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By Brother Brendan Kneale, FSC, and Brother Bertram Coleman, FSC Beginnings
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 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
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
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. EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATIONS AND COMMUNITIES Institutions/Communities in Bold are currently active. Inclusive dates for other foundations indicate the years the Brothers served these institutions and do not necessarily mean these places are currently closed.
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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.
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.
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.
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.