(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Thursday, 7 February 2019—Black History Month)

Good morning, La Salle and De La Salle! Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God.

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear St. Mark’s account of Jesus commissioning His disciples to preach the Good News. As Mark relates it, Jesus instructed them to go out to “two by two…[and to] take nothing for the journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were…to wear sandals but not a second tunic.” Christians through the ages have cited this passage to uphold the virtue of a life of poverty – the stripping away of material possessions in order to more closely follow in Christ’s footsteps. And not incorrectly. But if we look beyond the literal message of this passage, we may find an even deeper truth: That, ultimately, when all of our resources fail, it is God and God alone on Whom we must rely. A seminal event in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. may help us see this truth more clearly.

In early January, 1956, Dr. King found himself as the de facto, if reluctant, leader of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Reflecting some years later, King remarked about the relative peace and stability in his life up to that point. “I didn’t have to worry about anything…Everything was done [for me], and if I had a problem I could always call Daddy – my earthly father [and] things were solved.” But with the Boycott, that changed, and almost overnight. “…After the white people in Montgomery knew that we meant business,” he recalled, “they started doing some nasty things.” He began receiving phone calls – sometimes more than 40 a day – threatening his life, and the lives of his wife and newborn child. On the night of January 27, having received yet another call, King reached a moment of crisis. “We are tired of you and your mess now. And if you aren’t out of this town in three days, we’re going to blow your brains out, and blow up your house.” Unable to sleep, King went to the kitchen, poured a cup of coffee and sat thinking, worrying. “I got to the point,” he later wrote, “that I couldn’t take it any longer. I was weak. Something said to me, you can’t call on Daddy now, he’s up in Atlanta a hundred and seventy-five miles away… You’ve got to call on that something in that person that your Daddy used to tell you about.” Stripped of everything, King prayed. “I discovered then,” he wrote, “that religion had to become real to me, and I had to know God for myself. And I bowed down over that cup of coffee…and I prayed out loud.” When he finished, King heard an inner voice: “Martin Luther, stand up for righteousness. Stand up for justice. Stand up for truth. And lo I will be with you, even until the end of the world.’” “Almost at once [his] fears began to go. [His] uncertainty disappeared.” King marched on until his death in April 1968.

As we reflect on our own lives, and we find our faith tested by the evil of this world, we might do well to listen to King’s account of his own life of faith:

“Of course I was religious, I grew up in the church. I’m the son of a preacher…my grandfather was a preacher, my great grandfather was a preacher, my only brother is a preacher, my daddy’s brother is a preacher…but it was a kind of inherited religion and I had never felt in the way that you must, and have it, if you’re going to walk the lonely paths of this life.”

May you and I, like Dr. King, when we are stripped of all of our resources, have the faith and the courage to sit and to pray.

Let us pray, from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 12: 9-11):

A thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

St. John Baptist de La Salle….pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts…forever.

Brian Bennett–Religion Teacher

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Tuesday, 5 February 2019—Black History Month)

Good morning.  Let us remember we are in the Holy presence of loving God

Today is the official start of Lunar New Year.  This day celebrates the traditional start of the lunar calendar in 6 different Asian countries including Japan, Korea and China.

On the Lunar New Year’s eve, Chinese will make a large feast that is comprised of traditional dishes of fish, meats and vegetables, with each dish representing good fortune in the coming year. Kids will receive lucky money with a red envelope from elder family members. During the Lunar New Year, people clean their house entirely for getting rid of bad luck and wishing a good new beginning of a year.  Families sit together and chat happily awaiting the new year’s arrival.

Lunar New Year is perhaps one of the best times to spread love, joy and cheer. It is the perfect occasion to celebrate with friends and family. For many who do not get the chance to spend enough time with their loved ones, it also presents a chance to express their emotions, gratitude, love and deep feelings towards the important people in their lives.

With the start of Black History Month and the celebration of Lunar New Year, today we are reminded of the beauty of diversity.  Students of different races and students from different cultures share one community here at La Salle. God who made us all different has allowed us to be one family of Lasallians so we can learn and care for one another.

Lunar New Year is about renewal and the hope for the future. These same ideas are central in Christian teachings. So today we renew our commitment as a community to love all of God’s children, beautiful in their diversity, from different backgrounds and different ways of life.  We hope for a future where no people are oppressed or hated, but where the whole world lives as one family.

So let us pray! Father, Creator of the universe, in your great wisdom you continually renew all things. As we celebrate this New Year, we especially ask your mercy. Grant us a favorable future and a world prosperous and at peace. Let us serve you with reverence and joy. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen!

St. John Baptist de La Salle…pray for us.

Live Jesus in our Hearts…forever.

Happy New Year, La Salle!

Kechao WU (Mike)–Class of 2019

(Prayer offered on the Pubic Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Friday morning, 1 February 2019—5th day of Catholic Schools Week)

Let us remember that we are in the Holy presence of God.

Good Morning Lasallians—

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Justin Pires. I am a proud alumnus, member of the Class of 2012, and currently a second-year law student at Northeastern University in Boston. And for those of you who do know me, you’re probably wondering the obvious—who in their right mind let this guy speak over the intercom?!

To mark Catholic Schools Week, I would like to share for you all how my Lasallian, Catholic education shaped me and my life choices. The fact of the matter is, La Salle made me a more prepared and stronger professional, and spiritually speaking, La Salle taught me how to love. But more on that in a bit.

Professionally speaking, La Salle prepared me incredibly well and opened many doors of opportunity for my future. I trace that down to having been blessed with such exceptional teachers. Whether it was learning how to be critical of my own writing to produce an exceptional final product in Mr. Pare’s English class; patiently working towards learning another language and appreciating different cultures in Sra. DiMascio’s Spanish class; or preparing a strategic prosecutorial argument for a mock trial in Mr. Pacia’s Legal Studies class, all these factors from my Lasallian education made me confident to go out into the world and chase after my goals.

La Salle challenged me outside the classroom as well. Be it Sondheim, Shakespeare, or Bernstein, I was always intellectually and creatively pushed by the fine directors of the theater program and came away from the experience with a better understanding of how to work collaboratively and efficiently with others to achieve something remarkable. The interchangeable skills that I obtained in the theater program are the very ones I use to my advantage in classroom oral arguments, in court, and with the clients I work with every day.

Spiritually speaking, and perhaps the greatest thing La Salle has taught me is how to love. Now when I say love, it’s not the kind of love where you hear Marvin Gay being played in the background. No, I’m talking about the love and service one can provide to humanity. In every Kairos retreat, morning prayer, mission trip, there is one central message—to love and serve your brother and sister to the best of your ability. This message is one I carry every day.

Aside from being a law student, I have worked in the field of immigration for over 6 years. The cases I have worked on cover a multitude of different areas in immigration law—asylum and refugee, adjustment of status, and naturalization cases are only a few examples.

Whether it is a sixteen-year-old boy from El Salvador seeking refuge in the United States because he refused to join a gang and was ultimately forced to leave everything behind for the opportunity to live in peace; or whether it is a mother of 4 children who suffered unspeakable abuse and neglect from her husband, seeking a fresh start and an opportunity to give her children the life she never had—every situation that has presented itself to me has involved a human being desperate for help—a human being willing to do anything and willing to go to extraordinary lengths to ensure their survival and family’s prosperity. In hearing their stories, the pain they have endured along their voyage, and their relentless desire for a better life, I cannot help but empathize. I cannot help but imagine being in their shoes, walking each mile, praying night and day for a solution to come. And in doing this, I completely surrender my heart, knowledge, and efforts to their individual cause.

Despite today’s trying times, it is vital to view the immigration situation not in a political light, but in a humanitarian light. Whenever I am presented a new client and case, I simply remember that whoever sits in the seat across my desk—wherever they come from and whatever story they may have– they are human beings seeking help. And so, to the best of my ability, I put forward all my efforts to love and serve them. Ultimately, I thank La Salle for molding me into a strong legal advocate, fighting each day to ensure humanity is loved and cared for.

I speak now directly to all you students sitting in home room. To put it all together, when I left 612 Academy, I wasn’t sure where my future would lead me, but I knew that La Salle blessed me with a vocation of my own—to help people and to make the world a better place one day at a time. Robert Kennedy once said:

Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts, will be written the history of this generation.

Know that when you leave these halls, as I did, you are all charged with a great responsibility– to love and to serve. In that love and service, you hold the power to make a lasting impact on someone’s life, and in doing so, you change the world.

Let us Pray…

Dear Lord,

In these trying times, please help us all to be more mindful, empathetic, and loving towards our brothers and sisters, no matter who they are or where they may come from.

Whenever we see one of our brothers or sisters lost, misunderstood, or in need of assistance– instead of turning our heads, ignoring them, and walking away—may you give us the drive, the courage and the compassion to turn around, walk towards them, offer our services, and show them love.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle: Pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts: Forever.

Justin Pires–Class of 2012

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Thursday, 31 January 2019—4th day of Catholic Schools Week)

Let us remember… we are in the holy presence of God.

It occurred to me recently, at the vague prompting of Mrs. Estes, that of all the members of this community I might have one of the longest associations with this place.

I came to La Salle as a freshman in September of 1959, almost 60 years ago.  I graduated college, was drafted, went to grad school, and then, in 1971 returned here to be a math teacher – a miracle in my life.  So for the last 48 years, including 3 terrifying years as an assistant principal, I am here.

My wife, Carolee, was also a math teacher with me for over twenty years, and our five children graduated from La Salle – all five were in my classes.

When I was a student each class had 40 boys.  Our desks were bolted to the floor in perfect rows.  We stayed in the same classroom all day, as the different subject teachers came to us and then left.  When we went to lunch we ate standing, at tables about four feet high.  The Brothers’ House was full, with 30 or 40 Brothers.   Of course, there was no athletic center, no science building, no guidance department, no computer, no calculator…  At the end of the school day there would be perhaps 100 boys, including me, out on Smith Street with our thumbs out, hitching rides to homes in North Providence, Johnston, Smithfield, and beyond.  As I recall, we all got home safely.

Wow, have things changed!  Thanks be to God.

So, you see, I know a thing or two about this place.  And one thing I know is that, today, La Salle is better than it has ever been.  And another thing is:  we did not get here by accident.  I want to point out three of the reasons for this community’s great strength.

First, we must thank the Christian Brothers.  This Institute has called its Brothers, its lay associates, its students to a renewed understanding of the mission and spirit of John Baptist de La Salle.  The Brothers have been remarkably faithful and energetic in educating all of us.  For me, the Brothers have given me nothing less than a path (not a pass) toward salvation.  I am deeply grateful.  I hope you are, too.

Second, for decades now teachers and staff, inspired by the Lasallian mission, have accepted that mission and made it theirs.  Your teachers are here not to simply do a job, but to heed a calling from above, an important calling that breathes a discernible life into this community.  Again, I am grateful.

And, of course, our community of students is the core of everything we do here.  Each morning I truly look forward to being with my students, with their pains, their grief, their joys, their frustrations.  You students are the reason for this place, this endeavor, as we move with each other toward salvation, toward holiness, toward wholeness.  Remember, it is not just my wholeness, or your wholeness.  It is OUR wholeness.  We do this together.   Again, so grateful!

Let us pray.

O God, Ineffable Mercy, we raise our hearts in thanksgiving this morning:

• For the way You led your servant, John Baptist de La Salle, to his mission of service and education
• For the Institute he founded to announce Your presence to all, especially the poor
• For this vibrant community of students, teachers, and staff
• For giving each of us, and all of us, a path toward wholeness, toward You!

St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us.

Live, Jesus, in our hearts.  Forever!

Michael McNamara–Math Teacher, Alumnus (Class of 1963), Parent of 5 Alums

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Wednesday, 30 January 2019—Founder’s Day and the 3rd day of Catholic Schools Week)

Good Morning, La Salle and De La Salle–

Let Us Remember we are in the Holy Presence of a Loving God.

Today is a day that we reflect on our Founder, John Baptist de La Salle. It is sort of difficult to picture the life he lived over 300 years ago…. It’s like imagining your great, great, great grandparents. We can read biographies, see pictures, and so much more, but no one sitting in this school today has actually met him. We know him to be a generous, educated, and a stubborn man who is the reason you and I are here today, but his life seems so distant. That is until we think about the people who surround us in this building who live out the same qualities he possessed.

Senior year in the Lasallian Discipleship and Vocation course, the three Campus Ministers speak about and educate our students on the 12 virtues of a Lasallian Educator. I won’t bore you with listing the virtues but rather I want you to think about who comes to mind…

This Lasallian educator is calm and serene; they display patience in their day to day tasks with a gentleness felt by the entire school community. They are enthusiastic about the mission of De La Salle and are watchful while catering to everyone’s needs. They are an advocate for all social justice issues and can be seen standing up for all that is right and just. They are cautious with their actions and have an open door policy with all students and colleagues. This person is loved by all and is truly a blessing in our community.

Side note: this person was wishing we had received a phone call from Mr. Kavanagh this morning stating “due to the inclement weather, there will be no school for La Salle Academy today, January 30th”… all because she doesn’t want all the attention on her today.

Well, if you guessed Mrs. Estes, you are spot on!… she truly goes above and beyond her vocational calling to be a Lasallian; she is living out those 12 virtues but, more importantly, she is our present day De La Salle. Mrs. Estes will be honored this afternoon as the Distinguished Lasallian Educator of the Year….

Mrs. Estes never fails to put others before herself. This won’t surprise you; but, last Friday at Breadlines, Mrs. Estes was speaking to a man outside the Cathedral while serving alongside students. The man asked her if there were any hats being handed out on this cold evening and without missing a beat, she took the hat off her head handing it to the man. Her heart beats loudly in the small acts of kindness and generosity she fulfills on a daily basis. This reminds me of the times in which De La Salle would give away his riches or share food during a famine. A real day Samaritan!

Let Us Pray,

Good and gracious God, you have promised to remain forever with those who do what is right and just. Help us to live in Your presence. May we hear your call to love those around us, bringing peace and joy to others. Thank you for the gift of Mrs. Estes and all Lasallian educators living out the life of our Founder… May we remember that small deeds go a long way in making this community and the world a better place.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle…Pray For Us.

Live Jesus in Our Hearts…Forever!

Katie Haidemenos—Campus Minister and Alumna (Class of 2011)

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Tuesday, 29 January 2019—2nd day of Catholic Schools Week)

Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God…

Why choose a Catholic school? It is a question I have been asked many times over the years as my children attended Catholic elementary school and have then gone on to their high school years at La Salle.

There are the obvious answers—We like to joke that we enjoy not arguing with our kids about what they are going to wear or whether they can dye their hair purple. In truth, their Dad and I wanted a terrific education that included learning in a Catholic faith- and values-based environment. The bonus here at La Salle is getting an education rooted in St. John Baptist de La Salle’s ideals of faith, service and community.

We have welcomed the opportunity that our children have had to learn about their Catholic faith, as well as the faiths practiced by others. As a family that places a great deal of value on the ideals of service to one’s country and community, particularly to those less fortunate, we are grateful for the myriad ways that our children have been able to participate in extracurricular clubs and off campus activities that enable them to gain a new perspective on the world as well as contribute their time and talents.

As parents, we also have seen the benefits of experiences like Kairos and class retreats, that give students the chance to reflect on where you are in your life and what direction you want to take. This opportunity for reflection is a real gift of being educated in the Catholic, Lasallian tradition.

But if I had to give a one sentence answer to the question, “What do you hope your children have gained by their Catholic education?” it is that I hope they have been made to be aware and thankful for their lives—to truly appreciate and love the person he or she is and to know how valuable their contributions are to this world. I hope that they recognize what an important difference they can make in the world that God has created for us, but which depends on us, to care for it and its inhabitants.

That knowledge gives the confidence to go and as St. Ignatius Loyola wrote, “Set the world on fire.” It is, I hope, what a Catholic education has instilled in my kids and in each and every one of you.

Let us pray,

Dear God,

During this Catholic Schools Week, let us be especially grateful for the many blessings of our Catholic education here at La Salle. May we be thankful for our parents’ and guardians’ sacrifices that enable us to have the opportunities we are given in this rich and diverse community of educators and learners.

Open our minds and hearts, Lord, so that we may recognize and value the individual gifts that we have been given and help us to use them in ways that can positively impact our world and the people we share it with.

St. John Baptist de la Salle…pray for us.

Live Jesus in our hearts…forever.

Mrs. Christine Rogers–Parent

(Prayer offered on the Public Address system for the entire La Salle Academy educational community on Monday morning, 28 January 2019—1st day of Catholic Schools Week)

Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of a Loving God,

Good morning and Happy Catholic Schools Week. This is a week that is dedicated to the celebration of our Catholic identity: an identity that allows us to incorporate our faith into our daily actions and interactions. We are fortunate here at La Salle to be able share the love of God with one another and join each other on a spiritual journey that strengthens our school community. This morning I would like to share with you my journey through Catholic education, specifically here at La Salle.

It started in a way that is probably similar to a lot of yours, sitting on the sidelines of basketball courts and football fields as I watched my older siblings compete for La Salle. My earliest memories of La Salle date back to 1997, long before any of you were born, when I remember sitting in the tiny gymnasium that was located where the current theater is watching my sister play basketball. It was so tiny that it seemed as if you could almost reach out and touch any of the players on the court regardless of where you were sitting in the bleachers. Then there were the cold Friday night football games for my older brother. This was back when the football field was where the baseball field is located today. I remember sitting on the sidelines and wondering what was so special about this school that made my parents want to take us out of our town’s public schools and drive us half an hour to attend a school that they would have to pay for.

Then, a couple years later, it was my turn to start at La Salle. During my eighth grade year I remember crying when my parents told me that I would have to take the entrance exam. I was convinced they were trying to ruin my life by having me apply to La Salle. You see, I was a very shy kid and by the time I got to middle school I finally felt like I had found myself a good group of friends. The thought of having to start over at a new high school seemed terrifying. To put my mind at ease they told me that I should shadow a student at La Salle for a day to get a better idea of what the school was like. Like most of you probably did, I spent a day nervously walking from class to class with a freshman… meeting all of her friends and teachers. By the end of that day I still wasn’t 100% convinced that I would love it but I at least had warmed up to the idea of giving it a shot. My parents told me that I had to at least try it for a year and then we could reconsider. Let’s just say that we never had a follow up conversation at the end of my freshmen year. I fell in love with La Salle. There was and still is today something so special and unique about this school community.

On the surface it’s easy to look at a place like La Salle and think that it’s a wonderful place because of the fancy athletic facilities or state of the art theater. But it goes way beyond that. Now that I am older and hopefully wiser I can reflect on my time as a student and know that it was the people that made my time as a student here so special. You probably know some of them….. Mr. Sirois, Mrs. Misziasek, Ms. Sanga, Mr. Hajan, Mrs. Chapman, Mrs. Romani, Mrs. Martinelli, Mr. Wright, Mrs. King, Mr. Heroux… and the list could go on. These are people who helped my on my journey to becoming a confident senior who felt sad that her time at La Salle was coming to an end in 2005… little did I know that I would eventually be back and lucky enough to call those people my coworkers.

After graduating in 2005 I spent six year away from La Salle. Four years were spent doing my undergraduate work at the University of Oregon (go ducks) and then two years getting my Master’s degree at Providence College while teaching at a Catholic high school in Fall River. Once I began my teaching career I knew that there was only one place that I wanted to end up…. a place that had become like a second home for me and my family, La Salle. As fate would have it they had a position open in Math and it was a very surreal experience coming back to interview with people that had once been my teachers. Thankfully everything worked out and a week later I got a call from Mr. Kavanagh welcoming me back to La Salle. After I hung up, I cried. Thankfully this time around they were tears of joy.

As a teacher I feel so lucky to be able to work here at La Salle: a place where we get to live out the gospel in our daily lives, where we welcome people of all backgrounds and ability levels to be part of our community. In a society that is becoming over-secularized, we must use our identity as a Catholic school to promote inclusion and service to others. It is becoming even more important for us to recognize the value of human life and the gifts that we are given to share with our community.

Here at La Salle things are bound to change over time. The facilities will change, the teachers and students will change, the dress code will change, but what has stayed the same over the past twenty years or so since I first stepped foot on La Salle’s campus is the Catholic mission to spread justice and love… and I hope that will never change.

Last year, as some of you know, I took on a new role… being a mother. My son Ralphie was born a little over a year ago and I pray that someday he is able to come to La Salle.  My hope is that, when he attends La Salle, it is still the same special place that it is today. The only way that that can happen is if you, the students, continue to share your talents and gifts with the community. And when I say talents and gifts I don’t just mean your academic, athletic, or musical talents. But also your spiritual gifts: your ability to choose between right and wrong even when the path towards what is right is more difficult and your moral gifts and desire to help those less fortunate than you. Because that is what makes La Salle such a special place. So in closing, my request to you comes, not only as your teacher but as an alum and a mother of a future student…. embrace your Lasallian identity, take pride in it, don’t take it for granted, and share its mission with others. In doing so, we will continue to strengthen our community and live our lives as God intended us to.

Let us pray,

Dear God,

We praise you for the gift of community. Thank you for the communities in which we live and work. Thank you for the community that is your Body, the Church. Fill us with Your Spirit today so that, as one, we reflect your light and love to each other and to the world. Amen.

St. John Baptist de La Salle – Pray for us.

Live Jesus in our Hearts- Forever.

Megan (Maloney) Carey—Math Teacher, Alumna (Class of 20o5), and Mother of a future alumnus