How FaithShapesSpartans
Every student at De La Salle has an understanding of the school’s origins. They know the story of St. John Baptist de La Salle all those years ago in 17th century France, and they are aware that their education is thanks to a Roman Catholic religious order of men called the Christian Brothers, who founded the school in 1965 on the belief that all students have a right to a human and Christian education regardless of their financial circumstances.
At the same time, students actively participate in the school’s daily opening and closing of prayers with “Let us remember…that we are in the holy presence of God” and “Saint John Baptist de La Salle…Pray for us! Live Jesus in our hearts…Forever!” They attend school-wide liturgies, class liturgies, and other prayer opportunities and faith-based engagements. Sports teams take part in daily prayers, as well as prayer services and program Masses. More devout students also seek out deeper ways to embrace their connection to God through things like Campus Ministry Leadership and the Lasallian Youth Club. In fact, it is safe to say that faith takes on a truly permeable role at De La Salle. The Oxford Dictionary defines faith as either a “complete trust or confidence in someone or something” or a “strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.” Both definitions can be applied at De La Salle. Likewise, both definitions can take on different nuances depending on whether a student is part of the 70% who identify as Catholic or the 30% who are either non-Catholic or unstated.
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What remains universal, however, is how faith can influence morals and values. It is the very fact that the school is built on St. John Baptist de La Salle’s social initiatives and commitment to helping students live Gospel values, regardless of their religious affiliation, that produces Spartans. At De La Salle, faith shapes how Spartans think about and respond to the world, the habits they form, and how they connect with others. It nurtures attributes like compassion and selflessness, which, in turn, lead to practices like volunteering and charitable giving. Faith also brings a sense of purpose, belonging, community, and hope. It provides a moral compass and a source of comfort during difficult times. Faith encourages self-reflection and personal growth, and creates resilience. Yet faith is also about personal relationships, respect, and trust. Parents trust their sons to a Lasallian education precisely because it is centered on Catholic values that are emphasized through academic excellence, inclusion, and respect for the individual. They trust that their student will be enriched by cultural, intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual development in much the same way as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that people everywhere should have “three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.” For their part, students trust that their teachers will engage them with love in their hearts. That they will always guide from a place of understanding, compassion, and respect, and with their best interests at the forefront of everything that they do. Someone who has seen this in action day after day is Scott Drain, De La Salle’s Director of Student Support Services. He recently described what happened when one of the school’s senior band students found out that his college marching band already had enough people who played his instrument. “Our band director bought him a different instrument and spent long hours teaching the student to play this new instrument just so he could have a place in the college marching band.”