Confronting Morale in Lasallian Secondary Schools through Radical Belonging and Empathy

Julian Elorduy, M.E.T.

Abstract

This paper explores the issue of morale in Lasallian secondary schools and argues that the spiritual vitality of the Lasallian charism can be a source of renewal through a radical commitment to belonging and empathy. Drawing on personal experience, Lasallian documents, and contemporary theological sources, the article examines the vocational identity of educators within the charism of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. The 43rd General Chapter’s call to co-responsibility with the laity, the kenotic spirituality of the French School, and the communal imperative of “Together and by Association” serve as key theological anchors. Central to the paper is the idea that educators, like students, must be made whole through relational and institutional care. Lasallian schools must move beyond the mere implementation of programs to a systemic and spiritual embodiment of inclusive community. As educators grapple with the aftermath of global and personal trauma, the paper calls for school leaders to create cultures of trust, purpose, and transformation. In doing so, Lasallian institutions can reanimate their founding vision as spaces of human and spiritual flourishing—places where salvation is made visible through radical love, relational fidelity, and educational mission

Full Text

Confronting Morale in Lasallian Secondary Schools through Radical Belonging and Empathy

Keywords

Belonging, morale, empathy, kenosis, asceticism, laity, human wholeness