La Salle Academy

forever la
“The spirit of this Institute is a spirit of
‘to look upon everything with the eyes of faith, to do everything in
inspires in the Brothers an ardent zeal for those entrusted to them and
That which keeps a person or an institution alive is its
spirit; the spirit is the breath of life, the inner dynamic,
the energizing principle. For a Lasallian school and for
all Lasallians, that spirit is a spirit of faith and zeal. Faith and
zeal are bound together: one sees as God sees and one acts as
God acts. Seeing the needs of others, one is compelled to act on
their behalf; and, zeal implies to act with fervor, with enthusiasm
— on fire with love as if the flame of the Holy Spirit of
Pentecost is within one’s heart.
In the early days of the Institute of the
Brothers of the Christian Schools, Saint
John Baptist de La Salle knew that the work
of the schools would not survive unless
it were built on faith. He urged the first
Brothers to see with the eyes of faith, as did
the Magi, when they saw the infant Son of
God behind the rags of the poor child in the
stable. However, the first Brothers were not
only to see the face of God in the children of the
working class and poor that they taught, but also the Founder
urged them in the words of the Letter of James: “Faith is like
that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.” FAITH
and ZEAL!
How does one know that the spirit is alive, is a burning
flame and not just a simmering ember? In the thought of Saint
James: look for the results; look for the fruit.
At the end of this past school year we received a privileged
glimpse into the health and intensity of the spirit of faith and
zeal at La Salle Academy. The two students who spoke at the
Graduation Exercises and a recent alum who had just graduated
from college gave the La Salle Academy educational community
its answer.
Julianna Marandola ’15 spoke of the Lasallian experience
as a mural, part of which “is painted with the colors
of faith, service, and community and are unified
with the presence of God in every aspect of
the Lasallian experience. They… are textured
by a focus on justice for all and the
loving model of Jesus Christ. Our mural is
framed by the Lasallian mission: to live not
for ourselves but for the betterment of our
society, for the good of our community, and
for the person standing next to us.”
Her fellow graduate, Brendan Nigro ’15
made reference to the La Salle Fight Song and noted:
“having our ‘heads held high with one desire’ runs much
deeper, and relates to La Salle’s Mission. Two statements we
heard every day at La Salle effectively summarize the Mission
of La Salle Academy: Let us remember we are in the holy presence
of a loving God, and Live Jesus in our hearts. Forever!
Remembering God’s holy presence and allowing Jesus to live
in our hearts calls us to live out the Gospel and serve the poor,
One sees as God sees and one acts as God acts. Seeing the needs of others, one is
compelled to act on their behalf; and, zeal implies to act with fervor, with enthusiasm —
on fire with love as if the flame of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost is within one’s heart.
12 | la salle academy alumni magazine z 2015