#LasallianLife
“To” or “With”
November 17, 2023
The Mission of the Christian Brothers is “To provide a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, according to the ministry which the Church has entrusted to it.” During Saint La Salle’s time, the word poor was used to describe the economically poor children of France. The modern interpretation of the word poor has frequently been debated with most Lasallian scholars settling on a broader definition. Personally, I have settled on a simple definition that was first described to me by the former Brother Visitor of the District, Brother Dennis Lee, “those without.”
Quite often, each of us fall into the trap of thinking of service as a hierarchical relationship of those “with” providing for those “without.” It is often viewed as someone who has been blessed with so much giving to someone who has so little. I suggest that service is better viewed as a fraternal relationship. As Lasallians, we do not serve others as part of a civic responsibility. Instead, we serve others because we recognize the presence of God in all those who we encounter. It is in this way that we build the kingdom of God.
Beyond the walls of CBA, we strive to teach our students that being Lasallian means seeking out and caring for all of those who are “without.” As Jesus taught, to go to the peripheries, to go to those most in need. And, when standing at the periphery, to be truly present in that moment of encounter. To meet each person with an open mind and open heart. To engage in an experience where each person feels known. To build fraternity.
For our students, it is a process of recognizing the presence of God in those “without,” discerning how God is calling them to share their gifts, and acting with faith and zeal.
Throughout the fall, our students have embraced this process. Yesterday and today, our sophomore class embarked on a service retreat throughout Central New York. The retreat was organized and led by our Campus Ministry Department of Mrs. Susan Major and Mrs. Marijane Finlay. Faculty members, parent volunteers, and upperclassmen peer ministers accompanied our 10th grade students as they dispersed to various service locations throughout our local community. They worked, they learned, and they were opened to encounters...
All of these pictures remind us that service is not “to,” but “with.” In our hallways, in our homes, throughout all of our communities, may each of our students continue to be blessed with the grace to recognize the presence of God in those “without,” the wisdom to discern how God is calling them to share their gifts, and the zeal to convert intent to action - building the kingdom of God, one encounter at a time.
Sincerely,
Mr. Matthew Keough
President, Christian Brothers Academy
