LIFE OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE

Founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, Patron of Christian Teachers

St. John Baptist de La Salle was born on April 30, 1651, in Rheims, France, the beginning of a life totally committed to Lasallian education and the Lasallian Mission. He, the son of affluent parents, was blessed to have an outstanding education and, after years of formation, became a Catholic priest.

He became engaged in education after promising a dying friend that he would help a group of Sisters working with orphan girls. Additional assistance provided to a friend who was building a school for financially challenged boys in Rheims made him realize his true vocation as an educator. After giving up his own fortune and social standing in 1684, he founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (known today as De La Salle Brothers) with a group of teachers.

He revolutionized the field of education by forming a community of educators together with them he crafted a unique spirituality focused on teaching and learning. The primary Mission of the Institute is to provide human and Christian education to the youth, especially the poor. Excellence in learning, spiritual formation, inclusivity, individual respect, service, and social justice are all prioritized in the Lasallian educational system, which is centered on Lasallian values and personal relationships.

By the time he died in 1719, De La Salle had established schools in 22 cities and made substantial contributions to the area of education through his writings and creative approaches and techniques. The Roman Catholic Church proclaimed him a saint in 1900. Fifty years later, Pope Pius XII recognized him the Patron Saint of teachers.

Today, the dynamic Lasallian Community, which continues to carry on De La Salle's legacy and spirit, operates in 78 countries, including 1,118 educational institutions worldwide. The committed efforts of the De La Salle Brothers, numbering 1,543 in the Mission, are complemented by the collaboration of 104,614 Lasallian lay partners. Together, they provide support and guidance to a global community of 1,117,574 students and their families (as of 12/31/2022).

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