60 for 60: A Life of Faith, A Brotherhood of Service

From the Class of 1969 to the Class of 2009, at least 20 De La Salle alumni have chosen a remarkable path, dedicating their lives to faith-based vocations as priests, brothers, and reverends. Their ministries span parishes, schools, retreat centers, and communities across the country and around the world. Yet each story begins in the same place: De La Salle.

In conversations with five alumni; Father LaSalle Hallissey, O.P., Father Carl F. Schlichte, O.P., Reverend Mark D. Wiesner, Father Michael C. Gilson, S.J., and Father John Paul Rabago, a shared theme emerged. While their callings unfolded in very different ways, each of them traces the roots of his vocation to the faith, mentorship, and sense of community he experienced as a Spartan.

A Calling That “Just Made Sense”
Father LaSalle Hallissey, O.P. — Class of 1969

For Father LaSalle Hallissey, one of De La Salle’s “original Spartans,” the path toward religious life never arrived in a dramatic moment. Looking back, he says the calling felt almost natural.

“I think I always knew,” he reflects. “It just made sense to me.”

During his time at De La Salle, the language of “brotherhood” wasn’t yet part of the school’s identity. But the reality of community was unmistakable. Students, faculty, and the Christian Brothers shared a sense of belonging and purpose that shaped daily life.

“We had a community,” he recalls. “There were always groups of people together. You felt like you were part of something.” That sense of connection left a lasting impression. Watching the Brothers teach, live together, and care for their students quietly planted the seeds of a vocation.

For Father LaSalle, De La Salle also confirmed a belief that still guides his ministry today: “School does not depend on buildings,” he says. “It depends on relationships.”

Now serving as chaplain, he describes his ministry with unmistakable joy. When asked what brings him the greatest fulfillment, he doesn’t hesitate. “Hearing confessions,” he says. “That’s where you meet people on a very intimate level.”

In those quiet conversations of faith and forgiveness, he sees the same spirit of care and community that first shaped him as a student decades ago.

A Vocation That Slowly Unfolded
Father Carl F. Schlichte, O.P. – Class of 1988

For Father Carl Schlichte, the path toward religious life was not immediate or obvious. In fact, when he reflects on his journey, he often describes it with a single word: unfolding. “I’m an unfolder,” he says. “I wasn’t someone who came out of the womb convinced this was my path.”

During his years at De La Salle, what left the deepest impression was the presence of the Christian Brothers themselves. At the time, their community on campus was large, visible, and deeply integrated into student life.

“They were very visible and very approachable,” he recalls. “They really marked the school.”

For Father Carl, who grew up as an only child, the communal life of the Brothers stood out. Watching them live, pray, and work together gave him a glimpse of a different way of living out faith.

“The idea of religious life was attractive,” he explains. “Living together, praying together, having a common mission.” Even as that idea began to take shape, he was clear about one thing: teaching in the classroom wasn’t the ministry he felt called to pursue. “I loved the Brothers for what they did,” he says, “but classroom teaching wasn’t my gig.”

Still, the seeds had been planted. Through involvement in Campus Ministry and relationships with mentors, including Peter Kelly and Brother Xavier Lavagetto, his faith deepened and his discernment continued.

“I was giving serious thought to religious life by the time I graduated,” he says, though he knew the decision would take time. Eventually that journey led him to the Dominican Order, whose charism centers on preaching the Gospel. What drew him there was the same spirit of shared life that had first caught his attention at De La Salle. “At its heart, Dominican life is about community,” he explains. “We come together as brothers, and we share a mission.”

Today, years into his ministry, Father Carl still sees the influence of his Lasallian formation in the way he lives and serves. “The Brothers accompanied us,” he says. “They walked with us as students, and that had a very positive effect on my life.”

That spirit of accompaniment, walking with others in faith, continues to guide his ministry today.

“Never Say Never to God”
Reverend Mark D. Wiesner – Class of 1981

Reverend Mark Wiesner likes to joke that his life is proof of one simple lesson: never tell God what you won’t do.

“When I was growing up,” he laughs, “there were two things I would never do, to be a priest and be in the military.” In time, he became both, serving as a priest and later as an Air Force chaplain.

Looking back, he credits De La Salle with shaping the values that guided those choices. In particular, he remembers the lesson taught in his very first religion class.

“One of the first things we learned was responsibility,” he says. From faith, he recalls being taught, comes integrity; the call to be responsible for one’s actions and commitments.

Another formative moment came outside the classroom. As a freshman, two upperclassmen invited him to a small Sunday night prayer gathering. At first it was just a handful of students, but over time the group grew into something remarkable, nearly 80 De La Salle and Carondelet students gathering weekly for prayer.

“Seeds were planted,” he says. “I had no idea they were being planted.”

Years later, while serving on the National Evangelization Teams and deepening his prayer life, those seeds began to bear fruit. Reflecting on his priesthood today, he summarizes his mission in simple terms: “To bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus.”

A Teacher at Heart
Father Michael C. Gilson, S.J. – Class of 1984

When Father Michael Gilson reflects on his time at De La Salle, his memories center on the people who welcomed and supported him during formative years.

“The brothers were just remarkable to me,” he says. “They cared about me as a person.”

Coming from public school, De La Salle was a significant change and a sacrifice for his family.

“We didn’t have very much money,” he recalls. “So it was a big deal for my family to invest in Catholic education.” What he encountered there was a community that made it clear he mattered.

At the time, however, priesthood wasn’t part of his plan. After graduating from De La Salle, he attended Santa Clara University intending to become a doctor.

But during his senior year, something shifted.

“I suddenly had the sense that I shouldn’t go to medical school right now,” he says. The realization was unsettling. It meant letting go of the future he had always expected.

Instead, he joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, teaching high school in Belize. The experience transformed him. “I fell in love with teaching,” he says. “It became unambiguous that I am a teacher.”

Through prayer and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, he also discovered a deep connection to Jesuit spirituality. Eventually he entered the Society of Jesus.

Even today, he remains grateful for where the journey began.

“Every year on the feast of St. La Salle,” he says, “I call the brothers and thank them for my Jesuit vocation.”

A First Day That Began With Prayer
Father John Paul Rabago – Class of 2009

For Father John Paul Rabago, one of the most vivid memories of De La Salle is also the simplest: his very first day of high school.

He still remembers walking into his zero-period art class and being greeted at the door by his teacher, Mr. Brett Clement, who shook each student’s hand before class began.

Then the class prayed together.

The prayer was the Prayer of St. Francis: “Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” 

Students repeated the lines after their teacher until, eventually, they had it memorized.

“My very first day of high school began with prayer,” Father Rabago says. “And that memory has always stayed with me.”

His vocation unfolded gradually. During high school he became more active in his faith community and eventually received the sacrament of Confirmation. Along the way he found himself surrounded by friends who were also exploring what it meant to live their faith.

“I found a community of people pursuing God,” he recalls.

After college he worked in downtown Oakland at a nonprofit serving military veterans, a choice influenced by De La Salle’s emphasis on service to others. Yet even in that meaningful work, he sensed God calling him somewhere new.

“I realized I was exactly where I wanted to be,” he says, “but maybe not where God wanted me to be.”

When he brought that question to his parish priest, the advice he received was simple: the only way to know is to try.

“The only way you’re going to find out,” the priest told him, “is if you go and see for yourself.”

He entered St. Patrick’s Seminary soon after and began seven years of formation that eventually led to his ordination.

Today, serving as a diocesan priest in Oakland, the greatest joy of his ministry is accompanying people through the most important moments of their lives.

“We celebrate with people, we mourn with people,” he says. “Being able to walk with them on their journeys with God, that’s the greatest gift.”

The Lasallian Legacy

Though their paths differ, these five alumni share a common thread: each encountered a community at De La Salle that nurtured faith, encouraged service, and helped them discover their purpose.

For some, the call was clear from the beginning. For others, it emerged slowly through years of prayer, service, and discernment. But in every case, the foundation was the same; De La Salle. A school where faith was lived daily and where mentors cared deeply about the young men entrusted to them.

Together, their stories reveal a powerful legacy: a Lasallian education that forms not only scholars and leaders, but servants of faith.

A Message to Today’s Spartans

When asked what advice they would give to current De La Salle students, their answers echo a common theme.

Don’t be afraid to explore.
Pay attention to what stirs in your heart.
Listen for God’s voice in your life.

As Father Rabago puts it, “the only way you’re going to find out is if you go and see for yourself.”

The legacy continues, built not on buildings, but on relationships.

One Spartan. One calling. One community at a time.

At this time, De La Salle is aware of 20 alumni who have gone on to serve in faith-based vocations as priests, brothers, and reverends. Their names are listed below. If you know of an alumnus who should be included or have any pictures to share of DLS alumni serving in faith, please contact dlscommunications@dlshs.org so we may honor them as part of this 60 for 60 story.