La Salle University - Explorer Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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Br. Patrick Ellis 18

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time in his attitudes toward the educa- tion of the poor. He saw their tutelage as a right, not a privilege. And his book, On The Conduct Of Christian Schools, was long an indispensable volume in Christian educational phi- losophy. Above all other reasons, though, we remember LaSalle today for the unique heritage of spirituality which he left his Brothers. All religious take vows of poverty, chastity, and obe- dience. But a Brother of the Christian Schools promises to live by two other ideals which have lent the Institute much of its character in the present day world. The first of these is the vow of association, by which they vow to live together as brothers. This may seem simplistic, but to LaSallians it commands the highest degree of committment and fellowship, both within the community working at any given school, and within the institute as a whole. It mandates the co-respon- sibility of each Brother for every oth- er, and this assurance frees them for their mission of teaching in the Church. The second of their special vows is that of service of the poor through education. It is through the strength they gain by their vow of association that the Brothers can perform their apostolic work so well. It should be noted that the Brothers do not prom- ise service of the poor in education , but rather through it. This means that wherever a Brother teaches, whether it be in a protectory, such as St. Ga- briel ' s Hall in the inner city, or West Catholic, or out on the Main Line at Archbishop Carroll, he carries a spirit of reverence for the poor and a sen- sitivity for their needs which he tries to inculcate in all his students, regard- less of their background. Defined and assisted by the spirit and values LaSalle left for his In- stitute, the Brothers of the Christian Schools have expanded in the past 300 years from a small group of school teachers in Rheims to the fifth largest order in the Roman Catholic Church, having some 16,000 members in over 80 countries. This pinnacle was not eas- ily reached. During the French Revolution, the Brothers refused to swear the oath required by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and were disbanded and persecuted by the government with, at one point, only ninety Brothers re- maining. After the Napoleonic era, the In- stitute arose, Phoenix-like, from its ashes, and under the talented lead- ership of Superiors General Brother Frumance, Brother Gerbaud, and Brother Philippe Branscit, the mem- bership in the Institute increased dra- matically and the LaSallian spirit re- vived itself. In the United States too, the work of the Brothers prospered (with the first Brothers teaching in the parish school at St. Genevieve, Missouri, in 1819.) While encountering many obstacles, the Brothers have done well here also. At present, there are approximately 1,500 Brothers serving the poor through education in this country. St. John Baptist de la Salle ' s last words were, I adore, in all things, the will of God, in my regard. It is this legacy of selflessness and dedication which is the most significant gift he has left the Brothers in their min- istry today. For, in their ceremony of first profession of promises, the candi- date to the Brotherhood promises to go wherever I may be sent and to do whatever I may be assigned, thereby engaging in that splendid and arduous task which LaSalle set for them 300 years ago; to educate the young, to show compassion for the poor, and perhaps most importantly of all, to inspire. James Butler (with the assistance of Brothers F. Christopher, Charles Ech- elmeier, Carl Clayton) 17

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A salute to the Brothers Gregory Claude Demitras Gene Graham F. Patrick Ellis Emery C. MoJlenhauer Edward John AJJgeier Joseph Bender Daniel W. Burke F. Christopher Businsky CarJ Clayton jomes Conaghan Charles F. Echelmeier E. Louis Fernandez Gerald Fitzgerald D. Thomas Gimborn F. Vincent Grimes Richard Hawley Daniel Bernion Kelly Francis McCormick James J. JVIuldoon Lewis JVIullin G. John Owens David C. Pendergast William J. Quinn Jude Sapone Paul Scheiter Gregory Paul Sprissler Anthony W. Wallace Thomas W. Warner Hugh V. Wilson Lawrence J. Colhocker Alfred W. Grunenwald Hugh N. Albright J. Edward Davis William J. Martin Joseph J. Keenan Gerard F. Molyneaux Joseph F. Burke John P. Dondero Gerard G. Vernot Cosmos Van Tran Richard D. Herlihy John Kane Brian Henderson Joseph McGinty The 1980 Explorer and the entire College com- munity thank the Christian Brothers for their work, dedication and enthusiasm for the benefit of La Salle. 19