FALL 2007 Office of Development P.O. Box 1710 Beltsville, MD 20704-1710 (301) 210-7444 VOL.19 No.1 Dear Partners in the Lasallian Mission of Catholic Education, “If the Lord does not build the house,” we recall the psalmist advising, “in vain do its builders labor.” A number of Visions readers, doubtless, have had the experience of building their own homes. They understand the emotional roller coaster that process can be. We can start with “vain” plans of demonstrating our success to neighbors and relatives and quickly degenerate, in the face of delays, cost overruns, and shoddy workmanship, into taking the names of various contractors, craftsmen, and inspectors “in vain” in another sense of that word! I am happy to report that the labor of building the Lord’s own house through Catholic educa - Brother James Butler, FSC tion in our Baltimore District has continued in earnest, not in vain, this past year. So many of our Provincial pro tem schools, Central Catholic, La Salle High, La Salle University, Calvert Hall, and St. John’s, to name a few, have undertaken extensive renovations. The face of that old grand lady of the shore, Ocean Rest, has been uplifted a little, once of necessity, and another time through a generous do - nation from someone wishing our older Brothers to be more comfortable there. In this report... ¨ The primary construction we undertake, of course, is not of school buildings or even institu - tions, but of lives. We do this in accord with the spirit and mission left to us by our Founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle, architect most subtle and sublime. We do this by means of the support Letter from the Provincial you, our donors, provide to the development office of our District. 1 We are most grateful. If it does not tarnish the inspiring scriptural imagery too much, one could refer to that current reality show: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. The premise of that Called to Western Maryland 2 program (I understand, for I have never been privileged to enjoy an episode) is that a group of well motivated, highly experienced craftspersons and designers devote themselves gratuitously Lasallian Volunteers 2 to renovating inadequate housing for deserving but deprived families. Your generosity does something very similar for us. It allows us to begin new works in serv - “Live, Jesus in our Hearts Forever” ice to the poor like the San Miguel Schools, to inculcate the faculties of our schools and agencies 4 more fully with the Lasallian spirit through formation programs, and to provide an unflaggingly high standard of care to our senior and infirm Brothers. This very year, Brother D. Andrew Dino - Message from the Chapter Delegates 5 to, age 97, having served more than fifty years at Calvert Hall, enjoys the finest nursing care at De La Salle Hall. Likewise, our two newest Brothers, Anwar Martinez and Robert Peach, both in 44th General Chapter 6 their mid-twenties, begin teaching at La Salle High School and Central Catholic respectively. They have had the finest academic, pedagogical, and spiritual preparation possible for our min - Brother Robert Schieler istry because of the support our benefactors provide. 7 In any family, the need to provide “housing” never ends. How many of you, having paid off your own mortgages, came almost immediately in turn to face the need to provide adequate care facilities Mr. Sid MacLeod 8 for older family members or the request to assist your children with a gift of cash for that daunting down payment for a first house? We face the same tasks: caring for the old and assisting the young, Brother Paul Joslin 9 whether our Brothers, both here and in the Missions, or our many needy students. Thank you for your continued generosity to the Christian Brothers. The good you do is ex - Letter from the treme indeed. The “makeover” it provides is one that will not diminish with time but will last for 9 generations. Director of Development Live Jesus in our Hearts, Forever! List of Donors 10 Brother James Butler, FSC Provincial pro tem 2007 Annual Report ¨ 1 Each Brother, furthermore, was given one or two extracurricular activities CALLED TO WESTERN MARYLAND which made the schooldays and most weekends even more active. Their resi - THE DE LA SALLE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS IN CUMBERLAND dence for most of these decades, 114 Hanover Street, has never been de - 1907-2007 scribed as palatial. No permanent sec - Brother Joseph Grabenstein, FSC retary, no fulltime maintenance person, Archivist, Baltimore Province and no Brothers’ automobile would ar - rive on the scene until the mid-1960s. Many a Saturday morning found mem - n the collective memory of the De on the third floor, incidentally, now ciation of the very name “La Salle” bers of the faculty doing routine clean - La Salle Christian Brothers, the moun - bears the name of “La Salle des Freres”. (think of the second syllable as ing and maintenance of Carroll Hall. tains-and especially the people-of In 1909, La Salle Institute moved to a rhyming with “hall”) by many of the Frozen faucets in January and the occa - sional wearing of winter coats in class - Western Maryland hold a special place. larger residence just across the street, older populace was probably unique Left: La Salle Institute 1909-1924. A century ago (September 1907), but the growing pains persisted. St. among Lasallian schools in the U.S. rooms until lunchtime was to be ex - three Christian Brothers opened a Patrick’s Parish offered the school its The Christian Brothers knew all pected. (One new faculty member, Right: La Salle High School 1924-1966. school for Catholic young men of the spacious Carroll Hall in 1924. This ac - along that they were in a different sort complaining of classroom heat in Sep - Cumberland area. La Salle Institute commodated the increasing waves of of place; the students would not fully tember and ordering that the windows was a modest enterprise at first-so students, but the need to concentrate on realize it until they would inevitably be opened, was greeted with, “Hey 1907) and the Ursuline Sisters to give of these, notably Brothers Elzear Alfred small that not even many Cumberlan - secondary education necessitated the compare it, later in life, with other lo - Brother, this heat has to last us all win - Western Maryland youth the same Kelly, Edward Patrick Sheekey, and ders know that its first location (the name changing in 1937 to La Salle High cales. Laboring under conditions which ter!”) The school never had a cafeteria quality education in a modern facility. Dunstan Jeremy McNamara, went on prim brick residence at 201 Fayette School, to reflect the dropping of the could be considered as heroic, the as such; the boys always improvised by Adjusting to the needs of the times, to become “giants” in larger Lasallian Street) still stands, or that the Brothers upper elementary grades. A phrase re - Brothers “walked the talk” in Cumber - finding their favorite grocery store, Bishop Walsh added grades 6, 7, and 8 schools in later years. Brother initially lived on its top floor. This same peated by generations of Brothers to land. They adjusted to daily teaching burger place or bakery in the down - in 1985 and became known as Bishop Lawrence Colhocker, the founding structure has been recently renovated their students (“Boys will be boys, but schedules with multiple class prepara - town area. No one complained. Walsh Middle/High School. For over principal of Bishop Walsh, helped set into a bed-and-breakfast and now hon - La Salle boys will be gentlemen”) tions in rooms which were typically Another truism, with a genealogical four decades, the students, united its professional tone from the first day. ors the name of the original occupants, evolved into an oft-heard-and fulfilled- more crowded than the Brothers’ teach - twist, which the Brothers observed was under their burgundy and white and Twenty-nine young men from the the Bruce House Inn. One guestroom quote around town. Even the pronun - ing loads in larger schools elsewhere. “Never publicly make fun of the stu - known as “the Spartans,” have distin - Cumberland area answered the call to dents in Cumberland….because they guished themselves in classrooms, a Christian Brothers’ vocation by re - are all related!” playing fields, clubs, and community ceiving the Robe; nine of these men are La Salle’s academic reputation, how - involvement. still in active duty or have received ever, was assured. The Brothers them - Time has caught up with the Chris - their eternal reward while remaining in Lasallian Student Leadership Workshop selves modeled a work ethic, which tian Brothers in Cumberland. Sister the Institute. even the slowest student was certain to Phyllis McNally, SSND, became the Parenthetically and more accurately, notice. The sports teams, clad in blue first non-FSC principal of Bishop Walsh the Christian Brothers observe 2007 as at La Salle University and gold and nicknamed Explorers like in 1997. Elementary grades were added the centennial of their return to Cum - their Philadelphia counterparts, re - to the building in 2002, and another berland. A little-known fact: for two hiladelphia, PA - La Salle Univer - workshop the students had a session on de - sponded to fierce school pride (and the name change (Bishop Walsh School) re - years before the Civil War (1851-1853), sity played host to the Lasallian veloping successful proposals for consider - floor-shaking pep rallies on the sloping sulted. In 2007, Sister Phyllis’ title the Brothers taught boys in the elemen - P Student Leadership Workshop ation by school administration while exam - auditorium floor) which usually changed from principal to president, tary school conducted by St.