Brothers of the Christian Schools

Brothers of the Christian Schools, religious community, commonly called Christian Brothers, established by the French educator St. John Baptist de la Salle, at Reims, France, in 1680 and sanctioned by Pope Benedict XIII (1649-1730) in 1725. The brothers take the religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, plus two vows peculiar to their institute: service to the poor through education and fidelity to their institute. They do not, however, enter holy orders. In the mid-1980s community residences numbered more than 1250 throughout the world. About 10,000 brothers taught approximately 800,000 pupils. Headquarters in the United States is located at Romeoville, Illinois.