Association – Statements from Institute Documents Since 1928
These are selections from documents from the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools concerning “association” and its developed understanding and application.
The original documents that are cited in this overview are listed below. Each listing below is also a direct link to a PDF version of the entire document, or a text that includes the entire document.
Collected and compiled by Dr. Greg Kopra – Director, Formation for Mission (District of San Francisco New Orleans)
Beginnings: De La Salle and His Brothers
This little book was first published in 1980, and it has been out of print for many years. Yet it deserves much wider circulation, because it contains foundational context essays about St. John Baptist de La Salle. All were written by preeminent Lasallian scholars of the time.
John Baptist de La Salle and Special Education
This book was first published in 1988 but has been out of print for many years. It is a study of the Lasallian educational enterprises that were established by St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Brothers of the Christian Schools at St. Yon in Rouen, France. It was here that one of the first secondary school curriculums was developed, along with a facility for court-adjudicated youth (and even adults).
The book provides many early principles, guidelines, and practices associated with educating unique and special students according to the same methologies and priorities that had already been effectively implemented at the elementary school level throughout France.
The book will be especially of interest to Youth and Family Service agencies, counselors, and others who work with youth with special needs.
Author: Othmar Würth
Publisher: Christian Brothers Conference
Paperback (137 Pages)
Books by Br. Louis DeThomasis, FSC
Br. Louis DeThomasis, FSC, is a De La Salle Christian Brother. Below are some of the books that he has authored on issues of concern to the Catholic Church and on ethical considerations in the world of business. From 2008 to 2017, Brother Louis served as president and chairman of CBIS. Founded in 1981, the Catholic investment service provides socially responsible investment management exclusively to Catholic institutions worldwide. Today, CBIS manages $7 billion in assets for dioceses, colleges, and universities; religious institutes; and health care systems, and has offices in the United States and Europe.
Widely recognized for his distinguished academic leadership in service to Lasallian education, Brother Louis served for 21 years as president of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and continues today as the university’s president emeritus, professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, and distinguished senior fellow with the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership.
Brother Louis earned a bachelor of science degree in international relations from Georgetown University, conducted graduate study in theology at Providence College in Providence, R.I., and earned a doctorate in economics and financial management from the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati. He also completed postdoctoral studies as a Bush Fellow at the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University.
The Fratelli Project – Lebanon
The Solidarity and Development Secretariat at the Casa Generalizia in Rome has been involved in the Fratelli Project for some years, where the Marist Brothers and the De La Salle Christian Brothers have joined in Lebanon to accompany Syrian, Iraqi and Lebanese children who have difficulties to study due to the armed conflicts in their countries.
This is a recent video of their ongoing ministry. More information and links in the longer description below.
Length: 4:40 min.
The “Show the VIDEO” tab below lets you run the video from here.
Prayer for the Coronavirus Outbreak
This is a prayer to address concerns around the worldwide coronavirus outbreak.
It was written by Kerry Weber from America Magazine.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle: Founder, Educator, Saint
A comprehensive introduction to the life of John Baptist de La Salle, his unique pedagogical approach towards students, and his enduring spirituality. A brief survey of his personal life story leads to a description of the innovative educational elements he and the early Brothers introduced, followed by a concise summary of the elements of his education-based spirituality.
This resource may be used by itself or with the study guides that are available for its use within Lasallian institutions. It makes for a very accessible overview for both new and veteran teachers and administrators.
Please look at the link icons below for the file size that is most appropriate for your device:
– SMALL FILE – 8 MB
– MEDIUM FILE – 60 MB
– LARGE FILE – 288 MB
Physical copies are available upon request from Katie Batt (kbatt@dlsi.org).
Publisher: District of San Francisco New Orleans
Lasallian Panorama: The History of the Brothers of the Christian Schools: 1651 – 1810
This book makes available Volume 1 and Volume 2 of a planned five-volume condensed summary of the history of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. This book covers the history of the Institute from1651, when St. John Baptist de La Salle was born, through the initial years and the subsequent century, and ending at about 1810. As such, it gives a brief overview of the first 130 years of the existence of the Institute.
Length: 355 Pages
Editor: Br. Hubert Gerard, FSC (Edward Schmitz)
The Christian Brothers in the United States 1848 – 1948
This history book by Br. Angelus Gabriel was first published in 1948, the centenary celebation of the Brothers in the United States. It is a standard reference work for Lasallian archivists, librarians, and historians that has been out of print for many years. It has now been made available in paperback form.
Length: 700 Pages
Editor: Br. Angelus Gabriel, FSC (Joseph Aloysius Cashin)
Reprinted by: The Lasallian Resource Center (2020)
A PDF of the book is available HERE.
Georges RIGAULT – History of the Institute
These volumes of the General History of the Brothers of the Christian Schools were written by the French historian, Georges Rigault, and translated by Br. Edmond Dolan, FSC, with further editing by Br. Gerard Rummery, FSC.
SEE THE LINKS BELOW
Length: Nine Volumes & 3,095 Pages
Author: Georges Rigault
Translator: Br. Edmond Dolan, FSC
Editor: Br. Gerard Rummery, FSC
PODCAST – Brothers Banter
Here is a recently launched podcast that was created and developed by two religious brothers looking to invite everyone into a conversation about religion, spirituality, current events and all things Lasallian.
Recent Institute Documents
Below are four recent documents from the Casa Generalizia in Rome.
Each addresses a different aspect of our contemporary Lasallian world, and all of them are the result of many years of collaborative discussions and work.
They are provided here for ease of access.
You can also got directly to the PUBLICATIONS page of the international Lasallian website.
Huether Conference
The annual gathering of Lasallian educators of the Lasallian Region of North America that focuses on innovative educational issues and a changing variety of themes related to Lasallian education and the schools. It is open to faculty and staff from all Lasallian ministries and includes major addresses, breakout sessions, seminars, and the like.
Circulars – Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
Here is a collection of the Circular Letters of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools that are available in English in PDF format. Some have come from other websites, and some have been scanned and turned into PDF format by the Lasallian Resource Center.
This collection will expand as more circulars become available in the PDF format. When possible, the PDF version is also an OCR version, so that you can search for key terms of phrases.
Go HERE for Dr. Greg Kopra’s “Selections from Recent Institute Documents Related to Our Lasallian Educational Service of the Poor”
De La Salle Christian Brothers share their COVID Experience – VIDEOS
In celebration of the World Day for Consecrated Life, here are some videos of Brothers around the world responding to “what it’s like to be a Brother in the time of COVID19.
For the text versions and for translations of videos in other languages, see below the video on Facebook.
Pastoral Letters – From the Superior General
This is an annual document written by Brother Superior General to the Brothers and the greater Lasallian Family in which he shares his thinking and outlook, his hopes and desires with respect to the Institute. It is traditional that he writes this letter at Christmas time in order to recall events of particular relevance that have occurred during the past year and to consider in some depth a certain topic that is deemed important. It is one of the ways that Brother Superior keeps in touch with the Brothers.
Publisher: BROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS 476, Via Aurelia – CP 9099 Aurelio – 00165 Roma Italy
The printed issues are available from Mr. Abraham Tesfai at the Generalate in Rome (atesfai@lasalle.org)
Lasallian World Maps
Here are two maps of the worldwide Lasallian educational community. The statistics are from 2020.
The blue map simply shows the locations and statistics. The tan map includes hand-drawn images of Brothers involved in a variety of scenes in their ministries.
Either map may be downloaded as a PDF file, which allows you to print it in whatever size you wish. You are free to print and share it without any additional permissions.
To download, click on the map images below for the low-resolution PDF, or on the specific format that you would like from the options next to each map.
Meditations for the Time of Retreat: A Lasallian Home Retreat
Meditations for the Time of Retreat: A Lasallian Home Retreat, by Brother Vincent Pelletier, FSC, offers a home-
The hardback version is available HERE.
HERE is a short video introduction to the Meditations for the Time of Retreat.