Feast Day: May 15
Founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
Patron of Teachers
“God, who guides all things with wisdom and serenity, whose way it is not to force the inclinations of men, willed to lead me in my youth, unknown to me, and to do for me what I would not have done for myself.”
— St. John Baptist de La Salle, Meditations for the Time of Retreat
Early Life and Vocation
Saint John Baptist de La Salle was born on April 30, 1651, in Reims, France, into a noble and devout Catholic family. From his youth, he displayed an earnest piety, a disposition of charity, and a mature intelligence, all of which foreshadowed his future sanctity and mission.
At the tender age of eleven, he received the tonsure, marking his formal entry into the clerical state. He studied theology at the University of Reims, and by 1678, he was ordained a priest. His future appeared set for a comfortable ecclesiastical life, but God’s Providence would soon lead him into a labor most profound: the Christian education of the poor.
A Providential Mission
Though he had no initial inclination toward teaching, Divine Providence brought him into contact with Adrian Nyel, a man working to establish free schools for poor boys. Fr. de La Salle saw in this an unmistakable call to a higher apostolate, and he began to give himself wholly to the cause.
In an era when education was largely reserved for the wealthy and the privileged, and when poor children often grew up in ignorance and sin, Fr. de La Salle resolved to raise up a society of laymen who would live in community and dedicate themselves wholly to teaching. He began to gather a group of young men and formed them in piety, discipline, and educational method, establishing a novel form of religious life.
Founder of the Christian Brothers
In 1680, he laid the foundations of what would become the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Fratres Scholarum Christianarum), commonly called the Christian Brothers. Unlike clerics, these were consecrated laymen who lived in religious community under vows and taught children without seeking benefices or priestly status.
Despite fierce opposition from clerical authorities and even civil resistance—who viewed this innovation with suspicion—Fr. de La Salle remained steadfast. He emphasized teaching in the vernacular, practical skills, catechesis, and a method of classroom instruction that was revolutionary for the time.
He wrote manuals on pedagogy, established training schools for teachers (the first normal schools), and emphasized order, piety, and personal holiness as essential to education. In all things, his motive was the salvation of souls and the restoration of Christian society through the education of its most neglected members.
A Life of Trials and Holiness
St. John Baptist de La Salle suffered many trials—poverty, slander, and the betrayal of those he trusted. Yet he never ceased to trust in God’s Providence. He stepped down from his role as Superior General to promote humility and allow the Brothers greater autonomy, even as he continued to guide and inspire them through his writings and example.
He died on April 7, 1719, on Good Friday, at the age of 67. His body was laid to rest at Saint Yon, Rouen, and he was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1900. Pope Pius XII later named him Patron of All Teachers of Youth in 1950.
Legacy and Spiritual Teaching
St. John Baptist de La Salle bequeathed to the Church a model of how Christian education is not merely the transmission of knowledge, but a holy vocation, aiming at the formation of souls in the likeness of Christ. He emphasized the dignity of the teacher as a co-worker with God and insisted that educators must live a life of holiness, for “God has chosen you to make Him known to others.”
His Meditations for the Time of Retreat remain a spiritual classic, particularly for educators, filled with fervor and zeal for the salvation of souls.
Collect (Traditional Roman Missal)
O God, who didst raise up blessed John Baptist to promote the Christian education of the poor and to confirm the young in the way of truth, and through him didst form a new family in Thy Church: mercifully grant, by his intercession and example, that we may be zealous in the training of youth, and may so strive to live according to Thee, that we may be found worthy to attain eternal life. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.