HISTORY OF SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE

Saint John Baptist de La Salle is the founder [watch video] of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Patron of Christian Teachers. He was born at Reims, France 30 April 1651, ordained priest 9 April 1678, and died 7 April 1719. He was beatified 19 February 1888 and canonized on 24 May 1900. He was proclaimed Patron of Christian Teachers 15 May 1950.

SUPERIORS GENERAL

From the time of our Founder, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools has been governed by 26 Superiors. They are presented here in chronological order. Clicking on any picture will give you some brief information about each.

OUR SAINTS, BLESSED AND OTHER VENERABLE BROTHERS

For over 300 years, Brothers from all over the world have dedicated themselves to the Christian education of young people. On this page, we have gathered some pictures with biographies of some who have been recognized by us as being exemplary models, many of them even to the point of shedding their blood.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF OUR INSTITUTE

"Monsieur de La Salle had the idea of setting up gratuitous schools where the children of workmen and the poor would learn reading, writing and arithmetic, and would also receive a Christian education through catechisms and other forms of instruction appropriate for forming good Christians. For this purpose he brought together a group of young unmarried men. He strove to have them live in a way which was consistent with the end of their Institute, and in order to renew the life of the first Christians . . . he composed Rules for them." This quote from a Memoir written in Rouen in 1721 expresses succinctly what John Baptist de la Salle had achieved between 1679 and 1719. The history of our Institute since then has seen the Brothers move beyond France to 85 countries. Today, the Brothers minister, together with over 60,000 lay colleagues, to more than 700,000 students.