"Saint John Baptist de La Salle", was born in Rheims, France in 1651.

At a time when education remained the privilege of the rich elite, and moved by the plight of the poor who seemed so "far from salvation" either in this world or the next, he determined to put his own talents and advanced education at the service of the children "often left to themselves and badly brought up." To be more effective, he abandoned his family home, moved in with the teachers, renounced his position as a cathedral canon of Rheims, and relinquished his wealth, and so formed the community that became known as the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers).

De La Salle and his Brothers created a network of quality schools throughout Malaysia in 1950s that featured instruction in the vernacular, students grouped according to ability and achievement, integration of religious instruction with secular subjects, well-prepared teachers with a sense of vocation and mission, and the involvement of parents.

De La Salle died at Saint Yon near Rouen early in 1719 on Good Friday, only weeks before his sixty-eighth birthday. This photo which is the statue of the saint, patron of Christian teachers, is in the nave of St Peter's Basilica in Rome.

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St Joseph's Community

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Singapore 308380

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