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Friday, August 2 marked the final day of the historic District of San Francisco Assembly on Mission. Much work remained as the day began. As at every meeting of the general assembly, participants entered the hall to find the Orders of the Day projected onto a large screen. The closing work of the assembly would take place during four meetings of the entire body of nearly 140 delegates that day, beginning at 8:30 am and ending at 5:00 pm. Each of the four Friday meetings had its own agenda, with propositions and reports to be read, clarified, amended, debated, and voted on, when appropriate.The thirteenth and final meeting of the general assembly had a full agenda that included processing several committee reports and propositions. The formal meeting structure, holding to specific time limits for certain procedures, and the outstanding work of the three moderators, Brother Christopher Bassen, FSC, Brother Jonathan Cord, FSC, and Mr. John Scudder, helped to move the agendas along smoothly at each gathering. Minutes of each meeting were quickly produced by the Secretariat staff for review and approval at subsequent meetings.

Nearly thirty draft propositions and some fifteen reports generated by assembly committees reflected, in great part, a desire for the continuation of a strong, District-wide commitment to formation of Brothers and Partners, academic excellence, service of the poor, and other such priorities for the mission on the West Coast as outlined in the 1999 Context for Action/Action Plan, which has guided the work of the District for nearly four years. Those propositions brought to the District assembly by committees and ultimately approved by that body will be reviewed by the Brothers at their 11th District Chapter this fall, and those adopted by the Chapter will guide the next District Visitor who will be appointed during the Chapter. Proposition topics included: diversity, viability of existing District works, research on the impact of the educational voucher system on Lasallian schools, assistance for local educational institutions to become more skilled in the art and science of fundraising, maintenance of the "5% Program" in District schools, accountability for the success of Action Plan items currently being undertaken, adoption of Service-Learning, changes to the structure and practices of the Lasallian Education Corporation that oversees many District schools, and more. The majority of the propositions brought for a vote were approved, while others, after much thoughtful discussion and debate, were not.

Two final propositions were read following the last agenda item of the day: a "Congratulatory Proposition" presented by the Central Committee, which thanked the many people who had worked to make the District Assembly a success, and a proposition from the General Assembly to the Brothers of the District.

As the end of the 13th meeting of the general assembly neared late on Friday afternoon, the floor was opened to the "committee as a whole," during which time participants could share thoughts about the week. Brother William Mann, FSC, Vicar General and assembly consultant, who had traveled from Rome to attend the historic event with Brother Claude Reinhardt, FSC, Councillor General, congratulated the group for its impressive positive energy, the respect shown by delegates to one another, and the ownership and commitment of the participants to Lasallian education. In returning to Brother Craig Franz' question of him asked at the beginning of the assembly - "What do you expect/hope of the District of San Francisco four years from now?" - Brother William first commented on the impressive amount of disclosure in the reports to the assembly by the District Leadership Team earlier in the week, noting that the Team had, in effect, "leveled the playing field." "I sensed in this assembly a real concern for the whole more than for just the parts [of the mission]," said Brother William. "My guess is that in four years you'll be somewhere together, not somewhere alone." He spoke of a "strong intra-District network" and "people belonging to one common mission," and expressed his hope for a much stronger inter-District, Regional and International relationship. "I believe that in four years, you will be much closer to the poor without abandoning the people you presently serve," he said. One interesting element the two Brothers commented on was the lack of the "vocational association" discussion they hear much more in other parts of the Lasallian world, while at the same time noting great District strengths in the "collaborative, formational, and educational" areas.

A closing liturgy, celebrated by Father Jayson Landeza of St. Columba Parish, Oakland, also a 1979 alumnus of Saint Mary's High in Berkeley, was followed by a closing banquet that included rounds of applause for all who had made the assembly work so well. Brothers present rose and sang a rousing chorus of "Honneur a Toi," the hymn to De La Salle.

Visitor Brother David Brennan's words in the grace before dinner echoed the sentiments of all gathered in the room:

"Through your Spirit we pray that you continue to bless us, our communities and families, our students and colleagues, especially as we strive to fulfill the educational mission which is your work. Give us safe travel home, and place us, finally, at your heavenly banquet."

Jeanne Gray Loughman
Napa, California
Photos by Brother James Joost, FSC

More photos of the District Assembly on Mission can be found on the
La Salle Vietnam House web site at www.lasan.org.