Lasallian Catholic Education at Christian Brothers School
A Student-Centered Lasallian Education
From its origins, the Lasallian school has been a school centered on the pupil, providing a “human and Christian education” to all. Our founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle, went to great lengths in his early writings and practices to ensure that students received a holistic education, forming them academically, physically, and most importantly, spiritually.
Today, contemporary Lasallian schools adhere to the same philosophy—a school centered on the student whose foundation is the relationship between teacher and student, fostered by a mutual respect between the two. At Christian Brothers School, this holistic approach to Lasallian Catholic education embodies all that we are and do.
The Christian Brothers Around the World
For centuries, the Christian Brothers have been expanding their presence across the world. Today, Lasallian ministries exist in over 80 countries. In the Lasallian Region of North America, the mission serves more than 100,000 people in a network of nearly 100 colleges/universities, secondary, middle and elementary, and other ministries.
The District of San Francisco New Orleans is part of the Lasallian Region of North America of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. The SFNO family is comprised of approximately 80 Brothers and 2,000 Lasallian Partners. Together, they serve over 17,000 students in 21 apostolates located in Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington, and in Tijuana, Mexico. Our own Christian Brothers School is a member of both RELAN and SFNO.
The SFNO District Office of Education serves the Lasallian Mission through its support of the District’s educational ministries by way of its Formation for Mission, Board Formation, Evangelization and Catechesis, Leadership Development, Young Lasallians, and Vocation Ministry offices. Programs and resources are provided to accompany and assist the Brothers and Partners in ensuring and advancing the Lasallian Catholic identity, character, activity, and vision of the District and its works.
The Christian Brothers in New Orleans
In 1960, the Christian Brothers received a call from the Archbishop of New Orleans at the time, Archbishop Joseph F. Rummel, to open a boys middle school in the Catholic tradition. This specific origin of our mission—an all-boys, Catholic, middle school—remains an important part of the City Park campus environment to this day.
When the school first opened, the faculty consisted entirely of Christian Brothers. As the Brothers aged and younger Brothers were not available to replace retiring Brothers, the Brothers hired lay men to work with them. This unintended tradition of an all-male faculty has become a successful feature to the program. The male teachers represent various vocations, ages, hobbies and personalities. Consequently, every student is able to identify with a least one member of the faculty such that the rapport between teacher and student is the hallmark of the school’s reputation.
This rapport between the teachers and students outside of the classroom most influences the learning which takes place inside of the classroom.
Because of these relationships, the faculty readily identifies students having difficulties and is thus able to help students succeed academically.
This hallmark of Lasallian Catholic education—the relationship between teacher and student—is the primary reason for the excellent education that CBS provides. Since 1960, the Brothers and their lay partners have continued the call of Archbishop Rummel and St. La Salle in the education of the young men of the New Orleans Area.
Expanding the Lasallian Mission
In 2014, CBS continued to respond to the needs of the Archdiocese by embarking upon a new adventure—the opening of the Canal Street campus. This new campus expanded the program to include a coeducational lower school serving PK3 through fourth grade and an all-girls middle school serving fifth through seventh grade.
Thus, CBS now offers a comprehensive elementary and middle school program rooted in the Lasallian Catholic education serving academically capable boys and girls in PK3 through 7th grade.
