Over 40 Lasallians from across the Region gathered at the Bethany Center in Lutz, Florida, for Encountering Lasallian Spirituality: A Workshop and Retreat from February 11-14, 2024. Drawing participants from a wide variety of the Lasallian family, the retreat focused on the basis of spirituality, the uniqueness of Lasallian spirituality, how to integrate and deepen spirituality into daily life.
A few participants were asked to reflect upon their experience. Their responses below have been edited for length and clarity.
Kimberly Martel
Associate Director of Development
San Miguel School
Providence, RI
District of Eastern North America
What drew you to attend Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
I’ve always valued the importance of spirituality since I was young. Over the years, I’ve noticed that my own relationship with it tends to ebb and flow, and when I received the email about this Lasallian retreat, I felt as though its timing was quite serendipitous. I was feeling a little ungrounded and unsure of things, so when that email popped up, I didn’t even question it. I knew that it was something I’d like to attend.
What stands out for you from your experience at Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
Going into Encountering Lasallian Spirituality, I felt like I was going to benefit a whole lot from having some solitude away from work, away from my personal life, and the demands that come along with them. I was eager to clear my head and realign my inner world so that I could best serve my outer. … What I didn’t realize at the time was how in need I was of the aspects of community that came along with this retreat. The bits of wisdom and perspective that were shared by the presenters, along with the kindness and warm conversation that poured from others during breakout sessions or over dinner, brought me a renewed sense of inspiration.
What will you take back to your ministry/community from this retreat experience?
I’m grateful to be returning to my ministry with a renewed sense of direction and purpose. I entered this experience looking to better myself. I arrived in Florida feeling somewhat depleted and aimless, and left feeling much more restored and anew. It helped me regain a sense of clarity within my own life that was starting to become a bit hazy.
However, it also helped me better understand, or feel, the real purpose of our Lasallian mission — salvation. The idea was shared that salvation is a relationship, not a destination. And that really stuck with me.
Martin Sandoval
Principal
St. Michael’s High School
Santa Fe, NM
District of San Francisco New Orleans
What drew you to attend Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
What drew me to attending Encountering Lasallian Spirituality was the opportunity to learn more about the legacy of De La Salle, learn more about Lasallian spirituality, reflect on the Lasallian charism on its importance to me personally and professionally, and grow my relationship with God. I could not pass this up.
What stands out for you from your experience at Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
I have a better understanding of the importance of being fully present in the moment, letting my heart guide me, realizing that I am more than what I do in my professional life, and that I am part of what God is doing in our schools and in the world. What also stood out for me is that there is no Lasallian mission without Lasallian spirituality. What I learned from the workshops, having the opportunity to reflect on what I learned, and the interactions I had with the amazing people I met made this experience incredibly worthwhile.
What will you take back to your ministry/community from this retreat experience?
I would take back to my faculty and staff the importance of zeal in the education of young people. I would express how the Lasallian mission without zeal is hollow. I would ask that we reflect on our vocation and how our gifts can meet the deep needs of our students and of the world today. The example we set has the greatest impact on those around us. I would reiterate in more depth, to our students and our community, the Lasallian mission, the Lasallian charism, and the importance of our Lasallian Core Principles in action.
Karen Kidrowski
Spanish Teacher and Lasallian Animator
Holy Family Catholic High School
Victoria, MN
Midwest District
What drew you to attend Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
I was drawn to this because of the roles I have in my ministry. I am both a classroom teacher as well as the animator. I was drawn to understanding more of this topic as a way to engage my students with this spirituality but also with the adults in my school when we do formation. … I learned a lot about Lasallian spirituality in my third year of Buttimer eight years ago, but the title of “Encountering” was intriguing to me as it would allow me to experience it and not just study it. I also saw the amazing line up of speakers/presenters and wanted to learn from their years of wisdom on this topic.
What stands out for you from your experience at Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
This took place at one of the best retreat facilities I have been to in my life. This was so well planned out for me as the participant to have enough time to learn in the workshops, quiet time to reflect and also socialize with other Lasallian partners. The variety of prayer experiences along with daily Mass was just what I needed.
What will you take back to your ministry/community from this retreat experience?
I will take back a renewed commitment to incorporate and embed this spirituality for our staff, teachers and students. I can’t give what I don’t have and so this experience allowed me to fill up my own cup so I can better serve my community.
Brother Gus Sinco, FSC
Director
Environmental Sustainability Education Initiative, RELAN
Midwest District
What drew you to attend Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
The wisdom and wealth of experience of the presenters. I was looking to learn about Lasallian spirituality today, to embed it into “ecological spirituality.” Integral Ecology education is the core of my ministry. Praying and connecting with other Lasallians and mother nature.
What stands out for you from your experience at Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
Creating a community filled with prayer, heartfelt empathy and boundless passion turned out to be surprisingly easy. Listening to the diverse group of Lasallians share their spiritual journeys, I realized that despite our differences, the Lord’s divine pedagogy leads us all along the same path. I felt right away at home.
What will you take back to your ministry/community from this retreat experience?
A deeper sense of support and encouragement. Sharing experiences and challenges with others makes me realize how supportive we are to each other. Inspiration and motivation. Witnessing the journeys of others was a source of inspiration and motivation to continue one’s own spiritual journey. My Lasallian family is growing — new brothers/sisters and friendships and connections.
TJ Birnbaum
Marketing
Saint Mary’s Press
Lasallian Educational and Research Initiatives (LERI)
Winona, MN
Midwest District
What drew you to attend Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
I was drawn to attend because I’ve wanted to deepen my sense of Lasallian spirituality for a while now. Working at a Lasallian company and having a desire for personal spirituality on my own, having an understanding of what “Lasallian” spirituality means is helpful for both personal and professional life (plus, I just love learning what the saints have to teach us about life!).
What stands out for you from your experience at Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
One of the things I most enjoyed was the space. Space for reflection, space for silence, and literal, physical space for movement. … I genuinely appreciated how every session and every day had space and time to meander, wander and wonder at what God was saying through the retreat.
What will you take back to your ministry/community from this retreat experience?
I’m taking back a sense of renewal, but also an understanding that my spirituality can and should be integrated with my work.
Angel Rubiel Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Head of School
De La Salle Academy
New York, NY
What drew you to attend Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
My school community was going through a difficult time, and I felt a sense of emotional and spiritual fatigue. When I saw this opportunity, it felt like it was the right moment to reset and ground myself in the larger purpose of my work. Throughout the year, I help facilitate retreats for all other members of my community, both students and adults, and it seemed right for me to have an opportunity to go on retreat myself.
What stands out for you from your experience at Encountering Lasallian Spirituality?
I was struck by the diversity of our group in all of its forms, by the presenters, both Brothers and affiliates and the vulnerability modeled by all as they shared with us their practices but also their journeys. I valued how much the staff took care of us and allowed us to be focused on ourselves when we typically tend to put ourselves last. I loved the cadence of the schedule, which slowed the pace of our lives down and allowed us to be present with ourselves, each other, God and creation.
What will you take back to your ministry/community from this retreat experience?
Working in a ministry with a spiritually diverse student and adult community, I feel empowered to find ways to ensure that all, regardless of their spiritual background, can connect to the deep faith and mission exemplified by St. John Baptist de La Salle as “a mystic in action,” someone that was able to make the everyday sacred and the sacred accessible. I am excited to find ways of structuring our days and weeks to build time for quiet, rest and meditation.
Questions related to Encountering Lasallian Spirituality can be sent to spirituality project manager Brother Michael Phipps at mphipps@cbconf.org.
For resources on Lasallian spirituality, visit the Lasallian Resource Center.