Lesson 2 and 3 REFORM MOVEMENTS IN RHEIMS

Poor.
An expression with variable geometry
Nowhere in his writings does La Salle offer a definition of the poor. However there are many such in the
literature of the epoch. The Dictionary of the French Academy which was published for the first time in
1694 and liberally exploits that of Antoine Furetière (1690, posthu- mous) says concerning poor: “Adj.
Having no means of subsistence, lacking what is needed for living [...] Poor is likewise a noun and in
that case it means a beggar. Embarrassed poor: those who experience shame at having to beg alms
publicly. Parish poor: those dependent on parish alms”. Trévoux’s dictionary (1721) does not differ from
these.
Different writers gave other interpretations to the word poverty. For a certain author guarded in his style,
“poverty is not having a stable and secure income that allows one to live without needing to work. The
man who as luck would have it has no other source of income than his mental or physical work can
count himself among the poor” (Sassier, 1990, p. 61). Put more simply poverty for some meant a
permanent situation of lowly life, for others hunger and wretchedness. 4
Ultimately and in language directly understandable it was affirmed that the poor were “those lacking
everything”, “lacked everything needed for life”. The emblematic image for the poor person was thus the
beggar as the dictionaries were saying.
How then determine what was “everything needed for life”? It seems that at the time and with reference
to those everyone called poor a good parameter would be “Assuring daily bread for oneself and one’s
own” understanding assuring, bread and daily in their most obvious meaning.
Poverty was widespread in the France of the Great King. Many
Lesson 2 REFORM MOVEMENTS IN RHEIMS

REFORMERS AND INITIATORS
Was De La Salle working alone? Pioneer?

De La Salle was not alone, not working in a vacuum.
He was more of an innovator than a pioneer.
Innovative methods introduced had been thought and tried elsewhere
His role/contribution: made them practical and effective
Reformers/ Movements
(1) Fr. Pierre Fourier, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame at Nancy
Brought the nuns from cloister to the outside world – to teach (young girls):
integrating religious and apostolic life
Christian education and “gratuity” as essential components of the school

Importance of teacher’s training; practical subjects to teach
(2) Jacques de Bethencourt, author of L’Escole Paroissiale, pastor of
Saint Nicholas du Chardonnet (Paris)
The book – contains policies and practices of this parish school – a model
and center of educational reform
Best practices: know the students personally; regular contacts with

parents; supervisory duties (responsibility); simultaneous teaching in large
class; catechism not just memorization, but showing example of Christian
manners
(3) Abbey of Port Royal, short-lived, but established precedent for

practices:
•Educational process in French, rather than Latin
•Introduced instruction in contemporary foreign languages
•Devised system for taking notes while reading

•Invention of metal pens for writing (famous for fine penmanship)
(4) Fr. Charles Démia, from Lyon, trained in St. Sulpice and St. Nicolas
Du Chardonnet (Paris)
Wrote “Remonstrances” – famous exhortation – addressed to merchants,
magistrates, leading citizens of Lyon
Point – attributed to lack of education of the poorer classes all “evils”
plaguing the city
Roland – Priest and canon in Rheims’ Cathedral, De La Salle’s

spiritual director, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus whose
apostolate was to teach poor young girls in Rheims
Made De La Salle the executor of his will and spiritual director of the
Sisters
Influenced the young Nicolas Roland who also influenced De La Salle as
spiritual director
Demia developed a program for reform of schools (priests and laymen);
made regular schedule of assemblies for teachers for training.
Founded Seminary of St. Charles – prior to ordinary, seminarians should
render teaching apostolate
(5) Fr. Nicolas Barré, a member of the Clerics Regular Congregation of

Minims in Rouen, involved in training women teachers especially those
devoted to teaching religion.
Barré founded a small community – the Teaching Women (Maîtresses)
for Christian and charitable schools together with two pious laywomen:
Françoise Duval and Marguerite Lestocq.
This community evolved into a congregation as Sisters of the Child Jesus
(of Rouen)
Nyel was then procurator general of the General Hospice in Rouen

Fr. Barré and Nyel joined in organizing a community of laymen to be known
as the Teachers (Maîtres) for Christian and charitable schools.
Fr. Roland, as spiritual director, might introduced to De La Salle Barré and
Nyel’s work, and later sensitized (as Roland’s executor) him more to the
urgency and complexity of educational setup.
De La Salle was influenced by the prevailing educational reforms

spearheaded by these significant persons and movements in his time.
He did not work in a vacuum.
He improved their works; made them practical and effective.
Lesson 3
Chapter 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN EDUCATION
Gerard Rummery fsc
The development of a Lasallian education is inseparable from the devel-

opment of the foundational sense of community which characterises the
origins of the Lasallian brotherhood. In a century in which founders of new
movements in France, such as Vincent de Paul and Jean-Jacques Olier,
initially referred to their groups as societies rather than congregations or
institutes, it is not surprising to note that John Baptist de La Salle first refers
to his small group of schoolmasters as a community, then in the first article
of the Rule of 1705 as Society, and then as Institute (cf. Blain, 2000a, p.
13).28
THE BIOGRAPHERS TELL OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE
COMMUNITY
There are some clear stages to this development. 29 By Christmas 1679,

the teachers from the two schools at Saint Maurice and Saint Jacques had
moved into one house. By Holy Week in 1680, De La Salle had taken
seven teachers into his own home and had established some kind of pat-
tern of living, praying and eating together. In the summer of the same year,
De La Salle went to Paris to consult Père Barré who some years pre-
viously had established a community of male teachers in Rouen. Although
we do not know exactly what happened in this meeting, we can speculate
that, as Barré had not lived with his group but with his own Minim
community in Rouen, Barré’s personal reflection on the ‘failure’ of his group
of men to stay together, led him to counsel De La Salle to live with them (cf.
Gallego, 1986, p. 149). By June 24th 1682, De La Salle
28 N.B. The word “Society” appears in the vows of 1691 - text transmitted
by Blain, of which auto- graph is not had - and in the vows of 1694. The
Rule of 1705 will say: “The Institute [...] is a Society ...“
29 cf. The Life of John Baptist de La Salle, 2000, chapters IX-XII, pp.78-
119.
80 CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN

EDUCATION
had moved from the family home in Rue Sainte Marguerite into Rue Neuve
where he lived with nine of his teachers.
As further requests for his teachers arrived, we find that De La Salle’s reply
to a letter from Chateau-Porcien states that “it would be wrong of me,
Gentlemen, not to send you school teachers from our community, in view of
the enthusiasm and zeal you show for the Christian education and
instruction of your children” (C 111,2). It is significant that already in this
foundation period, De La Salle saw the teachers from the different schools
in different places as essentially one community. Certainly, the biographers
are at one in stressing aspects of the community life lived first in his own
home and subsequently in the house in Rue Neuve (cf. Blain, 2000a, pp.
88-91; Maillefer, 1996, pp. 43-44). Blain enumerates “rising and retiring,
interior prayer, holy Mass, and meals assigned to fixed times.”
It was not long, however, before Blain writes of another development and
begins to use the expression “small congregation”:
Seeing that he was responsible for a number of teachers working in sev-

eral different towns, John Baptist de La Salle considered it appropriate to
form them into a small congregation, and to prescribe for them a uniform
style of life (Blain, 2000b, p. 172).
By 1686, the masters had adopted a distinctive style of dress and had cho-
sen to call themselves Brothers. Implicit in the words they used to justify
this choice of name was, that even though they may have taught in dif-
ferent schools and eventually even in different towns, they were conscious
of belonging to a community: they stated that they wished to be brothers to
one another. At the same time, their completion of the phrase with the
words, and elder brothers of the children who came to be taught by them
(Blain, 2000b, p. 186), united their chosen identity with their mission as a
community because they would carry out this mission through a particular
kind of school, not as individuals.
Memoir on the Habit
It is in the Memoir on the Habit, that De La Salle wrote in Paris around

1690 when Baudrand, parish priest of Saint Sulpice, wished to impose the
CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN EDUCATION

81
ecclesiastical habit on the Brothers, that we find the clearest insistence that
this ‘small congregation’ constituted a ‘community’ even though it was
located in Reims and surrounding towns as well as in Paris. Leaving aside
De La Salle’s preoccupation that wearing the ecclesiastical habit might
tempt some members to become clerics, there is his use of the word
‘community’ some forty times, and his clear statement that “community
exercises and work in schools need a person’s full time” (MH 0,0,10). In his
own way without being more explicit, De La Salle is stating clearly that this
mission is for persons who choose not to be ordained because their
priestly duties would not allow them the time to carry out their teaching
duties adequately.
In 1690 with the purchase of Vaugirard, De La Salle took steps to
strengthen both indispensable aspects of his community of teachers, their
spiritual lives and their skill as teachers. While the accounts of the biog-
raphers stress the austerity and privations associated henceforth with the
very mention of ‘Vaugirard’, it is important to recall that this is the first
prolonged period where new members of the community were given 3-4
months training as teachers, while older members probably had their ini-
tial experience and training reinforced by their work with the new mem-
bers joining the community.
The “heroic vow”
The crisis of 1691 that led De La Salle with Gabriel Drolin and Nicolas
Vuyart to imitate what Olier and his two companions had done some fifty
years previously by pronouncing what has always been referred to as the
‘heroic vow’, confirms from the very words of the formula itself, even if we
were to remain just we three in the said Society, that the aim was to estab-
lish the society (cf. Blain, 2000b, pp. 289-290).
Three years later on 6th June 1694, this vow was fulfilled when De La Salle
and a chosen twelve Brothers make their lifelong consecration to God
through the vows of association for the Christian education of the poor,
obedience and stability, for it is then that the society as such had been
founded. The assembly from Trinity to Pentecost established the future
shape and organisation, including the important provision that it was to

EDUCATION
remain a brotherhood, a lay, non-clerical congregation with its own duly

elected lay superior from its own members.
Although we cannot state with any certainty just when De La Salle began to
use the word ‘institute’, the fact that we find the word in the very title of the
first chapter of the 1705 version of the document called Common Rules of
the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools suggests that, by this
time, the members of this group saw themselves as ‘founded‘or ‘insti-
tuted.’
HOW DID DE LA SALLE SUPPORT THE IDEA OF COMMUNITY IN HIS
WRITINGS?
De La Salle’s Rule of 1705, which is obviously a development of the Daily

Regulation from the early 1680’s, insists that a true spirit of community be
always shown and maintained.
In this Institute there will always be shown and preserved a true spirit of
community. All the exercises will be performed in common from morning
until night (RC 3,1)... All will eat in the same refectory (RC 3,2)... All will
take recreation together; likewise all will walk out together on holidays
without separating or forming several groups (RC 3,3).
The Daily Regulation, the Rule of 1705 and the Rule of 1718 are a sequen-
tial development of how this community gradually determined for itself how
its community would best serve the Necessity and Purpose of the Institute,
that is, as a Society in which profession is made to conduct schools
gratuitously, as stated in the first article of the Rule.
This an important point to be noted because the uniqueness of the Rule is

that it never separates the member of the community from the purpose of
the Institute. This unity is strengthened again and again both explicit- ly and
implicitly. For example, in Chapter 6 which treats Topics on Which the
Brothers Ought to Converse during Recreation, No.30 treats of the obli-
gation of the Brothers in the Society to fulfill their duties in school of
instructing the children well, teaching catechism well, and leading them to
piety, No.31 mentions the different maxims and practices that they can
inspire in

83
children to procure for them the spirit of Christianity, while No.32 speaks of
the virtues they can practice in school and the faults they ought to avoid
there, such as impatience, talking too much, harshness, familiarity, over-
indulgence and so on.30
This essential unity in the Brother’s life pervades the whole Rule. Chapter
7,8, 9 and 10 of the 1705 Rule are specifically about How the Brothers
Ought to Conduct Themselves in School, How the Brothers Ought to
Conduct Themselves When Correcting Their Pupils, How the Brothers
Ought to Conduct Themselves in School with regard to Themselves, their
Brothers and Outsiders, The Days and Times when the Brothers Will
Teach School and the Days on Which They Will Give a Holiday to Their
Pupils (cf. RFD, 2002, pp. 36-51).
Community and school
The essential unity underlying the Brothers’ overall statement of identity –

brothers to one another, and older brothers to the pupils – is reflected in
many community practices as well as in the particular roles played by the
director and the inspector. For example, the young Brothers on Sunday
evening had to present their catechism lessons for the coming week with
the sub-questions they had planned to help explain the catechism answer.
In the theological climate of the time, as it was considered essential for

personal salvation that all understand and know by heart the basic
Christian truths, the “great Mysteries” formulated in the Creed, the Brother
had a serious responsibility to ensure that all his pupils could do this. The
Director’s role, as someone older and more experienced, was to help by
suggesting some further details or sub-questions based on his own
experience. On Sunday evenings, all members of the community attend- ed
and participated in the Catechism of formation in which each Brother in turn
offered an approach to a particular lesson with the whole community as
the class, and this was followed by a discussion and evaluation by all
present. This practice was valuable not only because it offered the
opportunity of learning what was to become the Brothers’ adaptation of
30 cf. English text of Rules of 1705, Rule and Foundational Documents,

2002, p. 35.

EDUCATION
the Catechetical Method of Saint Sulpice, but it was also an important

‘bonding’ exercise at a number of levels because besides watching and
learning from one another, Brothers also experienced in a new way some-
thing of the faith and dedication of older community members.
De La Salle’s Meditations
De La Salle’s Meditations for Sundays and Feasts as well as his

Meditations for the Time of Retreat give emphasis to the Brothers’ spiritual
life as well to the mission of the Institute. There are eleven meditations on
the various aspects of religious obedience in the community. De La Salle
stresses community as an important factor for achieving success in mission
(cf. Meditations 30, 60, 65, 68 and 72 to 77). For De La Salle the commu-
nity is this “Church of Jesus Christ,” where the Spirit manifests his pres-
ence (cf. MF 169,3). His meditations, particularly Nos. 37-39 for Rogation
Days examine the importance of prayer and the way to encounter God and
obtain his grace; the meditations Nos. 42-45 for the feast of Pentecost link
openness to the Spirit with the ability to ‘touch hearts’ as essential to the
mission; the work of the Brother in school Nos.2,3,56 and 61 is linked to
Advent themes and to his reflections on Sunday gospels; the trials of
community life are set out realistically in Nos.16, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 59
while the importance of charity, union, and unity are treated in Nos.65,
72,73, 74, 76, and 77.
In the Meditations for the Time of Retreat each pair of meditations move
easily and quite naturally between the most profound understandings of
call, mission and fidelity to the practical consequences of how all this is to
be lived out each day in school in relationship with pupils, even, as in Nos.
204 and 205, to the importance of correction in the broadest sense of the
word, both for the improvement of the pupil as a human being and also for
the mastery of the school subjects which could guarantee future
employment. It cannot be emphasised too strongly that where rules of the
then contemporary religious congregations rightly stressed the traditional
‘flight from the world’ and envisaged interior prayer as devoted to ‘spir-
itual’ matters, De La Salle continually reminded his followers when they
were at prayer that the ‘Christian school’ was ‘God’s work.’
Perhaps the best example of the essential unity of De La Salle’s vision is

85
Meditation No.33 for Good Shepherd Sunday. The exegesis of the Gospel
text is in the best sense of the word, traditional, but the points of appli-
cation at once take the Brother from the chapel to consider how they do, or
do not, act as “good shepherds” in the classroom.
THE CONDUCT OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
The uniqueness of the Conduct is that it is essentially, as the 1720 Preface

states so clearly, the work of a community:
This guide has been prepared and put in order (by the late M. De La Salle)
only after a great number of conferences between him and the oldest
Brothers of the Institute and those most capable of running a school well,
and after several years of experience (CCS, 1996, p. 45).
We do not really know just how the first Masters and Brothers made the
transition from teaching individuals to the simultaneous classroom peda-
gogy set out in the Conduct. The biographer, Blain, mentions some of the
difficulties encountered when young inexperienced teachers relied main- ly
on corporal punishment to try to control their crowded classes but fails to
tell his readers just how Nyel (?) and De La Salle brought about such an
educational revolution (cf. Blain, 2000b, pp. 190-195). What we do know is
that in successive summers of 1705-6, experienced teachers were asked to
write their updated version of how they thought schools could be guided,
based on what had evolved in their teaching practices in the twenty-five
years since the first schools in Rheims. This manuscript was then sent to
all the schools and the Brothers invited to try out what it rec- ommended so
that in the light of experience, changes and modifications could be
suggested so that a final version could be put in order by De La Salle
himself around 1717. Cahier lasallien No.24 offers us the opportunity to
compare the original text with the printed version to see what has been
changed. It is doubtful whether any historian has yet sufficiently stressed
the uniqueness of the Conduct in the history of western education as a
collective work, a teaching manual, based on the experience of practising
teachers.
Uniformity of practices in the Conduct
The insistence on uniformity in the Conduct needs to be understood

EDUCATION
against the background of the society for which it was written. Teachers of
elementary education, with classes over 60 or more pupils, ranging from
children of six or seven to young adolescents in some cases, making use of
a simultaneous system of teaching that required careful implemen- tation
and control of diverse activities in a quiet, largely silent classroom, needed
a carefully controlled apprenticeship to their craft in order to succeed.
Careful attention to levels of attainment, monthly tests, promotion from one
level to the next or a decision to require a pupil to repeat a level, all
required a careful attention to detail so as to try to achieve the orderly
progress of the pupils throughout the few years they could be kept at
school. The enforced absence of teachers from time to time through ill-
ness or other causes demanded a uniformity of method that made it pos-
sible for a teacher to be replaced by another or by the director or inspec-
tor, so that, in the Founder’s often written words, “the school might run well”
(C 57,12).
Importance of teaching writing
A recent study by Joseph Bergin is an important reminder of why De La

Salle was prepared in practice to challenge the monopoly of the writing
masters in Paris not only to have writing taught in all his schools, in spite of
the many difficulties that this brought him and his Brothers, but to teach it
with such care that it attracted parents to send their children to gain this
advantage:
This is perhaps why only one congregation, Jean-Baptiste de la Salle’s

Brothers of the Christian Schools (1683), emerged during our period with a
deliberate vocation to run petites écoles for boys, a vocation which was
exclusive and unusual enough to rule out its members becoming priests. La
Salle’s congregation was also unique in accepting that unless the petites
écoles offered something more than religious education, parents would not
send their children to school – hence its strongly vocational focus. In the
great majority of schools, ‘reading’ literacy rather than ‘writing’ literacy
was the priority, and regardless of whether the teachers were clerics or
laymen, religious instruction was a major component of the curriculum.
The ability to sing and to teach children plain chant was much sought after
in schoolteachers, a revealing indication of what both the church and large
sections of French society expected of such schools. And, needless to say,
within the envelope of formal instruction lay the daily say-
87
ing of prayers, attendance at church services and the endless repetition of

many other religious gestures, which contributed just as much to the reli-
gious formation of those engaging in them (Bergin, 2009, p. 308).
The importance given to handwriting was not simply a matter of prestige.

The Conduct notes that if a pupil coming to the Brothers’ school had
already been taught to write, the Director was to inform the parents that the
school would attempt to improve his writing over some months, but if the
boy had been badly taught from the beginning, it might not always be
possible to undo the faults he made.
The attention given in the Conduct 31 to teaching the first steps of writing
from the personal attention to the size of the individual pupil’s hand and the
gradual progression to the pen, the successive promotions through six
grades only after mastering each level, was undoubtedly an extraordinary
contribution to the employment possibilities that such mastery gave to the
children of artisans and the poor. The conflict of the Brothers in Paris with
the guild of the Writing Masters was probably inevitable, but De La Salle’s
recognition of literacy as including both reading and writing is evident in
the section of the Conduct on absences where he states:
It should be explained to them (parents) how important it is for an arti- san

to know how to read and write well. It should be emphasised that, however
limited the child’s intelligence, the child that knows how to read and write
will be capable of anything (CCS, 1996, p. 161).
Chapter on Absences
This chapter on Absences gives some special insights into the situations
that the Brothers had regularly to face. Thus we read that students may be
absent because of a distaste for school, but “this may be due to the fact
that they have a new teacher who is not sufficiently trained... who at once
resort to corrections, or are too lax and have no order or silence in the
classroom”.31 What strikes us about the remedies that are offered to
improve this situation are that the blame is placed not on the pupils but on
the shortcomings of the teacher. This honest evaluation extends next to the
fact that “students absent themselves” because “they have little
31 Cf. The Conduct of the Christian Schools, 1996, Section 4, Articles 1-10,
pp.72-86.

EDUCATION
affection for their teacher” and this is due to the fact “that the teacher is not
pleasant and in almost every situation does not know how to win the
students.” There is a remedy: “the teachers endeavour to be very pleasant
and to acquire a polite, affable, and frank appearance” (cf. CCS, 1996, p.
160).
It is worth reflecting more broadly on this concern about absences. For the
Brother, member of a community, the pupil who dropped out of school lost
the growth in faith that could come from the daily catechism lesson, the
continual reminder of the presence of God, learning how to assist at Mass,
how to receive the sacraments and so many other aspects of his religion.
But he also lost the opportunity to attain the mastery that could make him
employable in the emerging cities. Just as the 1720 printed version of the
Conduct differs from the original manuscript version in strengthening the
importance of correction with its astonishingly honest appraisal of the six
ways in which the behaviour of a teacher could become ‘unbearable’ to his
pupils, so too throughout the Conduct, the challenge of being a successful
teacher was ever present so that community and school needed to
reinforce one another mutually.
CONCLUSION: HOW DID THE KEY ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY

INFLUENCE THE CONTINUING DEVEL- OPMENT OF LASALLIAN
EDUCATION [PEDAGOGY]?
The history of Lasallian education from the early 19 th century shows how
the foundation of schools outside of France was first linked with countries
interested for cultural and commercial reasons in a form of French
education adapted to particular situations. Often, the initial foundation was
for the sons of French families maintaining cultural and commercial links in
foreign countries. But, very quickly, the sons of local officials wished to
attend these same schools where the level of education was adjudged
superior to that of local schools because of the presence of the Brothers’
community of trained teachers, and because an education in French
offered many advantages for future employment. Such was the case in
Canada, Egypt and in some 43 cities of the then Ottoman Turk Empire.

89
Foundations in the United States in the 1840’s and in Asia in the 1850’s
and 1860’s challenged the Brothers to succeed in founding schools where
English was the medium of instruction and where pupils were not exclu-
sively Catholic but Christian as in USA. In Asia, the majority of pupils were
members of one of the great religions of Asia. History shows again that it
was the strength of a community of trained experienced teachers that made
these schools successful to the present day. The Brothers were a Christian
presence but they quickly learned to be always respectful of the religion of
their pupils rather than proselytisers.
The anthropological foundation stone of the community – Brothers to one

another and older brothers to the young people whom they taught –
guaran- teed that the schools were successful in answering local needs
and in creating a pedagogy based on mutually respectful relationships.
Inseparable from this emphasis on relationships was the Lasallian heritage
of ‘gratuity’, the offering of education to all who wished to come,
regardless of whether they could or could not pay.
It is probably significant that although many individual Brothers have been

remembered for their particular contribution to local education, the overall
work of the Brothers has always been spoken about as the work of the
Brothers, a clear recognition of the essential link between the role played
by an individual and the wider role played by the community of Brothers of
which he was a member.
As somebody who did not grow up under Jean Baptiste De La Salle’s banner, I must
admit I knew very little about the man. I only knew of him through some past random
researches but did not really take the time to know more than I had to.
After watching the film, however, the three things about the man that stood out to me
were his courage to stand for what he believed was right, his willingness to give up
everything he had for a cause, and his openness to accept and carry the responsibilities
of his actions.
Conflicts in the office
I believe in every profession, there is conflict. Conflict over the job, about the system,
and the people. As a leader, I like to believe that I always fight for what I believe is right.
Much like La Salle, I am the kind of person who cannot stand for all the wrongness that
go on in the work place. Granted, our roads are very different as I usually take the more
confrontational way of dealing with things but ultimately, I believe that whatever I do, as
long as it is all for the right reasons, I would still end up in the right place.
Although, come to think of it, I would probably benefit from exploring his way of dealing
with conflicts.
Helping the needy
Talking about his willingness to give up everything he had, I imagine being rich in those
days, much like today, would make me oblivious to the concerns of people below me. I
admire the man for not only realizing the fact that people needed help but also for
having the zeal to actually help because he knew he could. I must admit I am not a
person made of the same stuff as he was.
Being born into a middle-class family taught me to see the poverty around me as well as
the opulence. Even when I was young, I knew there was poverty. I also knew I had
some means to help. However, as middle-class people usually go, I would not be
unique to think that I always have just enough and would not have so much if I gave
even a peso away. After watching the film, I realized that his wealth and, relatively, my
lack of it, excuses neither of us for not helping the people in need whenever I have a
chance to do so.
As a leader, I now imagine myself helping other people not because I am obliged to but
rather as La Salle seemed to think... because I simply can.
Responsibilities of a leader
Though I have yet to face such adversities as La Salle had in his time, I would like to
believe that I would be the kind of leader who thinks of my people’s needs before my
own. As a senior officer in my office, I often enjoy complaining to my people about our
bosses and how they’re just doing their jobs while not actually “doing their jobs.” I hope
when time comes that I am in the position to make decisions that have entail serious
consequences, I would have the strength of La Salle to face those responsibilities in the
same light as he did.
I admire his constitution in supporting his people even when they were unwilling to do
the same for him. I am the kind of person who expects things from the people below
because I am willing to do what needs to be done. In times, however, when they do not
step up, I get irritated and become a totally different person. People are actually scared
of me. I realize the power in this position and take advantage of it.
After watching the film, however, I have come to see the existence of another avenue I
might be able to take. One that asks is demanding performance because I also perform,
always pushing and leaning on people to step up better than helping them on their feet
so they would be able to keep up and become better?
In that sense, I fear the possibility of my becoming exactly how our current bosses are
towards us. After seeing the film about how La Salle put his brothers’ needs before his
own and even came to defend them against so much adversities, I pray that I become
more like him and not like almost everybody else.
Flickr)
I am sitting in a small classroom in one of those World War II Quonset huts that line the hill
along the rim of Manhattan College in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. It is the spring of 1962
—the semester I will graduate—and this is Brother Luke Salm’s religion class. We are blue-
booking one of his quizzes, and he is off to one side, reading what looks like endless reams of
galleys while the students in the class chew their pencil erasers or scratch their heads before
plunging back into the abstruse questions on church doctrine glaring up at them from the page.
For a moment my attention is focused on Brother Luke’s absorption in those galleys of small
print, and I am thinking: Yes, this is what I want to do someday. Forget myself and the humdrum
world around me and, like some student of the Torah, study the world of words and someday—
God willing—my own galleys. Ah, to become lost like him in the cosmic dance of literature, art,
music, philosophy and religion, to watch as words form the mica chips of the infinite Word.
Then it is back again to the quiz in front of me whose questions long ago evaporated into the
ether of history. In the late afternoon, I will walk through the tree-lined quad, past the chapel and
the brick arcade, and head for my friend John Monahan’s ’57 hearse-gray Ford to make the trip
back over the Throgs Neck Bridge and Northern Boulevard to Mineola, grab a bite to eat, then
head down to the Garden City A&P, where I will stack shelves from 6 to 11, then head home to
get my homework done before grabbing five hours of sleep. And then it will be up again and
back to Manhattan College.
What a blessing those Christian Brothers in their black

soutanes and my other teachers were as they taught so many
young men like myself.
Tweet this
What a blessing those Christian Brothers in their black soutanes and my other teachers were as
they taught so many young men like myself. Mostly we hailed from Irish-American working-
class or lower-income middle-class families. There were Italian-Americans, too, and Latinos,
African-Americans, Asian-Americans. We studied engineering, pre-med or pre-law, or took
classes in the Great Books, beginning with the Egyptians and Greeks and Romans through the
Middle Ages, then on to the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Enlightenment and through the
Romantics and Victorians and the Modernists. How often the brothers were there for me, though
I feared some of them a bit, especially after I joined a frat that made “Animal House” look tame.
Most of them were gentle or funny and gave me sound advice by their example. There was
Brother Anthony, for one, who volunteered to teach a group of us basic Greek to supplement our
Latin. Once he heard me swearing as I ascended the steps of the library and suggested I refrain
from what he called that “sub-Chaucerian” lingo.
In time, I graduated and got married and had three sons and earned a Ph.D. in English and
comparative literature downtown at Hunter College, all of it possible because of what I learned at
Manhattan. Years later, Brother Luke would invite me back to Manhattan to address the student
body, now made up of women as well as men, and receive an honorary degree—the same brother
who wrote a life of St. John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of those same Christian Brothers,
called The Work Is Yours. Reading it now, years after Brother Luke went to his reward, I better
understand what de La Salle achieved in educating so many of the marginalized, myself among
them.
[Don’t miss more stories like this one. Sign up for our newsletter.]
I am the first in my family fortunate enough to go to college. Because of the Great Depression,
neither of my parents went beyond the second year of high school. My father’s parents came
from northern Italy and settled in the shadow of the 59th Street Bridge, had 11 children, six of
whom survived. School was something you endured until you were 16; then you went to work.
For my father, the youngest of the lot, that meant driving a grocery truck or working at gas
stations. Then came the war, when he learned to fire an M-1 and drive half-ton trucks and
Shermans.
It seemed almost too good to be true: a chance to study Plato

and Aristotle and Aquinas and Dante and Shakespeare and
Cervantes and Milton and Dostoyevsky.
Tweet this
After the war, my family moved to Long Island—Levittown, then Mineola—where I worked at
my father’s Sinclair gas station. When I turned 16, my father thought it was time for me, too, to
drop out of school and work full time. “Over my dead body,” my mother told him, and she meant
it. In high school, I took classes in pre-engineering because my father insisted it would lead to a
good job, though my heart was not in it. Manhattan College had a strong reputation as an
engineering school, so I applied there.
But when I arrived for my interview, one of the brothers told us about a four-year curriculum in
the humanities based on the Great Books, and my heart melted. It seemed almost too good to be
true: a chance to study Plato and Aristotle and Aquinas and Dante and Shakespeare and
Cervantes and Milton and Dostoyevsky and on and on. I had $100 in the bank, and there were
still six younger siblings at home to feed and clothe. But here was my chance, and with the help
of God, I had to believe it would all work out.
Which is what de La Salle himself, it turns out, had believed. And so, despite sickness and
exhaustion and the difficulties of getting to and from college, it did in fact work out. And not just
for me but for so many young men.
Teacher of Teachers
Who was this brilliant, saintly priest who founded the Christian Brothers? Perhaps now, on the
300th anniversary of his death, it is time for those of us who have benefited so richly from our
educations to remember who he was.
John Baptiste de La Salle was born to a wealthy family in Reims, France, on April 30, 1651.
Like his namesake, he heralded the coming of a new order by reaching out to the marginalized,
founding the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Educated first at the College des
Bons Enfants, he went on to Paris to study the classics and theology at the Sorbonne. Then, at 20,
he lost both his parents and had to return home to oversee the education of his younger siblings.
Finally, in the spring of 1678, he was ordained and went on to earn his doctorate in theology.
At first, he oversaw the establishment of an order of nuns who had dedicated themselves to the
education of the poor. Then he worked with young men, teaching them how to teach. And thus
began his life’s work. The idea never occurred to him, he admitted years later, “that what I did
out of pure charity for the poor school teachers would make it incumbent upon me to live with
them.” Had he realized the many sacrifices he would have to undergo, he would have given up
the idea at once.
Like his namesake, John Baptiste de La Salle heralded the

coming of a new order by reaching out to the marginalized.
Tweet this
Fortunately for hundreds of thousands of us, he stuck to his vocation to educate the
underprivileged as, step by step, the way opened before him. And yet, try as he might, he kept
failing for lack of money or because of the infighting among the educational guilds who insisted
on being paid handsomely for teaching. Then, too, there were those bishops and prelates who
insisted on maintaining rigid control over their schools. Still, he worked tirelessly alongside his
brothers, looking for the best means of educating the poor to prepare them for the world, both
practically and spiritually. And when the teachers themselves became discouraged because they
lacked the necessary education and teaching skills, he supported them, going so far as to find
them rooms in his own home, feeding them, teaching them how to teach and often stepping in to
teach when teachers became ill or simply abandoned the project.
As his mission became ever clearer to him, he resigned his priestly canonry and then, at 34, sold
his home and possessions and distributed the money to the poor. When his friends advised him
that this time he had gone too far, he told them that this was the work God had given him to do
and that, if worse came to worst, he would beg for alms.
In time, the Christian Brothers took the shape by which they would come to be recognized. He
trained one young brother, Henri L’Heureux, in the hopes that he would succeed him, sending
him to the Sorbonne to study for the priesthood with a specialty in theology, only to see
L’Heureux die shortly before his ordination. After much prayer and discernment, de La Salle
came to see that the priesthood was not essential for the Christian Brothers. Educating the young,
he insisted, was the work the brothers had been given and to which they must devote their lives.
As expected, many among the church authorities did not agree with his decision. In 1702, de La
Salle was deposed by a cardinal and his leadership role was transferred to another priest. He bit
his lip, endured it and moved on.
A classical and practical education, along with the
cultivation of a spirit of faith, piety, self-discipline and
obedience, came to characterize the Christian Brothers.
Tweet this
For 10 years he struggled to preserve the institution even as he continued to be vilified and
brought up on trumped-up charges. At one point, he was left with only two brothers he could rely
on. Still, he soldiered on, visiting the schools he had established from Rouen to Marseilles,
spending more and more time in prayer as he grew older. Approaching 60 and worn down by the
incessant work of maintaining his schools, he convoked a chapter to elect one of the brothers as
superior general to carry on the work of the institute after he was gone. Brother Barthélemy, a
solid choice, was elected, and de La Salle continued to work alongside him.
And the work went on. Finally, bedridden and nearly blind from his incessant labors, de La Salle,
after receiving the sacraments, died at St. Yon on the outskirts of Rouen on the morning of Good
Friday, April 7, 1719, just short of his 68th birthday. It would take six more years before the
Vatican approved the Christian Brothers as a teaching order and another 175 years before de La
Salle was recognized as the saint he was. Finally, in 1950, Pius XII declared him the Special
Patron of All Teachers of Youth in the Catholic Church.
A Practical Education
A classical and practical education, along with the cultivation of a spirit of faith, piety, self-
discipline and obedience, came to characterize the Christian Brothers. The lower classes, de La
Salle understood, were every bit as entitled to be taught as the wealthy. This meant free schools
led by well-educated teachers. Rather than teach Latin, he insisted, classes must be taught in the
native language as the best way for the student’s advancement. And reading in the vernacular
was the best way to speedily acquire new knowledge—that and the ability to write clearly. Those
skills achieved, students could then turn to the study of Latin and thus enter law, politics,
engineering and church affairs more quickly.
RELATED STORIES
Meet the women leaders who are transforming Jesuit higher education
Emma Winters
Confessions of a Creative Writing Director
John Poch
But how to educate so many—French in his time, Irish, Italian, African-American, Hispanic,
Asian in ours? In Europe’s universities, lectures were given in Latin, followed by disputations on
the subject (again, in Latin). But de La Salle insisted on the “simultaneous method,” which
allowed large groups of students to study the same books, thanks to printing. The teacher learned
to adapt his language and explanations as necessary, moving from the simple to more complex
ideas and concepts, all in the common vernacular.
Let the method’s record speak for itself. In 1719, the year de La Salle died, the number of
brothers teaching all over France had risen to 274. By the French Reign of Terror, even after the
institute had been dissolved by the French National Assembly, the number stood at 900. Eighty
years later, there were over 10,000 brothers. By 1900 there were over 14,000 teaching in schools
and colleges and universities worldwide.
Today, there are 560 high schools and colleges run by the brothers around the world. And though
the number of brothers teaching has dwindled to 4,000, they are aided by some 73,000 lay
colleagues who teach nearly a million students in over 80 countries, from impoverished nations
like Nigeria to colleges like Bethlehem University in the Holy Land, La Salle University in
Philadelphia, St. Mary’s University in Minnesota and Manhattan College in the Bronx, whose
green quadrangle so many of us walked each day and where we learned to love the classics.
Some of us, in turn, went on to teach and write, freely giving of ourselves to whomever we were
fortunate enough to reach
Reflection Paper on the Life Story of Saint John Baptist De

La Salle
APRIL 5, 2017 / ERICTINIO
The movie “Who are my own” is about the life story of Saint John Baptist De La
Salle, his sacrifices for the people that he served and how he influenced them to make
changes for the common good. Though family background was not showed in the
movie, St. John Baptist de La Salle lived a wealthy and comfortable life. The movie
showed that his family was from the privileged class. They have servants and no
notable financial difficulties. St. John Baptist de La Salle was a man of refined
manners, a cultured mind, and great practical ability, in whom personal prosperity was
balanced with kindness and affability. In physical appearance, he was of commanding
presence, somewhat above the medium height, was a respected priest during his time
and a well- endowed member of the Church.
In terms of his accomplishments, for me, one of most important accomplishments of
St. John Baptist de La Salle is bringing education for the poor children of France
during his time. As I noticed in the movie, education was only for the rich and noble
people, and already beyond the reach of the masses. In addition, St. John Baptist de
La Salle at age 29 was able to invite young men to join him in devoting themselves to
the Christian education of youth. That was when he founded the Christian Brothers.
As showed in the movie, he started this by inviting young men to take meals in his
home to teach them table manners and to motivate them to do their job. In my
opinion, St. John Baptist de La Salle was able to spread equality in France during his
time by providing free education to the poor people, which at that time was only
afforded and available to rich families.
I personally admire St. John Baptist de La Salle’s strong faith and integrity when he
accepted laymen as his colleagues and brothers. Many in his family thought him to be
imprudent, if not crazy. He even asked the laymen to join him and his relatives during
meals. In the movie, his relatives walked out during a meal when they were joined by
these laymen. St. John Baptist de La Salle’s compassion and concern for the poor
people made him give away even his wealth and resources. With ardent faith of God
and selflessness. St. John Baptist de La Salle did not ask for anything in return when
he started helping and serving the poor people.
St. John Baptist de La Salle took the risk of donating his wealth to endow his
community. He gave away his entire fortune and kept just enough not to become a
burden on the Brothers when it came to his priestly responsibilities. Thus he quickly
and irrevocably joined his Brothers in real poverty.
As a La Sallian Business Leader aspirant, being a risk-taker has its own advantages
and disadvantages. Though, I must admit that I, just like St. John Baptist de La Salle,
always take risks on my career. Usually, I analyze things first before I make decisions.
If I see, that a certain option would yield better results, then I proceed and stand firm
with the chosen decision.
As an innovator, St. John Baptist de La Salle broke the barrier of social equality when
he helped educate the poor people of his community.
The movie showed that disparity of classes has long been existing since his time.
Even today, such disparity is still a prevalent issue which our society struggle with. It
remained an issue today even if social equality has become a conscious effort in our
society. As a Lasallian Business Leader, my task is to spread awareness of my
colleagues’ importance in the organization regardless of the position and role. Each
member is valuable and essential in the attainment of the company’s growth and
success.
St. John Baptist de La Salle displayed how to be a Leader and a Follower at the same
time when he showed strict obedience to the elected “Senior” of the Brothers. Though
this has caused upset in church circles, St. De La Salle respected the election and
showed humility to the Senior member of the Brothers.
Being a leader not just entails giving instructions and asking people to obey and
follow rules. A Lasallian Business Leader must be a good example to his subordinates
by being a good follower as well. He should serve his members and lead them to the
direction of the company’s goal.
St. John Baptist de La Salle guided the laymen in the teachings and guidance of God.
He taught the Brothers to be fully devoted to education as their ministry. He also
shared his knowledge by spending time writing a variety of texts, both for use in the
schools and for the Brothers and their life in the community, which included
everything from a student reading text on politeness and decorum to a detailed method
for the Brothers’ interior prayer.
As a La Sallian Business Leader aspirant, I am very much willing to share my
knowledge to my subordinates. Not only have they learned from me, I also gain
knowledge from the experiences they gather from applying what I have imparted with
them.
The Educational Theory of John Baptist de La Salle
Analysts:
JoAnna Fecker,
Kristina Greenwood and
Jeslin Harrigan
RETURN
1/7/19
Introduction
To touch the hearts of your pupils and to inspire them with the Christian spirit is the greatest
miracle you can perform, and one which God expects of you."
- Saint John Baptist de La Salle
Born April 30, 1651 to one of few wealthy families in France, John Baptist de La Salle was
privileged enough to receive formal schooling. (Saint Jean-Baptiste, n.d.). By age 16, La Salle
was appointed Canon of the Cathedral at Reims. He studied theology at the College Des Bons
Enfants and after receiving a Masters in Arts was sent to Paris to attend the seminary of Saint-
Sulpice. La Salle reached status of ordained priest in 1678 and two years later earned a doctorate
in theology from the University of Reims.
Unlike many members of the privileged class of the time, La Salle did not use his education,
wealth and status to keep others in submission to the upper class. On the contrary, he devoted
much of his life to narrowing the gap in educational opportunities for the people of France and
around the world as the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, “the first Roman
Catholic congregation of male nonclerics devoted solely to schools, learning and teaching”
(Saint Jean-Baptiste, n.d.).
Upon earning his doctorate, La Salle became the protector of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus,
a school run charity for girls. He then invited Adrien Nyel into his home, marking the beginning
of his gradual involvement in charity schools for boys (Hotek, 2003). La Salle began training
Nyel’s school masters, and afterwards admitted that “those whom I was obliged to employ as
teachers, I ranked below my own valet, hence the very thought of having to live with them was
unbearable” (Hotek, 2003). Over time, La Salle’s attitude would change.
At this time in France’s history, most people lived in extreme poverty and few had the
opportunity to pursue education. This began to bother La Salle as he felt that poor, uneducated
children remained “far from salvation” (Saint John Baptist, 2010). For this reason, La Salle made
the decision to work to extend educational opportunities to underprivileged individuals. This
change in La Salle’s attitude toward underprivileged individuals surprised even him. He stated,
Indeed, if I had ever thought that the care I was taking of the schoolmasters out of pure charity
would ever have made it my duty to live with them, I would have dropped the whole project…
God, who guides all things with wisdom and serenity, whose way it is not to force the
inclinations of persons, willed to commit me entirely to the development of the schools. He did
this in an imperceptible way and over a long period of time so that one commitment led to
another in a way that I did not foresee in the beginning” (Jean-Baptiste de la Salle, n.d.).
In order to be more effective in his charitable endeavor, and possibly to better understand the
circumstances of those whom he aimed to serve, La Salle renounced his position as Canon and
left his family’s home and wealth to move in with teachers, forming a community that became
known as the Brothers of the Christian Schools, or the de La Salle Brothers (Saint John Baptist,
2010).
Not surprisingly, La Salle’s efforts to educate and therefore enfranchise a new group of people
were met with opposition from certain groups in positions of power. Some church authorities
were reluctant to accept the creation of a novel sort of religious life including laymen conducting
free education (Saint John Baptist, 2010). The educational establishment took exception to La
Salle’s schools providing free education to all who wanted it, whether they could afford
education or not.
Despite dissent from certain groups, La Salle succeeded in establishing this novel type of school.
These schools were unique in their place and time for several reasons. For one, students were
taught in colloquial language rather than in the language of the wealthy and the clergy. Within
the schools, students were divided into groups based on ability and were taught an integrated
curriculum of religious and secular instruction (Saint John Baptist, 2010). Students were taught
by nonclerics who believed in La Salle’s mission. In order to outfit his schools with competent
instructors, La Salle instituted programs for training “lay teachers,” and even offered education
class on Sunday for those who worked during the week (Saint John Baptist, 2010). La Salle also
became famous for developing a teaching method known as “the Simultaneous Method.” This
current day class method involves one person (the teacher) reading while others follow along
pointing to the words and reading them silently (Knight, 2009).
Since La Salle began his efforts in the 1600s, his idea has inspired the creation of La Sallian
schools in 35 countries and by 1900 there were 14,631 Christian Brothers (Saint John Baptist,
2010). Saint John Baptist de La Salle died on April 7, 1719 in Rouen, France and was Canonized
in 1900 (Saint Jean-Baptiste, n.d.).
I. Theory of Value
What knowledge and skills are worthwhile learning? What are the goals of education?
Education in France during the 17th century was reserved for the wealthy and noble class. The
lack of education of the working class and the poor became a concern for La Salle. It was this
sector of the population that would receive his full attention. La Salle’s primary interest was the
education of male teachers, who would later be employed as teachers of working class and poor
boys.
La Salle’s greatest message to his disciples was to develop the spirit of religion in the souls of
their pupils. He also believed that everything learned in life must be functional, in that one would
be able to use the knowledge later in life. In his teachings, he emphasized a practical approach to
all subjects. To this end, La Salle had his teachers teach in the vernacular, rather than in the
language of the church or the upper class (Saint Jean Baptist de la Salle, 2010.) This allowed the
students to share what they had learned with their parents, extending the knowledge to more
people. This seems to suggest that La Salle valued the dissemination of knowledge among
people of all social classes. Also, the fact that La Salle chose to educate lay people to become
teachers suggests that he valued well-prepared teachers who were educated in foundations of
Education.
Based on the population that La Salle aimed to serve in the schools that he founded, it is possible
that his goals for education were socially motivated and aimed at creating equity among the
people of France and the world through equal opportunities for education. However, because La
Salle’s curriculum included religious as well as secular instruction, La Salle held religious
guidance as a goal of education. These goals hold true today in many Lasallian schools around
the world.
II. Theory of Knowledge
What is knowledge?
When considering La Salle’s views of knowledge and belief, one must disregard the typical
definition of belief such as given in the study of epistemology. For La Salle the definition of
belief does not refer to having confidence in knowledge (believing something to be true). Rather,
for La Salle belief is inseparable from faith. Belief speaks directly to the belief in God, salvation,
and the Church. While Sa Salle was not an educational theorist in the sense of today’s definition,
we can make many inferences concerning his thoughts of knowledge and belief based on his
writings.
As previously mentioned, La Salle was ever practical in his view of education. By this we mean
that he always had an eye on the usefulness of a particular lesson served. However, he also had
an all-encompassing view of education. La Salle believed that through education, a student
would become not just educated, but a better human. More specifically, in de la Salle’s opinion,
knowledge allowed students to become better Christians (La Salle J., 1720, p. 37).
It should also be mentioned that at the time of La Salle, boys of the poor and working classes
were denied education as it was deemed unnecessary. At best they received training only in
manual labor type vocations. La Salle met with continued resistance to his plan to educate these
children& -- and fought many court battles to continue providing this education (Battersby,
1958, pp. 186-198). Higher classes were threatened by La Salle providing tuition-free education
and also were threatened by the mere fact of having an uneducated underclass. However, La
Salle believed that rather than undermining society, the education of the poor and working class
would lift all of society. Knowledge, in the sense of Christian knowledge, plays a role in not only
improving the life of the one receiving an education, but also in uplifting society as a whole.
`In Duties of a Christian, La Salle writes that there are only two duties of a Christian& --
knowing God and loving God (La Salle, 1703, p. 11). Without the fulfillment of these
obligations a person cannot achieve salvation and therefore, cannot be fully Christian in the eyes
of La Salle. To accomplish these duties, students needed knowledge and most importantly,
catechism that would both instruct them and provide the socialization that would add to them
becoming “better Christians.” In fact, de La Salle charges teachers with the responsibility “to
inspire them [students] with the Christian spirit” and calls this “the greatest miracle one can
perform.”
How does knowledge differ from belief?
La Salle was very clear that the students of his schools would receive both academic and
religious instruction. For La Salle, one could not exist without the others However, La Salle is
clear that the true purpose of the Christian Schools is to “teach the boys to lead good lives by
instructing them in their religion, by inspiring them with Christian maxims, and by giving them a
suitable education (Battersby, 1958).” La Salle believed that all of the ills that plagued the poor
and working class were the direct result of a poor upbringing. Children, left alone while their
parents struggled to make a living was, in La Salle’s mind, the problem& -- the answer to which
was the Christian Schools and the instruction that the brothers would provide. Battersby writes:
Hence, however important it might be to teach the pupils reading, writing, and arithmetic, it was
far more important, in his view, to train them to piety.
For La Salle, belief and knowledge are so closely related and dependent upon one another that it
is difficult to separate the two.
According to La Salle, there are two kinds of faith. Divine faith is “a virtue that makes us adhere
with submission of mind and heart to whatever God has revealed and to profess with firm
conviction whatever the Church proposes for our belief” (de la Salle, 1703, p. 23). This type of
faith specifically involves knowledge and belief working together to serve as a functional
purpose in one’s pursuit to becoming a better Christian. If an individual believes in God, and
wants to properly serve Him, he or she must first accept the knowledge and belief with all their
mind and hear that it is true. The second kind of faith, as expressed by La Salle, is Human faith.
It is what controls our belief of things that other people affirm.
What is a lie? What is a mistake?
La Salle would likely say that the difference between a lie and a mistake would be the intention.
We are basing this on the fact that in Conduct of the Christian Schools he outlines, in significant
detail, the manner of punishment for lying and the manner of correction when a student makes a
mistake.
La Salle considers lying to be one of five vices that should not be excused. In addressing the vice
of lying he writes:
Liars must be punished for their lies, even the least, to make students understand that there are no
little lies in the sight of God, for the devil is the father of lies…Let them rather be pardoned or
punished less severely when they frankly acknowledge their faults…they will be persuaded to
ask pardon humbly of God while kneeling in the middle of the classroom (de La Salle J., 1720, p.
145).
Mistakes, on the other hand, are things that are simply corrected. La Salle goes on at quite great
length about the corrections of mistakes. Reading through this section in Conduct of Christian
Schools, one can readily see that he views mistakes as part of the learning process. In fact, he
expects them to occur.
The beginners’ level for each lesson will consist of those who still make many mistakes in
reading. The intermediate level will consist of those who make few mistakes in this reading, that
is to say, one or two mistakes at most each time. The section of the advanced and perfect will
consist of those who ordinarily make no mistakes in reading their lessons (de La Salle J., 1720,
p. 57).
III. Theory of Human Nature
What is a human being? How does it differ from other species? What are the limits of
human potential?
La Salle answers these questions in his writings and is quite clear about the attributes and
purpose of humans. In Duties of a Christian to God, he writes:
The most excellent and important creatures that God brought intobeing are angels and humans;
in fact, he created all the rest for their sake…As for us humans, we are rational creatures
composed of a body and a soul created in the image of God. Our principal and primary
occupation should be to know and to love God; we are in this world for nothing else. We are an
image of God also in this regard: we must resemble him in this life… (La Salle J. , 1703, p. 31)
La Salle was greatly influenced by the surrounding social, political, and economic circumstances
that derived from the late 16th century; particularly the circumstances that led to the French
Religious School. It is this school of thought that most influences La Salle’s theories of humanity
and it’s innate goodness/sinfulness. France, at the end of the 16th century, was a very wealthy
country& -- the upper classes wallowing in decadence. The Church in the late 16th century was
also incredibly wealthy, with a worth equal to one-third of the total national wealth of France (La
Salle J. , Meditations, 1994, p. 4). A Church so wealthy and powerful could potentially lead to an
unfavorable climate for the monarchy. In an attempt to balance this situation the king, through a
process called commendam, established in the Concordat of 1516, assigned ownership of Church
property and made assignments of positions.
By assignment of ownership to those that were considered “good servants of the state,” the
monarchy could then gain control of a large chunk of the Church’s wealth. Assignment went to
those that were not eligible to hold positions according to Church law; young children and
women were made titulars and most bishops were members of the king’s court (La Salle J. ,
Meditations, 1994, p. 5). The consequence of this was a clergy more interested in their own
fortunes and positions than in the spiritual well-being of their congregations. The spiritual life of
most Christians at this time became a “for show only” endeavor with no real religious meaning.
This situation leads to the reform of spirituality that causes the 17th century in France to be called
“the golden age of spirituality” (La Salle J. , 1994, p. 7).
In this period of reform, the French School of Spirituality is born. Reform is led by religious men
such as Pierre de Bérulle, called the founder of the French School of spirituality, Charles de
Condren, successor to Bérulle as Superior of the French Congregation of the Oratory, Jean-
Jacques Olier (1628 - 1657), Founder of the Sulpicians, and John Eudes (1601 - 1680), Founder
of the Congregation of Jesus and Mary. These were also the leaders that were most influential on
La Salle (La Salle J. , 1994, p. 7).
In the introduction to Meditations, the editors Augustine Loes and Francis Huether, write on four
topics of influence on La Salle from the French School: Christocentrism, the action of the Holy
Spirit, theocentrism, and the human person before God. For our discussion, we are concerned
only with the latter two topics.
Theocentrism refers to the position of God in relation to the rest of creation. Bérulle, Condren,
and Olier would all agree that God is majestic and there is nothing great save for God. In fact,
the basis of the spirituality of the French School stems from the greatness and majesty that is
God, something that was sorely neglected during the 16th century when decadence and humanism
ruled supreme. La Salle also would agree with this initial statement. Where La Salle deviates
from these earlier thinkers is in the adoration of God. Here, La Salle follows Bérulle’s thinking
in that it is natural for any creature to adore God, and to abandon oneself to the will of God.
Condren and Olier speak of a destruction/sacrifice of the creature when in adoration of the
Divine& -- nothing but this destruction of the creature is worthy of the glorification of God (La
Salle J. , Meditations, 1994, p. 10). La Salle is far from this thought. La Salle’s view of proper
adoration is best seen in his examination of the Virgin Mary’s response to God:
By a special privilege, she already enjoyed the use of reason [at the moment of her birth] and
made use of it to adore God and to thank him for all his goodness. She professed her nothingness
profoundly in the depths of her soul, acknowledging that she owed everything to God. She
admired interiorly what God had done in her, saying to herself what she later declared in her
Canticle, God has done great things in me (La Salle J. , Meditations, 1994, p. 10).
Concerning the topic of the human person before God, again we have an influence in that La
Salle does not accept the pessimism of Bérulle nor the very dark view of Condren and Olier. In
the French School nothingness and weakness of humans as they confront God are central themes.
Bérulle, Condren, and Olier preach a spirituality where a human, confronted by the majesty of
God, isso very unworthy that the mere presence of God would destroy the creature. La Salle,
does not take so harsh a view. While he believes that the human is sinful, he does not preach the
self-destruction present in the aforementioned theologians’ thoughts. Instead, humans must
recognize their total dependence upon God. This will lead he says to “a feeling of adoration at
the thought of God’s presence” (La Salle J., 1994, p. 12). Common to La Salle’s writings are
phrases such as “emptying oneself” and “stripping away” but never the language of destruction
or annihilation present in Bérulle, Condren, and Olier.
All of this, the possession of rationality and a soul, the ability to adore a majestic God, and the
purpose of knowing and loving God, is what, collectively, distinguishes humans from other
species.
Concerning the limits of human potential, La Salle would say that humans are self-limiting. It is
La Salle’s belief, as stated many times previously, that the purpose of humans is to know and
love God. Humans, La Salle would argue, limit themselves from completing their purpose and
achieving salvation by their unwillingness to abandon self-concern, pride, and sinfulness& --
their refusal to abandon themselves, acknowledge their “nothingness”, and realize their
dependence on God, limits their fulfillment of their purpose .
IV. Theory of Learning
What is learning? How are skills and knowledge acquired?
Despite the status quo of his place and time, La Salle believed that everyone deserved to have a
meaningful, useful school experience no matter their class or social standing. For La Salle, a
meaningful, useful school experience would have taken the form of the School as Temple
learning model.
Learning models can be categorized into three distinct images, including the School as a Factory,
the School as a Town Meeting, and the School as a Temple. The oldest is the image of the school
as a Temple. In schools that operate in this image, the mind and spirit are cultivated through
character instruction. Religious leaders are viewed as inarguable authorities and negotiation is
not usually an option. Here distinct qualities of mind and feelings are developed through
character education by religious authorities. Because of his strong religious affiliation, La Salle
would most likely favor this image of schooling.
In order to promote the acquisition of knowledge in his schools, La Salle introduced the
“Simultaneous Method” in his schools. By this method, “he transformed education into a group
learning event and curtailed the great amount of time spent by the teacher in supervising the
solitary recitation of individual students” (La Salle, 1720, p. 21). This method involved grading
students according to their learning potential and forming class rosters based on ability. Students
were to listen and follow along while pointing at the words being read and reading them silently
as the teacher read aloud (Knight, 2009). With this method, La Salle identified a strong teacher-
student relationship as the key to learning (La Salle, 1720, p. 21).
La Salle also seemed to agree with the current belief that knowledge is more effectively gained
through authentic experience. He proposed a very practical way of learning for his students and
believed that children should be taught in the vernacular language rather than the language of the
wealthy. La Salle would agree that it was useless if a child could count to 10 in class, but failed
to be able to count his 10 marbles at home or understand how to purchase something for 10
dollars in the local store. He wanted his students to be able to use what was learned at home and
in their communities.
For La Salle, learning was a functional tool, not only used in the classroom for the attainment of
grades, but in the everyday lives of these students. It allowed for them to be better individuals on
the path to becoming better Christians. Keeping in mind the religious aspect of La Salle’s
schools, one must be aware that the ultimate goal of Lasallian education was to become a better
Christian. The knowledge and skills taught in the classroom were a means for these students to
become better individuals and Christians. La Salle believed that knowledge was a tool provided
to one by God so that they could carry out their duties to Him.
V. Theory of Transmission
Who is to teach?
Jean Baptiste de la Salle founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Catholic
teaching order. During La Salle’s time in France, the training of male teachers was the weakest
component of primary education. (La Salle, 1720, p.21) As stated in the Conduite, “Teaching the
poor in primary schools was an unattractive, often part-time position filled by those unable to do
better elsewhere” (p.21) The lack of preparation of these teachers also provoked this negative
attitude about primary education amongst the French. This was also a time poor children, whom
La Salle wanted to educate, were looked upon as “scum” who would run the streets instead of
receive proper education. It was because of this, that La Salle dedicated his life to training male
teachers for his Christian schools.
La Salle wished to train these male schoolteachers with “an evangelical spirit and total
dedication to the instruction and Christian education of the children of the working class and the
poor” (La Salle, 2002, p.21). This was the foundation for the start of the Institute of the Christian
Brothers. The nature of the work of the Brothers was primarily spiritual. (Writings of La Salle,
1964. p. 90) With God as the teacher, La Salle lived and modeled a life of poverty and
obedience. In making God’s word the most important knowledge, La Salle insisted that the
Christian Brothers maintain certain virtues. Among these virtues were community, faith, zeal,
practicality and spirituality. His writings on “The Conduct of Schools” included school practices
and how they should be carried out, beginning with entering the school in the morning (both
children and instructors) to dismissal.
By What Methods?
The teaching methods of La Salle would most likely be first and foremost, modeling (Poutet,
1997, p. 139). Teachers were required to be models of virtue. In the course of the day, they were
to follow strict rules of conduct for themselves and their students. For example, all instructors
would be asked to take off their hats and bless themselves with holy water upon entering the
classroom. In addition to the practices for teachers, The Conduct of the Christian
Schools included rules for teachers to use with children. Observing silence, not playing during
meals, and requiring everyone to clean up after him/her self, were examples set up in the writings
of La Salle. Rewards were given to students for piety, ability and assiduity. Assiduity would be
rewarded above ability, and piety always received the best award. The actual gift a child would
receive was usually a religious item or book. Children were also reprimanded when the occasion
required it. La Salle wrote much about how children should be respected while being corrected.
In The Conduct of the Christian Schools La Salle noted that corrections should be timely and
purposeful, and should avoid too much harshness, but also too much gentleness. At a time when
corporal punishment was considered the norm, La Salle required that his teachers use the rod or
ferule sparingly, especially the amount of times a child could be hit with either of these objects.
What will the Curriculum be?
The essential part of the curriculum in the Christian schools was learning prayers and Catechism.
Academic subjects such as reading and writing were also taught, as well as practical skills, but
children were required to learn prayers that would be recited at various times during the day. La
Salle taught that through prayer one could become closer to God, and, it was the goal of a
Christian brother to educate his students to love and serve God. La Salle also introduced the
“Simultaneous Method” as a part of his curriculum. By this method, “he transformed education
into a group learning event and curtailed the great amount of time spent by the teacher in
supervising the solitary recitation of individual students” (La Salle, 1720, p.21) The
Simultaneous Method involves grading students according to their learning potential while
having equal learners in the same class. By using this method, La Salle identified a strong
teacher-student relationship as the key to learning (p.21).
VI. Theory of Society
What is society?
In order to understand La Salle’s views concerning society, one must first understand the
conditions preceding La Salle’s lifetime and the changes that occurred in society during his
lifetime. These changes in society directly influenced La Salle’s work and opinions.
Prior to La Salle’s lifetime, France’s upper class was immersed in a lifestyle of extravagance and
splendor. At the end of the 16th century there exists an odd relationship between religion and
wealth, power, and greed. This relationship comes about through an extremely wealthy church
and a monarchy threatened by that wealth. The monarchy, in order to maintain power, begins to
give away positions within the church that are associated with property holdings and ownership.
Religion in society then becomes merely a vehicle for advancement& -- no true spirituality is
evident. This period of extreme humanism is followed by a period of spirituality where God is
returned to a position of majesty. Much of La Salle’s spirituality is influenced by these two
periods.
La Salle lived during the reign of Louis XIV, known for his excess in all things fine. At the end
of 1683, Louis was rumored to have married one of his mistresses, Mademoiselle de Maintenon.
Mme. Maintenon was known for being religious and in turn, convinced Louis to forsake his
other mistresses and lead a more Christian existence. The King acquiesced, and yet another surge
of spirituality began where the court and other nobles followed the lead of their King.
This return to spirituality relates directly to La Salle’s views of society in that society must have
a religious component in order to be a highly functioning society. Manners, civility, and decorum
contributed essentially to living a good Christian life. In the introduction to The Rules of
Christian Decorum and Civility, editor Gregory Wright writes:
He believed that although good manners were not always the expression of good morals, they
could contribute strongly to building them. While he envisioned acts of decorum and civility as
observing the established customs and thereby protecting the established social order, he
envisioned them more profoundly as expressions of sincere charity (La Salle, 1703, p. xiii).
In addition to the standard view or definition of society, La Salle viewed Christians as a society
unto themselves, though not separated from society at large. In The Duties of a Christian to God,
La Salle writes:
It [liturgy] must be public because as Christians we are a society, and we must gather together 1)
to have a chance to live and act as a society, 2) to show that we belong to it, and 3) to render God
our collective homage.
La Salle would stress that while he views Christians as a separate society, they should serve as
examples to the greater society. Gregory Wright comments:
…the refinement of the gentleman would become a restraint on and an antidote to self-
centeredness, the root of individual moral transgressions as well as the collective evil in human
society. The ideal gentleman personified the acceptance of the existing religious, political, and
social order and showed how all citizens could find their places without disorder and without
revolution, so that all could be happy or, at least, contented (La Salle, 1703, pp. xi,xii).
What institutions are involved in the educational process?
As mentioned above, La Salle would not seek to educate the children of the poor and working
classes in standard academics alone. Without a religious component, the work of La Salle would
have been abandoned. Thus, the Church is a significant factor in education according to La Salle.
It is however not the only factor. Home (parents) and school also have their own roles to play.
In The Rules of Christian Decorum and Civility editor Wright states:
De La Salle insists that parents and teachers must teach the many details of politeness in a
manner that will motivate children to be courteous and civil… (La Salle, 1703, p. xviii)
However, it must also be pointed out that to La Salle good manners and civility have a
deepermeaning:
It is surprising that most Christians look upon decorum and politeness as merely human and
worldly qualities and do not think of raising their minds to any higher views by considering them
as virtues that have reference to God, to their neighbor, and to themselves. This illustrates very
well how little true Christianity is found in the world and how few among those who live in the
world are guided by the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Still, it is this Spirit alone which ought to inspire
all our actions, making them holy and agreeable to God (La Salle, 1703, p. xviii).
VII. Theory of Opportunity
Who is to be educated? Who is to be schooled?
First, we must differentiate between education and schooling. Education involves the acquisition
of knowledge and skills through instruction. Schooling is much more specific in that it requires
that learning take place in a school. This seems a subtle difference, for both definitions involve
learning. The differences are not so subtle however when we look at La Salle’s point of view.
Born in the 17th century to an aristocratic family, La Salle did not experience firsthand what his
students experienced. His students, the children of the poor and working classes, were
accustomed to being left to roam the streets while their parents worked to provide food and
shelter often working up to eleven hours a day in the winter and up to sixteen in the summer
months (La Salle, 1696-1706, p. 8). These were children denied both the opportunity for
schooling, as primary charity schools were non-existent, and education, as their parents had
neither the time nor the background to teach them.
It is one of the principal duties of fathers and mothers to raise their children in a Christian
manner and to teach them their religion, but since the majority are not sufficiently enlightened in
this matter, and because on the one hand, there are those who are busy with temporal matters and
the care of their family, and on the other hand, those whose constant worry is to gain the
necessities of life for themselves and their family, they cannot make time to teach them the
duties of a Christian (Poutet, 1997, p. 129) .
La Salle opens his Christian Schools to provide the opportunity for both education and schooling
for the boys of working class and poor families. La Salle firmly believed in providing both
schooling and education by incorporating manners, civility, and most importantly, religion into
the curriculum. La Salle was well aware of the position that working class and poor parents were
in. The following, from La Salle, explains the situation that he is eager to change:
It is a practice…common with lowly paid workers and the poor simply to let their children grow
up…like vagabonds who wander here and there while they cannot employ them in any useful
way… being obliged to look for work away from their home, they simply leave the children to
their own devices. The consequences, however, are disastrous because the children, grown
accustomed to a life of idleness for several years, have a good deal of trouble settling down to
work. In addition, they develop bad habits since they often mix with evil company (Poutet, 1997,
p. 130).
La Salle’s aim to educate the parents through their children was accomplished by publishing
books that served to educate not only the boys in his classrooms but their parents as well (La
Salle, Religious Instructions and Exercises of Piety for the Christian Schools, 1696-1706, p. 8).
In conclusion, one can easily see that according to La Salle all of society should have the
opportunity to be both educated and schooled& -- even the lowest members. La Salle may
however question the value of simply schooling. To La Salle this would not be advantageous to
society, as schooling does not help a person to become fully Christian and therefore fully
human.
VIII. Theory of Consensus
Why do people disagree?
For this question we will concentrate solely on the main disagreement surrounding La Salle& --
that of opening charity schools and educating the poor.
La Salle follows the model of the Teaching Sisters who educated poor and orphaned girls at
convent schools. While teaching young girls was acceptable, poor, underprivileged boys went
uneducated, with no hope of attaining a higher social status.
La Salle’s only concern was to open primary schools. People who were in disagreement with La
Salle were likely aware of the success of the Jesuit-operated charity secondary schools and the
high quality education that older boys received. Given the success of the Jesuit schools, La Salle
was likely to provide quality primary education tuition free. This would have posed a threat to
school masters employed at high-tuition primary schools.
Problems began in earnest in the school on the rue du Bac. This school, staffed by La Salle, was
in direct competition to area parish schools called the Little Schools. The Little Schools were not
charity schools. Battersby writes:
The charity schools of Saint Sulpice [local parish] were attracting all the children of the
neighborhood, with the result that the teachers of the Little Schools were left without pupils and
therefore without means of livelihood. Had every boy in De La Salle’s classes been destitute and
incapable of paying the smallest fees, no objection would have been raised, but because it was
suspected that there were some whose parents could afford to send them to the Little Schools, it
was held that the charity school was a menace. De La Salle, in fact, had no discriminated
between the pupils who came to him because he felt it was not his business to decide which boys
should enter and which should not. This, he thought, was clearly a matter for the parish priest,
who knew the parents and could form some idea as to their financial circumstances (Battersby,
1958, p. 108)
Additionally, there was general disagreement among upper classes when it came to providing an
education to lower classes. Perhaps deeply rooted, is an intrinsic fear that upper class individuals
have of educating the lowest class of society. To educate the lowest class would make them
aware of disequilibrium between the classes. This is not difficult to understand, and, 300 plus
years later, we still battle this fear (e.g. recent health care issues, NCLB).
How is consensus achieved?
Normally, consensus is achieved through the education of the disagreeing parties - informed
people can make informed decisions. In addition, having a common goal eases the way for
consensus. In this case, consensus is never achieved.
La Salle faced countless lawsuits with regard to the charity schools and was eventually forced
out of Paris. In addition, as mentioned above, 300 years later we still cannot achieve consensus.
For La Salle consensus is the submission to God’s will. Despite the surges of spirituality that had
come since the 16th century, De La Salle found himself constantly struggling to make people
understand the will of God. To him, teaching the poor was not simply charity, but rather imitatio
dei (imitation of God). La Salle, in both Duties of a Christian and Meditations, repeatedly quotes
scripture concerning care of the poor as being the will of God. To disagree with this would be, in
La Salle’s eyes, a sin. To achieve consensus then, would mean simply living a truly Christian life
and adhering to the will of God.
Whose opinion takes precedence?
It comes as no surprise that La Salle would say the only opinion that matters is the opinion of
God. According to La Salle, and as we have mentioned throughout this paper, there are only two
duties of a Christian -- to know God and to love God. How does one know when they have
accomplished these duties? La Salle answers with the following:
Although we cannot be certain as long as we live on this earth whether we possess true love for
God, there are various signs that to some extent can give us some assurance. The first sign is
when we ardently desire to do the will of God in all things. The second is when we fulfill exactly
what we know God demands of us… (La Salle, 1703, p. 63)
Human beings, like all the facets of God's creation, are constantly changing – constantly
becoming. With each new dawning we carry forward something of yesterday and begin
the creation of something new. We change outwardly and inwardly.
The butterfly is a wonderful metaphor for this changing that we experience. The butterfly
begins as an egg attached to the fresh green of a live plant. In the egg is the potential
for everything that the butterfly can become. In each of the stages of change, the
butterfly becomes itself more and more fully. The chrysalis is born of the caterpillar that
is born of the egg. The butterfly is born of the chrysalis. Each stage comes from the
potential contained in the previous stage.
De La Salle and the founding Brothers realized this miracle of nature. In writing The
Conduct of Christian Schools they demonstrated how the obstacles to becoming were
challenged in the Christian schools. In this holy place ignorance, mistrust, isolation and
fear gave way to knowledge bolstered by wisdom, trust bolstered by fraternity,
community bolstered by interdependence, and confidence bolstered by love and
personal regard.
In the Christian school all participated in both the teaching and the learning. Students
who learned with facility assisted students who had difficulty. In a mutual
interdependence, the brotherhood which all shared was experienced and practiced. The
teachers kept a close watch on each student and learned to discern the student's needs
and strengths. These were communicated regularly to the Inspector who with the
teacher decided on areas of correction and promotion.
The teacher never did what a student could do. Tasks such as prayer leader, the
almoner, the holy water bearer, the rosary carriers, the bell ringer, the monitors and
supervisors, the first student in the bench, the distributors and collectors of papers, the
sweepers, the doorkeeper and the keeper of the school key were all tasks fulfilled by
the student. When a student had a question and addressed it to the teacher, the teacher
called on two students for the answer before giving it himself.
In times of difficulty, the teacher exercised wisdom by going through the steps required
for correction – steps which required the cooperation of the student being corrected.
Practices such as these promoted an atmosphere that created and enhanced the bond
of fraternity between the teacher and the student. It was in this atmosphere that
becoming was marked by grace and wholeness. In this atmosphere ignorance, mistrust,
isolation, and fear gave way to knowledge and wisdom, trust and fraternity, community
and interdependence, confidence, love, and personal regard.
Even today, in the Lasallian school the teacher becomes the older brother (sister) and
the student becomes the disciple. In today's Lasallian school the chrysalis becomes the
butterfly and the Gospel in its beauty and potential bring new life and possibility to our
world.
The Conduct of Christian Schools, page 141. Article 3: Qualities Which Corrections
Should Possess (paraphrased):
The correction must be pure and disinterested.
It must be based on love of the student.
It must be just, that is the fault deserves correction.
It must be proper and suitable to the fault for which it is administered.
It must be moderate, that is, less rigorous rather than more rigorous.
There must be an air of peace about the correction and the manner in which it is given
and received.
It must be prudent on the part of the teacher. There should be no evil consequences as
a result of what is done.
The student must willingly accept it. The teacher must do everything to help the student
see the importance of the correction.
Those corrected should be respectful.
The correction should be silent.

Lesson 2 and 3 REFORM MOVEMENTS IN RHEIMS

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Lesson 2 and 3 REFORM MOVEMENTS IN RHEIMS

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Poor.

An expression with variable geometry

Poverty was widespread in the France of the Great King. Many

Lesson 2 REFORM MOVEMENTS IN RHEIMS

Was De La Salle working alone? Pioneer?

Christian education and “gratuity” as essential components of the school

Best practices: know the students personally; regular contacts with

(3) Abbey of Port Royal, short-lived, but established precedent for

•Devised system for taking notes while reading

Roland – Priest and canon in Rheims’ Cathedral, De La Salle’s

(5) Fr. Nicolas Barré, a member of the Clerics Regular Congregation of

Nyel was then procurator general of the General Hospice in Rouen

De La Salle was influenced by the prevailing educational reforms

Chapter 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN EDUCATION

Gerard Rummery fsc

The development of a Lasallian education is inseparable from the devel-

There are some clear stages to this development. 29 By Christmas 1679,

80 CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN

Seeing that he was responsible for a number of teachers working in sev-

Memoir on the Habit

It is in the Memoir on the Habit, that De La Salle wrote in Paris around

CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN EDUCATION

The “heroic vow”

82 CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN

remain a brotherhood, a lay, non-clerical congregation with its own duly

De La Salle’s Rule of 1705, which is obviously a development of the Daily

This an important point to be noted because the uniqueness of the Rule is

CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN EDUCATION

Community and school

The essential unity underlying the Brothers’ overall statement of identity –

In the theological climate of the time, as it was considered essential for

30 cf. English text of Rules of 1705, Rule and Foundational Documents,

84 CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN

the Catechetical Method of Saint Sulpice, but it was also an important

De La Salle’s Meditations for Sundays and Feasts as well as his

Perhaps the best example of the essential unity of De La Salle’s vision is

CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN EDUCATION

THE CONDUCT OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS

The uniqueness of the Conduct is that it is essentially, as the 1720 Preface

Uniformity of practices in the Conduct

The insistence on uniformity in the Conduct needs to be understood

86 CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN

Importance of teaching writing

A recent study by Joseph Bergin is an important reminder of why De La

This is perhaps why only one congregation, Jean-Baptiste de la Salle’s

ing of prayers, attendance at church services and the endless repetition of

The importance given to handwriting was not simply a matter of prestige.

It should be explained to them (parents) how important it is for an arti- san

88 CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN

CONCLUSION: HOW DID THE KEY ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY

CHAPTER 4 - ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY IN LASALLIAN EDUCATION

The anthropological foundation stone of the community – Brothers to one

It is probably significant that although many individual Brothers have been

What a blessing those Christian Brothers in their black

It seemed almost too good to be true: a chance to study Plato

Like his namesake, John Baptiste de La Salle heralded the

Reflection Paper on the Life Story of Saint John Baptist De

The Educational Theory of John Baptist de La Salle

II. Theory of Knowledge

How does knowledge differ from belief?

is difficult to separate the two.

What is a lie? What is a mistake?

III. Theory of Human Nature

IV. Theory of Learning