"We can't leave the boys."


Today at CDH, new teaches and staff of the Lasallian schools within the archdiocese, gathered for a formation event.

A part of the day occurred in the chapel and a reflection was given by Lou Ann Tighe on Blessed Brother Jim Miller, a Christian Brother from Wisconsin, who served at CDH during some of his years of ministry (he was actually the person who started their boy's soccer program).

The story was told of Brother Jim serving in the mission school for boys in Guatemala during the time of their conflicts.  Almost any young men was fair game to be taken from his family to serve in the military, but those who were enrolled in school at the time, were not allowed to be conscripted.  

Unfortunately, one of the boys from the school disappeared, and it was discovered he had been taken to serve as a soldier in a nearby camp.  Brother Jim and leaders of the school appealed and worked to have the student returned.

While their efforts were successful, the brothers in the community were soon tipped of by someone in the know that a hit had been put out for the brothers to teach a lesson and to make sure that they didn't meddle in the affairs in the military any further.

The Brothers met to decide how they would respond.  

The group was a mix of American and others brothers from Central America.  One option was for them to close the school and return to their communities in their home countries; another was to leave temporarily for other schools in the hopes of returning at some later date to try to reopen the school; and, of course, the other, more difficult and risky option, was to stay.

Their final decision was made when one of the brothers said what was in all their hearts: We can't leave the boys. 

When that story was told, I was struck to the heart by that phrase.  Maybe it reminded me of the mischievous crew of buddies I grew up with, the baseball teams I coached in the summers, the goofy, pain-in the ass boys I have worked with daily as a teacher, coach and administrator.  Or maybe it was my own boys who drive me crazy and cause me to lose my temper and use words I ordinarily wouldn't use.

We can't leave the boys.   

In the end, Brother Jim stayed because his ministry was about having a commitment to love the boys as Christ loved his disciples.  When given an opportunity to actually do so, he did.  He was shot multiple times while doing a simple task of plugging a hole with plaster.  The hole was made from him removing the arm of a lamp post so that the boys would not swing on it.  He gave up all safety for himself to continue to commit to doing even the simplest job to keep the boys who he loved safe.

As a Lasallian educator, is there any better example of both the importance of living out the mundane and simple tasks of our vocation within the larger, deeper Christian vocation of truly being like Christ in giving all we have for others?  Brother Jim: Pray for us.  Live Jesus in our Heart! Forever!


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