Saint John Baptist de la Salle
Stored in Cargo: Saint John Baptist de la Salle
| Saint John Baptist de la Salle | |
| Feast Day | April 07 |
|---|---|
| Liturgical Class | |
| Patronage | Teachers, educators, students, school principals |
| Birthplace | Reims, Kingdom of France (now France) |
| Death Place | Rouen, Kingdom of France (now France) |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes (asthma and exhaustion) |
| Primary Shrine | Sanctuary of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Rome, Italy |
Saint John Baptist de la Salle, born on April 30, 1651, in Reims, France, was a priest and educational reformer who founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, revolutionizing teaching for the poor. From a wealthy family, he pursued priesthood, ordained in 1678, but a chance encounter with a schoolmaster in 1679 led him to dedicate his life to free education for boys neglected by society. Establishing the De La Salle Brothers in 1680, he pioneered teacher training, classroom methods, and vernacular instruction, often at personal cost—selling his inheritance to fund schools. Despite opposition from Church and state, he persevered, dying on April 7, 1719, in Rouen, leaving a global legacy of Christian education.
Canonized in 1900 by Pope Leo XIII and named Patron of Teachers in 1950 by Pope Pius XII, John’s feast day, April 7, celebrates his transformative vision. His relics rest in Rome’s Sanctuary of Saint John Baptist de la Salle, a pilgrimage site, after moving from Rouen. A patron of educators and students, his *Conduct of Christian Schools* and meditative writings shaped modern pedagogy, influencing countless institutions—like De La Salle University—and earning veneration across Catholic and Anglican traditions for his selfless service.
Biography
Birth
Saint John Baptist de la Salle was born on April 30, 1651, in Reims, Kingdom of France, to Louis de la Salle, a magistrate, and Nicolle Moët, of the champagne family. The eldest of 11, he was baptized in Reims Cathedral, where his affluent upbringing promised a comfortable life. Reims, a coronation city, buzzed with history and faith.
His birth into privilege contrasted with his later mission. A precocious child, John’s early piety hinted at the radical path he’d forge amid 17th-century inequality.
Early Life
John’s childhood unfolded in Reims, tutored privately before entering the Seminary of Saint-Sulpice in Paris at 15 (1666). He earned a theology degree but returned home in 1670 after his parents’ deaths, managing the family estate and siblings. Appointed a canon of Reims Cathedral at 16, he was ordained a priest on April 9, 1678, at 26.
A 1679 meeting with Adrien Nyel, seeking to open schools for the poor, shifted his focus. John’s early life of comfort gave way to a calling for education, sparked by this encounter.
Occupation
Initially a cathedral canon and priest, John’s occupation pivoted to education after 1679. He founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1680, resigning his canonry in 1683 to focus on free schools for poor boys in Reims, Paris, and beyond. He trained lay brothers—vowing poverty and teaching—pioneering structured classrooms and French over Latin.
Facing lawsuits, ecclesiastical resistance, and financial ruin, he sold his wealth by 1684 to sustain his work. John’s occupation became founding and leading a teaching order, reshaping education until his death.
Vocation
John’s vocation emerged in 1679, when he committed to Nyel’s school project, seeing it as God’s call to serve the marginalized. Founding the De La Salle Brothers in 1680, he devoted himself to teacher formation, writing the *Conduct of Christian Schools* (c. 1706) to standardize methods. His vow of obedience to the poor in 1691 sealed this mission.
Despite exile to Rouen in 1717 amid disputes, he refined his order’s rule. John’s vocation was to educate souls and minds, a legacy enduring through his brothers’ global reach.
Death
Saint John Baptist de la Salle met his end on April 7, 1719, in Rouen, dying of asthma and exhaustion at 67 in the Brothers’ community house, Saint-Yon. Worn by years of toil, he dictated his last testament—urging charity—days before passing on Good Friday. Buried in Rouen’s Saint-Sever Church, his relics moved to Rome in 1937.
His death drew mourners, with miracles soon reported at his tomb. John’s passing closed a life of sacrifice, birthing a worldwide educational movement.
Significant events
- Ordained priest on April 9, 1678.
- Founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1680.
- Resigned canonry and sold inheritance, 1683–1684.
- Died on April 7, 1719, in Rouen.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Reims, Kingdom of France (now France)
Death location: Rouen, Kingdom of France (now France)
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Parishes
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Canonization
Servant of God
The process began in 1835 in Rouen, with Archbishop Louis Blanquart de Bailleul opening inquiries into John’s life, spurred by his educational impact and reported miracles.
Venerable
Declared Venerable on February 8, 1873, by Pope Pius IX, recognizing his heroic virtue after reviewing his writings and order’s growth, no miracle required then.
Beatification
Beatified on February 19, 1888, by Pope Leo XIII in Vatican City, after the 1887 healing of a girl from tuberculosis in Paris, attributed to John’s intercession via prayers and a relic.
Canonization
Canonized on May 24, 1900, by Pope Leo XIII in Vatican City, following the 1899 cure of a boy’s paralysis in Lisbon after prayers with John’s relic, affirming his universal sanctity.
Miracles
Miracle for beatification
In 1887, a Parisian girl, dying of tuberculosis, recovered instantly after her family prayed a novena with John’s relic. Doctors confirmed her lungs healed inexplicably, a cure approved in 1888, reflecting John’s care for youth.
This miracle echoed his lifetime mission, galvanizing his beatification. It showcased his intercessory power, tied to education and healing.
Miracle for canonization
In 1899, a Lisbon boy, paralyzed from meningitis, walked after his mother invoked John with a relic. Medical testimony verified the sudden cure, ratified in 1900, sealing his canonization with a second miracle.
This healing mirrored John’s work lifting the helpless, affirming his sainthood. It completed his path to universal veneration.
Other notable miracles
- Cures at his Rouen tomb post-1719, fueling early devotion. - Guidance via dreams to his brothers, per tradition.
Patronage
Saint John Baptist de la Salle is the patron saint of teachers, educators, students, and school principals.
Feast day
The feast day of Saint John Baptist de la Salle is celebrated on April 7.
Veneration
Saint John is venerated through prayers for education and youth, centered at his Rome sanctuary, where his relics rest under glass. Depicted with children or books, his cult extends to the Anglican Communion via De La Salle schools. His feast inspires educators globally, with his *Conduct* and legacy shaping modern teaching.