Continuing
today to be inspired by De La Salle's vision, together we form our educational
vision for the future. Just as for De La Salle in seventeenth-century France,
our lives and our work must be grounded in faith, in prayer, in reflection,
and in constant openness to the will of God. It is within this framework
that we are able to understand the work we are called to do, and it is with
eyes of faith, as De La Salle instructs us, that we carry out the Lasallian
educational mission in our District and in partnership with the International
Institute.
This and
future issues of Signs of Faith will evidence the vitality of the Institute
and the continuing commitment of the members of the San Francisco District.
In this issue, through stories of shared experiences locally and internationally,
whether in the classroom, at St. Joseph's Boys' Village in India, or at
the recent District Chapter, you will discover that it is the people who
have made this work their own who are the true "Signs of Faith":
- Every
day, over 1,400 teachers, administrators, coaches, and support staff
bring to life the mission in which we all share as they interact with
over 9,000 students in the San Francisco District. It is my hope that
all Lasallian educators will see themselves and the meaning of their
own work in these stories about our colleagues.
- This past
summer, six District teachers accepted our invitation to spend several
weeks working at St. Joseph's Boys' Village in Tamil Nadu, India. Their
story is heart-warming and compelling, manifesting both the international
and personal nature of our Institute and our mission. You will see,
as I have this past year at Institute apostolates in Thailand, Vietnam,
and the Philippines, the impressive work that the Brothers, the Lasallian
Sisters, and their many Partners are able to do with very limited resources.
- Earlier
this year, the Tenth District Chapter, which set the course for our
next four years, included Brothers and, for the first time, Partners.
Each participant brought to the Chapter deliberations a unique perspective
based upon years of experience in Lasallian schools and apostolic works.
Their reflections herein express the faith, confidence, hope, and vision
which will be felt throughout the District as we work together to implement
the Action Plan. I also want to bring to your attention two new ventures
that will have a significant impact on our District as the school year
progresses and we welcome the new millennium.
First, the
District will gather for a second Convocation in Burlingame, California,
on October 23 and 24. Centered around Saint La Salle's vision of Reaching
Out, Touching Hearts, its goal is to inspire Brothers and Partners to
a renewed and strengthened personal commitment to Lasallian education.
Our keynote speaker is Cardinal Thomas S. Williams, D.D., Archbishop of
Wellington, New Zealand. The work of the Convocation will further the
implementation of the "Context for Action/Action Plan", which has been
widely discussed throughout the District and was approved by the District
Chapter in March. This impotant event will create an opportunity for communication
and connection among representatives of the District, as well as with
Brothers and Partners from other Districts and Regions in the United States
and around the world.
Second, as
part of our District-wide planning efforts, De La Salle Institute has
retained the services of Global Business Network (GBN), a respected international
consulting firm specializing in collaborative planning for the future.
GBN will assist us in addressing critical uncertainties about our future,
especially in terms of membership, mission, and leadership.
All of us
-- Brothers and Partners -- can be proud of the many wonderful things
taking place in the District of San Francisco and throughout the Institute.
Your support and commitment, encouragement, involvement, and prayers are
at the heart of the continued success of our Lasallian educational mission.
With De La Salle as our center, we are reminded that the work we undertake
is not our own, but one to which God calls us.
I look forward
with each of you to a rewarding and grace-filled year together, and to
welcoming you to the District Convocation in October. May we all come
to appreciate De La Salle's words to us:
"Do
not distinguish between the duties of your state and what pertains to
your salvation and perfection. Rest assured that you will never effect
your salvation more certainly than by fulfilling well the duties of
your state."
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