April 7 marks the anniversary of the death of St. John Baptist de La Salle, founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He died on Good Friday in 1719 with 23 communities of educators and 100 Brothers continuing his mission of providing a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor. Today, Lasallian education continues to transform lives of young people around the globe with approximately 5,000 Brothers and 80,000 Partners serving nearly 900,000 students in about 1,000 educational ministries in 80 countries.
The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. La Salle on April 7, however most Lasallians continue to honor him on the traditional date of May 15, known as Founder’s Day. De La Salle was canonized a saint in 1900 and named the Patron Saint of Teachers in 1950.