Lasallian News

Brothers’ Contact Program Serves Current, Post College Students

“Why did you become a Brother?” It’s the most popular question Brother Francis Eells hears. As the Vocation Director for the Christian Brothers in the District of Eastern North America (DENA) he hears questions about what Brothers do in their spare time, what do they get paid, and would he like to date. Over his 25 years as a Christian Brother, Brother Francis has heard these and many more questions, both profound and ridiculous. On some levels the Brothers are as much a mystery today as they were 5, 10, 25 even 50 years ago. For Brother Francis, searching for the next Brothers, answering these questions for young men is key to his job. For the past three years, when Brother Francis has visited De La Salle Collegiate, he has offered seniors the chance to shadow a Brother’s daily routine to provide an inside look at the Brothers’ lives. Students have joined the Brothers in Communal Prayer before school, spent a day as a teacher’s aide at St. Clare de Montefalco (in Grosse Pointe Park), and then joined the Brothers for evening prayer and dinner in the Brothers’ House on Gloede. In October, seniors Dominic Sciturro, Armaan Sison, and Joshua Vaillancourt took up the offer. Brother Francis will meet with them again in the spring to discuss possibly joining a college program that the Brothers run to help students learn more about the vocation without committing to the Brothers’ life. Today 35 young men, mainly alumni of Lasallian schools, study at 25 colleges across the country while remaining in contact with the Brothers. Most young men have joined the program at the end of senior year, but a growing number are reaching out

Josh Vaillancourt (‘17) and Armaan Sison (‘17)

as college students and shortly after college graduation to give the Brothers a second look. Currently, graduate Dominic Aldini, ‘12, is in the Contact Program. To learn more about the Brothers vocation and the Come and See weekends the Brothers offer, contact Brother Francis at eells@fscdena.org or go to the brothersvocation.org website.