Breaking Bread and Building Bonds

Shared meals between students and Christian Brothers in Anselm Hall deepen community bonds at La Salle.

What began as an opportunity for students and the Christian Brothers to learn more about each other has turned into regular evenings of food and conversation in Anselm Hall, fostering meaningful relationships and strengthening the sense of community at La Salle.

"The very first time we had this dinner a couple of years ago, it was to get to know one another," said Brother Robert "Bob" Schieler, FSC, Ed.D., '72, who lives in Anselm Hall and hosts the students for dinner.

Since the first meal in 2023, the gatherings have continued, the guest list has grown, and the conversations have expanded, covering topics ranging from prayer to the 2024 presidential election.

Br. Bob sees these evenings as more than just meals, they're meaningful events where he has the privilege to listen to the hopes, dreams, and experiences of the students, he said.

"It's an energizing moment for the Brothers," Br. Bob said. "We're an old group in Anselm Hall, yet we want to continue to learn, and we want to be available to the students who want some kind of connection, either informally or formally, with an adult they can trust."

For many of the Brothers, who are now retired, the dinners are also a way to remain actively involved with campus and student life.

"Even though we make ourselves present at the various University events-certainly the sporting events-it's a way for us to stay connected with the young people, with the life of the University and to make our own contributions," Br. Bob said.

And it's not just the Brothers who find value in these shared meals.

Haylie Doan, '26, a communication sciences and disorders major and psychology minor, co-leads La Salle's Christian Fellowship, the group that started the dinners. She's attended around five of them and feels that they deepen the sense of community that she already feels on campus.

"It's so great that we have the Christian Brothers on campus who devote their lives to such an important mission," she said. "By accepting the invitation to dinners with the Brothers, I know that I am accepting an invitation to a community that thrives on love and sincerity-and also an invitation for delicious food!"

The dinners usually begin at around 5 p.m. when the Brothers welcome the students into Anselm Hall.

Half the students who are there for dinner join half the Brothers in one room of Anselm Hall, the remaining students and Brothers sit in another area to discuss the evening's topic, something which has normally been decided in advance by student leaders and the Brothers.

The topic of the dinner is normally decided in advance and is a conversation that is relevant to either the students or something happening in the world.

Doan said the topics are something relevant to the group or something happening in the world. After around 30 minutes, the two student groups switch rooms so that everyone has the chance to interact with one another.

When it hits 6 o'clock, everyone gathers in the kitchen to eat.

"The food is always great," Doan said. "I still remember my first dinner at Anselm Hall; we had fried chicken. It was so good. We've had tacos and meatloaf as well, and there's always sides and a yummy dessert."

Even with the food, talking to the Brothers leaves the biggest impression on Doan.

"My favorite thing about the dinners is always the conversation," Doan said. "While we do talk about topics like faith and prayer, we also chat about everyday things like cooking and the beach. I always enjoy my time with them, and I'm glad we've created a community where we all feel comfortable to share laughs and joke around with each other."

As well as the community they've created, Doan is grateful for the time and effort the Brothers put into listening to ideas and opinions of the students that they share meals with. Other students have expressed the same feelings to her too.

While the Christian Fellowship started the tradition, other students have found their way to dinner through different paths.

Lawrence Mani, '26, a political science major and Students' Government Association president, first attended so that he could share details about the programs that he has had the opportunity to be part of at La Salle with the Brothers.

The welcoming atmosphere of Anselm Hall is just as much evidence of the support the students feel as the conversation is.

"I get a lot from these, for sure. It shows how welcome you are in the community, you feel supported. You're not in a place where you're just doing things on your own, you really have support systems like the Christian Brothers," he said. "It shows you have people in the community that really care about you and want to make sure they can help you out in whatever way."

The welcoming atmosphere of Anselm Hall is just as much evidence of the support the students feel as the conversation is.

"All of us can see that they get excited to have these dinners and talk with students, and it's really great," Mani said. "It's exciting to see people excited to see you. It means a lot to students to see we're welcome in their home."

For Rose Schankweiler, '27, an accounting and marketing double major, the dinners created a connection that she didn't have during her freshman year with the group who "make La Salle what it is."

"Having conversations with them around the dinner table and talking about the experiences that they had in more of an intimate manner, it's like you're sitting at the dinner table or sitting on the couch with your family, talking about what you've experienced in life and how that has impacted you," Schankweiler, who is a member of Christian Fellowship, said. "Talking to the Brothers makes La Salle feel even more like home."

The conversations and stories shared at the dinners have had a lasting impact for her.

"You hear about their experiences and all the different places they've traveled, the gratitude they have for the lives they have, and that they're actively living," she said. "Being with them, and then after the dinners, you have more of an appreciation for the life that you live and the value that it all has."

Though the dinners are officially held twice a semester, the connections go much further.

On a past Sunday, Br. Bob spotted two students waving at him through the Anselm Hall windows. He and the Brothers invited them in, this time for ice cream.

-Naomi Thomas