La Salle’s summer at the youth assembly

This summer, a group of students from La Salle Institute in Troy put their faith into action at the 25th annual Lasallian Youth Summer Assembly (LYSA). 

LYSA is a gathering of high school students from schools affiliated with the De La Salle Christian Brothers who come together for a week on a college campus to build fellowship and serve the needy. This year, LYSA was held at De La Salle University in Philadelphia from July 14-19. As part of their mission to educate the whole person, La Salle Institute is committed to providing opportunities for their Cadets to work directly with the needy and see the face of Christ in them.

The Cadets lived in the dorm rooms on campus to get a taste of a college experience. They met other students from Lasallian schools from the United States, Canada and Italy. The founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, St. John Baptist de La Salle, emphasized service to the poor and needy and the week focused on that. Students were sent in groups to different service sites such as soup kitchens, food banks, nursing homes, and a school that serves underprivileged kids. 

They were also given time to reflect on their service and what it meant. While they certainly worked hard, there was also time set aside for games, socials and prayer throughout the week.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the experience was the joy that the students exuded while they were together. Make no mistake they had fun on this trip. Whether it was processing canned goods at a food bank, cleaning up a school, or simply hanging out with some new or old friends, the students were happy doing what they were doing. 

They especially enjoyed meeting so many like-minded kids from different schools and building relationships that will stay alive with help from social media. 

On the drive back to La Salle Institute, the Cadets were so moved by their experience that the main topic of conversation was how to get even more students to go next year and serve.

Ted Deeb ’01, La Salle Institute, Campus Minister