At 81, Brother Francis Carr, FSC, could easily settle into a quiet retirement. Instead, you'll find him serving lunch in the cafeteria at Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, cheering from the stands at a basketball game, or hosting team dinners in the Brothers' residence.
"I don't see it as work," Brother Frank says, "I just really enjoy being around the students."
That joy has defined his entire adult life; a vocation that began in 1962 when, fresh out of high school in Escanaba, Michigan, he entered the Christian Brothers' postulancy in Winona. After completing his formation and earning his degree at the Brothers Scholasticate, Brother Frank began what would become a 58-year journey in Lasallian education.
Brother Frank's teaching career started in 1966 at Hill High School in Maplewood, Minnesota, where he taught freshman English and sophomore Religion. Within a few years, his natural leadership drew him into administration as Assistant Principal and Athletic Director—a role he maintained even after the Brothers withdrew from the school. When Hill merged with the all-girls Archbishop Murray Memorial High School in 1971 to become Hill-Murray, Brother Frank stayed, helping guide the newly co-educational institution through 1985.
After a transformative 100-day retreat in New Mexico, Brother Frank spent five and a half years at Saint Mary's Press on the Winona campus, serving in multiple roles as editor, proofreader, assistant to the president, and representative at trade shows nationwide.
In 1991, Brother Thomas Sullivan asked him to serve as Auxiliary Provincial for the St. Paul-Minneapolis District. When three districts merged in 1995 to form the Midwest District, Brother Frank moved to Chicago as Auxiliary Visitor, serving with the leadership team for six years. In 2001, he was appointed Visitor of the entire Midwest District, a role he held through 2011.
After his decade of district leadership, Brother Frank took a sabbatical year in Winona, studied briefly at the Culinary Institute, and then returned to Saint Mary's Press, where he worked until his retirement in 2019.
But retirement, for Brother Frank, simply meant a shift in how he serves.
Today, as Director of the Brothers' Community in Winona, a residence of ten Brothers, two of whom live in senior care facilities, Brother Frank manages everything from emergency hospital runs to community logistics. Yet what energizes him most is his continued presence on campus.
In addition to serving in the cafeteria once or twice a week, he accompanies the Admissions team when prospective students visit, knowing how important it is for them to meet a Brother. In fact, he has made it his personal mission to learn every student's name.
"It makes them feel seen," he explains. He keeps notes on students he meets, and if he forgets a name, he simply asks them to remind him until it sticks. "Sometimes you have to fake it till you make it," he laughs.
Brother Frank's life embodies the Lasallian charism: presence, relationship, and accompaniment. From his first classroom in 1966 to the cafeteria line at Saint Mary's today, he has never stopped showing up for students—teaching them not just with words, but with the witness of a life fully given.
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