As the Lasallian World ushers in the celebration of “300 La Salle,” it’s important that the whole Lasallian community (here at 612 Academy Ave. and beyond) understands the celebration. I sat down with Brother Fred to learn about what makes the upcoming year so special for us Lasallians.

300 La Salle is the three-hundredth anniversary, the tercentenary, of the death of our founder, St. John Baptist De La Salle. Encompassing the year around the anniversary on April 7, 2019, the celebration is taking place between the first Sunday of Advent in 2018 and the first Sunday of Advent in 2019. This past Friday, November 30, each grade attended one of five prayer services to ring in 300 La Salle. Through the use of thought-provoking quotes read by students and speeches by Brother Fred, Mrs. Estes, and Mr. Russo, the services prompted reflection on what it means to be a part of the Lasallian tradition. According to Brother Fred, there currently are plenty of suggestions and ideas from the faculty in the works for La Salle Academy students, parents, and alumni to participate in celebration throughout the next year.

Not only are we celebrating being Lasallian in our own school, but Pope Francis has declared the coming year a Jubilee year for the Brothers and the whole Lasallian World. After all, the Lasallian family is made up of about 4,000 Brothers, 92,000 other teachers, and 1,380,000 students in about 1,200 establishments in 80 different countries. 300 La Salle is a time to bring us all together. Earlier this November, the Brothers held the opening of the Jubilee Year in the Motherhouse Chapel in Rome. There was also a meeting in Africa about what the Lasallian vocations mean for all Lasallians. During 2019, there will be a pilgrimage to Reims, France, and an educational conference in March in Mexico City that our very own Ms. Doyle will be attending. On May 15, the traditional celebration date for the founder, there will be a large gathering of Lasallians in Rome.

300 La Salle is a special time, “like a birthday” as Brother Fred told me. It is a time to look to the past, present, and future of the Lasallian mission, and to think about the greater community we are a part of. It is also a perfect opportunity to consider what the Lasallian community means for us personally. When I asked Brother Fred what 300 La Salle means to him, he indicated that it is important to him because he has been involved with the Brothers for 52 years. He added, “It’s a time to look back, but it’s also a time to think about the present, and to be grateful for all the gifts that God has given us collectively. For me, it’s the gift of my vocation, the gift of being here, the gift of being with students and colleagues. And also a time to look to the future: how do we prepare for the next 300 years? How do we call people to their vocations… in such a way that is in view of the Lasallian mission?” 300 La Salle is about regarding this mission and the Lasallian values. It is about consciously applying what the Lasallian community has taught us to our daily lives. We can reflect on the ways we have been shaped by our Lasallian teachers, the service we do in and outside of LSA, and how we will continue to live out our Lasallian vocations when we move on from La Salle in the coming years.