The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-03-08
Catholic Schools in the United States.
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE CHRISTIAN
BROTHERS.
From the Irish world.J

From the Irish worldJ
The venerable Jean Baptiste de la Sail,
was born at Rheims, France, on April 80
1861. Consecrating himself in his boyhoot
to the Divine service, he was appointed
canon of the Cathedral. He entered the
college of st. Sulpice, Paris, continued his
studies IN his native city, and was ordained
to the priesthood in 1879. Ardent in his
zeal for the improvement and elevation OF
his fellow-m men, he conceived the design OF
devoting his life TO the instruction of youth
especially the children of the poor. An
mated with this purpose, in 1851 he bought
house and gathered around him a num-
| Der of poor but jealous and pious school
teachers. He had inherited a comfortable
patrimony from his parents but to give
his disciples and CO workers an example of
| devotedness and DISTINGUISHED charity, he
reinquished his canonicate and distributed
bis patrimony among the poor, even to the
last franc. Then he and his brethren went
earnestly to work upon
THEIR NOBLE MISSION
tho gratuitous instruction of the poor.
In 1868, he established a novitiate at Vau-
girard, near Paris, where he lived for
number of years, enduring much from pri-
walton and from the hostility of Partisan
teachers, who dreaded that the new system
their receipts. Eleven years later he at
tached to his novitiate a Sunday school for
apprentices and others under twenty wears
of age, wherein they were taught the sim
pier branches of education and were in
structed in the Catechism and Bible history.
This reform aroused q bitter opposition
among a selfish clique in Paris, which gave
constant evidence of it's resentment, But
the Institute had in it the germs of too
much benevolence, virtue and usefulness
to be crushed or discouraged by such at
tacks, and its distinguished founder soon
had the happiness OF establishing houses in
Rome, Avignon, Marseilles and Rouen
Having removed the novitiate to st. Yon,
near the latter city, he resigned lin 17I7)
his Office of Superior, and devoted the two
remaining years of his life to perfecting his
disciples and lnstructing a class of little
children. The Institute, its objects. and
its rules were approved by Benedict XIII. !
in 1725, and the founder was declared
-" Venerable" by Gregory XVI. in 1910 |
The constitution of the order is simple.
The members take upon themselves the
vows of poverty, chastity and obedience,
the better to accomplish the essential OBJ
jects of their organization-namely," to
afford those who compose it the particular
means of arriving at their own perfection,
and to educate youth in Christian man
ner, especially the children of mechanics
and of the poor, by keeping the schools
After the school room, the
sphere in which the Brothers are most con
struck hospital.
THE vows
are first taken for three years ONLY. and
have to be once renewed before the aspi.
rant is permitted to make them binding for
life. Those who have worn the habit of
any other religious congregation are ad-
mitted with much difficulty Any person
who has received minor orders can be ad-
nitted only on condition of not making
anything of it appear in his exterior. Per.
sons who have received Holy Orders cannot
DIN the Institute at all. The costume of ,
he members is coarse black cassock, and
small collar or band around the neck,
With hooded cloak and wide brimmed
lat for outdoor wear. The diet is of the ,
implest kind. Their teaching is mainly
Elementary, but of late years they have
ounded many academies and colleges, 8
which they conduct with marked ability !
ma zeal. In France they refused to take }
he oath to the civil constitution of 1892, :
md were driven from their houses and de-
Jared the exercise of thel functions, in
consequence of the refusal. Restored with r
ne peace OF leol, they rapidly spread over
rance and into Italy, Corsica, Cayenne,
'elgium and Algiers. At the death of the .
enerable founder of the Institute in l719, =
@ left behind him about twenty-two ;,
ouses, to which about one hundred were 4
dded before the outbreak of the French T.
revolution. The marvellous strides with G
7hlch the order advanced during the sue -
eedlng six or seven decades, may be seen a
rom the following table, which shows the =.
ondition of the Brothers and the extent of y
THEIR CHARGE IN 1856: r
Country No of No. of No. of No of a
houses. Brothers Schools. Pupils.