Blessed Spanish Martyrs of the 20th Century
2024-11-06, 2023-11-06, 2022-11-06
The Blessed Martyrs of Almeria were beatified in 1993. The Catholic Church holds dear anyone who endures the loss of life because they are Christians. During the first centuries of Christianity, this was the fate of thousands of early followers of Jesus. Sadly, this has happened in every century since the time of Jesus. In the 1930s, many were executed in Spain because they were religious leaders. Specifically, in 1936, seven Christian Brothers in Almeria, Spain, were arrested and condemned for teaching the Catholic faith.

Prayer

Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of God.

Lord, as we learn of the Brothers in Almeria, we remember that even closer to our time, in 1982, Brother James Miller from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, was executed by the government in Guatemala for doing what Christian Brothers do: teach young people their religion and help them develop the talents that God has given them. It is so sad to learn what misguided people with power can do. Bless us with wise and loving leaders. Help us resist temptations to follow others who would lead us into evil. May we never martyr someone in body, soul, or spirit by what we say or do. Amen.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle… Pray for us.
Blessed Spanish Martyrs… Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts… Forever!

Learn more about the Spanish Martyrs.

Blessed Arnold Reche
2024-10-23, 2023-10-23, 2022-10-23
Born to a large family, as a boy he worked as a farmer to support his family. He taught catechism in the village he was from. As a young adult, he met the Brothers while attending evening classes in their school and was attracted to their life. As a Brother, he taught agriculture, yet his zeal led him to catechize. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he worked with other Brothers as a nurse to meet the medical and spiritual needs of wounded on both sides.

From the Audience of Nov. 2, 1987, Pope John Paul II
Yes, you young people, who discover the figure of Brother Arnould, it is with special thought of you that I would like to evoke some aspects of his personality that are so many calls for today. We are struck by the solidity of this boy who, at a very young age, works hard with his hands, who develops his knowledge by himself, and who radiates a deep faith.
May he inspire you with respect for all forms of work, the courage of personal effort to progress intellectually, to mature your faith and bear witness to it in your school environment, in your parishes, in your youth groups, in your families!
Build your personality on a firm foundation, in the educational community. Is it necessary to recall that Brother Arnould is a model for educators? His conception of a complete formation continued into adulthood can inspire Catholic schools today. May the masters have the same concern for rigor, pedagogy attentive to people, coherence in the life of the mind, heart and will!
One of Brother Arnould’s secrets was a life of intense prayer. As a catechist in particular, he manifested the true coherence between the interior life and what he taught: one felt he was passionate about the Gospel.
From his years of manual labor, he was an exemplary Christian. Brother of the Christian Schools, he deepens his spiritual experience while leading a very active life.
May he inspire his Brothers today! May it arouse in young people the vocations necessary for the educational work to be continued with the same evangelical zeal in the many countries where the Brothers work!
I invoke the intercession of Blessed Brother Arnould for all of you, for those who keep alive his memory in his region, for the disciples of Jean-Baptiste de La Salle and their students. May you all hear his exhortation: “You must act by grace, and make it appear that you are leading yourself by the movement of the Spirit of God”!

Prayer
Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of God.
Lord crucified and risen, teach us to face the struggles of daily life and thus to live in greater fullness. You have humbly and patiently welcomed the failures of human life, as well as the sufferings of your crucifixion. So the sorrows and struggles that each day brings us, help us to live them as opportunities to grow and look more like yourself.
Make us able to face them patiently and bravely, full of confidence in your support. Make us understand that we will only reach the fullness of life by constantly dying to ourselves and our selfish desires, for only by dying with You can we be resurrected with You.
Let nothing now make us suffer and weep to the point of forgetting the joy of the Resurrection.
You are the shattered sun of the Father’s love, You are the hope of eternal happiness, You are the fire of burning love.
May your joy, O Jesus, be strength in us and may it be between us, bond of peace, unity and love.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle… Pray for us.
Blessed Arnold Reche… Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts… Forever!

Blessed Nicolas Barre
2024-10-21, 2023-10-21
As a young man, Nicolas, discerned and joined the priesthood, apart of the religious community Minim Order of St. Francis Paola. He was attracted to their spirituality, asceticism, and mission centered on the conversion of hearts. He accompanied a group of women in supporting “Little Charitable Schools” as he recognized this as need in the society of his day. As a spiritual director to a young John Baptist de La Salle, he was an inspiration and certainly influenced the founding of the Brothers of the Christian Schools.

Prayer
Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of God.
Lord I want nothing more, I desire nothing more,
only to be ready to desire what you desire, and as you desire it.
Lord, you hold me in your presence, you watch over everything,
all my concerns, all that happens to me.
Nothing escapes your adorable guidance of my life- this is enough for me.
O Jesus, O Love, You are my God and my all, center and infinity of Goodness and greatness.
May Jesus comes to be in us, May He find his delight in us, and so there will nothing left for us to desire.
Choose, Lord, what you want of me. Do with me what you will.
Act and plan everything in the way that pleases you, and I will try to desire, to act,
and follow you in everything and everywhere without reserve or limit.
Finally, Lord, I want to belong totally to you, no more division nor separation
neither in life nor in death, in sorrow or in joy, on earth or in heaven.
My Beloved is all mine, and I am His forever. O Jesus! O Love.
(Prayer of abandonment by Nicolas Barre, letter 12)
Saint John Baptist de La Salle… Pray for us.
Blessed Nicolas Barre… Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts… Forever!

Saint Jaime Hilario & Martyrs of Turon
2024-10-09, 2023-10-09
During the Spanish Civil War (1931-1939), almost 7,000 Catholic priests, Brothers, and Sisters were executed. Civilians and Religious were treated harshly by both sides, Brothers were tried and executed for the crime of providing a human and Christian education. Brother Jaime on the way to execution told the soldiers, ” God be blessed! In heaven I shall pray a great deal for all of you. What more could I ask for than to die when my only crime is that I am religious and that I have worked for the Christian education of youth?”

Prayer
Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of God.
May we find in Saint Jaime Hilario’s last words, “to die for Christ is to live, my friends”
the blessing and challenge of the Christian life.
May we too find Christ transforming our weakness…
“He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ, for when I am weak, then I am strong” (St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, 12:9-10).
Saint John Baptist de La Salle… Pray for us.
Saint Jaime Hilario… Pray for us.
Martyrs of Turon… Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts… Forever!

Blessed Scubilion Rousseau
2024-09-27, 2023-09-27, 2022-09-27, 2021-09-27
He was a catechist in his hometown when introduced to the Brothers, who had a school in a nearby town. Brother Scubilion spent 10 years as an elementary school teacher in his home country of France, then spent the remainder of his life (34 years) serving the indigenous people who were enslaved on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean.

From the Homily on the Beatification of Brother Scubilion Rousseau, by Pope John Paul II

Take part in the Church’s celebrations wherever you are and look on the development of your Christian formation as a priority to which time needs to be devoted. In addition, without relaxing your participation in the Church services, increase your contribution towards the building of a society in which the dignity of the human person is respected.

This concern for the dignity of the human person was something to which Brother Scubilion gave witness during his years of service as a missionary. He was born in France at the end of the XVIII century, in what is today the Diocese of Sens-Auxerre, and which is represented here today. He entered the religious life as a Brother of the Christian Schools, and in order to make a total dedication he offered himself as a volunteer for an apostolate in far off lands. He arrived in La Réunion in 1833 and stayed there until his death.

Love of God and love of neighbor were inseparable for him. In the eyes of all, he shone with a powerful love which revealed the God of Love. He was a light to others, as Christ wishes us to be. «You are the light of the world». He drew light from Jesus Christ and he enlightened others with the light of Christ through his example and especially through his work as a catechist among the slaves.

Prayer

Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of God.

O Lord, you made Blessed Brother Scubilion Rousseau an exemplary teacher who by his faith and zeal brought hope to those who were enslaved. By his example and intercession, grant that we may learn how to evangelize those who experience poverty and lead all to be reconciled with you. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint John Baptist de La Salle… Pray for us.
Blessed Scubilion… Pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts… Forever!

Canonization of Blessed John Baptist de La Salle by Pope Leon XIII (1900)
2024-05-24, 2023-05-24
Born at Reims, France April 30, 1651
Ordained priest April 9, 1678
Died April 7, 1719
Beatified February 19, 1888
Canonized May 24, 1900
Proclaimed Patron of Christian Teachers May 15, 1950
Learn more about Saint John Baptist de La Salle.

Blessed Brother Rafael Rafiringa, FSC
2024-05-19, 2023-05-19
Brother Rafael Rafiringa devoted his life to serving others as a De La Salle Brother in Madagascar.
He faced challenges but remained committed to his mission of providing education to children and young people, especially those from marginalized backgrounds.
His dedication and faith inspired many, and his legacy of compassion and service continues to be celebrated today.
On May 19, the Catholic Church commemorates Brother Rafael’s selfless service, which left a lasting impact on the world.
Born on November 3, 1856, in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
Died on May 19, 1919, in Fianarantsoa, Madagascar.
O God, who made blessed Raphael an admirable guide of the brothers in the way of faith and love, may we also, following his example and through his intercession, walk as children of the light willing always to serve our brothers and sisters Through Christ our Lord.
Learn more about Bl. Br. Rafael.

Religious Brothers Day
2024-05-01 00:00 - 23:59 UTC
Religious Brothers Day is May 1, and offers all who know, all who minister alongside, and all whose lives have been transformed by religious brothers to celebrate and hold up their vocation and contributions within Church and society.

Religious brothers are often a “best-kept secret” of the Church, however, their contributions historically and in present-day to live and give communal witness to distinct and dynamic ways of living the Gospel are profound and prophetic. Widely, Brothers of many congregations’ ongoing ministry in the fields of education, healthcare, and social services, among others, is essential to building up a more just and humane world.

As De La Salle Christian Brothers, we live out our communities charism and mission by providing an evangelizing presence mainly through the ministry of education of young people, especially attentive to those on the margins.

We hope this Religious Brothers’ Day you are able to:

Celebrate the gift of Religious Brotherhood within the Church.

Give thanks for the Brothers that have impacted your life.

Inspire and invite young men to consider the Brothers’ vocation.

Archdiocese of Los Angeles Religious Education Congress
2024-02-15 - 2024-02-18
Life-giving gathering of Catholics from around the world gathering in Anaheim. Meet and connect with the Brothers in the exhibit hall!

SEEK24
2024-01-01 - 2024-01-05
A dynamic gathering of college and university students from across the country. Meet and connect with the Brothers in Mission Way!

Commemoration of the Heroic Vow 1691
2023-11-21
November 21, 1691
John Baptist De La Salle, Nicholas Vuyart and Gabriel Drolin profess the ‘The Heroic Vow’, to remain together in society even if they would have to beg and live on bread alone.

“Most holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, prostrate in a profound respect before your infinite and adorable majesty, we consecrate ourselves entirely to you, to procure with all our power and with all our care the establishment of the society of the Christian Schools in the manner that appears to us to be the most agreeable to you and the most advantage to the said Society. And for this purpose I, John Baptist de La Salle, Priest; I, Nicholas Wiart, and I, Gabriel Drolin, from this moment and for always until the last survivor, or till the establishment of the said Society has been completely achieved, make the vow of ASSOCIATION and UNION to bring about and maintain the said establishment, without our being able to abandon it, even if we were to remain just we three in the said Society, and that we were obliged to beg alms and live on bread alone. In view of which, we promise to do unanimously and with a common consent, whatever we believe in conscience and without any human consideration to be for the greater good of the said Society. Done this twenty-first of November, the day of the Presentation of the Most Blessed Virgin, 1691, in faith of which we have signed.”

Learn more about the Heroic Vow.

National Vocation Awareness Week
2023-11-05 - 2023-11-11
National Vocation Awareness Week, Nov. 5-11, 2023, offers each of us the invitation to reflect on our vocation. Our vocation, God’s call, and how we respond give meaning and purpose to our lives.
For young people, it’s an invitation to look toward the future with hope and spend time in prayer, reflection and considering some tools of discernment to bring into your spiritual life.
For adults, it’s an invitation to affirm the gifts and talents of others, of young people, and encourage them to consider ways God may be calling them to be of service in the Church and the world.
Find resources and ways to participate.

Vocation Discernment Weekend (University of Dallas)
2023-06-23 00:00 - 2023-06-25 23:59
The Vocation Discernment Weekend, at the University of Dallas, helps single Catholic men and women, ages 18-40, find answers to questions they may have about life as a Priest, Sister, Brother, or Consecrated Lay Woman.

Laudato Si Week
2023-05-21 - 2023-05-28
Laudato Si’ Week 2023 will be celebrated by the Church May 21-28 with the film “The Letter” to mark the eighth anniversary of Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical on care for creation. This global celebration will unite Catholics to rejoice in the progress we have made in bringing Laudato Si’ to life, and show how the protagonists of “The Letter” are already doing so.

National Catholic Youth Conference
2019-11-21 - 2019-11-23 | National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry, Indianapolis, IN
As Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers), we’re excited to participate in the vibrant expression of Church that is young people together at NCYC. We’re looking forward to sharing about our vocation as Brothers, who evangelize through the ministry of education with young people. Excited to reconnect and see Lasallian students and alumni, as well as invite, encourage, and walk with young people exploring God’s call in their lives.

FSC Days of Discernment
2019-08-01 - 2019-08-04
A discernment retreat, for college-aged Contacts with the Brothers.
Learn more about the contact program and connect with us.

Retreat for Young Teacher Professionals
2019-07-29 - 2019-07-31
“Called to Teach, Invitation to Brotherhood” retreat will invite men who currently are teachers to explore their vocation as educators through the lens of the Brothers’ vocation. The retreat will provide an opportunity for prayer, reflection, conversation and community together with others looking to deepen their vocation as educators and open to exploring the call to Brotherhood.
Interested in learning more about this opportunity and/or similar future retreats, contact us.

Summer Ministry & Live-In Experience
2019-06-10 - 2019-07-19
Discerners, as part our Contact program, will minister and live-in community with the Brothers over the summer months.
The experience, open to Contacts, invites young men to encounter the Brothers and the Lasallian mission in a deeper way.
Participating in the prayer and community life of the Brothers, the Contacts will also work with young people in Lasallian educational ministries across the country.
Learn more about the Contact program, connect with a vocation director.

Los Angeles Religious Education Congress
2019-03-22 - 2019-03-24 | Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Anaheim, CA
As Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers), we’re excited to be present and exhibit at LA Congress, share our vocation as Brothers in the Church, reconnect with former students and Lasallians from across the world. We’re excited to meet so many catechists, share our common vocation, and share about Patron Saint of Teachers, St. John Baptist de La Salle, our founder and an innovator in bring the Gospel to life for young people.
