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By
Brother Brendan Kneale, FSC, and Brother
Bertram Coleman, FSC
Beginnings
 Historians can only speculate on the reasons that compelled Joseph
Sadoc Alemany, O.P., Archbishop of San Francisco
in the mid-nineteenth century, to spend
ten years pleading with various church authorities
in order to get the Christian Brothers to
come to California. In 1867, after exhausting
every other avenue, Alemany appealed directly
to the Vatican to put pressure on the Brothers'
Superiors to send nine Brothers from the
District of New York to fill a great need
on the West coast. The Brothers arrived
in San Francisco the following year, under
the able leadership of Brother Justin McMahon,
a dynamic and politically astute Irishman.
Alemany's
immediate need of the Brothers was the up-building
of Saint Mary’s College, a high school
and budding four-year college which the
Archbishop had founded in 1863 to serve
the booming population of San Francisco.
From its establishment, the school's leadership
had been weak and its finances poorly managed.
Given the Christian Brothers’ long
history of school management and Brother
Justin’s own such success on the East
Coast, he was the ideal person to rectify
the situation and create a viable and quality
educational institution for San Francisco.
Moreover, he wisely planned for the future
of the school and the new District of San
Francisco by recruiting Brothers and new
vocations, establishing feeder schools,
and securing solid financial support. One
of his first tasks was the successful procurement
of a University Charter from the State of
California, resulting in the first awarding
of Bachelor Degrees from Saint Mary's College
in 1872.
 The
appended listing of institutions established
by the District reflects the growth and
development of the Brothers' mission on
the West Coast over the two decades following
their arrival in California. In downtown
San Francisco, in Sacramento, in Oakland,
and in other area locations, grammar schools
and high schools - some of them incipient
colleges - were established. The manpower
needed for this expansion came largely from
Brothers recruited from New York, Prince
Edward Island, and Ireland. At the same
time, the San Francisco District brought
dedicated and able laymen into the schools
to provide needed expertise.
The
Latin Question
One
of the interesting and historic problems
that arose in the early years of the District
was that of the teaching of Latin. From
the beginning, Archbishop Alemany hoped
that priestly vocations would be generated
from his Catholic schools and colleges.
The teaching of Latin greatly expedited
the preparation of young men for theological
study. The teaching Order of Christian Brothers,
in direct contrast, had been established
in 1680 France specifically to teach the
poor children of Reims in their own
language, not in the Latin language reserved
for teaching of the upper classes. Faced
with this contradiction to their basic principles
in the young San Francisco District, as
well as similar expectations in other Districts
in the United States, the Brothers acquiesced
to Alemany's requirement and taught Latin
at Saint Mary's College. The Order's French
Superiors, however, were anxious to uphold
the Brothers' traditional ban (and may have
been influenced by an anti-American bias),
and the resulting tension created an entire
chapter in the Brothers’ history now
called "The Latin Question." Most
of the 9,000 Brothers worldwide at that
time were against teaching "The Classics,"
while the American Bishops highly favored
it. Some Brothers were exiled during the
struggle over the Issue - Brothers known
to be outstanding teachers spent a few years
in France as punishment for their ignoring
of the ban in schools in the United States.
The American Bishops finally prevailed by
appealing to the Pope. In 1923, a Papal
Bull, or edict, settled the matter in favor
of the Bishops. The obedience of the Brothers’
Superiors to the Pope, however reluctant,
was rewarded by a phenomenal growth of the
Christian Brothers' educational work throughout
the United States.
Growth
 In
the early years of the District, evidenced
in the appended list, schools of all grade
levels were established in numerous California
cities, as well as in several out of the
way areas and in neighboring Oregon and
Washington. In 1894, the Christian Brothers
assumed responsibility for Saint Vincent's
Orphanage near San Rafael, California, as
well, after considerable effort by the Archdiocese
of San Francisco. As the move to focus on
secondary education took hold, some of these
early institutions existed only briefly.
Before the trend to teaching primarily in
high schools, considerable emphasis had
been placed on career and business education
for young men, particularly banking and
bookkeeping. This was true in San Francisco
and Sacramento, as well as at the Brothers'
business college in Portland, Oregon.
Expansion
in the District and establishment of new
schools – along with perhaps an overly
optimistic spirit – resulted in new
construction projects in the 1920's. No
one could foresee the Great Depression of
the early '30s. The financial conditions
of the time caused the Brothers to borrow
funds for needed building and maintenance.
The Novitiate facilities in Martinez were
outdated and had been outgrown. With borrowed
funds, impressive new facilities were constructed
in the hills outside Napa, creating Mont
La Salle which today houses De La Salle
Institute, a conference and retreat center,
the Christian Brothers Novitiate, and a
residence for retired and infirm Brothers.
In 1927-28, the District supported the move
of Saint Mary's College from crowded facilities
in Oakland, where it had moved in 1889 from
its original location in San Francisco,
and again borrowed funds to construct a
beautiful campus in Moraga. Within a few
years, a declaration of bankruptcy was necessary,
not uncommon at the time. It was only with
great effort and considerable sacrifice
on the part of lenders, as well its the
generosity of San Francisco's then Archbishop
John J. Mitty, that District properties
were saved.
The
Winery
 A small wine-making operation,
specifically altar wines, had begun in Martinez
in the early years of the District, and
had continued at Mont La Salle, with little
change in its productivity or in its income,
which assisted with the operation of the
schools. By the mid-1930's, a young Brother,
John Hoffman, took over the enterprise.
He had energy, vision, and good business
acumen, and  not least, the assistance of a talented wine maker, Brother Timothy
Diener. Phenomenal growth and great success
attended the efforts of these Brothers.
The debt to Archbishop Mitty was repaid,
new schools were financed in Bakersfield,
Fresno, and Reedley, to name a few, and
a nationwide market was developed for Christian
Brothers wines and brandy. Other high schools
were founded in Pasadena, Concord, and Milwaukie,
Oregon. Saint Mary's College received a
considerable infusion of financial support
during the 1950s and 1960s. A fine retreat
house for high school students was established
in St. Helena, near Napa. During this same
period, vocations to the Christian Brothers
experienced considerable growth, as well.
When Brother John died suddenly in 1962,
several able Brothers followed him as Presidents
of the Winery.
Significant
change occurred in the 1980s, however. Changes
in marketing and competition and the fewer
number of Brothers interested in the work
of winemaking resulted in the sale of the
winery in 1989.
Since
Vatican II
At
the time of Vatican Council II in the mid-1960s,
the District of San Francisco had over 250
Brothers, whose median age was about forty.
Several Brothers were serving in overseas
missions, notably the Philippines, Africa,
and at Bethlehem University in Palestine.
A subsequent decrease in vocations by nearly
50%, and a resulting dramatic increase in
the Brothers’ median age paralleled
similar changes in many religious orders
and in the diocesan priesthood. What at
the time was considered a radically serious
problem was later interpreted by the Christian
Brothers at their 42nd General Chapter in
Spring 1993 to be a grace – an occasion
to appreciate in a new way the work of lay
colleagues. Said to have initiated the Age
of the Laity, Vatican II gave special attention
to the growing role of, and need for, lay
colleagues to serve as faculty, administrators,
and support staff. This historic development
in the Church, and particularly in the work
of the Christian Brothers and the Institute,
seems to characterize the move in the 1980s
and 1990s toward "sharing of the mission"
with lay boards of trustees, lay presidents
and principals, District officers, deans,
and men and women faculty. As a case in
point, La Salle High School in Milwaukie,
Oregon, is today conducted as a Lasallian
institution of the De La Salle Christian
Brothers with an entirely lay administration,
faculty, and staff. Boards of trustees have
been formed in nearly all the schools and
are wholly or predominantly comprised of
lay Partners. The Brothers’ own recreational
and retreat facilities have been opened
to lay colleagues and their families. Staffing
by Lay persons at all levels of the District
has increased dramatically. A Lasallian
spirit and renewal of the Brothers' mission
on the West Coast and worldwide continues
to grow and flourish, as formation programs
deepen the understanding of lay men and
women about the values and traditions of
the De La Salle Christian Brothers.
Conclusion
This
brief history of the San Francisco District
of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
would reveal to the perceptive that the
grace of Providence and the strength of
a common commitment have been at work these
past 130 years in this part of the International
Institute and the American Catholic Church.
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