"Renewing our Faith" 
by Ned Bennett, Religious Studies Chair,
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, San Francisco.

[This is an excerpt from his lead article in the April 2007 SHCP Connection Parent Newsletter.]

“We might want to revisit our understanding of the word ‘faith.’ Is our perception a mature one? As people of faith we profess the Creed, but have we bothered to re-examine its meaning for our lives? Do we find ourselves sometimes laboring under the images of faith formed in childhood? Are our understanding and experience of faith consistent with the maturity we have developed in other areas of our life? Today some would have us believe that the failure to make Jesus Christ our personal savior will result in eternal damnation. Others argue that God is an illusion and faith is a ‘fool’s errand,’ a futile attempt to establish meanings in our lives. Those among us who reject these two extremes find themselves in the vast mysterious middle, trying to hammer out an understanding of faith that honors our religious tradition, reflects our human experience, and makes sense intellectually and emotionally. So how do we proceed?...”

For the entirety of his stimulating examination of  faith – and the love that is foundational to it – visit  www.shcp.edu – click on Development, then on Communications/Publications for this and other SHCP publications.

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April and May – The Founder’s Months

April and May are special months of remembrance, observance, and reflection for all Lasallians. Here are some relevant dates in the life and work and tradition of John Baptist de La Salle:

April 30, 1651 is the day of his birth.
April 7, 1719 is the day of his death.
May 24, 1900 is the date on which he was declared a saint of the Catholic Church.
May 15, 1950 is the date on which he was declared Patron of Teachers and Student Teachers. The Pope announced “the proclamation of this Saint as heavenly patron of all teachers, men and women alike, clerical as well as lay, actually engaged in, or preparing for, the profession.”

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UPDATES FROM the DISTRICT OF SAN FRANCISCO

Update on Brother Stanislaus Campbell…
Brother Stanislaus Campbell, Visitor of the District of San Francisco, is back to work for limited hours as he continues toward full recovery from his surgery and hospitalization. Welcome back, Brother Stan!

Brothers Assignments 2007-2008…
The following appointments for Brothers in the District of San Francisco were announced recently, most of them effective July 1:

Brother Valery An will be on sabbatical July 2007 through July 2008.
Brother Roch Dufresne will join the Cathedral High School Community in Los Angeles.
Brother Joseph Kirk will join the De La Salle Christian Brothers Community in Portland and will be a member of the Religious Studies Department at La Salle Catholic College Preparatory in Milwaukie.
Brother Daniel Morgan will join the Lasallian Community at Yakima, Washington.
Brother Richard Orona will be on sabbatical September 2007 through May 2008.
Brother Clarence Schenk will join the Joseph Alemany Community at Saint Mary’s College of California.
Brother Philip Thez will be in liaison with the De La Salle High School Community in Concord while continuing as interim principal at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno.
Brother George Van Grieken will join the Provincialate Community in Napa.
Brother Richard Herlihy, a member of the Baltimore District, will join the Provincialate Community at Napa and will work at Justin-Siena High School.

In the end there’s only grace and gratitude…
So writes Brother George Van Grieken in a brief farewell essay as he ends eight years of service at Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento to devote himself to working as the District’s Director of Vocation Ministry.  Go to www.cbhs-sacramento.org and click on Falcon Family News to read his essay and for more news about the school.

Lasallian schools collaborate to provide a “fresh lens’ on
San Francisco poverty…
A news anchorperson from television station ABC7 in San Francisco spent an afternoon at De Marillac Academy March 28, covering a unique digital photography partnership between fourth graders at De Marillac, seniors at Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, and ArtSeed, a community youth empowerment program. The resulting report, Viewing the Tenderloin through a Fresh Lens, can be seen at  www.demarillac.org.

The “heroes” who make Lasallian education possible….
Tim McGree, president of La Salle High Yakima, reflects on the “heroes” who – in imitation of the boldness of Saint John Baptist de la Salle – made it possible to start the school.  Tim’s reflections are very much worth reading in the March/April Parent Newsletter at http://www.lasalleyakima.com/home/Parents+Association/ParentNewsletters

“A man of abundant faith and zeal…”
Brother Gerard Rummery, FSC, a native of Australia, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga for his Lasallian service across the world over the past sixty years. During the College Convocation, Saint Mary’s President Brother Ronald Gallagher praised Rummery as a man of "abundant faith and zeal" for inspiring the college community through his work with the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies and the Lasallian Leadership Institute.  For more, go to www.stmarys-ca.edu and click the headline in the NEWS column “Christian Brother Honored by Saint Mary’s for International Leadership.”

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SUMMER EVENTS for Young Lasallians

 The Lasallian Youth Assembly, June 24 – 29
The 8th Annual Lasallian Youth Assembly will be held in Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University. The theme for this year’s Assembly is “Lord, the work is Yours!”   For complete information, visit the District web site at www.delasalle.org and click on the YOUNG LASALLIANS button.  Questions?  Contact Marilyn Paquette at mpaquette@dlsi.org or 707-252-3858.

Lasallian Student Leaders, July 22 – 27
The annual summer program for secondary-school students to develop leadership skills will be at Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga. Students from schools in both the District of San Francisco and the New Orleans-Santa Fe District will attend. For complete information, visit the District web site at www.delasalle.org and click on the YOUNG LASALLIANS button. Questions? Contact Robert Jordan at rjordan@dlsi.org or 707-252-3722.

VENAVER in Mexico and Documentary Film Project, Summer 2007:  Visit the web site www.delasalle.org to find out about a VENAVER Documentary Film project and other activities for Lasallian Collegians this summer. Click on the YOUNG LASALLIANS button.

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NEWS BRIEFS from the U.S./TORONTO REGION

Two De La Salle Christian Brothers Receive National Catholic Honors

Two Brothers were honored at the National Catholic Education Association Convention in April in Baltimore.

The 2007 "Michael J. Guerra Leadership Award" went to Brother Kevin Strong, FSC
http://www.ncea.org/news/pressrelease/article.asp?article_id=99

The Catherine T. MacNamee Award went to Brother Michael Collins, FSC
http://www.ncea.org/news/pressrelease/article.asp?article_id=88

Nativity/Miguel Schools' Success Receives National Attention

 The Nativity/Miguel schools are featured in the Catholic Schools Week edition of Our Sunday Visitor. Click on the link here to read the full text:  http://www.nativitymiguelschools.org/in_the_news/index.shtml

 For news of the U.S./Toronto Region, go to the Web site of the Christian Brothers Conference at www.cbconf.org □

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NEWS BRIEFS from the INTERNATIONAL LASALLIAN MISSION

There is news online every day about the 44th General Chapter in the history of the international Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, now going on in Rome. 

Go to www.lasalle.org to see daily postings.  And sign up there – simply click the KEEP ME INFORMED button – to receive a weekly e-mail about the Chapter and its progress.

Our own Brother George Van Grieken, working at the Chapter on liturgy and prayer, is posting updates on his weblog with photos and his personal perspectives. The internet address / link is http://georgevangrieken.blogspot.com/ 

Brother Thomas Jones, Auxiliary Visitor of the District of San Francisco, is also in attendance at the Chapter and sends periodic letters to the San Francisco District, which are forwarded by e-mail by District Secretary Barbara Browne (bbrowne@dlsi.org).
 

LASALLIANS WEST - MAY 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