Sympathy to Rothweiler family

Brother I. Basil Rothweiler, FSC ’38, 7th president of Saint Mary’s, died Saturday, Nov. 8, in St. Paul at the age of 97.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in St. Paul followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 7 p.m. A committal service will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 10 a.m. at the Chapel of Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights, Minn.

The following link will take you to an updated obituary for Brother Basil: www.smumn.edu/newsblog/6465/saint-marys-mourns-passing-of-brother-basil-rothweiler-former-president/

The Saint Mary’s community extends its sympathy to Brother Basil’s family, as well as his Christian Brother family.

Former Saint Mary’s president celebrates 80th Jubilee

Brother I. Basil Rothweiler, FSC, former president of Saint Mary’s, celebrated his 80th Jubilee as a De La Salle Christian Brother in July.

It was just one more in a lengthy list of celebrated accomplishments for a man who dedicated his life to education, leading multiple schools with quiet strength and great character.
Brother Basil became a De La Salle Christian Brother in 1934.

After graduating from Saint Mary’s University (then College) in 1938, he began his teaching career as a Christian Brother at Price College, Amarillo, Texas, and in 1943, he returned to his alma mater as dean of students. He remained at Saint Mary’s until 1947 when he was appointed principal of Price College. Following a three-year term at Price, Brother Basil was named principal at De La Salle High School in Chicago.

He served as president of Saint Mary’s from 1956 to 1963, growing the college both academically and physically throughout his presidential term.

The campus underwent a significant transformation: two new residence halls, Saint Thomas More Chapel, the library, the Christian Brothers faculty residence, the novitiate, and a minor seminary were all constructed under his guidance. Additionally, enrollment nearly doubled from 688 to approximately 1,200 in 1962.

After leaving Saint Mary’s, he served as a Visitor and finance director for the Brothers, and as principal of Cretin High School in St. Paul and DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis. He would return to Saint Mary’s once more from 1986-89, working in development. Until recent years, Brother Basil, 97, was a familiar face at Saint Mary’s, particularly during summer Homecoming events. He currently resides in Saint Paul.

Read a story about him in the Catholic Spirit at: http://thecatholicspirit.com/news/local-news/brother-basil-rothweiler-celebrating-80-years-ministry.

Christian Brothers join ESL program

The following De La Salle Christian Brothers joined a four ESL week program this month in order to learn and/or  brush -up their English skills: Brother Pierre Ouattara from Burkina Faso, Brother Martin Montoya from Spain and Brother Jorge Fonseca from Colombia.

They were welcomed during orientation day by the International Center staff including their ESL instructor Mary Kaye Perrin (former director of academics of the DeLaSalle Language Institute).

As a part of this intensive ESL program,  Mary Kaye and her husband, Donald Nelson, spent July 4 in La Crosse, Wis., along with the three Brothers.  With this cultural festivity,  the Brothers had the opportunity to cruise the Mississippi River, participate in the Riverfest celebration, and watch the spectacular fireworks.

Brother Louis, other Christian Brothers leaders to be honored

Brother Louis DeThomasis, president emeritus of Saint Mary’s, will be honored Thursday, Feb. 13, at a special event at the Twin Cities campus.

The event will include a dedication of Brother Louis Hall, formerly Park Avenue North (PAN). In addition, Brother Louis and four other Christian Brothers who have served as presidents at Lasallian institutions will be recognized and presented with honorary doctorates. The event is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m. in the Saint Mary’s University Center, 2540 Park Ave. S., Minneapolis. The indoor ceremony will be followed by a reception with light refreshments.

The four other Christian Brothers to be recognized include:

• Brother Mel Anderson, FSC, past president of Saint Mary's College of California
• Brother James Gaffney, FSC, president of Lewis University (Ill.)
• Brother Michael McGinniss, FSC, president of La Salle University (Pa.), past president of Christian Brothers University (Tenn.)
• Brother Thomas Scanlan, FSC, past president of Manhattan College (N.Y.), past vice chancellor of Bethlehem University (Palestine)

Together the five have served more than 125 years as leaders of Christian Brothers institutions that follow a heritage of innovative, student-centered education.

Brother Louis, other Christian Brothers leaders to be honored

Brother Louis DeThomasis, president emeritus of Saint Mary’s, will be honored Thursday, Feb. 13, at a special event at the university’s Twin Cities campus.

The event will include a dedication of Brother Louis Hall, formerly Park Avenue North (PAN). In addition, Brother Louis and four other Christian Brothers who have served as presidents at institutions throughout the nation will be recognized and presented with honorary doctorates. The event is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m. in the Saint Mary’s University Center, 2540 Park Ave. S., Minneapolis. The indoor ceremony will be followed by a reception with light refreshments.

The four other Christian Brothers to be recognized include:

• Brother Mel Anderson, FSC, past president of Saint Mary's College of California
• Brother James Gaffney, FSC, president of Lewis University (Ill.)
• Brother Michael McGinniss, FSC, president of La Salle University (Pa.), past president of Christian Brothers University (Tenn.)
• Brother Thomas Scanlan, FSC, past president of Manhattan College (N.Y.), past vice chancellor of Bethlehem University (Palestine)

Together the five have served more than 125 years as leaders of Christian Brothers institutions that follow a heritage of innovative, student-centered education.

Brother Louis, other Christian Brothers leaders to be honored

Brother Louis DeThomasis, president emeritus of Saint Mary’s, will be honored Thursday, Feb. 13, at a special event at the university’s Twin Cities campus.

The event will include a dedication of Brother Louis Hall, formerly Park Avenue North (PAN). In addition, Brother Louis and four other Christian Brothers who have served as presidents at institutions throughout the nation will be recognized and presented with honorary doctorates. The event is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m. in the Saint Mary’s University Center, 2540 Park Ave. S., Minneapolis. The indoor ceremony will be followed by a reception with light refreshments.

During a 21-year tenure that began in 1984, Brother Louis helped increase Saint Mary’s enrollment from 1,400 students to more than 5,000. He also oversaw expansion from a single Winona campus to locations in the Twin Cities, Rochester and Nairobi, Kenya. By 1996, graduate school enrollment had grown dramatically, and Twin Cities Business named Saint Mary’s the “Best College Turnaround” for that year. The Saint Mary’s University Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs have continued to build upon the strong foundation that was established 30 years ago under the leadership of Brother Louis.

The four other Christian Brothers to be recognized include:

• Brother Mel Anderson, FSC, past president of Saint Mary's College of California
• Brother James Gaffney, FSC, president of Lewis University (Ill.)
• Brother Michael McGinniss, FSC, president of La Salle University (Pa.), past president of Christian Brothers University (Tenn.)
• Brother Thomas Scanlan, FSC, past president of Manhattan College (N.Y.), past vice chancellor of Bethlehem University (Palestine)

Together the five have served more than 125 years as leaders of Christian Brothers institutions that follow a heritage of innovative, student-centered education.

Brother Peter Iorlano visiting Saint Mary’s

Brother Peter Iorlano, an English teacher and coordinator of institutional values at Bethlehem University, is visiting Saint Mary’s for the next five weeks as part of his sabbatical.

Brother Peter is a member of the District of Eastern North America. While on sabbatical, he spent five weeks at Lewis University and five weeks at La Salle University. And in the spring he will visit a Jesuit university, St. Joseph’s, in Lebanon. He also recently hosted a group of SMU and Lewis students and staff who were on a Holy Land social justice pilgrimage over the Christmas break.

During his time at Saint Mary’s, Brother Peter is connecting with faculty, staff and administrators. He is particularly looking at what is going on in campus ministry and mission offices, and in the areas of Lasallian formation. He is interested in seing how he can  incorporate what other Lasallian schools are doing into his work at Bethlehem University, where he is responsible for the pastoral care of faculty and students as well as mission integration. “I’ve have the opportunity, after nine years at Bethlehem University, to look at what I’ve been doing and what can be done in the context of a Lasallian Catholic university in a predominantly Muslim culture,” he said. He will depart Saint Mary’s on Feb. 22.

New Christian Brother statue dedication is Oct. 4

The new De La Salle Christian Brothers statue on the Winona campus plaza will be dedicated during a brief ceremony on Friday, Oct. 4, at 11:45 a.m.  Students, faculty and staff are invited. The statue honors the De La Salle Christian Brothers’ 80 years of service to Saint Mary’s. Benefactors of the project, Bernie and Jan Wagnild, Robert ’49 and Frances Perry CST ’51 Skemp, and the Class of 2013, will be recognized.

Lasallian regional leadership advocates for children’s rights

The Lasallian leadership in the USA-Toronto Region signing the public statement “Standing for Children” before a gathering of over 250 Lasallian educators: (L-R) Bro. Timothy Coldwell, Provincial, New Orleans-Santa Fe District; Bro. Dennis Malloy, Provincial, District of Eastern North America; Bro. Larry Schatz, Provincial, Midwest District; and Bro. Robert Schieler, General Councilor. Not in photo, Bro. Donald Johanson, Provincial, San Francisco District.

The leadership of the Brothers of the Christian Schools in the USA-Toronto Region has given its full support for the promotion and protection of the rights of children with the signing of a statement advocating and committing themselves to helping children achieve their full human dignity. The public signing was held on Nov. 19, before a national gathering of more than 250 Lasallian educators in Washington, D.C.

This public expression of support and solidarity for the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted in 1989 and ratified by all countries except the U.S. and Somalia, calls upon political and religious leaders, as well as civil society organizations in this country and throughout the world, to move toward achieving real progress in the protection of children's rights. Today, 14.1 million children in the U.S. are economically poor and much work remains to be done.

The Defense of the Rights of the Child has become a focus of the Lasallian Mission since the turn of the 21st century with the release of the Pastoral Letter from Superior General, Brother John Johnston, FSC, to the Brothers and to all members of the Lasallian family in 1999. A year later the delegates to the 43rd General Chapter of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools overwhelmingly endorsed this initiative. Since that time there have been educational and formation events promoting the Defense of the Rights of the Child in the United States-Toronto Region, culminating in the April 2010 Lasallian Convocation at the United Nations.