Throughout October, fifth cohort participants of the Brother John Johnston Institute of Contemporary Lasallian Practice (JJI) gathered by District to reflect on Lasallian pedagogy and share best practices.
The sessions began with District of San Francisco New Orleans (SNFO) participants at the Cenacle on the Lake in Metairie, Louisiana, followed by the Midwest District at the Brother David Darst Center in Chicago, Illinois, and closed with the District of Eastern North America (DENA) at the Shawnee Inn in Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania. Presenters Brother Ernest Miller, FSC, and Joe Welling accompanied each of these gatherings.
Participants had met previously for a Regional session at Lewis University. Commenting on her experience at this District gathering, Katie Abeyta, said, “I entered this JJI session much like the first meeting in July – a little apprehensive, a little exhausted, but mostly excited. I left … feeling renewed – as a person and as a Lasallian educator.”
“Learning about other ministries’ biggest challenges and creative best practices has given me a sense of perspective, and it’s energized me toward thinking about what can be done at Mullen,” said Abeyta, a teacher and director of student life and service learning at Mullen High School in Denver, Colorado.
Throughout the weekend, participants were partnered to take part in Parmenie walks outdoors to converse, reflect and unpack presentations, following a practice done by many De La Salle Christian Brothers for their spiritual and personal formation. (In 1714, Saint John Baptist de La Salle experienced a key moment in his life at Parmenie.)
Brother Ernest, director of the Adrien Nyel Project at DENA, explored Lasallian pedagogy in his presentation, “Educating for the Reign of God,” incorporating key Lasallian texts. Welling, principal at Justin-Siena High School in Napa, California, later led participants through a presentation on “A Practitioners Guide to Lasallian Pedagogy” and allowed participants to reflect both individually and as a group on “The 12 Virtues of a Good Teacher.” Together, participants created tangible commitments of how to apply these virtues within their own ministries.
Angela Christman, animator at Saint Patrick High School in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, told Christian Brothers Conference what she discovered during the “deep dive” into the 12 virtues: “Our modern, traditional definitions of many of the virtues do not get to the heart of the Founder’s intentions. It’s worth reviewing original texts to really understand the nature of the virtues.”
Participant Eric Lipps said that for him, this fall JJI session emphasized “the importance of the marriage of faith and education.”
Lipps, a math/science teacher at St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, New York, added, “I got to see faith as an active part of pedagogy and it has inspired me to infuse more spiritual reflection into daily lessons, encouraging students to connect learning with their values and most importantly — word of God.”
The time included time for community and relaxation, as well as sharing best practices. At the close of the session, participants learned about the Johnston Capstone projects and began to brainstorm possible ideas for their future projects.
Cohort V will gather again by District in March 2025.
Johnston is a two-year Regional formation program focused on deepening participants’ understanding of Saint John Baptist de La Salle’s story and vision, Lasallian pedagogy, the Lasallian promotion of justice and Lasallian spirituality while using contemporary texts to inform and influence current and future Lasallian practice.