Saint John Baptist de La Salle was born in Reims (France) in 1651, he was a priest and educator, and founded the Christian Schools. He was the son of a well-to-do family, but most people at that time were very poor: peasants in the rural areas and inhabitants of the suburbs of the cities. Only a few could send their children to school. Most children had little hope for the future.
Ordained a priest at the age of 27, God brought him to St. John the Baptist to take responsibility for the education of poor children, and also for the training of teachers. He joined a group of teachers around them and, with their help, opened free schools. They began to live as a community and took the name of Brothers of the Christian Schoolsnow generally known as the De La Salle Brothers, Lasallian websites report.
Education and training
Among some of the saint's innovations was group teaching for children - at that time each child was taught separately. He founded a free school in Paris for poor boys and opened two universities dedicated to the training of teachers: in Reims and in Saint-Denis. Currentlyone million children and young people receive education in De La Salle Educational Works in more than 80 countries. St. John Baptist de La Salle was canonized in 1900, and in 1950 he was named patron saint of educators.
