Heather Ruple Gilson, LV 01-03, will serve as the co-secretary of Lasallian Association for the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers). In making the announcement, Brother Superior Robert Schieler, FSC, noted, “Her appointment is a concrete sign of our commitment to engage all Lasallians, especially women, in delivering the Lasallian educational mission.”
After graduating from Saint Mary’s College of California in Moraga in 2001, Ruple Gilson served at The San Miguel School of Providence in Rhode Island, first as a Lasallian Volunteer from 2001-2003 and then in various staff roles from 2003-2011.
Ruple Gilson described her time serving as an LV and living in community as a life-changing experience of mission, formation and association that shaped her vocation and laid the foundation for her understanding of the Lasallian mission.
“The school community of Lasallian educators and the community of supporters in the Lasallian family beyond the school walls provided a lived experience of ‘together and by association.’ Having the opportunity to be a part of District and Regional activities as an LV further solidified my understanding of the scope and breadth of the mission and the educators that make up the global Lasallian family,” she said. “Having the chance to live and work side-by-side with Brothers living their vow of association was a powerful witness of this critical element of our charism. The experience of fellowship, prayer and day-to-day community life helped me to fully understand that it is only in association with others that the mission can be accomplished. It is only in association with others that the mission can be sustained in the future.”
Following her time at San Miguel, Ruple Gilson served as director of Lasallian Students Programs for the then-District of San Francisco (2011-2014) and director of Young Lasallians for the District of San Francisco New Orleans (SFNO) (2014-2016). She has taken part in a number of District, Regional and International events, including as a delegate to the International Symposium of Young Lasallians (2006) and the International Mission Assembly (2013). She has also served on a number of District boards and councils for the District of Eastern North America and SFNO.
Ruple Gilson is a graduate of the Lasallian Leadership Institute, a former Christian Brothers Conference formation program, and was the first recipient of the LV’s Bassen Service Award, which recognizes LV alumni who have continued a life of service. She previously served as a member of the LV Advisory Board and the Regional Vocation Formation Committee.
Ruple Gilson will take up her new position on September 2018.