I’ve spent the better part of the summer working on two job descriptions – one - Vice President for Mission is brand new; the other - Principal – is a revision of a previous document. Readers of this space and the ParentNewsletter will know the reason for this exercise. After 15 years as Principal, Pat Bonacci, AFSC would like to turn his attention to a less overwhelming set of responsibilities. When Pat informed me of his desire two years ago, and that he wanted to continue in some capacity here at La Salle, without batting an eyelash, I told him I knew exactly what I wanted him to do next – and that job – Vice President for Mission - didn’t exist! So, at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year, Pat will transition into a new role at La Salle and a new principal will take on the challenge of filling Pat’s enormous foot print.


Folks who are familiar with La Salle know that we take enormous pride in the 300 year old heritage we hold in trust for the Christian Brothers. Our Lasallian traditions are evident across the campus, from the way we start and end our daily prayers to the posters and framed images of Saint John Baptist de La Salle and his confreres, even a stranger to La Salle would be able to tell that the School is part of a much larger network of educational institutions. Still, given the School’s commitment to its Lasallian heritage, one could validly ask why, in tight economic times, create a new position tailored to address those components of La Salle’s culture that appear to be operating successfully on their own?

The first, but not the only, answer is quite simple: we have a wonderful repository of Lasallian values in the person of Pat Bonacci, AFSC. It’s a logical next step for a man who has spent nearly 25 years laboring in the vineyard we call La Salle High School. It wouldn’t make sense not to take advantage of his years of experience, devotion to the students entrusted to his care and deep commitment to Lasallian values. What better way to cap an exemplary educational career than to become responsible for passing on the heritage of the Christian Brothers to students, teachers, parents and alumni? But there are even more powerful arguments for the creation of this position at this time in the School’s history.

At a time when the presence of priests, nuns and brothers in Catholic institutions is steadily diminishing, it is all the more necessary to ensure that their religious heritage, values and traditions are preserved and passed on to the next generation of school children. Our society is being buffeted by the winds of change, challenges to the existing social order and an increasing disdain for shared social values. Schools like La Salle exist, in part; to pass on a consistent heritage that supports the role authority plays in social interactions and to reinforce the importance of shared social values. The School is successful in large measure because the heritage, vision and values of the Christian Brothers inform our efforts to educate the children entrusted to our care. With only Brother De Sales to provide a link to that marvelous heritage, however, it is up to us - the Brothers’ Lay Partners - to ensure that the incoming Class of 2015 and its successors receive more than a rigorous college preparatory education; they must also become exposed to the values that are paraphrased in the School’s motto: Learn  Serve  Lead which reflects the Mission of Saint John Baptist de La Salle to: provide a Human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor. So, what will the Vice President for Mission do?

Students and Faculty are more familiar with the rich array of programs provided by the Christian Brothers which are intended to pass on their heritage than, perhaps, are parents and alumni. Our Student Life Leadership Team, for example, just returned from a week-long leadership camp sponsored by the Christian Brothers and held at Saint Mary’s College in Moraga. One of our teachers, Monique Gougeon ’03 just completed the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies, a three-year summer program at Saint Mary’s College designed to equip Lay Partners with the theology, spirituality and pedagogy of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. By the time you read this post, Jim Canney ’65 and Tamara Flowers will have returned from Napa where they attended a three-day workshop for new trustees sponsored by the Christian Brothers. In short, the Christian Brothers are committed to the process of passing on their values to students, teachers and board members.

La Salle needs someone of Pat Bonacci’s caliber to coordinate these efforts as well as to provide resources for parents, students and teachers that will deepen their commitment to Lasallian values. With his background, years of experience and commitment to Lasallian values, I can’t think of a better person to take on this responsibility than Pat Bonacci, AFSC. Many of you may note the significance of the letters “AFSC” after Pat’s name. They reference a rare and significant honor that was bestowed upon Pat when we celebrated his 20th year at La Salle: the Christian Brothers conferred upon Pat their highest honor: Affiliation. In effect, Pat is an honorary member of the Christian Brothers. In one sense, we’ve come full circle with Pat’s new role; in another sense, nothing - really - has changed.

Oh, by the way, something tells me you’ll still see Pat and football games and theater performances!