beginning of Lent in 1712 De La Salle, deprived of the right to teach and train
teachers, betrayed by those in whom he had trusted, and feeling abandoned by his Brothers,
left Paris for the south of France. During his prolonged journey of about two years the
Brothers in Paris did not know where he was. Though he visited several communities in the
south of France, he remained aloof and isolated, devoting himself to prayer and to writing
or revising works for the use of the Brothers. He sought peace for a while at the
hermitage of Parménie near Grenoble.
During this time matters worsened in Paris. The internal governance of the Society was
unclear, with Brother Barthélemy acting for the Superior. Efforts by the clergy to
control the affairs of the Society increased. The Brothers needed guidance, and in
desperation the principal Brothers of Paris, Versailles, and Saint Denis sent a
respectful, but formal, letter to De La Salle ordering him in the name of the body of the
Society to resume the general government of the Society:
Monsieur, our very dear Father:
We, the principal Brothers of the Christian Schools, having in view the greater glory of
God as well as the good of the Church and of our Society, consider that it is of the
greatest importance that you return to the care and general direction of God's holy work,
which is also your own, because it has pleased the Lord to make use of you to establish it
and to guide it for so many years.
We are all convinced the God himself has called you to this work and that he has given you
the grace and talents necessary for the good government of this new Society so beneficial
to the Church. We acknowledge in all justice that you have always guided it with
considerable success and edification. That is why, Monsieur, we very humbly beseech you,
and we command you in the name and on the part of the body of the Society to which
you have vowed obedience, to take up at once the general government of the Society.
(Letter of April 1, 1717, CL 2:68, emphasis added)
this unusual step taken by the Brothers was an
expression of the body of the Society, a body born of association.
In summary, in 1691 De La Salle and two Brothers made the vow of association at a time of
crisis in the early years of the Institute. They made it at the initiative of De La Salle,
and it put the Society in motion. Three years later, in 1694, the Society became a nascent
reality when 12 Brothers joined De La Salle in a perpetual vow of association. In 1714, at
another time when the Society was in grave danger, association preserved the identity of
the Society, this time at the initiative of the Society's body.
These incidents suffice to show that the idea of association, made a reality by the vow of
association, was of fundamental importance in establishing the identity of the Brothers as
a group. It was prompted by a desire to give birth and shape to the Society (1691 and
1694), invoked to preserve the survival of the Society (1714), and made the central
element of the vow formula.
The following section will inquire into why association was so vital to the very existence
of the Society from its beginnings.
THE MEANING OF ASSOCIATION
The declared purpose of association as expressed in the "heroic vow" formula of
1691 was the establishment of the Society of the Christian Schools. The purpose of
association according to the vow formula of June 6, 1694, repeated 13 times, was to
conduct gratuitous schools wherever they might be. Twenty-three vow formulas pronounced
from 1695 to 1705 have been preserved: although they contain slight variations, all,
except the formulas for the serving Brothers, link the vow of association with conducting
gratuitous schools (CL 3:12-19). Only a few formulas after 1705 and prior to August 15,
1725 (date of the Bull of Approbation), have survived; they also link the vow of
association with running gratuitous schools (CL 3:19-23).
An explanation of the vows of this early stage can be found in a published text, the
Collection, and in a manuscript text on the back of the vow formula that Brother
Irénée's own hand.
The text from the Collection clearly states the purpose of the vow of association:
to conduct schools by association with those who are associated together in the Society
and who will become associated in the future, in whatever place one may be sent (CL 3:61).
Brother Irénée's explanation of the vows (chronologically between the Collection and the
Bull of Approbation) is similar to that of the Collection. Brother Irénée speaks
at times of a vow "to conduct by association gratuitous schools," at times of
two distinct vows: one of association and the other of teaching children gratuitously (CL
3:20-21). This manner of speaking of two vows is not consistent with the vow formula. But
it is clear that from 1694 the most intimate connection possible links association and
gratuitous schools or teaching gratuitously (CL 2:70). Thus, whether one considers the
case to be one vow or two distinct vows, the obligation is the same: the association of
the teachers in view of the gratuity of their instruction.
Significantly, the explanations allow for the fact that some Brothers may not be involved
in the schools. By the same vow of association the Brothers not directly involved in the
schools promise "to do anything in the said Society at which I shall be employed,
whether by the body of the Society or by the superiors who shall have the government
thereof" (CL 3:21-22). Brother Irénée's explanation of the vows touches directly
upon the role of the serving Brothers: they are at the service of the Brothers teaching in
gratuitous schools (CL 3:21-22).
Thus, from the very beginning the principle of association for gratuity was seen as
essential to the Society. Association and gratuity are the conditions necessary for the
specific identity of the Society of the Christian Schools, independently of the other
vows.
ASSOCIATION AND SOCIETY
Association is a vow that bears primarily upon the Society as a corporate body, rather
than upon a local community of Brothers engaged in working in a specific school. The
purpose of association is not primarily the running of a particular school by a given
community of Brothers, but the promotion of gratuitous instruction throughout the Society.
The vow formula utilizes the plural, "to keep together and by association gratuitous
schools," and makes the Brother available to "go wherever I may be
sent." The vow also applies, as we have seen, to serving Brothers as well as to
others not teaching or administering a school - novice directors, Brothers visiting the
houses of the Society and others (CL 3:21-22). The vow of association commits the Brother
to the Society before it commits him to a particular community and school.
Despite the diversity of the schools in which De La Salle became involved - training
centers for rural teachers, Sunday academies for working youth, boarding schools,
correctional and detention institutions - the Petites Ecoles and the Ecoles de
Charité mainly inspired him. The Ecoles de Charité prompted the idea of
gratuity. From the schools of the Mattres Ecrivains he borrowed the idea for
programs in writing and arithmetic; from the Collèges he took the idea of community
organization of his schools; from Port Royal he borrowed the idea of teaching first
in the mother tongue; from the academies for training young nobles he took the idea of
teaching decorum and civility. But all this he made available in one school, a school
accessible to all through an absolute gratuity - possibly the most decisive of all his
innovations.
This gratuity was a principle De La Salle and the early Brothers fought courageously to
maintain, and it remained a characteristic of the Lasallian schools during the 18th
century. During the 19th century, after the French Revolution, gratuity was still
considered essential, and where exceptions had to be made, indults were requested of the
Holy See.
ASSOCIATION AND GRATUITY
Since the raison d'etre of the vow of association was the principle of gratuity, it
is necessary to see just what gratuity meant to De La Salle and the early Brothers.
De La Salle founded the Society of the Christian Schools for the purpose of providing
teachers for schools for poor and abandoned youth. The schools established by De La Salle
made instruction available to those for whom the other schools were either closed or not
adapted to their needs.
Concern for the poor youth of his time was a constant preoccupation of De La Salle as he
went about establishing schools (CL 7:370). These schools were, for the most part,
gratuitous elementary schools in cities and towns. At times De La Salle provided for the
twinning of a tuition school and a free school, of which one of the oldest and best known
types in the Institute dates back to Saint Yon.
The Brothers specialized in teaching poor youth; association for gratuitous schools was
born of necessity to educate these children (CL 8:19,46). The early Rules define
the Institute as a Society in which one makes profession of keeping gratuitous schools,
and this is seen as essential to the Institute (CL 25:16,34).
Fundamental, then, to De La Salle's view on association is the link between the call of
the poor and abandoned youth and the response to that call through gratuitous schools. To
bring salvation to those children who were "far from salvation" was the driving
force behind De La Salle's efforts to establish the Society of the Christian Schools. The
gratuitous schools were the chosen way to bring salvation to needy and abandoned youth;
the schools put the means of salvation within their grasp (CL 8:174).
Not just any type of school, however, could do this, not even just any type of gratuitous
school. Even in the Petites Ecoles or the Ecoles de Charité the poor were
often segregated from the others, or did not attend, because the curriculum was not suited
to their needs. De La Salle's schools would be characterized by gratuity for all, by a
curriculum adapted to the needs of the students, by being well run, and by being places
where the Good News could be heard. All this could be done by the Brothers only
"together and by association."
Working for the salvation of poor and abandoned youth clearly entailed gratuity, for they
had first to be reached: the school had to be accessible to the poor. De La Salle in his
writings does not define the poor. We do know he chose to address two distinct and
identifiable social categories of his time: the poor and the artisans, who either did not
have the means to pay teachers or had the means but not the time to see to their
children's schooling, because they had to find jobs.
De La Salle wanted schools where the poor would feel at ease, but which would not be
ghettos for them and further exacerbate the discrimination of which they were already
victims. In fact, De La Salle and the early Brothers were accused of receiving not only
the poor, but also those whose families were capable of paying. Many of De La Salle's
legal problems with the masters of the Petites Ecoles and with the Mattres
Ecrivains resulted from his refusal of their demands that he inquire into the economic
situation of the families, so that he could close the doors to the rich. He did not make
inability to pay a condition for acceptance into his schools. To have established such a
discrimination by inquiry would have further alienated the poor. Many families would not
have submitted to such a procedure. To sort out the truly poor from those who could pay
would also throw into the streets children who, though not officially registered as poor
in the parish records, were in families incapable of providing even the most elementary
education, because they lacked the means or the time to attend to their children.
 
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