If you take a walk across the sprawling green of Hansen Quad and greet one of La Salle’s Christian Brothers, you’ll receive a warm smile in return. This gesture is the point of contact for a community of abundant faith, heritage, and compassion. But dive deeper and you’ll discover a richly textured microcosm of the best of humanity—qualities that can’t easily be put into words, but impact countless lives touched.

The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools comprises a global community of vowed laymen dedicated to the mission field of Christian education and evangelization. They include teachers, administrators, campus ministers, and social workers, among others. About 4,000 Brothers and over 91,000 other Lasallian partners worldwide are in association for the Lasallian mission, educating about one million students in 77 countries.

It’s difficult to fathom just how massive the global Lasallian network has become. For over 150 years, La Salle’s Brothers have created an intimate and loving environment on campus. It’s tangible. You can feel it.

So, how do the Brothers at La Salle really live? That is the million dollar question curious students, alumni, faculty, and staff often ponder of these dedicated professionals, with fantastical visions of abbey life akin to the film The Name of the Rose with Sean Connery. “In that movie, there’s a monastery where there are skulls and people being killed. What’s surprising is how normal our place is,” says Brother Ed Sheehy, F.S.C., Ph.D., ’68. “Students are mystified that somebody could choose this life. They understand obedience, they understand poverty… but chastity is absolutely beyond them.”

The Brothers are not priests. In many ways, they are outside of the hierarchal structure of the Roman Catholic Church. They do take the traditional vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, but also take two Lasallian vows, association and stability, and are devoted to the mission of education.

“I think there are two things that we as Brothers are sort of battling,” says Br. Bob Kinzler, F.S.C., ’77. “One is that there is a class system where priests are sort of seen as more important. The other is that I don’t think that education at the moment in the country, generally, is valued… It is a vocation that is about presence and relationships, and I do think education is key to changing the world.”

A typical day for the Brothers might look something like this: Early to rise, their mornings might include coffee, breakfast, and lively conversations about anything from students to politics. As a group, they are very social. They eat, exercise, and watch movies together if they choose. Like any community, the Brothers forge even closer friendships with certain individuals or smaller groups. On certain mornings, they attend Mass, while on others they have morning prayer—both at 7 a.m. Then they might go off to teach classes, or perform their duties as administrators. They also have evening prayer or mass at 5 p.m., as well as dinner together.

“Community is definitely the place where I find myself supported, challenged, sustained and surprised,” says Br. John Crawford, F.S.C., Ph.D., ’76, M.A. ’82.

“People assume we all think the same way, that our political views are the same, we have the same interests. And it’s absolutely not true,” says Br. Ed Sheehy.

Some are extroverts; others are more shy or introverted. The Brothers come together during Christmastime to set up a large tree in the house with several trains running around it. They have Super Bowl parties and Mardi Gras celebrations and summertime cookouts, and show their hospitality not only to other Brothers, but faculty members and students, as well. Alumni return the hospitality by inviting them to weddings, baptisms, and other family events.

Their hobbies are as diverse as they are: Br. Joe Grabenstein, F.S.C., ’73, enjoys touring historical sites, Br. Ernest Miller, F.S.C., D.Min, M.A. ’95, loves traveling by train, and Br. Ed Koronkiewicz, F.S.C. ’76, savors the peaceful sandy beaches near Ocean Rest, their retreat in Ocean City, N.J. Some care for and comfort Bobo, the community cat. Others are members of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, lovers of the orchestra, are active in local nonprofits other than La Salle, and they have been actively involved in projects for the Archdiocese. They play golf, read spy novels, and collect magnets of the many places they’ve visited. Br. Gerry Molyneaux, F.S.C., Ph.D., ’58, is passionate about Charlie Chaplin films, while Br. Michael McGinniss, F.S.C., Ph.D., ’70, is a hardcore baseball fan, and Br. Ed Sheehy serves as the Chaplain for the men’s basketball team.

Some made the decision to become Brothers in high school, inspired by the Brothers who taught them.

“At the end of my freshman year of high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to do, but I didn’t tell a single friend,” says Br. Joe. “I dated for the big dances, semi-formals, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. But I never told a classmate or friend until about the spring of my senior year. I didn’t want to be drawn into a box.”

Br. Bob says, “I had no intention of being a Brother. I was going to be a medical doctor…. But then I wondered if the Brothers who taught me saw something in me that I didn’t. I thought I should give this a try because I’ll always be asking the what-if question.”

The Brothers have community assignments, many of which are logistical in nature but still play to each man’s interests and ability. One Brother is in charge of the cars, others are in charge of food and drink. There are Brothers who oversee the money, the chapel, the newspapers.

The Brothers tease and play pranks on each other, too. “You have to know who to play the prank on. But it doesn’t degenerate too far,” says Br. Ed Sheehy.

“There’s a running joke and playfulness between Sheehy and me…that I think the rest of the community is a little tired of,” says Br. Bob. “People have this image that everything is rosy and it isn’t always, but it’s rosy in the sense that we’re like a family. I wouldn’t know what to do without them. They are where I get my strength.”

Some Brothers live in the dorms, among the students, like Br. Gerry Fitzegerald, F.S.C, ’70, MBA ’82, who lives in St. Albert’s, and Br. Ed Koronkiewicz, who lives in St. Katherine’s. In his earlier years, Br. Ed recalls breaking up a fight in which a student dislocated his shoulder and sitting with him until emergency staff arrived. But overall, Br. Ed says, living among the students is pretty low-key. “People say the students must keep you up all night,” he says, “but they don’t.”

Br. Bob also lives in the residence halls among students. “They will come in to chat a lot, but many will also come in during a crisis situation,” he says. “Sometimes they just need to talk…. There are no magic words you say in a crisis, but by letting people know…you’re willing to listen and share whatever grief, I think that goes a long way.”

“The community bonds around an individual’s loss or crisis, whether it’s a student or faculty member,” says Br. Ed Sheehy. “The Brothers’ community acts as an impetus for the larger University community.”

Br. Michael says, “People would be surprised at how intent the Brothers are about expanding the circle of partnership, and broadening the definition of who’s responsible for this Lasallian heritage.”

Many laypeople at the University have been called upon to help actualize the Lasallian mission, and have participated in mission education and formation experiences; individuals like Kate Ward-Gaus, Assistant Vice President for Student Wellness, and Charles Gallagher, Chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.

The Brothers’ mission and their acts of community ripple outward endlessly. Like a stone tossed in still waters, every action, word, and gesture transmits a million more. Students invited to dine with the Brothers tell their stories. Alumni share their memories of the Brothers with smiles. The cycle of good works continues around campus and beyond. As St. John Baptist de La Salle believed, “Example makes a greater impression than words.”

But let us not forget that our Brothers are really just like us. There’s no great mystery, after all. The Brothers stand as true examples of the best of humanity, firm believers that there is good in the world, as there always was and always can be.

“To the degree that…our community stands in solidarity and openness to the wider community of our brothers and sisters,” says Br. John, “are we then truly Brothers to them all.”

 

The La Salle University Christian Brothers De La Salle and Roncalli Communities

Br. Arthur Bangs, F.S.C., Ph.D., ’53
Br. Miguel Campos, F.S.C.
Br. Steven Casale, F.S.C., ’62
Br. John Crawford, F.S.C., Ph.D., ’76, M.A. ’82
Br. Gerry Fitzgerald, F.S.C., ’70, MBA ’82
Br. Charles Gresh, F.S.C., ’55
Br. Joseph Grabenstein, F.S.C., ’73
Br. Ed Hofmann, F.S.C., ’70
Br. Richard Kestler, F.S.C., ’65
Br. Bob Kinzler, F.S.C., ’77
Br. Ed Koronkiewicz, F.S.C., ’76
Br. Leonard Marsh, F.S.C.
Br. Michael McGinniss, F.S.C., Ph.D., ’70
Br. John McGoldrick, F.S.C., ’71
Br. Ernest Miller, F.S.C., D.Min., M.A. ’95
Br. Emery Mollenhauer, F.S.C., Ph.D.
Br. Gerry Molyneaux, F.S.C., Ph.D., ’58
Br. Francis Tri Nguyen, F.S.C., Ph.D.
Br. Joseph Schmidt, F.S.C., ’56
Br. Ed Sheehy, F.S.C., Ph.D., ’68
Br. Kevin Stanton, F.S.C., ’60
Br. Joseph Willard, F.S.C., ’64
Br. Robert Wilsbach, F.S.C., ’70