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| LASALLIAN YOUTH |
A Brief History
During the 1960's, a lively movement characterized by an interest in St. John Baptist de La Salle developed among the students of the Brothers and the young people in Spain. The movement spread to many other areas: Italy, Belgium, France, Latin America, Malta, the Near East, and Quebec, to mention only a few.
In 1987 the Brothers of Quebec hosted the first Lasallian Youth gathering in North America. For the first time, at this convention, students from the United States and Toronto gathered with hundreds of students from other parts of the world under the banner of Lasallian Youth. While word of the international Lasallian Youth movement had reached people in the U.S. before, never had youth or adults from the U.S. experienced so tangibly the spirit and faith of the movement. All activities were conducted in multi-national groups: French, Spanish, and English. While diversity abounded, the unifying factor was clearly the call to faith, service, and community as understood in the Lasallian context. People reached out to each other, helped each other, shared with each other, and formed a bond that many from the U.S. just didn't think would be possible.
Everyone who went to Quebec from the United States was deeply affected. Returning Chicago students were so enthusiastic that they determined to get Lasallian Youth started in the U.S. They convinced their moderator to help them host a Lasallian Youth gathering in Chicago the following year. They spent that whole school year participating in service activities, sharing community, and exploring their faith. From their experience they developed a program for the summer gathering, called "Chicago '88." One day of the convention would focus on each of the primary Lasallian Youth themes of faith, service, and community. The final day would concentrate on where Lasallian Youth should go from there.
About thirty-fve people representing seven schools attended "Chicago '88." No one cared that there were far fewer students and schools than were invited. It was considered a great success. The word had spread to new schools and new cites and that was all that mattered. Within a month of the end of "Chicago '88" the students attending from Memphis decided that they wanted to host "Memphis '89."
And so it went. "Memphis '89" had forty-five participants representing eight schools. Like "Chicago "88," the students decided to develop the themes of faith, service, and community. They also decided to give a primary role to service. Consequently, they planned service activities for three of the days, and the faith and community components were integrated into those experiences. By the end of "Memphis "89" it was evident that the students from Tulsa would host the following summer's convention.
During the planning meetings for "Tulsa '90" the committee decided to emphasize the faith element. The students wanted to make a special effort to illustrate and experience faith as it relates to service and community. They also wanted to experience various models of prayer. They realized that the service activity should be followed by reflection and sharing in light of the Gospel. Seventy students representing nine schools participated in "Tulsa '90". Lasallian Youth continued to grow.
The students from Kansas City enthusiastically hosted the Lasallian Youth gathering in the summer of 1991. They added social justice education as a new dimension to the elements of faith, service, and community at this convention. Students had the opportunity to meet and listen to the stories of poor and homeless people. The planning committee wanted to make sure that Lasallian Youth understood the very real circumstances that brought about the need for service. Participation for the summer convention had grown to one hundred students representing thirteen schools.
The summer of 1992 brought Lasallian Youth an opportunity to attend another international youth convention. The lay teachers, Brothers, families and alumni of Northern Mexico hosted the event to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the "Evangelization of the Americas." Over 700 participants attended; 150 were from the United States. Like "Quebec '87", this was a chance for U.S. students to experience the international reality of Lasallian Youth. Unlike Quebec, this time the U.S. youth had their own experience of Lasallian Youth to share.
To this point, all the gatherings had been in the Midwest, save for occasional excursions to neighboring countries. At the conclusion of "Mexico '92", American representatives decided that it was time to move from a regional to a national convention for Lasallian Youth in the United States. The students from Chicago made it quite clear that they were up to the challenge.
For those who look at such things with the eyes of faith, "Chicago '93" showed that the spirit of De La Salle and the presence of God is clearly animating Lasallian Youth. There were 230 participants who attended from thirty schools representing every district of the United States where there are Lasallian schools. Service stood as the centerpiece to the experience, with two full days dedicated to it. The quality of prayer and the richness of sharing illustrated that the message and the power of faith, service, community, and justice had taken root and grown in the students.
By 1994, Lasallian Youth in the United States had grown big enough to require two conventions. There were 125 Lasallians from the East Coast who gathered in Albany, New York. New Orleans was the sight of the Midwest conference where nearly 170 gathered.
During the summer of '95, within days of each other, 100 students and moderators gathered on the East Coast at Manhattan College, while in the Midwest, 178 students and moderators gathered in Winona at St. Mary's University.
Lasallian Youth continues to grow and evolve, redefining itself within U.S. culture. To help prepare for and understand our future, Lasallian Youth need to gather regularly as a community to reflect on their experiences of service, faith, and justice in light of the Gospel and the story of St. John Baptist de La Salle. |
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