Our founder, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, was born to a wealthy family in Reims, France, but his Saintly mission was to sacrifice everything to educate the young, especially the underprivileged. He created a community to train young teachers in order to provide children with a human and Christian education. This special teacher’s community that served God and young people became the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a global Institute for education focused on the Lasallian mission to serve. The thread of service to those in need weaves together Lasallians in eighty countries, and connects more than thirty ministries in the District of Eastern North America (DENA) into “One La Salle”.
Lasallian students are called to service through their faith in God, and through the vision of St. John Baptist de La Salle who touched the hearts of so many. Whether it be the kindness, compassion, and acceptance students show each other every day, the individual service of a student to a favorite cause, or a school- wide program, service to others rooted in the gospel message of Jesus Christ is part of the fabric of Lasallian schools. Service, in which the needs of others are put before self, helps to build bonds that connect students to the Lasallian mission and their faith long after graduation day.
Children at La Salle School on the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning MT are tutored by students from St. Johns College High School, Washington DC.
While creating a neighborhood garden in the city, Christian Brothers Academy Syracuse NY students pause to talk to some children.
If you peruse the websites of the schools in our District, you will see that Lasallian students serve those in need in a wide variety of ways. The Lasallian Youth program within its various ministries is one way for students to engage in the Lasallian mission through direct service projects. As one example, Lasallian students widely participate in the collection and delivery of food and necessities for those in need throughout the year. Service to local communities is a priority.
In Brooklyn NY, students at Bishop Loughlin High School rake leaves, plant trees, and pack meals at a local food bank. Service, faith, and justice are inextricably connected, and there are Social Justice Clubs throughout DENA ministries, such as La Salle Academy Providence RI, where the Social Justice Club is devoted to serving those who live in poverty in Providence. This year, students at Saint John’s College High School in Washington DC marked Lasallian Social Justice Week with education and activities designed to gain a deeper understanding of homelessness. They also packed food and care packages for the most vulnerable in their community. La Salle College High School in Wyndmoor PA has a Homeless Outreach program in which students serve food, and provide clothing and friendship to those living on the streets in Center City Philadelphia.
Students from Calvert Hall in Towson MD traveled to La Salle Educational Center in Homestead FL to volunteer their service.
West Catholic students from Philadelphia PA volunteer at Ronald McDonald House for the Breakfast Served with Love program.
As part of One La Salle, schools of our District also strive to serve the global community. Most of our DENA schools take part in our Lasallian Twinning program, forming ties with their “twinned” school in the Lasallian District of Lwanga in Africa. Fundraisers at each US school provide the twinned school with much needed help for school fees and food for children, the salaries of teachers, and other essential projects. Twinning, however, is not simply about sending money to Africa. Throughout the year, US students and the students at their Twinned school in Africa interact with and learn about each other through classes and video calls. The relationships built each year between the student bodies of the schools strengthen their understanding of the global Lasallian family. Several of our schools have been inspired to take on other international support projects, like CBA Albany, where the UNICEF Club organized a ‘trunk-or-treat’ event to raise funds for humanitarian aid to children throughout the world.
Student service immersion trips are another opportunity for transformative experiences for students throughout DENA. Students leave their home and comfort zone to spend time with those in need and assist them as needed. At the La Salle Educational Center in Homestead FL, students provide educational and recreational opportunities for the children of low income and migrant families. At the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning MT the experience includes tutoring students and learning about their families and the challenges they face as American Indians living on a reservation. La Salle College High School has received the Saint Francis of Assisi Service Award for their commitment to service at Saint Michael’s Indian School. Over the past fifteen years, La Salle has sent more than three hundred students and faculty to Arizona for community service at the school, and for an immersion experience with the Navajo Nation.
Service opportunities at our Lasallian schools are designed to shine a light on the great needs that exist in our world. Lasallian schools, in the spirit of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, foster an awareness of the many challenges faced by the economically poor, and the interconnectedness of the local and world communities in which we love our neighbor as ourselves. As students carry forward the service mission of our Founder, through experience and reflection, they gain a mature understanding of their personal responsibility to actively help those in need, building God’s Kingdom here on earth.
Lasallian students from Africa take part in a Zoom call with students from their “Twinned” school in the US.
