While there have been many saints in the history of the Church who dedicated their lives to the education of children, St. John Baptist de La Salle was unique in his approach.
He felt drawn not only to educate the poor, but to train educators how to be good teachers in the classroom.
This divine calling led him to found the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Christian Brothers) in the early 18th century.
No priests, only brothers
De La Salle was ordained to the priesthood in 1678, but he found that it was difficult to devote his time to education. He wanted to give everything to this vocation and so established a new type of religious institute that did not ordain priests.
The Catholic Encyclopedia provides the following reasoning as to why De La Salle chose this path:
Brother Lucard, the Annalist of the institute, thus sums up the matter: "Since the death of Henri L'Heureux, de la Salle was firmly convinced that his institute was to be founded on simplicity and humility. No Brother could, without compromising his congregation, allow himself to be diverted from his functions as a teacher, by devoting himself to special studies, the saying of the Divine Office, or the fulfillment of other duties obligatory on the sacred ministry." Therefore, no Brother can aspire to the priesthood nor perform any priestly function, and no ecclesiastic can become a member of the institute. This is the new rule that de la Salle added, and it is embodied in the Constitution of the institute.
Pope Leo XIV pointed this unique mission out in an address to the Christian Brothers on May 15, 2025:
Saint John Baptist de La Salle did not want there to be priests among the teachers of the Christian Schools, but only “brothers,” so that all your efforts would be directed, with God’s help, to the education of the pupils. He loved to say: “Your altar is the classroom,” thus promoting a reality hitherto unknown in the Church of his time: that of lay teachers and catechists, invested in the community with a genuine “ministry."
De La Salle wanted educators to be fully invested in the poor young people they taught and to give them everything they had.
As many educators can attest, this requires much time and energy, something a priest with many responsibilities is not able to fully give.
De La Salle is also seen as a founder of the modern pedagogy of education, grouping students by ability and not age and incorporating physical activity into the curriculum. With this method, students could work together on the same material, instead of with individual tutors -- thus this was the foundation of the modern classroom setting.
In 1725 the Christian Brothers were officially recognized by the pope, even though many in the Church were in opposition to a group of religious men who were not priests.
The Christian Brothers are still active today in over 80 countries, and one of their most popular saints is Wisconsin-native Blessed James Miller, who is sometimes referred to as a "martyr of education."
