De La Salle at Parménie: A Classroom Experience

Richard M. Tristano, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT

This article describes the experience of using a Lasallian text in the classroom. The “Encounter at Parménie” refers to the crisis John Baptist de La Salle faced near the end of his life when he was embroiled in the Clemént Affair, rebuffed in his visit to the Christian Schools in the south, and perceived as abandoned by the Brothers in Paris. It explores how these texts fit into a course taught at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, compares the texts used, describes the paper assignment, and excerpts selected student responses.

KEYWORDS

John Baptist de La Salle; Parménie; Brother Leo Burkhard, FSC; Brother Luke Salm, FSC; Brother Jean-Louis Schneider, FSC; Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Lasallian Core Traditions; Lasallian texts; Lasallian pedagogy.

FULL TEXT

De La Salle at Parménie: A Classroom Experience