CRIMSON SHIELD
THE ONLINE MAGAZINE OF BROTHER MARTIN HIGH SCHOOL
October 2010
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Keeping the Charism Alive and Well


Father Andre Coindre


Brother Polycarp, S.C.

The Coindre Leadership Program (CLP) is named in honor of Father Andre Coindre, founder of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in 1821. The program provides intensive personal formation designed to assist participants in deepening their understanding of the educational charism of the brothers. It also prepares them to mentor others in the charism to better ensure its continued, lived expression in our schools.

To this end, the program seeks to form school leaders who are rooted in a spirituality of the Heart of Christ, committed to the building of a Christian community, dedicated to the mission and apostolate of André Coindre, and prepared to form future generations of school leaders in this tradition.

Participation in the CLP is by invitation. Requirements include working with a mentor for three years on a series of directed readings and monthly meetings, as well as taking part in several essential experiences designed to deepen the participant’s understanding of the charism and to incorporate its themes into his or her life.

The program operates under the direction of the United States Federation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, which consists of the New Orleans, New York, and New England Provinces. The Federation's director of formation efforts, Brother Ivy LeBlanc, former provincial and school leader for many years at Brother Martin, heads the team that oversees CLP. Currently 42 school leaders from the three provinces participate in the program.

The readings include many primary and secondary source documents in the Institute – The Rule of Life, Educational Mission and Ministry, Beyond Methodology, writings of Coindre and Brother Polycarp, the Second Founder of the Institute, General Chapter publications, and many others.

Several members of Brother Martin's school leadership are involved in the CLP.

  • John Devlin, Brother Martin President, was the first school leader in the New Orleans Province and one of the first in the United States to complete the program. John serves as a CLP mentor to Jason Hanks, assistant principal at Catholic High School in Baton Rouge.
  • Greg Rando, principal, and the other three members of the school administration, Thomas Mavor, Gabrielle Macaluso, and Justin Fleetwood, participate at different stages of the program with their respective mentors.

 

 


Gabrielle Macaluso

Justin Fleetwood
Thomas Mavur and his CLP mentor,
Brother Xavier Werneth


Greg and Bonnie Rando, John Devlin, Patrick Mwansa, and Jason Hanks

The picture above was taken in the summer of 2009 when John and Greg spent time at St. Francis Secondary School run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Malole, Zambia. A missionary experience in a foreign country is an essential part of the CLP. John befriended Patrick Mwansa in 2007 when he first visited the school and stayed in touch with him in the intervening two years. The bicycle is the primary means of transportation for most in rural Zambia. The one in the photo was presented to Patrick after meeting his family. The gift can change his life by making himmore mobile.

The visit to the school in Zambia is an example of how particiipants meet one of the requirements of the CLP. The Alternative Charism Experience (ACE) involves living and working with the brothers in a culturally different milieu.

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