Saint Mary’s College High School Appoints New Principal

Dr. Sara Troyani has been selected as the next principal of Saint Mary’s College High School in Berkeley, California, effective July 1.

Troyani has served the Saint Mary’s College High School community since 2015 as assistant principal for academics and as an instructor in Latin America history and Spanish. She has more than 20 years of experience in education, having taught at the Catholic secondary school and university levels, including University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Notre Dame.

Troyani holds a doctorate from the University of Notre Dame, a master’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University.

Read the announcement from Saint Mary’s College High School.

Dr. Christopher Sindt has been appointed as the next president of Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, effective July 1.

Since 2018, Sindt has served as the university’s provost, overseeing academic affairs, enrollment management, student life, athletics, and campus safety. A university announcement stated that Sindt played a key role in furthering the university’s strategic plan, strengthening student success, expanding academic innovation, and positioning Lewis for growth and impact.

Sindt previously held roles at Saint Mary’s College of California, where over the course of 17 years he served as program director of the MFA program in creative writing, associate dean of the School of Liberal Arts, dean of the School of Education, vice provost for graduate and professional studies, and vice provost for academic affairs.

Read the announcement from Lewis University.

Roxanne Eubank, Ed.D., died on Feb. 21, 2026, following a long illness.

Eubank served at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota for 30 years in a variety of roles, including as director of the Institute for Lasallian Studies and faculty member in the Educational Leadership doctoral (Ed.D.) program. Among her great contributions to her university and beyond, Eubank led the International Association of Lasallian Universities (IALU) Leadership Program for many years, founded the International Lasallian Research Symposium, and co-founded AXIS: Journal of Lasallian Higher Education and served on the journal’s editorial board.

In 2021, the Lasallian Region of North America presented her the Brother John Johnston Award. She and Dr. Mary Catherine Fox, AFSC, were the first two women to be presented with the award, which honors individuals who have made an indelible mark on the Lasallian mission through scholarly research, leadership, the written word, teaching, witnessing, evangelizing or demonstrating zeal for the mission. Eubank was a pioneer in scholarly research on women in the Lasallian story and fostered research by others on this topic.

Eubank contributed significantly to dialogues visioning Lasallian association into the future through her service in roles at the District and Regional level, and through presentations at Huether Conferences and the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies. She also helped design the Brother John Johnston Institute of Contemporary Lasallian Practice.

Eubank participated in the Region’s first Lasallian Women’s Symposium and the 2nd International Mission Assembly, both held in 2013. The Midwest District honored her as a Distinguished Lasallian Educator in 2012.

Roxanne’s Celebration of Life will be:

Monday, March 16, 5-7 p.m.
Mancini’s Char House
St. Paul, MN

Brother George Van Grieken, FSC, Ph.D., has written a new book, titled “Holy Audacity: A Short History of the Lasallian Charism and Mission.” The text offers a concise and accessible history of the Lasallian educational movement from its origins under Saint John Baptist de La Salle in 17th-century France to its global expressions today.

The book brings to life key events, leaders and the enduring spirit of faith, zeal and communal audacity that inspired generations of educators. “Holy Audacity” shows how a bold commitment to educating the poor, grounded in trust in God’s providence, continues to animate Catholic education today.

Lasallians are invited to the book launch party, which includes a book discussion followed by lunch, on Friday, March 20, at Mont La Salle in Napa, California. “Holy Audacity” will be available for purchase on Amazon at a later date.

RSVP here for the book launch by Friday, March 6, to secure your place. Please contact Elizabeth Jodice at ejodice@cbconf.org with any questions.

Christian Brothers Conference’s booklet, “A Lenten Journey for Educators With Saint John Baptist de La Salle,” is now available digitally. Earlier this year, CBC sent copies of this six-week Lenten devotional to each ministry. Each week offers a Gospel-centered theme paired with insights from De La Salle, a brief story drawn from the life of the classroom and simple practices or reflection and prayer.

Download a pdf of the full Lenten booklet or go week by week through the links below.

Week 1: Conversion of Heart
Week 2: Return to Me
Week 3: Humility and Simplicity
Week 4: Patience and Compassion
Week 5: Zeal and Sacrifice
Week 6: Christ Crucified
Easter: The Risen Christ in Our Vocation

Christian Brothers Conference is launching a Lasallian Pedagogy Fellows program that will begin September 2026. This program will invite participants to deepen their knowledge of Lasallian pedagogy while engaging in three in-person sessions and 10 virtual sessions over 18 months.

This inaugural cohort will accompany one another on a journey as fellow learners by exploring where we come from as Lasallian educators while prayerfully considering how and why Lasallian educators continue to be relevant in meeting the needs of young people today. In community, participants will discern how their personal vocation aligns with the underlying and overarching principles and historical impact of the Lasallian educational mission. Together they will enhance and sustain our understanding of contemporary Lasallian pedagogy.

Applicants must be graduates of a formation program like the Buttimer Institute, the Johnston Institute, the Lasallian Leadership Institute, or Brothers’ formation, and hold a certificate or advanced degree in education. Applicants should also be committed to sharing Lasallian pedagogy, either through local efforts or by contributing to Lasallian scholarship through the development and publication of new resource materials.

The inaugural group will be led by Michael Daniels, Ed.D, director of the office of education for the District of San Francisco New Orleans. The application process will begin March 1, 2026, and applications are due by May 1, 2026. Applicants will be notified of their status by June 1, 2026. Additional information on program objectives and participant profiles is forthcoming.

“Lasallian pedagogy places the educational relationship at the center of its activity. The educational relationship carries moral obligations for the holistic welfare of our students, including the spiritual dimension. … There is much more to the Lasallian teaching encounter than the transmission of knowledge. It is a care of souls.” (Lasallian Spirituality Today, No. 35).

Contact Sarah Laitinen, director of education and formation, at slaitinen@cbconf.org with any questions.

Each summer Christian Brothers Conference offers robust formation programs. Registration for 2026 opens in mid-February.

The Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies will take place at Manhattan University in Riverdale, New York, from Sunday, June 28 – Saturday, July 11. This three-year intensive Lasallian program studies the life, work and spirituality of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and the origins of the Lasallian educational mission. The Buttimer I class is capped to 40 participants through a first-come, first-served registration process.

This summer’s Lasallian Social Justice Institute (LSJI) will be held in Syracuse, New York, from Monday, July 20 – Friday, July 24, with a theme of child poverty and the work of hope. Through partnerships with local community organizations, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the lived realities of children and families experiencing poverty and the systemic forces that sustain it. Grounded in the Lasallian tradition and Catholic social teaching, the weeklong program will explore several interconnected issues impacting child poverty in the Syracuse community, including education, housing instability and food insecurity. The number of participants is limited to 12 with a maximum of two from each ministry.

The sixth cohort of the Brother John Johnston Institute of Contemporary Lasallian Practice will have its first gathering at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, from Monday, July 13 – Thursday, July 16. This initial session focuses on the story and vision of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Spanning two years, this program is designed for Lasallians who exercise or show potential for mission influence. Participants engage in prayer, study, reflection and dialogue that assist in more deeply animating our shared mission on the local level and within the broader Lasallian family.

The process to nominate or select participants is determined by ministries and/or Districts. Chief administrators are invited to use this guide to help determine which formation program may be the right fit for their colleagues.For any questions, please contact Sarah Laitinen, director of education and formation, at slaitinen@cbconf.org or (202) 529-0047 x 109.

Brother Jeremiah Charles ‘Charlie’ Burke, FSC, of the Midwest District died on Dec. 13, 2025, in Winona, Minnesota. He was 90 years old and served 72 years of religious life.

FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026
10:30 a.m., Mass of Memorial
Saint Thomas More Chapel, Saint Mary’s University

Luncheon and internment to follow.

Brother Charlie donated his remains to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, for research. His body was buried at Saint Mary’s Cemetery in Winona.

MILESTONES
Born: Charles Peter Burke, March 12, 1935, Lombard, IL
Received religious habit: August 1953, Glencoe, MO
Pronounced perpetual vows: 1960, Plano, IL

ASSIGNMENTS
1957, Christian Brothers College High School, St. Louis, MO
1961, St. Francis High School, Wheaton, IL
1963, De La Salle High School, Minneapolis, MN
1964, La Salle High School, Cincinnati, OH
1965, Mater Christi, Astoria, NY
1966, De La Salle High School, Minneapolis, MN
1967, Saint Mary’s Press, Winona, MN
1971, Provincialate, St. Paul, MN
1972, Saint Mary’s College, Winona, MN
1975, University of Notre Dame, Notre-Dame, IN, Student Life staff; studies
1981, Dunrovin Retreat Center, Marine-on-St. Croix, MN, director
1985, Saint Mary’s College, Winona, MN
1991, Saint Yon Community, Saint Mary’s Press, Winona, MN; 1998, retired
2007, Lake Winona Manor CCU

On Jan. 6, the feast of the Epiphany, the District of Francophone Canada officially became the Quebec Sector of the District of Eastern North America. A DENA announcement called the integration “a widening of horizons” and an affirmation of a “shared mission across cultures, languages and geographies (that) invites deeper collaboration among Brothers and Partners throughout the District.”

The first Lasallian foundation began in Quebec in 1837, when four Brothers of the Christian Schools arrived in Montréal. “From the beginning, the Lasallian presence in Quebec was shaped by two interwoven commitments: direct service of young people through schools, and the creation of educational infrastructure: books, pedagogical methods, educational communities, and formation environments; structures that would help share an entire society,” states “The Lasallian Mission in Quebec, 1837-2025,” a document released by DENA.

As Quebec’s educational, religious and social landscapes changed, the Brothers creatively adapted the Lasallian mission by shifting away from running large institutional schools to establishing youth centers, camps, spiritual formation houses and social-pastoral ministries rooted in the vision of Saint John Baptist de La Salle.

Today, the ministries within the Quebec Sector include: Camp De-La-Salle, Centre Lasallien, Centre Notre-Dame de La Rouge, and Villa des Jeunes. DENA has created a new video showcasing the Sector’s ministries, which serve thousands of young people and families each year.

Read DENA’s announcement.
Read the historical document, “The Lasallian Mission in Quebec, 1837-2025.”

View an updated map of the La sallian Region of North America.

Ronald L. Brandon has been appointed as the next president of Christian Brothers University (CBU) in Memphis, Tennessee, effective June 1, 2026.

A CBU alumnus, Brandon currently serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer for administration and finance and has been a member of the university’s senior leadership team for more than eight years. In previous roles, he was chief financial officer for the Diocese of Memphis and held senior leadership roles with the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South and ProTech Systems Group.

A university announcement stated that Brandon has played a crucial role in guiding the university during a time of transition, working closely with Interim President Brother Chris Englert, FSC, the board of trustees and campus leadership to strengthen financial stewardship, modernize operations, and advance long-term sustainability initiatives.

Read the announcement from CBU.

Saint Mary’s College High School Appoints New Principal

Who We Are

Who We Are

Where We Are

Where We Are

Programs & Events

Programs & Events