Timeline

April 30, 1651

De La Salle is born in Reims, France. Until the age of 13, the family home is the Hotel de la Cloche, now named the Hotel De La Salle.

Age: 5 – 10

We know that the young Jean-Baptiste made many visits to his maternal grandparents’ home in this countryside village, enjoying the opportunity to see the countryside.

Age: 10

October 10, 1661

After some years of private tutoring at home, De La Salle begins his formal schooling at the College des Bons Enfants. He enters at the third level.

Age: 10

March 11, 1662

In a ceremony held in the Archbishop’s chapel, De La Salle receives the symbolic tonsure (cutting part of his hair) indicating his interest in, and direction towards, the priesthood.

Age: 13

May 23, 1664

The De La Salle family purchases a house on the Rue St. Marguerite. It no longer exists. A post office building occupies the spot. The family bought the house in May of 1664, but they may not have moved into until the following year.

Age: 15

July 7, 1666

De La Salle  becomes a Canon of the Rheims Cathedral – an advisor to the archbishop, attending daily liturgical services, and receiving significant benefices.

Age: 19

October 17, 1670

De La Salle enters the Seminary of Saint Sulpice in Paris and studies at the Sorbonne University (following courses on the Incarnation, Sacraments, the Trinity)

Age: 20

July 19, 1671

De La Salle’s mother, Nicolle Moet, dies at the age of 37 and is buried the same day.

Age: 20

June

De La Salle  asks a fellow canon and priest at the Cathedral of Rheims, Nicolas Roland, to be his spiritual director.

Age: 21

May/August

After death of parents, DLS returns to school, this time in Reims. He begins with a couple of courses, obtains credit for those he took at St. Sulpice, and gradually resumes his seminary studies.

Age: 24

March 21, 1676

De La Salle is ordained as a deacon in the chapel of the Archbishop of Reims by the bishop of Bethlehem, François de Batailler, who was delegated to do so by the archbishop of Paris.

Age: 26

January 26, 1678

Obtains his Licentiate in Theology from the University of Reims, along with four others. The poster announcing the event was discovered in 1908.

Age: 26

April 9, 1678

De La Salle is ordained to the priesthood in the chapel of the Archbishop of Rheims by the archbishop, Monsignor Charles Maurice le Tellier, who officiates and presents the documents of ordination.

Age: 26

April 10, 1678

De La Salle celebrates his first Mass in the Lady Chapel of the cathedral (Notre Dame du Saint Lait). Nicolas Roland (who died 17 days later) and his family are among those present. Since 1951, the statue of DLS by Lejeune stands next to this chapel.

Age: 26

April 27, 1678

Nicolas Roland dies, leaves DLS in charge of obtaining ‘Letters Patent’ for the Sisters of the Child Jesus, among other things.

Age: 27

November 9, 1678

De La Salle is chosen as an elector at the University of Reims, becoming a member of its governing structure.

Age: 27

February 1679

Secures Letters Patent for the Sisters of the Child Jesus.

Age: 27

March 15, 1679

Through chance encounter via Mme Maillefer at the Convent of the Sisters of the Child Jesus, he becomes involved with teachers and schools.

Age: 27

April 15, 1679

The first school is started in this parish with the help of De La Salle. The school is run, and its teachers are superviseda by Adrien Nyel.

Age: 28

December 24, 1679

Teachers hired by Adrien Nyel move into a house that was rented by DLS for 18 months. It is located near his own house. Meals are brought to the teachers daily from DLS’s home.

Age: 28

April 21, 1680

De La Salle receives his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Reims.

Age: 29

March 30, 1681

De La Salle has the teachers live at his home during Holy Week, while he is giving them a retreat.

Age: 30

June 24, 1681

The lease runs out on the rented house. DLS has the teachers move into his own family home, after having consulted with Nicolas Barre in Paris, who advised him to do this. DLS’s family is not happy.

Age: 30

August 01, 1681

The sale of the house and properties of the De La Salle family are ordered by the courts, as the result of a lawsuit by his older sister and brother-in-law. The sale takes place on April 20, 1682.

Age: 31

June 24, 1682

De La Salle and his teachers move into a rented house on the Rue Neuve, facing the convent of Sainte-Claire and located in the poorer section of Reims. This house becomes “the cradle of the Institute.”

Age: 31

September 1682

The teachers ask De La Salle to be their confessor and adopt community prayer practices. They also decide to call themselves Brothers, since they aspire to be brothers to one another and older brothers to those confided to their care.

Age: 32

August 1683

De La Salle resigns his position as Canon of the Cathedral of Reims, giving up the status, benefits, income, and responsibilities related to that position. He gave the position and his stall (#21) to a poor unknown priest, Jean Fauber. The archbishop was very upset that DLS didn’t give it to his younger brother, Jean-Louis.

Age: 32

Winter 1683

De La Salle begins to distribute his fortune to the poor of the city of Reims at a time when famine raged, both among the poor and the upper classes of the city.

Age: 33

Winter 1684

De La Salle distributes the rest of his fortune as food, especially in the schools that his Brothers and that the Sisters of the Child Jesus operate in Reims.

Age: 33

September 1684

The teachers adopt the name of ‘Brothers of the Christian Schools’ and adopt a simple, black religious habit based on the professional dress of the day.

Age: 34

July 1685

Adrien Nyel asks to retire and return to Rouen. De La Salle becomes the key organizer, leader, and director of the growing network of schools.

Age: 35

May 23, 1686

De La Salle brings together the 7-8 principal Brothers for a retreat in Reims, at the end of which, on June 9, they pronounce the vow of obedience for three years, renewed annually.

Age: 35

June 10, 1686

De La Salle and the Brothers walk on pilgrimage for eight hours to Notre-Dame de Liesse, a town near Laon. Here, De La Salle celebrates Mass at the shrine of Mary located there, and they piously renew the vows they had just taken.

Age: 36

February 24, 1688

De La Salle and two Brothers arrive in Paris, at the invitation of the pastor of the parish of Saint Sulpice to begin work at the parish school on Rue Princesse three days later. This is an important move because it moves the mission beyond the confines of a single diocese.

Age: 36

April 1688

The pastor of Saint Sulpice, Father La Barmondiere, decides to turn the administration of the school on Rue Princesse over to De La Salle and the Brothers.

Age: 38

1690

New schools open and legal battles start with those who see these gratuitous schools as a threat to their livelihood and interests. These troubles continue for the next 35 years.

Age: 39

March 1691

De La Salle becomes seriously ill. The community is in crisis with about 20 Brothers and many schools to maintain. DLS eventually recovers, prays and reflects on the whole situation, and makes a series of steps to improve the internal growth of the Institute, including the purchase of Vaugirard for the rest and training of the Brothers.

Age: 40

November 21, 1691

De La Salle, Nicolas Vuyart, and Gabriel Drolin, in the community of Vaugirard near Paris, pronounce the heroic vow in private: to together establish this Society, even if they “should have to beg and live on bread alone.”

Age: 49

August 11, 1700

A board of trustees is created in Reims to manage the assets of the Institute in that area of France. Board members included De La Salle, his brother Jean-Louis, a local Canon, and another priest, Pierre Delaval. The Brothers themselves could not own anything, including property.

Age: 51

Dec 3, 1702

The Archbishop of Paris replaces De La Salle as Superior of the community in Paris with Fr. Bricot. The Brothers are up in arms. Finally, they negotiate that Bricot will be their ‘ecclesiastical Superior’ and De La Salle will remain as Superior General.

Age: 54

May 19, 1705

Two Brothers begin living and working at the General Hospital in Rouen, while also teaching at the schools of Saint Maclou and Saint Godard.

Age: 54

July – October 1705

The property in Rouen, called Saint Yon, is leased by DLS. The novitiate transferred here from Paris and De La Salle opens a charity school on the property. He also decides to open a boarding school at Saint Yon, both for income and “to instruct them and to bring them up well.”

Age: 55

May 1706

De La Salle makes an extended retreat at the Carmelite monastery on Rue Vaugirard. He had a particular devotion to St Teresa of Avila.

Age: 56

August 2, 1707

Based on De La Salle’s negotiations, the Brothers leave the General Hospital in Rouen, take over four of the city’s schools, and assign 10 Brothers to teach in them.

Age: 59

February 11, 1711

DLS begins his trip to visit the communities in the South of France. On March 31, while visiting a second time, he receives a legal judgment against him from Paris. He will stay away from Paris for four years. He visits Marseilles June 1, gets involved in several schools, start a novitiate, try to go to Rome (unsuccessfully), encounter Jansenist opposition, and ultimately feel as if he’s failed in his endeavors there.

Age: 62

August 1713

De La Salle returns to Grenoble, where he becomes involved in the life of the school, the oversight of the Brothers’ work, and the religious life of the church in the area.

Age: 62

March 1714

De La Salle replaces a clerical friend at Parmenie for a few weeks and befriends Sister Louise who is the foundress of the place. He would like to retire at Parmenie, but she suggests that he move on with the work that God has given him.

Age: 62

April 1, 1714

De La Salle receives letter from principal Brothers in Paris commanding him to return and take up his leadership role as vowed. He was either at Parmenie or at the school in Grenoble at the time.

Age: 63

August 10, 1714

After further travels, DLS arrives and says simply: “Here I am. What do you want me to do?” He takes up some guiding responsibilities, but leaves the governance of the Institute to Brother Barthelemy.

Age: 64

November 1, 1715

Age: 66

May 16, 1717

Age: 67

April 7, 1719

Three weeks before his 68th birthday, De La Salle passes away at 4:00 AM on Good Friday. Brother Barthelemy, who was with him, suggested that he offer up his sufferings, to which he replied: “Yes, I adore God guiding me in all the events of my life.”