Jean-Baptiste de La Salle

John Baptist de La Salle (* April 30, 1651 in Reims, † April 7, 1719 in Rouen ) was a French priest, educator and founder of the order. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church.

Life

John Baptist de La Salle was born into a noble family of lawyers and was the eldest son of Louis de la Salle and Nicolle de Moet de Brouillet. After his father's wishes, he should also be a lawyer, but Jean opted for a spiritual calling. On January 7, 1667, he was canon of Reims, studied theology in 1670 at the seminary of Saint Sulpice in Paris and was ordained a priest on April 9, 1678. 1680 he received his doctorate in theology.

In 1679 he founded a free school for the poor, and took arms in 1681 some school teacher in his home on. He gave in 1683 on his position as Canon and founded on May 25, 1684 the Congregation of the Brothers of the Christian Schools ( Christian Brothers ). As a result, he created secondary schools, Sunday schools, educational institutions for neglected young people and teachers' colleges. In 1688 he opened the first schools in Paris. What was new was that the teaching was not individually, but as part of a class. Language of instruction was not Latin but French. These innovations led to a change in the overall French educational system.

For the Christian Brothers, he taught in 1692 in Vaugirard the first novitiate and made to 1698 the Rule together.

Worship

John Baptist de La Salle in 1888 beatified and canonized on May 24, 1900. His feast day in the liturgy is the 7th of April. Since 1937, he is buried in Rome. On May 15, 1950, Pope Pius XII declared. the patron saint of teachers. He is also revered as the patron of textbooks and Christian teaching. The De La Salle University - Manila and the asteroid ( 3002 ) Dela Salle are named after him.

Works

  • Les Règles et Constitutions
  • Méditations pour le dimanches et fêtes
  • Méditations pour le temps de la retraite
  • L' explication de la méthode d' oraison
  • Recueil de petits traités à l' usage des Frères
  • Les règles de la bienséance et de la Civilité chrestienne [ ... ] à l' usage des écoles chrestiennes. Troy 1703. Engl translator's The Rules of Christian Decorum and Civility [ ... ] for Use in Christian Schools. Ed. by Gregory Wright. In 1990. ISBN 0-944808-04-2
France Anniversary (3002) Delasalle Catholic Encyclopedia Integrated Authority File
234502
de