What It Means to Be Lasallian

August 27, 2012

When Father Sal asked me to speak to you about what it means to be Lasallian, my brain was flooded with so many things that I could say! But how could I speak about everything I love about being Lasallian in 120 seconds.

Everything that came to mind seemed to be more of a textbook definition of Lasallian, and I was looking for a more personal side. I needed some help with this, so I did what any good college student would do and I sent out a mass text message.

The text simply reading “When you hear or see the word Lasallian, what comes to mind?”

I received some great responses from my friends, but the most common word that landed in my in-box was “family.”

That was it. Family. I have been a part of this Lasallian family since I was 5 years old, but I did not understand or embrace this family until I was a freshman here in 2009. I went to La Salle Academy in Providence, R.I., but I just went there because my dad went there, and I really had no other option. What dad says, goes. Like any typical teenager, since my parents wanted me to be all gung-ho about La Salle, I of course did the opposite. I had no intention of being a part of campus ministry or Lasallian youth. When I applied and was accepted to SMC, I didn’t care that it was a Lasallian, all I thought was, “Peace out, Rhode Island! I’m going to Cali!”

Needless to say, that all changed. 

In the past three years that I have spent here at SMC, I have learned that the family that I have been a part of since I was a little girl never left my side. Even though I did not want to really get involved or be a part of it in high school, they were waiting for me with open arms here at SMC. The people here at SMC are not just my peers, mentors and professors, they are my brothers and sisters. I have gone from not caring at all about being Lasallian to absolutely loving it! This change of heart came about because my family was there to support me through the good times and the bad.

Isn’t that what families are for?

This family that I speak of is not just isolated to Moraga; this is an international family. Lasallians in over 80 other countries share the same passion, love and zeal, not only for the mission of De La Salle but also for the people in it.

When we are together as a family living out the mission of St. John Baptist de La Salle, the possibilities of what we can accomplish together are limitless. We are Gaels and we are Lasallians.

I leave you today with some words from Juan Miguel Salvador’s song “One La Salle” that I believe truly capture the essence of the Lasallian family.

“One heart. One Soul. One Dream. One goal. We’re proud of who we are. One world. One spirit. One La Salle.”

Welcome to Saint Mary’s College and welcome to your Lasallian family. Live Jesus in our hearts forever.

Molly Allen ’13