Feast of St.

John Baptist De La Salle

May 15th

Introduction

Today we celebrate the Feast of St. De La Salle, The Father and Founder of the Brothers of the
Christian Schools. St. De La Salle was born on April 30, 1651 in France, he was ordained a priest on April 9, 1678. He is
the Founder of an international educational movement called the Brothers of the Christian Schools. On May 15, 1950
he was declared as the Patron Saint of Teachers: He dedicated more than forty years of his life to the education of
the children of the poor. In the process, he standardized educational practices throughout France, and wrote
meditations on the ministry of teaching. He was to influence many other religious congregations dedicated to
education that were founded in the 18th and 19th centuries. Following his footsteps, Lasallian Educators share his
mission of touching hearts, teaching minds and transforming lives by giving human and Christian education.

Hymn

Now let us praise a man of true greatness

Who gave up all to follow Christ Jesus;
And, though poor himself, left all humankind richer
John Baptist de La Salle.

He saw the poor deprived of education,

Left to themselves and prone to all disorders;
He, led by Providence far beyond his knowing,
Formed the Christian Schools.

Centuries after, we his followers here now

Follow that vision, led by his example;
Faith as our guiding light, zeal in all our working,
Brothers and sisters to all the world.

Praise to You, Father, Source of all our blessings;

Praise to You, Jesus, John’s great Exemplar;
Praise Holy Spirit, Prompter, Guide,
Sustainer of John Baptist de La Salle.

L —‘ May God bring a clean heart to birth within me; breathe life, true life into my being.’ (ps)

R - ‘Rejoice and thank God for the grace he bestowed upon us by calling us from the world to so holy a state
in which we instruct children and train them to piety.’ (DLS : MED)
L — ‘God never completely abandons those who have a good heart, but that on the contrary, he takes care
from time to time to visit them with his grace.’

R — ‘But it is of the utmost importance to correspond with such graces and to follow the inspirations which
God may give.’ (DLS : MED)

L - ‘Are you fully converted? Have you completely renounced the world ? How often has God spoken to you
by an interior voice, yet you have not listened!

R — ‘Admire the way in which the visit of Our Lady proved beneficial both to St. John and Elizabeth.’

L — ‘You have the honor of being visited daily by God in mental prayer and by Jesus in Holy Communion.

R — ‘You should make sure that these visits are not useless, but that they obtain for you and abundance of
grace enabling you to acquire virtue and to tend towards perfection.’

L — ‘Have you commenced your conversion by the practice of austerities. It is especially at the time of our
entry upon the spiritual life that we need them.

R — ‘It is only in retirement and prayer that a soul achieves a true transfiguration.’

L — ‘When it is thus transfigured with Jesus it must take pleasure in speaking of his passion and cross. In
this way it will show that its whole desire is to conform with him in his state of suffering.’

R — ‘For the eternal father will recognize as his Well — beloved Son him who resembles his Son ¡n
suffering. If any man comes after me, let him renounce self and take up his cross daily and follow me.’

Glory be
pause

Antiphon — By the power of the Spirit I have completed preaching the gospel of Christ.

Lord our God, You created man and you wish us all to know the Truth, the truth that is you, Revealed by
Jesus, announced by the Apostles, and proclaimed by the church.

Lord, you wish all human minds to be enlightened by the light of faith.
How can they believe if they have never anyone speak you?
How can they hear about you if there is no one speak of you?
Send preachers and teachers to announce you Word.

Lord, You spread your goodness through the ministry of men;

You have made the light shine in the midst of darkness;
You enlighten the hearts of those you choose to be teachers of children,
So that they can share your glory with them.

Lord you who entrusted to us the ministry of Christian education,

Enlighten us so that we announced your Word and not our own;
So that we make known your truth and not our own,
For we are your ministers and the dispensers of your mysteries.

You are a marvellous Father and you wish children and young people
To come to know and live their faith in Jesus; When parents, through
Ignorance, Through business worries, Neglect their work as educators,
You send Christian teachers.

Enlighten us, Lord,

So that guided by the example of Jesus, We may lay the firm foundations of faith
And piety in the hearts of children.

You have chosen us, Lord,

To instruct, to teach, to exhort, and to touch the hearts and will of pupils so that
they follow Jesus. Help us to complement, as brothers and friends,
The education work of parents.

Lord, we offer you our words,

We offer you our life,
Do your work through us, Lord.

Antiphon — By the power of the Spirit I have completed preaching the gospel of Christ.

Pause

Now let us Listen to the inspiring words of our Founder.

(Reading : On Regularity)

lt is necessary that the Brothers apply to themselves and take for the foundation and support of their
regularity what Saint Augustine says at the beginning of his Rule, that ‘those who live in community, should,
before all else, love God and next their neighbor’, since these are the principal Commandments given us by
God, and because any regularity whatever, if separated from the observance of these two Commandments
of God, with exactness, and for this cause most of the Rules are practices pertaining there to.”
(Extract from chapter 16: Regularity DLS)
Pause
Petitions: Lord Hear our Prayer

1. Grant the parents and teachers the grace to educate children according to Gospel principles.
2. Give to educators of youth the skill and the inspiration to lead them to sanctity suitable to their culture
and times.
3. Endow religious communication with grace to follow faithfully in the footsteps of their Founder.
4. Holy Spirit You who have given to our Founder a firm and resolute attachment to the chair of Saint Peter,
grant to us a great docility to the Pope, to the Bishops and to our own spiritual leaders.

Our Father

Final Prayer:
O God for the Christian education of the poor and for preservation of youth in the way of salvation did raise
up St. John Baptist, confessor, and did form by him a new religious family in the church, mercifully grant
that through his intercession and examples, we may be animated with zeal for thy glory in saving souls and
become partakers of his crown in heaven. Amen.

Hymn —
1. Glorious Patron, low before thee,
Kneel thy sons with hearts aflame.
And our voices blend in music
Singing praises to thy name.
Saint John Baptist, Glorious Patron,
Saint La Salle, we sound thy fame.

2. Lover of our Queen and Mother,

Thou to her didst vow thy heart;
Earth and all its joys forsaking,
Thou didst choose the better part.
Saint La Salle, Our Glorious Father,
Pierce our souls with love’s own dart.

St. John Baptist De La Salle: Pray for us.

Live Jesus in Our Hearts : Forever

Happy Feast…