Christian Brothers Celebrate 100 Years of Continuous Ministry

On July 28, the Christian Brothers hosted a special Mass and celebration of 100 Years of Continuous Ministry in Louisiana. The Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Gregory Aymond at St. Louis Cathedral was followed by both a gala party aboard the Steamboat Natchez and an exhibition preview party at the Old Ursuline Convent Museum where a temporary exhibit is now on display dedicated to the educational ministry of the Christian Brothers in Louisiana.

The new exhibit features memorabilia from the four existing Christian Brothers Schools in New Orleans as well as photos that date back as far as 1918 when the Christian Brothers reestablished their educational ministry in Louisiana after leaving the state in 1900.

Below is the complete history of the Christian Brothers in Louisiana.

1680
Establishment of Christian Brothers
The Brothers of the Christian Schools Brothers (called the Christian Brothers in the US) were founded in France by St. John Baptist de La Salle, a priest of the Archdiocese of Rheims. The eldest in a prominent, wealthy family, he was shown that the most neglected group by the existing education system were young boys from poor families.

Decades later, he wrote in his memoirs that he was led by God to get involved in schools and ultimately to found an order of brothers with a mission “to give a Christian education
especially to children of the working class and the poor” and to “teach them to lead good lives by instructing them in the mysteries of our holy religion.”

1817
First brothers arrive in Louisiana
In 1817, the first Christian Brothers to arrive in the New World were recruited from France by Bishop Dubourg of the Diocese of New Orleans. The brothers traveled upriver to serve at St. Genevieve, south of St. Louis, MO. In 1823, against their Rule which required the brothers to
live in communities with at least three members, the men were separated and sent to different locations including New Orleans. The small group did not endure, and any records of the brother sent to New Orleans is lost to history.

1851-1900
First years in New Orleans
In 1849, Bishop Antoine Blanc made a persuasive plea to Brother Facile, visitor of the brothers’ District of North America, for brothers to serve in New Orleans. In the fall of 1850, four brothers were sent, constituting the first Christian Brothers’ Community of New Orleans. The first school opened by the Christian Brothers was St. Patrick’s Parish Free School for Boys, which opened in January of 1851. The school was such a success that four more brothers were sent the next year to instruct 360 students. A new building was erected and named St. Mary’s Academy. More schools followed in other parishes. The attempts made by the brothers to open schools in the 19th century testifies to their poverty, devotedness, hopes, and disappointments.

The following list gives the beginning, end, revival and final ending of the eight schools they founded in New Orleans during the last half of the 19th century:

St. Patrick’s parish free school for boys (1851-1858, 1870-1875)
St. Mary’s Academy (1854-1875, 1880-1883)
St. Mary’s College (1865-1875, 1880-1883)
St. John the Baptist parochial school (1859-1871, 1878-1881)
St. Joseph parochial school (1859-1862, 1878-1880)
St. Joseph Commercial Academy (1883-1900)
St. Theresa parochial school (1870-1875)
St. Vincent’s Academy - St. Stephen parish (1860-1875)

At the end of the school year in 1900, the Christian Brothers withdrew from St. Joseph’s Commercial Academy, the last of the schools in New Orleans. This 50-year history is worthy of being remembered by those who took up the same work in the 20th century and those carrying it into the 21st.

1918-2018
100 Years of Continuous Ministry
None of those who left in 1900 returned, but another group of Christian Brothers entered Louisiana in 1918 to start fresh. This second beginning marks the start of a century of continuous service in the state. In 1917, Archbishop James H. Blenk wrote to the Christian Brothers asking them to send brothers back to New Orleans, but the archbishop’s death delayed their return. In 1918, the Christian Brothers opened St. Peter’s College (high school) in New Iberia, Louisiana. Another group of 19 brothers was sent to Covington to replace the Benedictine Fathers at St. Paul’s College (high school). The contract stipulated for St. Paul’s to be leased 15 years for an annual rent of $2,500. The brothers had the option of buying the property and all equipment within five years for $60,000. School started on September 5, 1918 with 24 day students and 33 boarders. The number of students rose steadily and on June 22, 1921, the deed of sale was signed.

As years progressed, the Christian Brothers expanded their field of labor from Covington (1918) and New Iberia (1918) to Lafayette (1919), Franklin (1925), Lake Charles (1927) and eventually New Orleans (1949). In the years that followed, more schools opened in Opelousas (1955), Metairie (1962), Broussard (1977) and Shreveport (1984). Today the Christian Brothers are active in four schools in Louisiana: St. Paul’s High School, Covington, De La Salle High School, New Orleans, Christian Brothers School, New Orleans and Archbishop Rummel High School, Metairie.



REFERENCES:
1. The Banneret 1953, De La Salle High School yearbook
2. Christian Brothers in the South and Southwest: Reflections and Memories by Brother Arsenius Macher, FSC (1881-1969) edited by James N. Grahmann, FSC
3. The Christian Brothers in the South and Southwest, 1851-2001, by James N. Grahmann, FSC
4. Christian Brothers in Louisiana in Cross, Crozier and Crucible
5. The Catholic Church in Louisiana, Roger Baudier

SPECIAL THANKS:
Archbishop Rummel High School
Brother Emmett Sinitiere
Christian Brothers
Christian Brothers School
De La Salle High School
Jennifer Sturm, archivist
SFNO District Archives of the De La Salle Institute
St. Paul’s School