| De La Salle Christian Brothers |
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| Written by Admin |
| Tuesday, 08 December 2009 13:22 |
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The De La Salle Christian Brothers are the largest group of religious men in the Catholic Church who are devoted exclusively to the ministry of education. They are "Brothers" (not "priests" who engage in sacramental ministry) who dedicate their lives to God, to the Gospel, to the ministry of education in the Catholic Church, and especially to the young men and women whom they encounter each day inside and outside of the classroom. The Founder of the Brothers was St. John Baptist de La Salle (1651–1719) who in 1950 was declared the Patron Saint of All Teachers of Youth in the Catholic Church. The De La Salle Christian Brothers have as their mission “to provide a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor, according to the ministry entrusted to them by the church.” (From the Brothers’ Rule) This ministry of education seeks realistic ways of touching hearts and teaching minds of students everywhere so as to prepare them as mature members of society and the church. Lasallian educational spirituality arose from the experience of De La Salle and the early Brothers, developed through 300 years of expansion among many cultures, and forms the core of today’s Lasallian schools and agencies. It is a spirituality that has the school as its setting, the teacher and the student as its focus, and the salvific potential of education as its inspiration. Elements include faith in the presence of God, quality education, concern for the poor and social justice, life through Jesus Christ, and a respect for all persons within an inclusive community. |