Saint John Baptist de La Salle
A Reims priest who gave up wealth to found the Brothers of the Christian Schools
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Priest, Founder
- Life
- 1651 – 1719
- Era
- 18th century
- Feast
- 7 April
- Countries
- France
Life story
John Baptist de La Salle was born on 30 April 1651 at Reims into a well-off family. He became a canon of Reims cathedral at a very young age, studied in Paris and was ordained a priest in 1678. In 1679 he was asked to help Adrien Nyel, who was opening schools for the sons of the poor in the city.
Gradually he came to see that the teachers in those schools needed training and a shared community life. He took them into his own house, then resigned his canonry in 1683 and gave away most of his inherited wealth to the poor, especially during the famine of 1684. From this group he formed the Brothers of the Christian Schools, known as the De La Salle Brothers, a body of consecrated laymen rather than priests.
He introduced several practical changes: teaching pupils in classes instead of one at a time, teaching reading first in French rather than Latin, and writing a manual for running schools called the Conduite des écoles. He also set up some of the earliest teacher-training institutions of his day, and schools for the poor, for young offenders and for technical subjects.
In his last years he lived at Saint-Yon near Rouen and died on 7 April 1719. He was canonised in 1900 under Pope Leo XIII. In 1950 Pope Pius XII declared him patron of those who educate the young.
Works and witness
- Ordained in 1678 and soon helped open schools for the poor in Reims
- Resigned his canonry in 1683 and gave his fortune to the poor
- Founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools
- Wrote the Conduite des écoles and set up teacher training
- Canonised in 1900
Patron of
Educators of young people, Teachers
Saints from the same country
References
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
- Jean-Baptiste de La Salle, Conduite des écoles chrétiennes
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.