A Place For Our Students to Shine... - Christian Brothers High School

Principal Hesser Attends
International Lasallian
Meeting in Rome
Every year, Lasallian educators
from across the globe gather at
the De La Salle Motherhouse in
Rome for the Centro Internacional
Lasalliano – a five-week program
of sharing information, exploring
challenges, planning for the future,
and prayer.
In November, CB Principal,
Mary Hesser, was one of four
representatives from the District
of San Francisco and 17 from
North America invited to attend
the initial three-week portion of
the 2010 gathering. Collectively,
the meeting hosted 77 Lasallians
from five continents. The group
was comprised of 35 Brothers, 41
Lay Partners and one Guadalupana
Sister. With 36 Spanish-speaking,
35 English-speaking, and 6 Frenchspeaking
participants, headphones
and translators were always on hand
to facilitate communication. The
group met all together for lectures
and to address global topics. Smaller
discussions were held among the
language groups.
As the group explored the
theme, “Understanding & Living
Lasallian Association Today
– Tradition, Transition and
Transformation” it quickly became
clear that with vastly different
cultures and histories come
unique manifestations of Lasallian
association. Although the underlying
commitment to the ideals of St.
John Baptist de La Salle remains the
same, being present in the world
as Lasallians will look different in
Myanmar than in Spain or Africa or
North America.
One fact is certain though, and
that is that as religious vocations
decline, advancing the tradition,
ideals, and blessings of Lasallian
education will increasingly transition
to Lay Partners.
“As an order of the Catholic
Church, the Christian Brothers are
light-years ahead. We explored what
the order will look like in the future
and what it will mean to be Lasallian.
We all learned from each other. The
8
Brothers fully understand the reality
of declining religious vocations, and
they are giving us everything that we
need to succeed,” says Hesser.
While Hesser was in Rome,
Br. Stanislaus Campbell, FSC,
announced the pending closure of
the Brothers’ residential community
in Sacramento. The timing, Hesser
says, was Divine.
“It felt very providential to
be in Rome at that time,” says
Hesser. “I left this meeting feeling
incredibly empowered, excited and
fully committed to carrying on the
Lasallian educational mission in our
school. We are now the guarantors
of this incredible tradition and I
look forward to working with our
faculty and staff to share this fully
with our students.”