Jean-Baptiste de La Salle
Encyclopedia
Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle or John Baptist de La Salle (30 April 1651 – 7 April 1719) was a priest, educational reformer, and founder of Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
. He is a saint
of the Roman Catholic church and the patron saint
of teachers.
He dedicated much of his life for the education
of poor children in France; in doing so, he started many lasting educational practices. He is considered the founder of the first Catholic schools.
, France
, John-Baptiste de La Salle received the tonsure
at age eleven and was named canon
of Rheims Cathedral when he was fifteen. Though he had to assume the administration of family affairs after his parents died, he completed his theological studies and was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 26 on April 9, 1678. Two years later he received a Doctorate
in Theology
.
De La Salle became involved in education little by little, without ever consciously setting out to do so. In 1679, what began as a charitable effort to help Adrian Nyel
establish a school for the poor in De La Salle's home town gradually became his life's work. He thereby began a new order
, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the De La Salle Brothers (in the U.K., Ireland
, Malta
, Australasia
, and Asia
) or, most commonly in the United States, the Christian Brothers. (They are sometimes confused with a different congregation of the same name founded by Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice
in Ireland
, who are known in the U.S. as the Irish Christian Brothers.)
In his own words, one decision led to another until he found himself doing something that he had never anticipated. De La Salle wrote:
At that time, most children had little hope for the future. Moved by the plight of the poor who seemed so "far from salvation" either in this world or the next, he determined to put his own talents and advanced education at the service of the children "often left to themselves and badly brought up". To be more effective, he abandoned his family home, moved in with the teachers, renounced his position as Canon and his wealth (worth approximately $500,000 today), and so formed a new community of lay religious teachers. The De La Salle Brothers were the first Roman Catholic religious teaching order that did not include any priests.
His enterprise met opposition from the ecclesiastical authorities who resisted the creation of a new form of religious life, a community of consecrated laymen to conduct free schools "together and by association". The educational establishment resented his innovative methods and his insistence on gratuity for all, regardless of whether they could afford to pay. Nevertheless, De La Salle and his Brothers succeeded in creating a network of quality schools throughout France that featured instruction in the vernacular, students grouped according to ability and achievement, integration of religious instruction with secular subjects, well-prepared teachers with a sense of vocation and mission, and the involvement of parents.
De La Salle was a pioneer in programs for training lay teachers. In 1685, he founded what is generally considered the first normal school
— that is, a school whose purpose is to train teachers — in Rheims, France. He was a pedagogical thinker of note and is among the founders of a distinctively modern pedagogy
. His educational innovations include Sunday courses for working young men, one of the first institutions in France for the care of delinquents, technical schools, and secondary schools for modern languages, arts, and sciences. Worn out by austerities and exhausting labors, he died at Saint Yon near Rouen early in 1719 on Good Friday
, only three weeks before his 68th birthday.
De La Salle's work quickly spread through France and, after his death, continued to spread across the globe. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII
on May 24, 1900, and was inserted in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints
in 1904. Because of his life and inspirational writings, he was proclaimed as the Patron Saint
of Teachers on May 15, 1950, by Pope Pius XII
. Since 1970, his feast is celebrated in the Catholic Church calendar on April 7; however, at La Sallian institutions, and in communities that follow a pre-1970 (but post-1904) calendar, his feast is on May 15.
Currently, about 6,000 Brothers and 75,000 lay and religious colleagues worldwide serve as teachers, counselors, and guides to 900,000 students in over 1,000 educational institutions in 84 countries.
There is a street named after La Salle in Bangkok
, Thailand
: Soi Sukhumvit 105. It got this name due to a La Salle school on this street. In addition to the street in Thailand, there is the La Salle Avenue in Bacolod City, Philippines, where the University of St. La Salle is located. There is also in St. Louis, Missouri, USA: De La Salle Avenue, named after the saint due to its proximity to another Christian Brothers School. There is also a street, La Salle Road
, in Hong Kong named after La Salle due to the two La Salle schools on the same street.There is also a street, La Salle, Road in Towson, Maryland
near Calvert Hall
Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation, founded in France by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle and now based in Rome...
. He is a saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
of the Roman Catholic church and the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of teachers.
He dedicated much of his life for the education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
of poor children in France; in doing so, he started many lasting educational practices. He is considered the founder of the first Catholic schools.
Life
Born in ReimsReims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, John-Baptiste de La Salle received the tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
at age eleven and was named canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of Rheims Cathedral when he was fifteen. Though he had to assume the administration of family affairs after his parents died, he completed his theological studies and was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 26 on April 9, 1678. Two years later he received a Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
.
De La Salle became involved in education little by little, without ever consciously setting out to do so. In 1679, what began as a charitable effort to help Adrian Nyel
Adrian Nyel
Adrian Nyel was a 17th century French educator. Nyel was a layman who was in charge of the house for the poor in Rouen, France, where he also oversaw the education of poor boys, along with other poorly paid teachers.-Life:...
establish a school for the poor in De La Salle's home town gradually became his life's work. He thereby began a new order
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
, the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the De La Salle Brothers (in the U.K., Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
) or, most commonly in the United States, the Christian Brothers. (They are sometimes confused with a different congregation of the same name founded by Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice
Edmund Ignatius Rice
Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice , was a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. Edmund was the founder of two orders of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers....
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, who are known in the U.S. as the Irish Christian Brothers.)
In his own words, one decision led to another until he found himself doing something that he had never anticipated. De La Salle wrote:
At that time, most children had little hope for the future. Moved by the plight of the poor who seemed so "far from salvation" either in this world or the next, he determined to put his own talents and advanced education at the service of the children "often left to themselves and badly brought up". To be more effective, he abandoned his family home, moved in with the teachers, renounced his position as Canon and his wealth (worth approximately $500,000 today), and so formed a new community of lay religious teachers. The De La Salle Brothers were the first Roman Catholic religious teaching order that did not include any priests.
His enterprise met opposition from the ecclesiastical authorities who resisted the creation of a new form of religious life, a community of consecrated laymen to conduct free schools "together and by association". The educational establishment resented his innovative methods and his insistence on gratuity for all, regardless of whether they could afford to pay. Nevertheless, De La Salle and his Brothers succeeded in creating a network of quality schools throughout France that featured instruction in the vernacular, students grouped according to ability and achievement, integration of religious instruction with secular subjects, well-prepared teachers with a sense of vocation and mission, and the involvement of parents.
De La Salle was a pioneer in programs for training lay teachers. In 1685, he founded what is generally considered the first normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
— that is, a school whose purpose is to train teachers — in Rheims, France. He was a pedagogical thinker of note and is among the founders of a distinctively modern pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
. His educational innovations include Sunday courses for working young men, one of the first institutions in France for the care of delinquents, technical schools, and secondary schools for modern languages, arts, and sciences. Worn out by austerities and exhausting labors, he died at Saint Yon near Rouen early in 1719 on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, only three weeks before his 68th birthday.
De La Salle's work quickly spread through France and, after his death, continued to spread across the globe. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
on May 24, 1900, and was inserted in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints
Roman Catholic calendar of saints
The General Roman Calendar indicates the days of the year to which are assigned the liturgical celebrations of saints and of the mysteries of the Lord that are to be observed wherever the Roman Rite is used...
in 1904. Because of his life and inspirational writings, he was proclaimed as the Patron Saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Teachers on May 15, 1950, by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
. Since 1970, his feast is celebrated in the Catholic Church calendar on April 7; however, at La Sallian institutions, and in communities that follow a pre-1970 (but post-1904) calendar, his feast is on May 15.
Currently, about 6,000 Brothers and 75,000 lay and religious colleagues worldwide serve as teachers, counselors, and guides to 900,000 students in over 1,000 educational institutions in 84 countries.
There is a street named after La Salle in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
: Soi Sukhumvit 105. It got this name due to a La Salle school on this street. In addition to the street in Thailand, there is the La Salle Avenue in Bacolod City, Philippines, where the University of St. La Salle is located. There is also in St. Louis, Missouri, USA: De La Salle Avenue, named after the saint due to its proximity to another Christian Brothers School. There is also a street, La Salle Road
La Salle Road
La Salle Road is a two-way street in Kowloon Tsai of Kowloon City District, Hong Kong. It runs from Prince Edward Road near Beverly Villas to Hereford Road near Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education Lee Wai Lee campus.-Location and routing:...
, in Hong Kong named after La Salle due to the two La Salle schools on the same street.There is also a street, La Salle, Road in Towson, Maryland
Towson, Maryland
Towson is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 at the 2010 census...
near Calvert Hall
See also
- Institute of the Brothers of the Christian SchoolsInstitute of the Brothers of the Christian SchoolsThe Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation, founded in France by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle and now based in Rome...
- List of La Sallian educational institutions
External links
- De La Salle Christian Brothers worldwide official website
- The Vocation of the Brothers United States & Canada
- Compendium of Lasallian Resources
- Complete works of St John Baptist de La Salle PDF format
- Founder Statue in St Peter's Basilica