The second day of the Huether Lasallian Conference started Friday, November 16 with another inspirational keynote speech which provided Lasallians with more ideas on how they can put their faith into action.
Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love, IPR Fellow at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., related personal stories of people living in places like the Congo and Uganda who suffer horrifying injustices, but see their lives changed with the help of courageous work of religious groups. She offered ideas on how Lasallians can involve their students in social justice through activities like the Catholic Relief Services’ campus ambassador program. She also discussed the importance of influencing political policies in the interest of justice and peace.
“She had a brilliant ability to blend together Catholic social teachings and politics because so often, as she mentioned, people divide religion from politics but we’re a whole people,” said Pauline Waibel, Catholic Social Teachings instructor at De La Salle North Catholic High School in Portland, OR. “So we have to see the world through the eyes of the moral imagination that she mentioned and how we live our life and how foreign policy should follow that as well.”
Before participants divided into their morning breakout session groups, three students from San Miguel School in Washington, D.C. with principal Brother Francis Eells led the group in prayer.
Morning and afternoon breakout sessions offered a variety of topics to give Lasallians greater insight on innovative ways to engage their students, including through efforts like twinning, immersion, fair trade, investing and more.
“Very informative. Very engaging,” said Chris Winiarski, Director of Campus Ministry, Mission and Formation at La Salle High School in Cincinnati, OH. “The two that I attended, there were a tremendous amount of resources shared. Some great ideas I picked up.”
“They’ve been really wonderful. I’ve been really impressed by the professionalism of all the speakers,” said Ted Deeb from La Salle Institute in Troy, NY. “All of the speakers have been well grounded and have given us a lot of good, practical ideas to go back and work with, and all ideas and thoughts that myself as a campus minister and religion teacher can fairly easily translate into my school and my classroom.”
Friday concluded with participants gathering with Lasallians from their Districts for dinner at various locations.