Brother George Van Grieken, FSC, Ph.D.
Abstract
In “Respect for Persons as a Way to God,” delivered at Saint Mary’s College of California’s Spring Academic Convocation, April 22, 2026, Brother George advances a Lasallian anthropology in which relational encounter mediates the divine. Respect is not affective courtesy but ethical praxis that resists reduction, counters technocratic distraction, and affirms dignity across difference. Grounded in Gospel witness and De La Salle’s charism, the address argues that educational communities cultivate fraternity when they see, accompany, and love concretely, thereby discovering God in the other. Brother George was awarded an honorary doctorate at the convocation.
Full Text
Respect for Persons as a Way to God
Keywords
Respect for persons; Lasallian anthropology; relational theology; human dignity
About the Author
Brother George Van Grieken is a De La Salle Christian Brother who served as the secretary-coordinator of the Lasallian Research and Resources Service at the Casa Generalizia in Rome and is the coordinator of the Lasallian Resource Center (www.lasallianresources.org). A graduate of Saint Mary’s College of California (BA and MA) and of Boston College (Ph.D.), he has worked as a classroom teacher and in Lasallian formation, vocation ministry, and school leadership, including two years as president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Institution International School in Singapore. His writings and workshops focus on Lasallian spirituality and formation, especially their application and integration in today’s society and educational contexts.
ISSN: 2151-2515
© Christian Brothers Conference 2025.