Founded in France by St. John Baptist de La Salle, the De La Salle Christian Brothers established their first permanent U.S. school in Baltimore in 1845. With the goal of “teaching minds and touching hearts,” the religious community is composed only of religious brothers; its founder was its only ordained member.
St. John Baptist de La Salle was born in Reims, France, in 1651. He was ordained a priest and began to instruct teachers, an outreach that evolved into the community of Christian Brothers. He died in 1719, was canonized in 1900 and named the patron saint of teachers in 1950. The word “Lasallian” is commonly used to describe his or the Christian Brothers’ influence or charism.
