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The Declaration: Reflections on the Sacrament of Education
Michael F. Meister, FSC
Next to the Founder's Meditations for the Time of Retreat, the Declaration emerging from the General Chapter of 1967 has always been for me one of the most charismatic and engaging documents of our Institute. I emerged from initial formation into the world of teaching and community living when the Declaration it self emerged, and it has accompanied me for more than 25 years both as a spiritual and a professional guide.
Though the Declaration tends to "show its age" in certain elements of its style and vocabulary, 1 it is timeless—for me—because it addresses central dimensions of our vocation by casting that vocation in a new light—a light that shone through the windows thrown open by the Second Vatican Council. These central issues focus on the apostolic nature of the Institute, and thus face us with the challenge of re-founding the Institute "in the world today," to borrow words from the Declaration's formal title.
But the Declaration is more than just a blueprint for a re-founding. It is also a theological manifesto on the sacrament of education. In its broadest sense, a sacrament is a point of encounter between God and ourselves, often mediated by means of some visible sign or symbol, made sense of in the context of a specific community. Our response to this encounter takes shape in our faith that God is mediated to us and relates with us in the ordinary events of our lives. When, as brothers, we say, "Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God," we sacramentalize that moment. As we strive to live our lives in the consciousness that God's presence permeates everything we do, that we ourselves incarnate God's word to our students, we begin to see our commitment to each other and to the work of the Institute in a sacramental way. More specifically, Lasallian education is a way of making God's presence meaningful in the world of young people who come to us to learn. The meditations written by the Founder, particularly the Meditations for the Time of Retreat, are suffused with sacramental potential. At every point, they urge us to see ourselves as instruments of God's living presence among our students, confreres, and colleagues. What is remarkable about the Declaration is that it takes this sacramental potential and enfleshes it in a series of principles and convictions that address not only the present, but also the future we ourselves create for the Institute and its mission.
Fundamental Perspectives
This article is addressed to all Lasallians, and a key question for us is this: what central dimensions of our vocation does the Declaration address? Three terms will frame my answer: fidelity, vision, and mission. Fidelity, in the context of Vatican lI's mandate to all religious congregations, implies a renewed understanding of the significance of the Founder's charism. Vision implies a challenge to keep that charism alive and animated. Mission implies the challenge to put the charism to work, and for me this is what keeps the Declaration alive today and into the future. It is this latter dimension of the Declaration that I will focus on in this article, because it is here, I believe, that the sacramental dimension of our ministry is most vividly at work.
The challenge of pursuing our mission as a way of under standing and animating the Founder's charism at the end of the twentieth century is both engaging and daunting, particularly in the educational profession. It is engaging in that it involves us in the continual re-animation of our work. However, it is daunting because our work-situations frequently call upon us to draw on new spiritual, educational, and social resources which require us to be as "new" as the works we continually re-animate. For example, it is one thing to strive to maintain an atmosphere of openness and trust in one's workplace as a kind of guiding principle. But it is quite another thing to put that principle into practice in a complex world of contemporary education where the very nature of the enterprise demands ever more professional-ism, precision, specialization, and clarity in the classroom and out. Those who deliver this education are also prone to human weaknesses like pride, suspicion, conflict with management, not to mention unrelenting pressure, and burnout, to name but a few difficulties facing those whose ministry situates them in this con-text. To be "new" in this context requires us to be conversant with the literature of human behavior, to be able to empower and motivate others, and to provide resources for ongoing profes-sional development—as starters!
A Guide Book: Why We Are Different
To "re-animate" our work-place both in light of these challenges and a spirit of faith in the God I mediate to others brings me back to the Declaration. There I find a series of principles which, when adapted to the school workplace, keeps this document alive as an inspiration and a kind of "survival manual" as we move into a new millennium. When I think about what makes a Lasallian school "different" I invariably turn to the Declaration for answers. What I will present here are what I believe to be the major educational principles in the Declaration, and some reflections on how these principles are significant in our workplace both professionally and sacramentally.
At the outset, Section 2 of the Declaration notes a general principle for religious renewal which also says a great deal about the school: "renewal [of the religious life] implies that certain practices be given new vitality and that certain institutions be transformed." Section 3 states that if renewal and adaptation are to become a reality, then everyone involved must give themselves to the work of renewal. Thus, renewal implies a new vitality, an openness to transformation, but most importantly, a sense of ownership of the result. Unless we "own" our personal renewal or the reforms we initiate, and unless the reform begins within ourselves, the outer transform-ation will be hollow at best, and the impact of the sacramental encounter we can mediate as God's ambassadors is lessened.
Institutional Renewal
Institutional renewal means getting in touch with the "spirit" or animating force of a particular school or workplace. It means an exploration of the particular constellation of characteristics and values that make the work unique and that give it its particular flavor. These values may need to be expressed in new ways; older expressions may have to be dropped, and newer ones added. Regardless, ownership of a new institutional look means that I need to reflect on my own calling, my own participation in the work of an institution, my reasons for belonging to that institution, my reasons for staying, my hopes for the future. I need to take an honest look at myself as a vital part of the institution and ask how I can continue to be part of the life (and not the death) of the school.
Institutional renewal means that individuals who make up the group need to have a clear and frequently affirmed sense of the significance of their work. This sense of significance comes not only from the perspectives of the past, but those of the future as well. This broad sense of perspective insures that the steps we take will be consistent with the institution's vision of its mission as we move together into the realization of a future we create (and not a future that is created for us by circumstances or by others).
In looking to the Declaration as a kind of "source-book" for institutional renewal, we en-counter the juxtaposition of fidelity to the Founder and fidelity to the present/future. Since we can not expect the Founder to have known in advance the nature and scope of the institutional challenges we face today, we are reminded that reliance on God's Spirit to guide us (the spirit of Faith) must be a key principle in our renewal and re-animation. As a matter of fact, our renewal and re-animation may very well be the way we "situate" our response to the sacramental encounter with God that animates our work.
However, this reliance on God is not blind, nor is it non-participatory on our part. Our dynamic involvement insures that the Spirit is involved. We are the hands of God in our works. Not only is the Spirit of God at work in our institutions through us, but the Founder's charism is also mediated through us. In our efforts at re-animation, we must remember this. As a community of committed educators, we do what we do as a group—not as individuals. Our efforts will fail if they are merely isolated attempts by well-meaning individuals. Thus, we need to develop and maintain a climate of commun-ication and trust within which we can share our vision in the context of a faith that sees God working through us.
Signs and Sacraments of the Times
When the Declaration speaks of the necessity for us "to recognize that the signs of the times stress the urgency of [our] mission in the world today" (D 8:1), it enunciates a principle or viewpoint that is prophetic, sacramental, and practical. These "signs" are vivid calls for our ministry from every quarter They can be seen in people's search for clear and meaningful values, for relation ships that are affirming and empowering, for stability and peace amidst the turbulence of so much change, for a recognition of the spiritual and the transcendent, for a community of persons whose focus is service. But as we recognize the signs of the times, it is crucial that we also recognize God's Spirit at work in our midst. Thus, both the Declaration's and contemporary theology's frequent stress on the significance of mediation as a way of under-standing God's working in the world is appropriate and valuable. God is revealed to us in a host of different ways and in different needs to which we must be attentive. Thus, it won't be necessary for us to "reconstruct" or "recreate" the Institute's mission from scratch, but rather to see that its mission now is to listen to voices (God's voices) which call to us from new quarters.
A valuable theological principle noted by the Declaration is the view of the church as the sacrament of God's presence in our midst (D 10:2). This principle lies at the heart of our mission. As brothers and Lasallians, we have a long-standing tradition of calling to mind, in every circumstance, the presence of God. Bringing this tradition into the larger world of our ministry, we see ourselves as ministers of God, "ambas-sadors of Christ," 2 manifesting (mediating) God's presence in all we do, and to all who are touched by us. In the school setting, this "ambassadorial mediation" is particularly important in the context of the values our institutions represent. The school can be, is, a dynamic context for the bearing out of this sacramental mediation of God's presence. This possibility affirms the sacred nature of the education al enterprise and our role in it. In addition, this sense of the sacred is frequently appealing to those who look to our schools for spiritual values, worth, strength, and character.
Ecumenical Diversity
In many places, the Declar-ation mirrors the ecumenical spirit of Vatican II, a spirit that is quite significant in this latter part of the twentieth century when so many of our institutions have sizeable populations of non-Catholic and even non-Christian students. The Second Vatican Council clearly affirmed the presence and action of God's spirit outside the "visible structure" (D 10:3) 3 of the church. In this spirit of ecumenism, we are called to "collaborate with all men of good will" (D 10:3), as an acknow-ledgment of each individual's right to religious freedom. "Good will," however, is not merely a euphemism by which we identify "nice people." Rather, it says something about a person's appreciation for values, recog-nition of the realm of the sacred in our midst, and aspiration for union with a higher power—all of which the church embraces as predisposing characteristics for an appreciation and acceptance of the Gospel. In all of this, the brothers and their colleagues find them-selves actively engaged in the ministry of educating a broad variety of students in an environment respectful of the transcendent, respectful of the individual as a temple of God's Spirit, and respectful of the diversity of gifts through which that Spirit is manifested.
Education in a New Key
In this ecumenical spirit, animated by God's own Spirit, the Declaration offers a new mode of carrying out our educational mission wherein the things of this world have value and autonomy (D 10:4), where faith and hope engage us to work for the betterment of humankind (D 10:4), where material things are seen not as a detriment but with the potential to elevate humans (D 10:4), where the fulfillment of all human potentialities is the result of humans working together in harmony (D 10:4), and where our mission is animated by a conviction that God is the ultimate source of meaning in human existence (D 10:4).
God's Spirit, the Declaration tells us, appeals to us not only through the teachings of the church, but in a special way in "the hopes and sorrows of the people of our day, and in the possibilities and deficiencies of our changing world" (D 11:1). In other words, we are urged to take a realistic view of the world within which our mission has its context. It is a world of greatness and a world where that greatness is threatened by forces of darkness. But this world is where our mission must be situated because more than ever there is need for witness given by people who are not only consecrated by the living God, but consecrated for living people everywhere (D 11:4).
In discussing the constitutive elements of the brothers' vocation in Chapter III, the Declaration also makes a clear statement about the character of their schools and the kinds of values one can find there. Given the diversity of our works, and the notable diversity of our student bodies, an exploration of what makes the brothers who they are has a significant impact on what they do and what their schools represent.
What is Special About a Lasallian School
Realistically speaking, partic-ularly as we take stock of our "brother" forces into the next century, it is clear that we simply cannot address every need we find or answer every voice that calls out to us. Thus, it is necessary for us to be very clear about what we can do. The Declaration is clear about the distinctiveness of the brothers' mission in the church and in human society (D 14:1). Several advantages arise from this uniqueness if I take a "consumer's view" and ask what my involvement with a Lasallian school would offer me. First, the school is guided both in principle and by actual persons who have responded, more importantly, continue to respond—to a call from God to be of service to the human community in a very special way (D 13:1). This service of education is freely chosen by brothers and their colleagues who, themselves, represent a kind of sacramental community, in fused with the mission of advancing the reign of God in the world and among other people. Thus, it can be said that each teacher makes a free and generous personal contribution of his or her own gifts and talents toward the educational mission of the school (D 13:3). The brothers and their colleagues in an institution have obviously received a solid professional education, and today more and more our colleagues are also being educated in Lasallian spirituality as well.
Attention to the Poor
In a very special way, the brothers in an institution stand for something extraordinary in their mission: by calling and by vow, their particular gifts are first and foremost at the disposal of "those whose poverty hinders their development as persons or their aptitude to receive the message of salvation revealed in Jesus Christ" (D 13:4). This means that in a Lasallian school, regardless of whether (but especially if) there are "poor" students, everyone has the advantage of an education delivered in an environment of care and respect for persons, where students feel wanted and important as individuals, where more than their intellectual needs are attended to, and where concern for what the Hebrew Scriptures call God's "poor ones" is a hallmark of the institution. Brothers and those who join in their ministry find fulfillment in a personal responsiveness to these "poor ones"; more importantly, this is what assures the ongoing animation of their work.
When the Declaration address-es the apostolic dimension of the brother's life and calling, it does so with the conviction that the ministry of the brother (and of those who share it with him) is one he receives from God. While, on the one hand, this is a bold view, it is also quite consistent with the theological view that our existence is a sharing in the very life of God (D 17:4), and that God is sacramentally mediated in countless ways in our lives. When the brother consecrates himself to his ministry and those he serves, he is echoing the earlier consecration of his baptism wherein he was presented with God's gift of faith. The brother's life (and by association those who join him), as a response to this gift of faith, is lived out in response to another action of God in his life—a call to share in a particular way the divine desire that all people come to a knowledge of God. This participation in God's own will, as it were, is the root of the apostolic dimension of the brother's vocation, and it is this dimension which infuses his educational ministry. Moreover, "the brother hears this call with joy and thanksgiving, convinced that this personal calling by God is worth the gift of his whole life to God and his service" (D 18:1).
Celibate Presence
Among the special character-istics the Declaration points to in the brother's life as a manifes-tation of a "new look," if you will, is his voluntary embrace of the ideal of the celibate life as a manifestation not only of a union of Christ and the church, but some thing more. Celibacy, the Declaration notes,
implies a special type of presence to people, which is de fined on the one hand by the depth of the charity of its commitment, and on the other hand by a separation from the world, an attitude dictated not by any contempt for the world, but rather by the intention to recall its transitory character (D 18:3).
This is significant, not in a negative way, but in the way it very specifically allows the brother to focus his ministry in light of an almost prophetic stance which says there is more to existence than meets the eye, that there is a transcendent dimension to his consecration to the ministry of education, and that his manner of life is a witness to that transcendence. This new sense of mission gives a qualitatively different character to the brother's service, in which he is free to be more completely available to others as he joins them in working toward "the construction of the City of God in its definitive form" (D 18:6).
Educational "Community"
In a Lasallian school where there is also a community of brothers, it is important to understand that brothers have definitively placed everything they are and all they have at the disposal of Christ whom they see in those they serve (D 18:7). In a modified sense, this can also be said of those who join the brothers in their ministry. The word "community" is significant here, because the mission of the brothers is not carried out in isolation from others who have also been called to animate that mission. Furthermore, we must not lose sight of the fact that the Lasallian mission is also the mission of the church. When one approaches a Lasallian school, then, one can do so confident that its mission is linked with that of Christ—namely, that all might come to a greater understanding of themselves, and in so doing come to the realization that God is present and active in their midst.
This notion of "community" is also significant because it mirrors another theological reality: God (in the community of the Trinity) calls us and relates to us not only as individuals, but as a people—a notion continually emphasized in the Hebrew Scriptures. The church itself is a community: a community on its way to the full realization and experience of God. The brother's specific commu-nity, like other communities, is a source of life and energy for him, spiritually, socially, and profes-sionally. This community is also a source of energy for the school community and the school's educational mission.
Apostolic Framework
A central principle that links us today with the Founder and with the origins of our Institute lies in the realization that we do what we do for the glory of God and for the salvation of others. The key word here is "do," which means that we are "active," that we are "apostolic." The Declar-ation is quite clear about this: "The purpose of the Institute is apostolic. For its members apostolic action is of the very nature of the religious life" (D 22:2). The energy that flows from this apostolic purpose definitely gives our works a notable character, it animates our consecration as brothers, and it enables us to touch the lives of our students, confident that we are doing God's work. The zeal that flows from this apostolic energy sensitizes the brothers and their colleagues to the needs of young people, and, as the Declaration notes, these needs are "an indispensable source of renewal" (D 23:1) to which we must be continually attentive.
Perhaps one of the most notable features of a Lasallian school, then, is that it is con-ducted by a committed community of educators. They are not there for what the school can do for them, but for what it can do for young people, who need good models as they search for their own place in the world which be comes more theirs with each passing day. Seeing our calling in light of what we bring to others, the Declaration makes a signi-ficant claim when it notes that the exercise of this kind of apostolate, far from being harmful or in opposition to the brother's religious consecration, is a necessary expression of it (D 25:1)! One could say that a failure to see apostolic opportunities is, for us Lasallians, a sacramental failure to see as God would have us se a lack of vision out of character for an "ambassador of Jesus Christ."
This view of the apostolic nature of our calling is another "selling point" when we take stock of our work. Brothers and their colleagues do what they do because they believe themselves called by God for that purpose (D 25:1). In their apostolic work, they find Christ in their students, "particularly in the poor" (D 25:1). Brothers and their colleagues actually participate in the realization of God's plan when they work to develop their students as whole and wholesome persons (D 25:1). This thought is summarized by a remarkably visionary statement which must be at the heart of any re-animating work we do.
The brother ought to have no fear of losing God when he goes among the young to serve them, nor of being estranged from Christ when he spends himself for others. On the contrary, the fulfillment of the authentic apostolate is a source for him of spiritual growth: in listening to others he disposes himself to listen more faithfully to the Word of God; in forgetting himself, he allows Christ to grow in him; in spending himself disinterestedly without counting the cost, his heart becomes that of a poor person (D 25:2).
In a true spirit of faith, central to Lasallian living, this view of the apostolate always leads the brother back to God whose work he does as an ambassador. This "back and forth" movement between God and others is a definite sacramental characteristic of the Lasallian calling. It is the Founder's wisdom at work, pre venting us from becoming spiritually or apostolically near-sighted or closed in on ourselves (D 25:4). One need only recall the fourth Meditation for the Time of Retreat to see how this movement forms a spiritual foundation to our apostolic activity.
You must devote yourself very thoroughly to prayer in order to succeed in your ministry. You must constantly represent the needs of your disciples to Jesus Christ, explaining to him the difficulties you experience in guiding them. Jesus Christ, seeing that you regard him as the one who can do every thing and yourself as an instrument to be moved only by him, will not fail to grant you what you ask. 4
As ambassadors, then, the brothers and their colleagues are witnesses to a reality greater than themselves. They manifest the presence and action of God in the midst of human life and concerns (D 26:2); they announce here and now the new world inaugurated by Christ's death and resurrection (D 26:2); they act with Christ's own power to bring others to God (D 26:2); and they live in a way that is other-centered, all-embrac-ing, and available (D 26:2). Thus, brothers "are not estranged by their consecration from partici-pating in the life of the world" (D 26:3). Rather, our Lasallian educational mission puts us at the center of human endeavor with a profound respect for the creative presence of God to be found there.
Service to the Poor
Chapter VI of the Declaration, entitled "Service of the Poor Through Education," offers both an appropriate follow-up and a specific context for the apostolic vision laid down in the previous chapter. It goes without saying that the issue of service to the poor has been one of the more problematic challenges to face the late twentieth century Institute. While the Declaration states that this service is integral to the mission of the Institute, it also notes that the General Chapter out of which it sprang chose not to give specific details on what or how the brothers' response to these poor should be shaped (D 28:3). Instead, the Declaration wisely offers a series of perspectives and principles by which that Lasallian response can be shaped at a local or regional level, thus enhancing our personal responsibility—in the world—to be sensitive and open to the needs of the poor in that same world.
From the outset, the Declaration cautions us to avoid the extremes which result in either too rigid or too loose inter-pretations by which we define "the poor" (D 29:2a-3b). The key to achieving a balance here is found not merely in changing the context of our apostolate, but more importantly, by
a change of attitude so that we can see, for example, in our ordinary classes how many poor students there are and how we can help them or, even more importantly, how we can better direct our teaching of religion so that all our students become sensitive to the problems of the poor (D 29:2a).
Though many of the "kinds" of poverty we can easily point to in our work are "generally rooted in the poverty which is material and economic" (D 29:3b), the Declaration is careful to add a further distinction between the "poverty of frustration" and the "'poverty' which is a Christian attitude of mind" (D 29:4). The "poverty of frustration" is a concept under which we can gather the social, economic, and cultural experiences of poverty we see all around us.
Often experienced as an absence of love in one's life and accompanied by a struggle to survive, such a situation pre vents the human person from developing according to his or her proper dignity (D 29:5a).
The Declaration offers a poignant description of the "poverty of frustration" which, no doubt, highlights another hallmark of the Lasallian school: a place where one can experience the kind of wholesome love that fosters dignity and builds character (See D 40:5).
The "poverty which is a Christian attitude of mind," is much less definite than the "poverty of frustration," but no less significant. This is a poverty based on freedom—the freedom to relate with God and with other human beings "based essentially on the attitude of free and full acceptance of the salvation which is given to us in Jesus Chr ist" (D 29:6). For us brothers, this attitude of poverty is also rooted in the origins of the Institute as a means of glorifying God and bringing others to salvation, and the Declaration notes that our profession as educators "includes the mission to communicate this attitude to others" (D 29:7).
In light of this, then, a Lasallian school is "different" be cause one finds there a manner of educating which is first and foremost sensitive to the students' dignity as persons who need both the environment and the experi-ence of a wholesome care which fosters personal growth and development. This manner of educating does not categorize among classes of people, but invites all to relate as people created, loved, and saved by God's goodness, of which the school is a sacrament. This educational environment provides the brothers and their colleagues with many opportunities whereby they can continually wage war on the "poverty of frustration"—a duty of justice they willingly embrace.
Challenge of Poverty
How this is done is the challenge that always faces a Lasallian educator. But the Declaration does offer insights which serve as useful guides and which also point to ways in which Lasallian education is sensitized by and to the needs of the poor. Thus, concern for the "poor" in the various ways they have been defined here means that we need to evaluate, modify, and/or transform our educational programs to insure "that they correspond to real needs" (D 30:1-2). What we teach and how we go about it must always be done in a way that fosters ongoing human development, of which the poor—though not exclusively—are often most in need (D 31:2). "Persons must be the center of education al systems rather than the prestige of some academic curriculum" (D 31:2). Movement into new educational contexts will always be done with an eye to the needs of the poor (D 31:3). Political systems which open the way to greater human development for the under-privileged must be fostered (D 31:4).
Our "attitude" toward the poor must be reflected in institutions and contexts which are inviting and unintimidating (D 31:5). In situations where Lasallian efforts are directed toward the poor as a group, we must strive to prepare leaders within those groups who will commit themselves to the ongoing development of the community from which they came. In this way, education as an attitude toward and an option for the poor is seen not only as a commodity to be gained personal-ly, but as something to be used for the betterment of others. This attitude is particularly important when Lasallian educators find themselves teaching in situations removed from the "poverty of frustration" (D 32:1). In these latter cases, the greater challenge facing us is to sensitize students to the reality of human suffering and our Christian responsibility to stand in solidarity with them (D 32:2).
Though the Declaration was drafted some 25 years ago, the needs of the poor are even more dramatically apparent to us to day as we witness the breakdown of numerous governments as well as national economies and cultures (not to mention our own!). Again, what must characterize Lasallian education in the face of these breakdowns is a sense of compassion characteristic of a new global perspective which transcends any traditional boun-daries of nationality, class, or culture, and grapples with the realization that we are all affected by what happens to others. One could say that there is no greater vehicle for effecting this transformation of viewpoint than an education which is sensitive to persons hungry not only for food and justice, but also for know-ledge and the empowerment that comes from it. Thus, "every brother [and Lasallian] must make his own the decision of Saint John Baptist de La Salle to go to the poor 'with the heart of a poor man.' He will discover as he does so a deeper understanding of the meaning of his consecration to God" (D 34:2).
Christian Education
If the purpose of our Institute is to "give a Christian education to the young" (D 35),5 then everything that has been presented so far needs to be considered in light of this fundamental perspective. What should be noted, however, is that "a Christian education" does not mean only classes in religion or religious instruction. If we believe that the created world is good, that it is the place where God's presence is sacramentally medi-ated, and that we ourselves are God's ambassadors, then every-thing we do has a place in this fundamental perspective.
At the time the Declaration was written, it was noted that the proportion of young people in the world had increased dramatically with the population explosion. If, at that time, these young people were seen to compose "a special sociological group" (D 36:1) worthy of our attention, this is all the more so in our own day when youth are the focus of so much attention on every side. Young people today are emerging into their most formative years without values, without guidance, without families, and without purpose. They are seized in the grip of an epidemic of violence wherein they are being abused or destroyed in unprecedented numbers. In a prophetic statement, the Declar-ation gives an appropriate context to our present educational mission to the young:
The importance that we now attach to young people only serves to underscore how detrimental is the shortage of educators who can serve them with unselfish love and genuine competence.... All these factors highlight the importance for today's world of an Institute composed of dedicated men who have joined together to serve their fellow humans in the Christian education of youth (D 36:2-3).
It is in this context that the Declaration explores catechesis both as the underpinning of the brothers' ministry and the means by which they and their colleagues can work to combat the forces of destruction that have always preyed on the young.
As ministers of the Word of God, the brothers' principal function is to be catechists (D 38:1), a vocation which aligns them with the apostolic nature of the church itself. Lasallian schools are characterized, among other qualities, by the values that stem from catechesis: (1) a higher consciousness of what it means to be initiated into a believing community which lives in relationship to God; (2) a deeper insight into the meaning of existence by means of education given in response to a call from God; (3) a sense of participation in God's plan of ongoing creation; (4) a challenge to view one's life and gifts in light of a service to others which is just, loving, and empowering; (5) a deeper and more informed liturgical sense; (6) a practical realization of each person's dignity as a temple of the Holy Spirit; and (7) a realization that each human being is uniquely called by God in the individuality of their talents and abilities to work for the up building of the human community (D 38:2).
Perhaps one of the most significant characteristics of the catechesis proclaimed in the Lasallian school is its power to transform. Not only is it directed toward the transformation of those whose lives are touched by the brothers and their colleagues, but Lasallians themselves are challenged by their own procla-mation of the Word of God to be ever more faithful witnesses to that Word (D 38:4). When the Declaration speaks of the difficulties involved in our ministry of the Word of God in an ever more pluralistic world, I believe these difficulties are only overcome to the extent that we, as ministers, overcome ourselves and live the Gospel authentically. Thus, our catechesis must be "more than the transmission of a system of thought from the past and the constant repetition of traditional formulas" (D 39:3). Further more, "before spelling it out in words, Lasallian educators are called upon to live the Gospel message that they are going to preach" (D 40:5). Here the Declaration urges us to realize that while catechesis is at the heart of the brothers' apostolate, the teaching of religion is not to be dissociated from the rest of education which, in a Lasallian school, is noted for its integration and synthesis (D 40:2).
Concern for Persons
If Lasallian education concerns itself with persons—persons who are temples of God's Spirit—then it will be characterized by an approach which strives to assist students in "taking over progressively the work of their own formation" (D 40:3). This very clearly suggests a different role for teachers, who are not simply repositories of knowledge to be dispensed, but openers of doors through which they urge their students to pass in the various stages of their personal, spiritual, and intellectual development. Only in this way are students "prepared realistically for the kind of life they will lead in the world" (D 40:3). So, these notable lines of the Declaration do indeed become the hallmark of our educational mission.
In the words of the Founder, the brother is with the students from morning to evening. This means that Saint de La Salle conceived of education in terms of a fraternal relationship between the teacher and the student. The brother is totally immersed in the life of the students: he shares their interests, their worries, their hopes. He is not so much a school master instilling a set of teachings as he is an older brother who helps them to be aware of what the Spirit is speaking within themselves, what their own abilities are, and little by little how they may discover their true place in the world (D 40:4).
Lasallian catechesis, then, is not an abstraction, but a means of "integrating, or enlightening, or deepening some human experience" (D 40:5). Thus, one of the more profound character-istics of a Lasallian school is captured in another notable passage of the Declaration: "It is not in words or in books that young people meet most forcibly the God who calls them by name, but rather in the person of the brother who catechizes them" (D 40:5). In a Lasallian school, the focus is on the education of "free persons" which already disposes them to be open to God's creative Word in their lives (D 41:2).
This creative Word embraces all that we do as Lasallians. It is "apostolic:" (1) to awaken in students a sense of the sacredness of life and human destiny; (2) to educate students to think inde-pendently, with honesty and integrity; (3) to show students how to overcome the darker sides of their natures which can hinder their development; and (4) to urge and assist students in the use of their gifts and talents for others in openness and trust (D 41:2).
Whenever the brothers and their colleagues work toward the advancement of human civilization and culture, they can be assured that they are doing God's work (D 41:3), and that their students are being led to recognize the presence of God in all they do (D 41:3). The sacrament of education which we celebrate as Lasallians is to be seen precisely in how God is revealed, mediated, and made accessible by means of the way we "are" with our students.
Centrality of the School
The Declaration moves toward a conclusion noting that "the school has always been the principal work of [our] apostolate" (D 43). Since the purpose of our Institute is to give a Christian education to young people, the school links our apostolate with our fundamental purpose (D 44:1). The school is really a privileged place because it is a place where culture is mediated to new generations of human beings; it is a place where they begin to learn about themselves and others; it is a place where they begin to be formed as individuals. Thus, it is significant that the bulk of our work as Lasallian educators takes place in the context of the school.
The "Christian" school adds a level of meaning and relevance to the above view of the school by bringing to that context a catechesis that pervades the total educational environment. This catechesis, this announcement of God's creative Word, "gives rise to questions about the ultimate meaning of things that are charged with hidden and unnoticed potential" (D 44:3). In an age when the young are tempted by hollow and value-less forces, a caring environment where ulti-mate questions can be pursued is the sacramental gift we bring to those we serve.
The Declaration noted 25 years ago the great need for the re birth of the Christian school as a way of preparing people for the twenty-first century. In the post-Vatican II euphoria of a "renewed" Church, the idea of the "renewed" school was important as a place to carry forth a new ecclesiology, a new sociology. On the doorstep of the twenty-first century, this idea is still relevant, but, as the Declaration notes, "the renewal of the school calls for relevance to contemporary culture" (D 45:1). This relevance demands a great deal of quality both professionally and personally. Among the various perspectives it offers for the maintenance of this quality, the Declaration states clearly: "The mission of the school is more indispensable than ever in forming people who can think" (D 45:4). This facet of the mission is vital in an age where the mass media wield tremendous power in shaping the minds and hearts of entire populations. If anything, the ability to think independently must be preserved as a kind of prophetic charism in the face of powers bent on destroying personal independence and the ability to see more than meets the eye. Thus, education to the faith, openness to the transcendent, and the ability to articulate what is most noble and worthwhile in human destiny are vital components to our ministry. This kind of education must be done in an atmosphere characterized by "great attention to persons and to the community life of the school" (D 46:1).
Free School
The Declaration speaks of "education to freedom" as a way of capturing the essence of the Christian school and character-izing each aspect of its operation (D 46:3-4). One can see at work here the theological principle of the freedom of the children of God— especially when we read that the Christian school "should be the freest of institutions" (D 46:4). And what are the characteristics of this "free school"? It is open to the life of the world and of the church. It is collaborative, outreaching, dy-namic (D 47:1-2). Furthermore, our schools are characterized by a concern for "the human and religious difficulties our students encounter when they leave school" (D 47:4). This feature says a great deal about the far-reaching-ness of our ministry and the fact that education, particularly our style of education, is never finished.
Conclusion
At the outset, I noted that, among the central dimensions of the Lasallian vocation addressed by the Declaration, our mission challenges us to keep the central charisms of the Founder and the Institute alive by virtue of what we "do" in the educational forum. The Declaration is utterly clear about the significance of this focus when it addresses the value of the school.
The General Chapter then declares that education through the school constitutes the foremost apostolic work of the brothers: "The end of the Institute is to give a Christian education to children, and it is for this purpose that the brothers keep schools" (Rule of 1705). Even today the apostolate of the school holds this rank in the work of the brothers, not merely because of a long-standing tradition, but because of the intrinsic bond which links the school with the ultimate purpose of the Institute (D 44:1).
Thus, at every stage of life, the value of our educational ministry is seen in a spiritual ability to touch the hearts and lives of those who come to us, a professional ability to raise significant questions for and with our students, and a graced ability to incarnate God's word and presence among those we serve. Viewed this way, the "value of the teacher's vocation" is always assured, and for the brothers particularly, "the exercise of their teaching profession [remains] an integral part of their religious consecration" (D 48:1-2).
Notes
- A careful and informed reader of the Declaration will realize that, as an historical document, it stands on its own. In the absence of an up-to-date English translation, attempts to compensate for the lack of inclusive language in citations and references are awkward at best. How ever, since this article represents a personal commentary on the Declaration addressed to all Lasallians, I have felt free to accommodate the text in such a way that current concepts of "Lasallian family" and "shared mission, which evolved out of subsequent General Chapters, are seen to be "implied" in that earlier text.
- Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Meditations for the Time of Retreat, translated by Augustine Loes, FSC, with a critical introduction by Miguel Campos, FSC (Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press, 1975) 3:2, 54.
- See also Lumen Gentium 1:8.
- De La Salle, Meditations, 4:1, 56.
- Rule of 1705.
The Declaration: Text and Contexts, edited by Michael F. Meister, FSC, Christian Brothers Spirituality Seminar, sponsored by the Christian Brothers Conference, Landover, MD., 1994.
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