1819
Coming to North America
1819
The Brothers established a school in
St. Genevieve, Missouri, which operated until 1822.
With the opening of the school, St. Genevieve Academy
became the first school operated by the
Christian Brothers in the United States. Since
Bishop DuBourg had promised not to separate the
three brothers, Brother Fulgence and Brother Aubin
soon joined Brother Antonin at the Academy.
The bishop had assured the Superior General of the
Christian Brothers that the three would be kept
together so they were able to observe a community life.
1837
Coming to North America
1837
Brother Aidant and three other
Brothers arrived in Montreal from
France and established the first
permanent foundation of the
Institute in North America.
1842
Coming to North America
1842
John McMullin of Baltimore entered
the Montreal Novitiate and took the
name Francis to become the first
American De La Salle Brother.
1845
Coming to North America
1845
Brother Francis was a young man with strong faith but
frail health. In 1845, he was but seventeen years of age
when he returned from the Christian Brothers’ novitiate
in Montreal to his hometown of Baltimore. Brother Francis
and Brother Edward Whitty, began classes for a
hundred or so students in the school that would
become Calvert Hall College. Sadly, young Brother
Francis would die only three years later, but his
legacy as the first American Brother and the
founder of this country’s oldest Lasallian school endures.
1848
Coming to North America
1848
Four Christian Brothers journeyed to
New York from France, and within two
months they established
St. Vincent’s Parochial School on
Canal Street. St. Vincent’s relocated to
Second Street in 1856, and in 1887
changed its name to La Salle Academy,
which stands today.
1865
Coming to North America
1865
With the creation of the
District of New Orleans in 1865,
the Christian Brothers expanded
into other cities such as Baton Rouge
in Louisiana, Pass Christian
in Mississippi and Brownsville in Texas.
1868
Coming to North America
1868
The District of San Francisco is founded. On July 16, 1868,
four Brothers boarded the Ocean Queen in New York.
Of these, only one was a born American; the others were
immigrants from Ireland, Germany and Switzerland.
Late in the evening of August 10, they sailed into
San Francisco Bay. The very next day, they made the
five-mile journey along Old Mission Road to the
grounds of Saint Mary’s College, where Brother Justin
accepted the keys and the responsibility for the school.
Brother Justin became the first Visitor of the
District of San francisco.
1882
Coming to North America
1882
Christian Brothers Winery started operations.
During the depression of 1929, the winery was nearly
lost, but it slowly and painfully pulled itself out of debt.
By the 1940s and early 1950s, the steadily growing
success of the winery helped to restore solvency to the
District of San Francisco. In 1957, the winery was
separately incorporated as Mont La Salle Vineyards,
a commercial, tax-paying entity. The royalties from
winery profits were used to support the De La Salle
Institute’s educational works, communities
and Novitiate. The operation and rights to the name
were sold to Heublein, Inc. in 1989.
1888
Coming to North America
1888
John Baptist de La Salle
was beatified.
1900
Coming to North America
1900
John Baptist de La Salle
was canonized.
1921
Coming to North America
1921
The District of New Orleans - Santa Fe (NOSF)
was created with Brother Agnel Isidore as the first
Visitor (Provincial). This new district was comprised
of schools in Louisiana which had recently opened in
Covington, Lafayette and New Iberia and the schools
and formation institutions in New Mexico. The NOSF
District, originally under the supervision of French
Assistant Superior General, was transferred to the
Assistant for the United States in 1946.
1939
Coming to North America
1939
The Christian Brothers Education Association (CBEA)
is organized. The 3 objectives of these conferences
were to;
- Set forth the educational philosophy and psychology
of education of St. John Baptist de La Salle,
- Publicize the works of the Brothers in the field,
- Study and report on improvements in the means
of teaching religion.
of education of St. John Baptist de La Salle,
of teaching religion.
1943
Coming to North America
1943
Brother Alphonsus Pluth, the author of the texts
Living with Christ, considers 1943 as the birthday
of Saint Mary’s Press. In 1944, the Catechetical
Commission gives its new publishing venture the
name Saint Mary’s College Press. In 1954, Brother
Alphonsus moves Saint Mary’s College Press from
De La Salle High School in Minneapolis to Saint
Mary’s College in Winona. In 1979, Saint Mary’s
College Press becomes, as it is known today,
Saint Mary’s Press.
1950
Coming to North America
1950
Pope Pius XII proclaimed
St. John Baptist de La Salle
the patron of all teachers of youth.
1960
Coming to North America
1960
Christian Brothers Major Superiors
(Christian Brothers Conference) is incorporated.
The Conference provides programming and
support for Lasallian educators through the
Region's four Districts and their 100 ministries.
It is rooted in the vision and innovations of
Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of the
Institute and the patron saint of teachers.
1960 (BrJoel)
Coming to North America
1960
Brother Joel Damian organizes a mutual cooperative
purchasing group. The National Office of the Christian
Brothers was established, and a number of cooperative
programs were developed to assist and support the
Christian Brothers Schools. The programs were, to a
considerable degree, operated by the Christian
Brothers Conference. The Conference sponsored
the programs, appointed any Trustees and
administered the program at the National Office.
This is how Christian Brothers Services got its start.
1966
Coming to North America
1966
At the 39th General Chapter of the Institute,
Brother Charles Henry Buttimer was the first
American to be elected Superior General. His
leadership, his skills in personal relationships and his
calm were his major assets in helping the brothers
world-wide adapt to the new views and processes in
the Church and in religious orders promoted by the
second Vatican Council. Brother Charles Henry
served as Superior General until 1976.
1973
Coming to North America
1973
Bethlehem University was established as the first
Catholic university in the Holy Land. Bethlehem
University of the Holy Land is a Catholic Christian
co-educational institution of higher learning in the
Lasallian tradition, open to students of all faiths.
Bethlehem University, the first university established
in the West Bank, can trace its roots to 1893 when the
De La Salle Christian Brothers opened schools in
Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Jaffa, Nazareth, Turkey,
Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.
1978
Coming to North America
1978
The Toronto District joined the U.S. Districts
to create the United States-Toronto Region.
1981
Coming to North America
1981
Christian Brothers Investment Services (CBIS)
was founded by the De La Salle Christian Brothers
to provide trusted socially responsible investment
management services exclusively to Catholic
organizations. CBIS has grown steadily because
it has struck a responsive chord with Catholic
organizations which seek to align their mission
with their investments and unify faith and finance.
1984
Coming to North America
1984
The first Regional Convocation of U.S. Brothers was held.
Brother John Johnston's address to the 1984 convocation
of the United States/Toronto Region was a pivotal
moment in calling attention to the new reality of a
Lasallian school served by lay and De La Salle
Christian Brother as equal partners and to the possibility,
in fact a reality, of a Lasallian school without De La Salle
Christian Brothers on staff. Because of the radical nature
of the redefinition of roles, both for lay persons and
De La Salle Christian Brothers in Lasallian schools, there
continues to be need to clarify and to accept
those new roles.
1992
Coming to North America
1992
Lasallian Volunteers became a national (U.S.)
program. In the early 1980s, communities of
Brothers in New York and the Midwest invited
lay volunteers to join them in their mission of
serving the poor. By 1992, the Lasallian Volunteers
program had grown into a national movement,
with a staff working to recruit, train and support the
volunteers through the Christian Brothers Conference.
Today up to 50 men and women are commissioned each year
to Lasallian schools and ministries in some of the poorest
neighborhoods of America.
1995-1
Coming to North America
1995
The Midwest District is formed.
The Christian Brothers of the Midwest District
is one of five districts within the United States-
Toronto Region, with its provincial headquarters
in Burr Ridge, IL. The Brothers and their
colleagues sponsor universities, high schools,
middle schools, retreat centers and a variety
of other educational ministries in the
Midwest District.
1995-2
Coming to North America
1995
In response to the General Chapter’s call for
twinning, the United States and Toronto
launched a Region-wide Twinning Program.
Twinning partners each Lasallian school in the
United States-Toronto Region with a Lasallian school in the
Lwanga District, which includes the countries of Kenya, Nigeria,
Eritrea, Ethiopia and South Africa. The annual Twinning appeal
provides for the educational needs of African students who are
economically poor or even without families. Financial
contributions from the schools are used to cover the cost of
educating students in their respective twin schools in Africa. This
includes tuition, teacher salaries, building/maintenance expenses,
purchase of books, school supplies, board and lodging.
2009
Coming to North America
2009
The District of Eastern North America (DENA)
is formed. After years of discussion and
diligent planning, the Districts of Baltimore,
Long Island-New England and New York were
canonically combined by the Institute creating the
new District of Eastern North America (DENA), with
its Provincialate in Eatontown, NJ. Today, the DENA
administers, operates and educates in more than 30
ministries throughout Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey,
New York, Ontario Canada, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island
and Washington D.C.
2011
Coming to North America
2011
The Lasallian Education Council
was created, making the United
States and Toronto Region the first
to implement an innovative structure
as proposed by the International
Assembly and adopted by the
44th General Chapter to move the
Lasallian Mission forward. A new
Lasallian Education Brand was
adopted to unite schools and ministries
to collectively tell the Lasallian story.
2012
Coming to North America
2012
The Lasallian Region of
North America (RELAN)
was formed from five
current Districts, including
Francophone Canada.
2013
Coming to North America
2013
Women in the Lasallian Region of North America
(RELAN) made history this summer with the first
RELAN Lasallian Women’s Symposium. With
each District represented, 33 women and five
De La Salle Christian Brothers gathered at
St. Joseph’s Camp on the Russian River in
California July 8 – 12.
The RELAN gathering follows the first-ever
International Women’s Symposium, which
was held in the spring of 2012 in the
Pacific-Asia Regional Conference (PARC)
in Pattaya, Thailand.
2014