Benilde St Margarets School - Sangraal / Benilden Yearbook (St Louis Park, MN)

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Theme Most people know the Christian Brothers as one of the outstanding teaching communities of the Church. It all began when St. John Baptist de LaSalle was born in Rhiems, France on April 30, 1651, the oldest of ten children. His father was a man of wealth and prominence so John Baptist received a Fine education. He attended the university school at Rhiems and at 19 graduated from the university. He was ordained to the priesthood on April 9, 1678 and two years later he earned his doctorate in sacred theology at Sorbonne. His contoct with education, the work to which he was to devote his life, came almost by accident. His spiritual director had founded a sisterhood for the education of poor girls and when he died he left the care of the little group to Father de LaSalle. Father de LaSalle gave the group a start by securing letters of patent from the government by using part of his substantial fortune to pay some of the initial expenses. His work for the sisters got him interested in the education of boys. In April 1670 with the help of a pious layman, Adrien Nyel, Father de LaSalle founded a free school. It was so successful that he soon was requested to start other schools, but he had to refuse because of the lock of teachers, he founded a band of men dedicated to teaching. He hoped to bind them together as a religious community just os his spiritual had formed his community to teach girls. Although his father objected violently, de LaSalle founded his community, gave them a rule, and a distinctive garb. The Christian Brothers are characterized by their black robe and robot. He gave his Brothers an authentic religious rule drawn from the best sources of the monastic, but his communities were to be composed strictly of laymen. St. John Baptist distributed his inheritance to the needy and threw his lot in with that of his followers. St. John Baptist de LaSalle is often hailed as the father of modern teaching. He was a pioneer in many areas especially the popularizing of the simultaneous mutual method of teoching. The Christian Brothers grew rapidly and had spread throughout France by beginning of the 1700s. In 1717, de La Salle resigned the generalate and spent the next two years in silent retirement, practicing humility, obedience, and patience. On Good Friday, 1719, St. John Baptist de La Salle died in peace. St. John Baptist's life was full of foil, trouble, and heartbreaks, but the result of his work is clearly seen throughout the world in the schools of the Brothers. Today the Christian Brothers numbers around 17,000 all over the world. They bring guidance and knowledge to over 600,000 boys and young men throughout the world. Brothers' Boys, students in a Christian Brothers' school, are distinguished by their habit of carrying a rosary wherever they go. St. John Baptist de La Salle also established the hour and half-hour prayers which are a custom. St. John Baptist de La Salle's reward for his labors and good works was his canonization as one of the great teacher-saints of the Church on May 24, 1900. Benilde High School is named of Blessed Brother Benildus, a Christian Brother. Blessed Brother Benildus was beatified on February 16, 1947 by His Holiness, Pope Pius XII. Brother Benildus' life was one of continual acts of loyalty to the constitutions which St. John Baptist de La Salle compiled for those who would devote their lives to Christian education of youth in the clOssroom. Blessed Benildus was born on June 14, 1805, in Thurei, ine diocese of Clermont, France. After attending the Brother's school ot Riom for a short time, he entered the noviciate at Clermont in 1820. After faking his vows he taught for 18 years in Five schools of the Brothers before being named Director, First at Bislom, then at Sauges. Sauges afforded splendid opportunity for the exercise of his zeal and other virtues. The youth of the locality who were of bad character changed into models of virtue after coming in with the good Brother. Numerous vocations to both priesthood and the Religious life, which are said to be about 300, stand as a losting memory to him, Blessed Brother Benildus died on August 13, 1862 of on illness which had caused him much suffering for several years prior to his death. The reputation of Brother Benildus for several decades now has grown rapidly, ond many favors were claimed as a result of his intercession. His tomb at Sauges became a popular place of pilgrimage. 8

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Brother J. Mark, F.S.C., Principal In his role os director of Benilde High School Brother Mark hos put forth an untiring effort to maintain the high standards of Benilde. The school is deeply indebted to him for upholding the high standards of school, not only in school work but in other fields also. Brother has always stood ready to extend a helping hand to anyone who needed if. and we have learned that his fatherly advice is worth following. All of our closs have benefited, at one time or another from his prudent advice. In assuming his duties as director of the school Brother Mark has established himself as a renowned figure ot Benilde. It can be said that Brother Mark is in a word, Benilde itself. 10