St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Lasallian Schools Educating in the Holy Presence of God: An Introduction to St. John Baptist de La Salle and the Lasallian Schools

The 5 Core Principles Of Lasallian Schools  Faith in the Presence of God. We believe in and are animated by the living presence of God in our students, our community, and our world.  Concern for the Poor & Social Justice. We live and act in solidarity with the poor and advocate for all who suffer injustice.  Quality Education. We instruct and guide our students to strive for scholastic excellence, to value life-long learning, and to be servant leaders.  Inclusive Community. We welcome and celebrate diversity, fostering mutual acceptance, appreciation, and solidarity among all persons.  Respect for All Persons. We honor the dignity of all persons, building and sustaining with others relationships of care, compassion, and love.

Faith in the Presence of God: The Life of the Founder

John Baptist de La Salle was born on April 30, 1651, in Reims, France. John Baptist de La Salle was born in Reims, France on April 30, 1651, during the reign of Louis XIV. He was the oldest of eleven children, four of whom would die in infancy, born to Louis and Nicole de La Salle. Louis de La Salle was a magistrate of the presidential court and a member of a quite successful merchant family. Owing to this, John Baptist grew up in what would have been seen as considerable wealth.

At age 11, he began his studies for the priest-hood At age 11, he began his studies for the priest-hood. At age 15, he was made a canon at the Cathedral of Reims. Like most children of his day and station, John Baptist was tutored at home until he was nine. At age eleven, he took the first steps toward the priesthood by receiving the tonsure. At 15, he inherited a canonry at the cathedral of Reims. Canons prayer the Divine Office together daily in the cathedral, participated in the major liturgical feasts, and advised the archbishop. It was a source both of great prestige and of a substantial salary.

In 1670, De La Salle entered the seminary of Saint Sulpice in Paris. In 1670, De La Salle entered the major seminary of Saint Sulpice in Paris. On Sundays, he taught religion to children in the parish, which served the most crime-ridden section of Paris. It was under the Sulpicians that De La Salle would gain not only his first experience working in education, but also the spiritual formation that would define the rest of his life. It was here that De La Salle would devote himself to living each day constantly recalling the presence of God and completely abandoned to the will of God, seeing nothing and doing nothing except “through the eyes of faith”. Later generations would come to know these virtues as the centerpiece of what would be called “Lasallian spirituality”.

De La Salle was ordained a priest on April 9, 1678. De La Salle was ordained a priest on April 9, 1678. He also remained a canon at the cathedral. In addition to having named De La Salle executor of his will, he had also named him protector of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, a community formed by his spiritual director, Nicolas Roland, to educate poor girls. De La Salle helped the Sisters obtain letters patent, or legal status in France, and became their chaplain and spiritual director. It was while serving in this capacity that a chance meeting would occur that would change the life of John Baptist de La Salle and the world of education forever.

In March of 1679, De La Salle met Adrien Nyel, a layman who was seeking help to establish a charity school for poor boys. In March, 1679, as he was arriving to visit the Sisters, De La Salle met Adrien Nyel, a layman who was working to establish a charity school for boys. He was working at the behest of one Mme. Maillefer, who was related to the De La Salle family by marriage. De La Salle agreed to help, even inviting Nyel to stay at his home while arrangements were being made.

De La Salle agreed to help and the charity school opened on the Rue Saint Maurice in Reims on April 15, 1679. On April 15, 1679, the first of Nyel’s charity schools opens on the Rue Saint Maurice in Reims. Years later, De La Salle would say of this day that he never that expected his involvement in Nyel’s project would extend past a few weeks of assistance, and that God had led him “in an imperceptible way and over a long period of time so that one commitment led to another in a way that I did not foresee in the beginning.”

Soon, public demand led to a second and then a third school opening Soon, public demand led to a second and then a third school opening. However, De La Salle soon realized that the schools were not prepared to run well. Soon, there is a request for a second school on the other side of town. However, the teacher quarters are inadequate, so De La Salle rents a house near his own for the teachers and Nyel. After this, a third school is opened. But it all has been too much too fast. Nyel is not equipped to supervise the schools. The classrooms are overcrowded and in chaos at the hands of untrained teachers, most of whom are out of work laborers simply looking for any job that will put bread on their tables and wine in their bellies!

Adding to his dismay, Nyel bowed out of the project Adding to his dismay, Nyel bowed out of the project. De La Salle now had an unexpected and unwanted responsibility …and a decision to make. It is at this time that Nyel decides that he is a much better idea man than he is an educator. He leaves it to De La Salle to care for the schools and moves on. De La Salle realizes that he cannot abandon what has been begun, but he also realizes that things cannot continue as they are. If the schools are to succeed, they must be rethought into something radically different. Instinctively, he understands that the key will be the teachers. However, there is a problem. De La Salle is repulsed by them. Looking back years later wrote, “Those whom I was at first obliged to employ as teachers, I ranked below my own valet.”

Torn, he spoke with his spiritual advisor, Father Nicolas Barre Torn, he spoke with his spiritual advisor, Father Nicolas Barre. What Barre had to say would stun De La Salle. Torn, he went to Father Nicolas Barre, De La Salle’s spiritual advisor and himself involved with charity schools, for advice on his next step. Was he was told stunned him. Father Barre advised De La Salle that he should live with the teachers. In a moment of true faith, as he struggled to understand his brother priest’s words, De La Salle realized that God was speaking to him in distressing suggestion, just as he had been in all of the extraordinary events that had led up to it. A plan was being revealed and De La Salle was at the center of it.

On Easter, 1680, De La Salle invited the teachers to live in his home, where he began to train them in his vision of educating children. De La Salle determines to invite the charity school teachers into his own home to take their meals and receive professional training and spiritual guidance. Ignoring the protests of family and friends, De La Salle moved the teachers into his own home. From this day forward the teachers and charity schools will begin to improve, and from them will emerge a type of teacher and a type of school scarcely imagined in 17th century Europe. It is Easter, 1680, and a revolution was about to begin, although no one knew it yet.

By the winter of 1683, De La Salle’s new “Christian Schools” were flourishing, but there was yet another step that De La Salle would need to take. As De La Salle continued to work with the charity school teachers, it was clear that something special was happening. The schools were beginning to experience unprecedented success, and it was because of De La Salle’s extraordinary vision for the schools and his on-going involvement with the teachers. But all was not well. De La Salle was still hesitant about his own role in this work and it showed. As he urged his men to abandon themselves humbly and completely to God’s will and providence, De La Salle himself continued to keep one foot in the safe world of his wealth and security. His credibility with his teachers was about to collapse and with it the schools.

In an extraordinary moment, De La Salle walked away from his world and plans, uniting himself irrevocably with the men and the mission of the fledgling schools. Again, it would be De La Salle’s faith and Father Barre’s blunt advice that would provide the answer. It had become fully clear that God was not calling De La Salle to a temporary relationship with these men and this work; this was now to be his life and mission. In an extraordinary sequence of events, De La Salle resigned his canonry, gave away his wealth, and purchased a house in which he and his teachers could live. De La Salle and his small band of men, who now insisted on being called “Brothers”, took up residence in this “house on the Rue Nueve” on June 24, 1682.

As word of the schools and the Brothers spread, it was clear that there had never been anything like them before. And it was only the beginning. For the first time, a group of laymen (not clerics) taking simple (not solemn) vows and united by mission (not ecclesial state) were doing the work of the Church. No one had ever seen anything like it. But one thing was clear: their approach to teaching and caring for the young – especially the poor – was extraordinary in its simplicity, its practicality, and its accessibility. It worked. Now, events began to accelerate. The fledgling community now had a name: “The Brothers of the Christian Schools”. De La Salle designed a distinctive habit for the Brothers to wear and composed a set of guidelines – a religious “Rule” – for them to follow. Soon, there were Christian Schools throughout France, including primary schools, an adult education school, a boarding school, a reformatory, and a teacher training school. De La Salle also opened a novitiate outside of Paris to work with the increasing numbers of men wishing to join this new adventure.

The next 23 years would see continuous, almost startling, growth The next 23 years would see continuous, almost startling, growth. However, there also would be severe challenges and painful setbacks. As the mission of the Christian Schools grew, so, to, did the community of men who were its life. De La Salle continued to lead the men as their superior, and in June of 1986, he and 12 novices took the first community vows of the Institute. Because they were not yet a canonical order, the Brothers took vows of obedience, association, and gratuitous service of the poor. Although the next few years would see tenuous times that would include famine, legal opposition, abandonment and even betrayal by some of their members, as well as a near collapse of the community that prompted De La Salle and two of the Brothers in 1691 to take a “Heroic Vow” of perseverance. Throughout, the Brothers and their work continued.

De La Salle was elected Superior General in 1694 De La Salle was elected Superior General in 1694. He began writing special training texts for the Brothers and continued to direct their professional and spiritual formation. Over the years, De La Salle would do everything he could to assist the Brothers in their mission of Christian education. He would write book after book, many of them specifically for the schools. He created a detailed manual of instructions on the daily running of a school (The Conduct of Schools), student readers based on respectful Christian behavior (Rules of Christian Politeness and Duties of A Christian), a guide for the Brothers on how to pray (The Method of Interior Prayer), and books to use during prayer (Meditations for Sundays and Feast Days) and while on retreat (Meditations for the Time of Retreat). De La Salle’s writings would influence formal education throughout the world, with many of them becoming educational classics.

By 1717, De La Salle was content to be the Brothers’ chaplain and worked with the novices, as well as with the students at Saint Yon, the Brothers’ reformatory. Over the years, De La Salle would do everything he could to assist the Brothers in their mission of Christian education. He would write book after book, many of them specifically for the schools. He created a detailed manual of instructions on the daily running of a school (The Conduct of Schools), student readers based on respectful Christian behavior (Rules of Christian Politeness and Duties of A Christian), a guide for the Brothers on how to pray (The Method of Interior Prayer), and books to use during prayer (Meditations for Sundays and Feast Days) and while on retreat (Meditations for the Time of Retreat). De La Salle’s writings would influence formal education throughout the world, with many of them becoming educational classics.

After a series of illnesses, De La Salle died on April 7,1719 After a series of illnesses, De La Salle died on April 7,1719. His last words were “I adore in all things the holy will of God in regard to my life.” By 1717, De La Salle had turned the reigns of the Institute over to another Brother, Brother Barthelemy. He was pleased that almost all of what he had envisioned for the Brothers and the Christian Schools had come to pass. The rest he was content to leave in the hands of God. The last few years of De La Salle’s life were spent guiding the novices, working with delinquents at the reformatory at Saint Yon, and serving as the Brothers’ chaplain and spiritual director. However, his health had been failing for some time, and in the spring of 1719, he fell gravely ill. John Baptist de La Salle died on Good Friday, April 7, 1719, at the Brothers’ community in Rouen, France. He was 67 years old.

On May 24, 1900, Pope Leo XIII canonized John Baptist de La Salle a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. On May 15, 1950, Pope Pius XII named him Patron of All Teachers of Youth. On May 15, 1900, Pope Leo XIII canonized John Baptist de La Salle a saint of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1950, Pope Pius XII named him Patron of All Teachers of Youth.

Concern for the Poor & Social Justice: The Mission

The Lasallian Mission can be characterized as an apostolic ministry of the Roman Catholic Church that is committed to giving a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor and marginalized, for the purpose of their salvation.

From the original Rule: “The purpose of this Institute is to give a Christian education to children and it is to this end that the Brothers keep schools. Having the children under their care from morning until evening, they teach them to lead good lives by instructing them in the mysteries of our religion and by inspiring them with Christian maxims, thus giving them a suitable education.”

The Lasallian Movement, past and present, is driven by De La Salle’s “charism,” or original spirit and vision. The enduring elements of De La Salle’s charism are: providing a human and Christian education to all youth, especially the poor and marginalized, in ministries conducted as places of salvation, by professionals acting together and by association for the sake of this mission.

Respect for All Persons: The Schools

From the beginning, the Lasallian Schools were places with a clear, direct, and prophetic mission. Their original characteristics remain their hallmark. By 1719, there were over 100 Brothers responsible for numerous schools throughout France. While De La Salle never ceased to champion progress and innovation in how the schools were run and how the students were taught, he never lost sight of what should be at the core of their identity. From the beginning, the mission of De La Salle’s schools would be clear, direct, and prophetic. First, the schools were to be gratuitous. No one would pay, rich or poor; they would be open to all. However, they were especially for the poor, for those who were destitute, abandoned, and far from knowing that they were loved by God.

Lasallian Schools were Catholic, established primarily to serve the Church’s mission to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to help build God’s Kingdom. Fifth, the schools were to serve the whole student. The student’s need for knowledge, need for success, need for fun, need for love, and need for God were never to be separated. The Brothers were to view all aspects of their students and of their teaching as inseparable. For De La Salle, the student’s experiences and desire for relevance was always to be respected, and seen as an opportunity to do education in a way that made a difference in a person’s entire life.

Lasallian Schools were salvation-centered, established primarily to be “cooperators with Jesus” in leading students to experience God’s saving presence in their lives. Second, the schools were to be relationship-centered. All students were to be loved as children of God. Students would receive whatever attention and help was necessary to be welcome members of the community. Students were to bring their breakfast each morning and eat it at school so that those with enough food could share with those who had none. In class, brighter students would be trained to work with those who struggled, and then the entire group would move to the next lesson. It was understood that all students were to be treated as children of God.

Lasallian schools were gratuitous and egalitarian, established primarily to care for the poor and working class but open to all. Second, the schools were to be egalitarian. All students would receive whatever attention and help was necessary to be equal members of the community. Students were to bring their breakfast each morning and eat it at school so that those with enough food could share with those who had none. In class, brighter students would be trained to work with those who struggled, and then the entire group would move to the next lesson. It was understood that no student was to be left behind.

Lasallian Schools were transformational, established primarily to bring students to a knowledge of God that would open their eyes and change their lives. Fifth, the schools were to serve the whole student. The student’s need for knowledge, need for success, need for fun, need for love, and need for God were never to be separated. The Brothers were to view all aspects of their students and of their teaching as inseparable. For De La Salle, the student’s experiences and desire for relevance was always to be respected, and seen as an opportunity to do education in a way that made a difference in a person’s entire life.

Quality Education: The Teacher

The characteristics of the original Lasallian schools were sustained by the Teacher through three means. Finally, the schools were to proclaim the Good News. De La Salle’s deepest concern, the one that drew him to establish the Christian Schools in the first place, was that the students did not know that God’s redemption was a gift that was meant for them. The Brothers were to fill the students’ world with the experience of God’s unconditional love for them. The schools, therefore, would be characterized by good order, vigilant teaching, practical learning, and caring discipline, all wedded in the same spirit of faith in God and zeal for the soul of every student. The Christian School was to be, in De La Salle’s words, “a place of salvation”.

First, through the person of the teacher: the Brothers acted as “ambassadors of Christ,” bringing God’s love to the students through their caring and vigilant relationships with them. Finally, the schools were to proclaim the Good News. De La Salle’s deepest concern, the one that drew him to establish the Christian Schools in the first place, was that the students did not know that God’s redemption was a gift that was meant for them. The Brothers were to fill the students’ world with the experience of God’s unconditional love for them. The schools, therefore, would be characterized by good order, vigilant teaching, practical learning, and caring discipline, all wedded in the same spirit of faith in God and zeal for the soul of every student. The Christian School was to be, in De La Salle’s words, “a place of salvation”.

Second, through the mentorship of the teacher: The Brothers provided a “human and Christian and education” that would enable students to live with the dignity and virtue that God intended. Third, the schools were to be familial. The teachers would be “Brothers” to the students. The Brothers were expected to know their students individually, keeping careful records of their personalities, family situation, and learning styles. They would not be tutored individually and preferentially, but taught in groups and respective to their ability. The Brothers were to be present to the students at all moments of the day without exception or distraction. Even how they entered the building in the morning and exited it after school was to be monitored and carefully guided.

Third, through the example of the teacher: the Brothers embodied for the students an ethos of solidarity and shared vision rooted in the Gospel’s call to love, compassion, and justice. Fourth, the schools were to be practical. Students would be taught in their native language, not in classical languages. The course of studies was to include subjects that would teach information and skills usable for employment and advancement in society. Students were to be empowered to live with dignity and grace in the world.

The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher Written by Brother Agathon, the fifth Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (1777 – 1795), The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher are a concise and insightful synthesis of the “best characteristics and practices” for teachers found throughout the writings of St. John Baptist de La Salle. According to internationally-renowned Lasallian scholar Brother Gerard Rummery, “The Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher is, in my view, after the monumental text we know as The Conduct of Schools, the most significant work in education in the Lasallian heritage.”

Gravity (la gravité) Purposefulness; self-discipline Gravity (la gravité) Purposefulness; self-discipline. The Lasallian teacher is dignified and professional. Silence (le silence) Centeredness; thoughtfulness. The Lasallian teacher is calm and prepared. Humility (l'humilité) Modesty; simplicity. The Lasallian teacher is gracious and honest. Prudence (la prudence) Sensibility; reasonableness. The Lasallian teacher is discerning and judicious. Wisdom (la sagesse) Sagacity; enlightenment. The Lasallian teacher is knowledgeable and insightful. Patience (la patience) Composure; even-temperedness. The Lasallian teacher is compassionate and understanding.

Reserve (la retenue) Restraint; circumspectness Reserve (la retenue) Restraint; circumspectness. The Lasallian teacher is discrete and well-mannered. Gentleness (la douceur) Compassion; reverence. The Lasallian teacher is reassuring and healing. Zeal (le zèle) Devotedness; keenness. The Lasallian teacher is enthusiastic and tireless. Vigilance (la vigilance) Care; watchfulness. The Lasallian teacher is present and diligent. Piety (la piété) Reverence; virtuousness. The Lasallian teacher is faith-filled and prayerful. Generosity (la générosité) Unselfishness; kindness. The Lasallian teacher is giving and nurturing.

Inclusive Community: The Students

De La Salle’s first and main concern for the students of his schools was that they were “far from salvation.” To remedy this was the raison d’etre for Lasallian education. Fourth, the schools were to be practical. Students would be taught in their native language, not in classical languages. The course of studies was to include subjects that would teach information and skills usable for employment and advancement in society. Students were to be empowered to live with dignity and grace in the world.

All Lasallian students were to know that they are loved by God and that they are called to live with the dignity and purpose that befits a child of God. Fourth, the schools were to be practical. Students would be taught in their native language, not in classical languages. The course of studies was to include subjects that would teach information and skills usable for employment and advancement in society. Students were to be empowered to live with dignity and grace in the world.

The Lasallian school would be known by its inclusive and familial relationships: students as siblings and mentors to each other and teachers as older siblings and mentors to their students. Fourth, the schools were to be practical. Students would be taught in their native language, not in classical languages. The course of studies was to include subjects that would teach information and skills usable for employment and advancement in society. Students were to be empowered to live with dignity and grace in the world.

Lasallian students discover themselves through their relation-ship with God and with others. They discover the world and their role in it through faith, learning, service, and leadership. Fourth, the schools were to be practical. Students would be taught in their native language, not in classical languages. The course of studies was to include subjects that would teach information and skills usable for employment and advancement in society. Students were to be empowered to live with dignity and grace in the world.

St. John Baptist de La Salle Patron of All Teachers of Youth “To touch the hearts of your students and to inspire them with the Christian spirit is the greatest miracle you can perform and one which God expects of you, for this is the purpose of your work.” St. John Baptist de La Salle Patron of All Teachers of Youth

Live Jesus in our hearts forever! St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us. Live Jesus in our hearts forever!