Lasallian Tradition

“Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us.”

“St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us.”

“Live Jesus in Our Hearts, forever!”

There’s nothing quite like hearing an auditorium of 700+ students and 60+ faculty and staff pray these words together, but even more so at the start of every class period, every school day. Whether it’s your first day at De, or at graduation, these words become part of your De La Salle Experience, grounding you in the Lasallian tradition that connects us to the world.

To the world? Yes. When Meteors become members of the De La Salle community, they’re also welcomed into an expansive world-wide network and community of faith that extends much farther than our campus on 35th and Michigan. Since 1680, the Christian Brothers have been carrying the torch of de La Salle’s mission, resulting in thousands of Lasallian schools in over 80 countries. De La Salle Institute in Chicago is one of them.

We teach based on the vision and spirituality of St. John Baptist de La Salle.

A Lasallian education goes beyond academic excellence. Our teachers, led by the values that De La Salle taught his own teachers, strive to touch the heart of every child, through:

  • academic excellence
  • individualized attention
  • faith formation
  • inclusion
  • respect for the individual
  • service
  • social justice

Teaching that is centered around Catholic values and personal relationships attains transformative experiences that enrich each student’s cultural, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual development. When the whole student is honored, additional benefits of a LaSallian education – innovations in teaching, technology, and scholarship – are enhanced and become foundational groundwork of a student’s prosperous future.

St. John Baptist De La Salle, Our Founder

“The Spirit will lead you where you do not mean to go.”

De La Salle was a man of faith and conviction. He decided that the children in impoverished areas of France should have the same opportunity for a quality education as much as the wealthy children did. Saint John Baptist de La Salle (1651 – 1719) opened his first school in Reims, his birthplace in northeastern France, in 1679. He organized teachers into a religious community called the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Over a period of thirty years, he opened schools in several French cities and towns and worked with numerous teachers and students from various socio-economic levels. By the time of his death, he had founded different types of educational institutions: primary schools, teacher training centers, boarding schools, and homes for delinquents.

De La Salle was a Master of Education. Alert to the needs of his time, he was an innovator in the development of teacher training programs and in curricular and pedagogical practices. Although de La Salle’s schools were primarily for the poor, they attracted children from families of differing economic backgrounds. However, he tolerated nothing of the social segregation which was common practice of the day.

De La Salle was a community leader – and facilitator. De La Salle regarded a school as a community of believers working cooperatively to achieve a shared vision. De La Salle was a prolific writer and his educational ideas are embodied in several major works: Rule of the Brothers of the Christian schools, Meditations for the Time of Retreat, and the Conduct of Schools, as well as in the textbooks he wrote for students. His contributions to Catholic education led Pope Pius XII in 1950 to proclaim him the Patron of Teachers.

To learn more about the Christian Brothers or Lasallian formation, please visit lasalle.org.

To learn more about the De La Salle Christian Brothers of the Midwest District, please visit cbmidwest.org.