To Touch Hearts - Pedagogical Spirituality and St. John Baptist de La Salle

Book excerpt: This work addresses Lasallian pedagogical spirituality, defined as the dynamic integration of foundational convictions, basic operative commitments, and consistent practices permeating the teaching dimensions of schools that claim the heritage of St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The dissertation examines the content of Lasallian pedagogical spirituality and proposes measures for realizing its vitality within Lasallian school life. Particular pedagogical characteristics, components of an overall pedagogical spirituality, are present in the original charism of St. John Baptist de La Salle. The basic operative commitments that underlie those characteristics ought to be integrally realized in a pedagogy that claims to be Lasallian and wholly incorporated in the formation of Lasallian educators. There are three sequential parts to the dissertation: 1) an overview of the St. John Baptist de La Salle's context and personal history, 2) an overview of his literature followed by an analysis of aspects of Lasallian pedagogical spirituality evidenced in that literature according to five pedagogical elements: the teacher, the student, the teacher/student relationship, the activity of teaching, and the school in general, and 3) a contemporary articulation of the Lasallian basic operative commitments that characterize his spirituality today, along with their implications for the formation of Lasallian educators Extrapolating from the life and writings of De La Salle, ten Lasallian operative commitments are proposed. The commitments are presented in the form of attributes that may be applied to Lasallian institutions and their pedagogical components: 1) centered in and nurtured by the life of faith, 2) trusting providence in discerning God's will, 3) with creativity and fortitude, 4) through the agency the Holy Spirit, 5) incarnating Christian paradigms & dynamics, 6) with practical orientation, 7) devoted to education, accessible and comprehensive, 8) committed to the poor, 9) working in association, 10) expressing a lay vocation. The dissertation concludes by presenting teacher formation structures and strategies for introducing Lasallian operative commitments and by providing a Lasallian Mission and Vision Statement.