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The Experience of Lasallian Association on the Part of Lay “Associates in Fact” in the District of San Francisco Gregory T

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The Experience of Lasallian Association on the Part of Lay “Associates in Fact” in the District of San Francisco Gregory T The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 2012 The Experience of Lasallian Association on the Part of Lay “Associates in Fact” in the District of San Francisco Gregory T. Kopra [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Kopra, Gregory T., "The Experience of Lasallian Association on the Part of Lay “Associates in Fact” in the District of San Francisco" (2012). Doctoral Dissertations. 26. https://repository.usfca.edu/diss/26 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects at USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of San Francisco THE EXPERIENCE OF LASALLIAN ASSOCIATION ON THE PART OF LAY “ASSOCIATES IN FACT” IN THE DISTRICT OF SAN FRANCISCO A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education Department of Leadership Studies Catholic Educational Leadership Program In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Gregory T. Kopra San Francisco May 2012 THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Dissertation Abstract The Experience of Lasallian Association on the Part of Lay “Associates in Fact” in the District of San Francisco The staffs of Catholic schools have undergone a wholesale change in the past 50 years. Whereas the great majority of Catholic schools in the 1950s were staffed by priests and /or religious sisters or brothers, Catholic schools in the 21st century are almost entirely staffed by lay men and women. By sheer numbers, sustaining the charism of congregation-sponsored Catholic schools has increasingly become the responsibility of the lay men and women who minister in them. The De La Salle Christian Brothers, who have sponsored Catholic schools and other educational ministries for more than 330 years, take a vow of association for the educational service of the poor, and this vow marks their identity as Lasallian educators. In recent years, lay people have come to be considered associated with the Brothers for the Lasallian educational mission. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of association on the part of lay people serving in Lasallian educational ministries. A phenomenologically based, in-depth interview process was used in this study. Two lay men and two lay women currently working in Lasallian ministries in the San Francisco District participated in three 90-minute interviews that explored the paths that led them to association, their experience of association, and the meaning that association had for them, currently and into the future. i The results revealed that these study participants’ experiences of association developed over time, becoming a vocation that they each situated within their primary life commitment to marriage or the committed single life, and that they envisioned continuing into the future. Mentors and formation experiences played important roles in their experience of association, as did participation in school communities. Association was experienced by all as a deep commitment to adults in their school communities, as well as to young people, especially those in need. These results have important implications for how lay people are formed and nurtured in the Lasallian charism so that it will thrive into the future. ii This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. Gregory T. Kopra May 3, 2012 Candidate Date Dissertation Committee Virginia Shimabukuro, Ed.D. May 3, 2012 Chairperson Dan McPherson, Ph.D. May 3, 2012 Judy Goodell, Ed.D. May 3, 2012 iii Acknowledgements No one arrives to the end of a journey as intensive and lengthy as a program of doctoral studies without the assistance of a good many people. My doctoral journey is no exception. A good number of people have supported me, encouraged me, guided me, and walked with me along the way. I am humbled by and grateful for their accompaniment. I wish to thank a few in particular. I could not have walked this road, much less reached the end of the journey, without the expertise, wise counsel, sage advice, and gentle yet persistent guidance of my advisor and dissertation chair, Dr. Virginia Shimabukuro. She made herself available at all times for my questions and concerns, and I appreciate in particular her organization, her attention to detail, her keen insights, and her systematic manner of shepherding me through this process, from helping me to clarify my thinking as my research topic first began to take shape all the way to completed study and approved dissertation. I am also grateful to the others who served on my dissertation committee: Dr. Dan McPherson, and Dr. Judy Goodell. They both provided me not only with sound advice and important guidance on clarifying my work, but also with encouragement to continue to explore the implications of my study findings. Our conversation during the dissertation defense gives me a good deal of food for thought as I move forward in my professional and vocational journey as a Lasallian educator. I am also grateful to Dr. Brian Gerrard, who served on my committee through the dissertation proposal process but was unable to continue due to scheduling complications. I am grateful for the tremendous contributions of the four Lasallian Partners who so generously agreed to participate in my study. They gave up a great deal of time and energy as they sat with me and wove their stories of Lasallian association. I feel certain that their stories, insights, and eloquence will inspire other Lasallians on their own journeys, and I am hopeful that their beautiful articulation of their experience of Lasallian association, all that led to it and all that it may become in the future, will also inspire further research into the experience of Lasallian association in fact. I would be remiss if I did not specifically thank my Lasallian colleagues who supported me along the way. Notably, I thank Mr. Gery Short, Director, Office of Education, for the District of San Francisco. He has encouraged me to continue my studies for many years and followed my studies and research with keen interest and with the concern of a mentor and friend. I also thank all the other members of the Office of Education in the District of San Francisco, past and present. They not only endured my ongoing commentary on what I was learning and discovering in my doctoral studies, but they also read and discussed numerous articles related to Lasallian association with me as I enthusiastically shared my discoveries with them. Their ongoing interest proved to be very encouraging and energizing to me along the way. I am also grateful to the current iv Visitor, Brother Donald Johanson, FSC, and the former Visitor, Brother Stanislaus Campbell, for the many ways they supported me on my doctoral journey. I am most deeply grateful for the support and love of my family – my wife, Maria, and our son, Tim. They endured both my physical absences and my mental and emotional distraction as I studied, wrote, and researched. They have been an irreplaceable source of inspiration, encouragement, and delight, not just during my doctoral journey but also throughout our lives together. I love you both more than you know. Finally, I wish to acknowledge the many Lasallians, Brothers and Lay Partners both, throughout the San Francisco District, the United States-Toronto Region, and the Lasallian Family, who are so dedicated to the human and Christian education of the young and not-so-young, especially those most in need, around the world. They drew me in many years ago with their generosity and hospitality and their belief in the transformative power of Catholic, Lasallian education. They continue to inspire me to greater commitment, generosity, and hospitality. Thank you all so much. Live Jesus in our hearts forever! v TABLE OF CONTENTS DISSERTATION ABSTRACT ........................................................................................... i SIGNATURE PAGE ......................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. xi LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER I: THE RESEARCH PROBLEM .....................................................................1 Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................1 Background and Need for the Study ........................................................................3 Introduction ..................................................................................................3
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