“Are we there yet?”
is the perennial question from children to parents, a question familiar to everyone who has ever been on a family road trip. Carol and Brad Wright, co-presidents of the Parents Association at La Salle High School in Pasadena, ask (and answer) the question as they reflect on long drives, rearing children, and their son’s  imminent graduation:

“…In many respects, our children’s journey through high school is like that long drive along Interstate Highway 5 – it’s long and at times it seems as if there is no end in sight, not to mention that there isn’t always a clear indication of where it will eventually lead. Yet we all know that at some point their La Salle experiences will come to a wonderful conclusion leading to the potential of what tomorrow will bring…. Carol and I look back and can only say that what we have witnessed over the past four years with Christopher is nothing short of a metamorphosis. As every senior parent will agree, a Lasallian education has given our children the opportunity to discover and develop their inner talents and has provided them with the ability and confidence to meet whatever future challenges they may face. Combine that with a social conscience and an overriding duty to serve, and then you will be able to truly appreciate what high school life at La Salle is all about and how it has prepared our sons and daughters for choices faced in their imminent college life….”

This is a brief excerpt from a piece worth reading in its entirety. Go to http://www.lasallehs.org and click on the PARENTS button to find the archive of Parents Newsletters. It’s the May 2007 issue.

What kind of summer fun are Lasallian students looking forward to? 
Why, reading, of course.  On a lazy summer’s day, it’s fun and instructive to tour the web sites of the District’s schools (for example, Cathedral High in Los Angeles,  La Salle High School in Yakima, and Saint Mary’s College High School in Berkeley ) to see the reading lists posted by teachers in various disciplines.  Saint Mary’s High offers an interesting mix of summer reading, having asked faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to offer their recommendations. To see how Panthers are sharpening their minds this summer, go to www.stmaryschs.org. Look for the photo of noted illustrator and author Dan San Souci (class of 1966) petting a tiger cub and surrounded by book jackets.

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UPDATES FROM the DISTRICT OF SAN FRANCISCO

District Council Brothers Assignments 2007-2008:

The District Council of the District of San Francisco for 2007-2008 is the following Brothers:

Mont La Salle in Napa Celebrates 75 Years of Service:                  

First put into operation in 1932, the District of San Francisco facilities at Mont La Salle, on the slopes of Mount Veeder in Napa, have been many things: a school for boys, a novitiate for Christian Brothers, a winery that helped to pioneer Napa Valley winemaking, a home for retired Brothers, a retreat and conference center, a cluster of District offices, a repository of District history and archives, a provider of a variety of services to District schools – and more. To learn more, and to view a special historical booklet created for this 75th anniversary (1932-2007) by District Archivist Andrea Miller, visit the District web site at www.delasalle.org and click on the headline “Mont La Salle: 75 Years of Service to the Lasallian Educational Mission.”

Brother Rafael Philip Thez Receives National Honor:

Brother Rafael Philip Thez, FSC, of the District of San Francisco, has been recognized by the Religious Brothers Conference, a national network of Catholic congregations, with the “Call to Brotherhood” Award.  The award will be given to Brother Philip at the national convention of the Religious Brothers Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, July 27-30, 2007.  Brother Philip continues to serve as principal at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno.  His e-mail there is brphilip@sjmhs.org. The website of the Religious Brothers Conference is www.brothersonline.org.

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Western Catholic Educational Association Web Site Is Up and Running --- Brother William Carriere, FSC, executive director of the Western Catholic Educational Association, announces that the WCEA has a new web site:  www.westwcea.org.  WCEA is a non-profit, private accrediting agency under the California Catholic Conference which accredits schools as a co-accreditor with WASC.  To learn more, visit the web site.

Cathedral High School Construction Progresses --- a new gallery of photos showing construction of the new sports-and-science facility is viewable at
http://cathedralhs.ca.campusgrid.net/home/New+Gym/Construction

Christian Brothers High School Helps Fire Up the Fourth --- A fun fundraiser for a fabulous Fourth of July is the fireworks booth at which festive-minded Falcons will furnish families with the fundamentals of a sparkly -- but safe – holiday. If you’re in Sacramento June 28 through July 4, stop by to pick up what John Baptist de la Salle might have called “les feux d’artifice.” See www.cbhs-sacramento.org for information.

De La Salle High School Honors Terrance Kelly and Helps Youth ---  De La Salle High School in Concord will support the TK Youth Foundation with its third annual dinner and fundraising auction to be held Saturday, August 11, 2007 in the Hofmann Student Center at the school. The foundation honors the memory of slain student and football player Terrance Kelly. For complete details and more on the work of the foundation and the legacy of Terrance’s brief life, visit www.dlshs.org.

De Marillac Academy Has Redesigned Web Site ---  The beautifully redesigned web site, with all the latest news, is at www.demarillac.org

La Salle Catholic College Preparatory Earns Athletic/Academic Honors --- La Salle Catholic College Preparatory in Milwaukie earned its highest finish ever in The Oregonian Cup standings, finishing sixth overall among Oregon's forty-one 4A schools.  For full details on The Oregonian Cup, which originated in 1999, go to www.lshigh.org to read that and other news.

La Salle High School Celebrates Yakima Graduates with Slide Show  -- Go to http://www.lasalleyakima.com/home to view the beautiful slide show of graduation photos – accompanied by the music of Mozart.

Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory Master Plan Is Online --- On the SHCP web site, the school’s 2020 Vision Campaign and master plan are described. This and all the other news is at www.shcp.edu.

Saint Mary’s College of California Wants You to Know ---
How do you pass the bar exam without going to law school”
What is the continuing appeal of girl detective Nancy Drew’?
Why are Saint Mary’s student actors treading the boards in Prague?
What is the CIA up to – and why?
All these questions and more can be answered in the news area at www.stmarys-ca.edu. You can also read the summer issue of the college magazine SAINT MARY’S.

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NEWS BRIEFS from the U.S./TORONTO REGION
Regional Office Has New Location ---  The regional office Christian Brothers Conference is ensconced in its new home in the nation’s capital at 3025 Fourth Street, NE, Suite 300, Washington DC 20017.  The phone number is 202-529-0047.

New Issue of DE LA SALLE TODAY magazine --- Visit the web site at www.cbconf.org to read or download in PDF format) the summer issue of the full-color magazine DE LA SALLE TODAY.  Articles include an essay on religious education, a reflection on the 44th General Chapter in Rome, and an article on how Christian Brothers Investment Services seeks to unify faith and finance in the marketplace. Much more news is also there.

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NEWS BRIEFS from the INTERNATIONAL LASALLIAN MISSION

Complete News on the General Chapter  --- Go to www.lasalle.org to see the proceedings and results of the 44th General Chapter, which  recently concluded in Rome. Click on the icon (see it at right) for complete documentation, access to videos and photo galleries, and much more that is of significance to Lasallians worldwide.

Teaching Peace, Learning Peace in the Middle East ---
ZENIT, the news agency of Vatican City, has published an article on the Lasallian educational mission’s presence in the city of Bethlehem. Bethlehem University is, as the ZENIT article says, ‘’supported by the Vatican's Congregation for Eastern Churches and staffed by the De La Salle Christian Brothers [and] is the only Catholic Christian institution of higher learning in the occupied
Palestinian territories.” In the article, Brother Daniel Casey, FSC, vice chancellor of the university, is interviewed at length. To read it, go to this page of the Zenit web site: http://www.zenit.org/article-19998?l=english and scroll down to the headline “LEARNING PEACE IN BETHLEHEM.”

LASALLIANS WEST - JUNE 2007
A monthly newsletter
De La Salle Christian Brothers ● District of San Francisco

For information, contact
J. A. Gray
Director of Public Relations and Information Services
De La Salle Institute, Napa, California
707-252-3739