PROVIDENCE — La Salle Academy mourns the loss of one of their own with the passing of alumnus (class of 1957) and former president, Brother Michael McKenery, FSC. Under his 14-year tenure, La Salle Academy not only thrived, but saw tremendous growth and spiritual renewal.
Msgr. Albert A. Kenney, diocesan administrator, served as the former chaplain at La Salle Academy and spoke to Rhode Island Catholic about Brother McKenery’s impact on the diocese and specifically at La Salle.
“Brother Michael’s vocation to be a teacher took him to many different Christian Brother schools throughout the district,” Msgr. Kenney said. “But it was at La Salle Academy in the office of the president, that the Lord used him as an instrument of charity and bearer of love for others.”
Brother Michael began his vocation in 1957, when he entered the novitiate with the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers) at the age of 17 in Barrytown, New York. He professed final vows in 1964. Through his years as a Lasallian Brother, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the Catholic University, a master’s from both St. Mary’s College and St. Mary’s University and an honorary doctorate from Dowling College. For more than ten years, he served the order in various capacities in Rhode Island, including as assistant provincial and Provincial of Christian Brothers in Narragansett. Then he became president of La Salle Academy.
Of his leadership at La Salle Academy, Executive Vice President and Principal Timothy Welsh, a 1993 graduate of the academy, commented: “Since taking over as president in 1997, Brother Michael has presided over the largest period of growth in the school’s 140-year history. Enrollment increased over 40 percent, the number of AP and elective courses quadrupled, the athletic and arts programs became preeminent in the region, the campus expanded from one academic building to three with the construction of the McLaughlin Athletic Center and the Shea Science Center, and total physical improvements totaled over $22 million.”
However, Welsh gives Brother Michael greatest credit for “making La Salle Academy more accessible to working families in Rhode Island” through increased financial aid to families in need.
Other alumni made similar statements about Brother Michael’s generosity in providing the necessary assistance to attend high school there. Responding to a post about his passing on the La Salle Academy Facebook page, Amanda Malkasian called Brother Michael “an amazing man. He had such a presence and truly loved to educate.”
She shared how her father “became disabled due to a freak accident my sophomore year and was out of work for quite a while. By senior year, we weren’t sure I’d be able to stay at LaSalle. After a phone call to the school, Brother Michael, without hesitation, told my father that my entire tuition would be paid in full so I could graduate with my class and in return I just needed to remain on the honor roll. I will never forget his kindness and the opportunity he allowed me to complete.”
Alumna Amanda da Silva now teaches at La Salle Academy. She wrote a moving tribute to Brother Michael’s “profound legacy that will not be forgotten” on the school’s Facebook page.
“I was blessed as a student to have him as our president and such a big presence in the theater. Years later, I was blessed once again when he hired me as an English teacher at La Salle. I remember sitting down in his office after my interview where we spoke at length about the mission of La Salle. It was evident that he put his heart and soul into the school and truly followed in the footsteps of St. John Baptist de La Salle.”
Chris Casale recalled Brother Michael’s kindness and how he attended reunions from his grandfather’s class. “Brother Michael will be missed and I was lucky enough to have him as president when I attended LaSalle Academy.”
“Brother Micheal cared about the students at LaSalle Academy and I was very grateful that I got to know him during my time there.”
In his years in education, Brother Michael personified Christ in His role as teacher, showing love and compassion to myriad students who walked through the doors of La Salle Academy. As Msgr. Kenney said, “The very best teachers touch the heart, mind, and the soul. Our founder, St. John Baptist de LaSalle, taught us that true learning often happens in relationships with one another, relationships based in God’s love. Brother Michael had a love and concern for his students; that love and concern knew no bounds.”
