St. John Baptist de La Salle Patron of All Teachers of Youth

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Educating in the Holy Presence of God An
Introduction to St. John Baptist de La Salle and
the Lasallian Schools
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The 5 Core PrinciplesOf 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.
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Faith in the Presence of GodThe Life ofthe
Founder
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John Baptist de La Salle was born on April 30,
1651, in Reims, France.
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At age 11, he began his studies for the
priest-hood. At age 15, he was made a canon at
the Cathedral of Reims.
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In 1670, De La Salle entered the seminary of
Saint Sulpice in Paris.
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De La Salle was ordained a priest on April 9,
1678.
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In March of 1679, De La Salle met Adrien Nyel, a
layman who was seeking help to establish a
charity school for poor boys.
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De La Salle agreed to help and the charity school
opened on the Rue Saint Maurice in Reims on April
15, 1679.
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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.
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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.
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Torn, he spoke with his spiritual advisor, Father
Nicolas Barre. What Barre had to say would stun
De La Salle.
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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.
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By the winter of 1683, De La Salles new
Christian Schools were flourishing, but there
was yet another step that De La Salle would need
to take.
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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.
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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.
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The next 23 years would see continuous, almost
startling, growth. However, there also would be
severe challenges and painful setbacks.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Concern for the Poor Social JusticeThe Mission
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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.
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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.
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• The Lasallian Movement, past and present, is
  driven by De La Salles charism, or original
  spirit and vision. The enduring elements of De
  La Salles 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.

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Respect forAll PersonsThe Schools
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From the beginning, the Lasallian Schools were
places with a clear, direct, and prophetic
mission. Their original characteristics remain
their hallmark.
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Lasallian Schools were Catholic, established
primarily to serve the Churchs mission to
proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to help
build Gods Kingdom.
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Lasallian Schools were salvation-centered,
established primarily to be cooperators with
Jesus in leading students to experience Gods
saving presence in their lives.
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Lasallian schools were gratuitous and
egalitarian, established primarily to care for
the poor and working class but open to all.
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Lasallian Schools were transformational,
established primarily to bring students to a
knowledge of God that would open their eyes and
change their lives.
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QualityEducationThe Teacher
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The characteristics of the original Lasallian
schools were sustained by the Teacher through
three means.
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First, through theperson of the teacherthe
Brothers acted as ambassadors of Christ,
bringing Gods love to the students through their
caring and vigilant relationships with them.
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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.
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Third, through the example of the teacher the
Brothers embodied for the students an ethos of
solidarity and shared vision rooted in the
Gospels call to love, compassion, and justice.
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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.
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• 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.

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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.
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InclusiveCommunityThe Students
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De La Salles first and main concern for the
students of his schools was that they were far
from salvation. To remedy this was the raison
detre for Lasallian education.
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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.
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The Lasallian school would be known by its
inclusive and familial relationshipsstudents as
siblings and mentors to each other and teachers
as older siblings and mentors to their students.
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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.

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