LCLSONE – NOVEMBER 2, 2021
Movie: Frere (De La Salle: Patron Saint of
Teachers)
CHAPTER 1
- John Baptist De La Salle
- Born: 1651
- Grew up in: City of Rheims, France
- This is a story about how he became an
educator – how Hod led him step by step.
- Did not really dream of becoming an
educator. He wanted to become a priest
and serve the church.
- Him and his siblings used to visit their
grandparents vineyard during harvest time
- His grandma told them stories about saints
and heroes
- John was inspired by her stories
- While he and his siblings were happily
playing, their servants’ children were busy
helping in the fields
- He wondered why others don’t live like he
did
- “they carry our load but we don’t carry
theirs”
- They spent their childhood at the La Cloche
Mansion
- He loved to play role playing with his
siblings
- He always role played as a priest
- At a young age, he was sure he wanted to
become a priest
- He was tonsured when he was 11 years old
- Tonsure – practice of shaving part of the
head a preliminary to becoming a priest
- At the age of 15, he became the canon of
the Rheims Cathedral
- Following his dreams, he entered the
seminary in hopes of becoming a priest
- Life there was not always easy
- He received a letter
- And the greatest pain he experienced was
hearing his mother passed away and he was
not there by her side
- A few months later he received another
letter from his grandmother
- This time his father has passed away
- Mother - Nicolle Moet: 1630-1671
- Father – Louis De La Salle: 1625-1672
- He was barely 21 years old when they
departed
- As the eldest child, he had to make a
difficult choice
- He decided to go home and be with his
family
- He left the seminary and dedicated himself
in taking care of his brothers and sisters
- But God’s call was strong. After taking care
of his family, he continued his vocation
- He was ordained as a priest on April 9, 1678
- And his story did not end there because he
had a feeling God had something special in
mind for him
- One day at the Sisters of the Child Jesus
Convent, Adrian Nyel and his young
assistant Christopher came.
- Adrian Nyel – a school teacher
- They came from Rouen
- They brought a letter from Madam
Maillefer saying she requests John’s
assistance
- Madam Maillefer – distant relative of John
- Madam Maillefer is funding a charity school
for the poor boys of Rheims. She wanted
John to assist with the City Authorities
- John: I think it’s not going to be easy
- He went there and saw so much poverty
- According to John, Adrien Nyel is a zealous
man, and it seemed that God made use of
him so that he could get John involved in
the good work
- Adrian: Indeed you are God sent to all the
poor people of Rheims
- As they stepped over the school’s
threshold, John sensed something
important was going to happen
CHAPTER 2
- It has been more than a decade since then,
John has met a lot of dedicated men who
were willing to teach poor children
- Instead of calling themselves teachers, they
preferred to be called brothers
- Later on they were known as The Brothers
of the Christian Schools
- After many years of trial and error, success
and failures at St. Yon in Rouen, they began
all over again and opened a Novitiate to
form young brothers
- One day during one of their classes, he
received a letter from the brothers (Br.
Francois)
- Br. Henry was very ill and he sensed he
might not live very long, so he asked the
brothers to inform John and request for his
presence
- John was deeply saddened by Br. Henry’s
Grave Condition
- John had high hopes for Him to be their
next superior
- John even advised him to become a priest
so the archbishop would allow him to lead
the brothers
- But he was wrong
- John thinks this is God’s will
- “So it will be brothers, much more than
priests, who will be fully committed and will
be able to maintain the Brothers of the
Christians Schools”
- “A Brother must lead our community, and
only brothers will be our community”
- So John went to be with Br. Henry and the
rest of the brothers
- During the travel
- Driver(?): Fr. John! The bridge is heavy with
snow. It’s too dangerous to cross the bridge
with the horses! I’m sorry Fr. John
- John crossed the bridge by himself
- His hat fell on the ice and when he went to
get it, the ice cracked and he also fell
- “During my struggle, a chilling memory, cold
as ice, flashed before my eyes. I was being
abandoned by my fellow brothers. It was
hard work and there was little to eat. It was
just too much for them.”
- “Please, Lord! Don’t leave me here…”
- Flashback: “Our struggle did not end there.
The writing masters, who accused us of
robbing them of their livelihood, declared
war on our schools”
- “They assaulted the schools, even setting
them on fire. We had to leave Paris and
Start anew in the South of France
- End of Flashback: John climbed up from the
ice
- “Falling down in that cold ditch worsened
my rheumatism. This sickness will bother
me for the rest of my life”
- He arrived there to the place where the
Brothers were.
- They welcomed him with a blanket
- Most of them were praying so John said
continue with your prayers
- He went to Br. Henry’s Room
- “Farewell, Br. Henry. You were a gift to our
community”
- Flashback: He remembered when they
wrote their vows as brothers
- “Everyone seemed to hesitate in
committing themselves to the mission”
- But brother Henry was not doubtful of their
mission
- He was a good man and a true disciple of
Christ

- He prayed to the Lord while he was in Br.
Henry’s room
CHAPTER 3
- Several years later, during the start of a new
school year…
- The kids came back from their vacation
- He saw a kid getting called a “Raggedy Boy”
by other wealthy kids/people(?)
- “Sometimes, I get reminded of the sad
reality of ridicule…”
- “of the laughter we heard when we first
dressed in our distinctive clothers: a black
cassock shorter than a priest’s, together
with a white collar. On top of that, we wear
a peasant’s cape, a large hat, and shoes
with thick, heavy soles. They would protect
us from the sun and rain. It gave us an
identity. It united us as a community of
brothers.”
- In class, the “Raggedy boy” was constantly
bullied.
- The other kids pulled his chair so that he’d
fall
- Those same (bullies) kids said in class that
they were bored will al the numbers and
readings and they went on to skip the class
by sneaking out of the room
- They invited the “Raggedy Boy” (Albert) to
come with them and he did
- He ran away with them and they went to a
lake/river(?)
- Bernard (one of the bullies) didn’t know
how to swim but the other kids told him to
join them
- John heard the noise
- “I knew it. Skipping their class again”
- John went to the kids in the river
- “What are you doing boys?”
- “Please return to your class imeediately”
- “Yes, Fr. John”
- The kids: “That was fun! Let’s do it again
next time!”
- The next day…
- The kids/boys were fighting over the food
- John: “I remember the time when I gave up
my wealth”
- Flashback: “I spent my last reserves to buy
baskets of bread to feed the starving
children and families of the area”
- One afternoon…
- The kids were playing – fencing near the
stairs
- And one of them fell
- A teacher asked what happened
- Albert (the raggedy kid) said it was an
accident
- Bernard (yung bully) said tinulak siya ni
albert. “Punish Him Punish Him”
- John: “Poor Albert!” (he said as he watched
Albert run away with tears). “I could see in
his eyes that he was innocent”
- Flashback: “This was almost like the last
time when I was accused by the writing
masters of stealing their livelihood”
- John tried to follow Albert but he just kept
running away
- The very next day…
- The parents of Bernard and Albert met up
- Bernard’s Parents: “Your evil son almost
killed my precious boy”
- “It’s not his fault”
- “I know my son! He wouldn’t do such a
thing! Stop accusing him!”
- Bernard’s mom: “Barbariands!
- Bernard’s dad: “Fr. De La Salle, I want you
to expel that boy from this school
immediately! He doesn’t belong here. He
belongs in the farm.”
- John: “Dear parents, remember that we are
in God’s Holy presence. Can we discuss the
matter in a more peaceful manner?”
- Bernard’s Dad: “Very well I’ll say it
peacefully… get rid oof this boy”
- “I demand that you expel the little
barbarian or I shall report this to the
authorities Fr. John!”
- John: “We don’t want to expel anyone here.
We are here for every child. We don’t
correct the behavior of students by just
getting rid of them”
- Albert’s Dad: “Enough my boy doesn’t need
this. You rich people are the barbarians”
- Then Albert’s Parents leave the room
- Bernard’s Dad: “Fr. De La Salle, I remind
you… Keep the poor in their place!”
- Then Bernard’s parents leave the room as
well
- John: “We have to explain to them that
what they demand Is against the Gospel
Principles on which Christian Schools are
founded.
- “Have faith in God’s will, my brothers. We
must lead them to become free from the
thoughts and feelings that enslave them”
- At that moment, John felt a very sharp pain
in his legs
- “This aching pain would haunt me for the
rest of my life”
- “It was just one of the small crosses that I
had to endure, but I had a good example to
follow…” (scene shows a picture of Jesus on
the wall)
- A few days later…
- Bernard came to school very down
- Nobody in the class wanted to talk to him or
notice his presence
- When he arrived home, his farther asked
him what was wrong
- He admitted that it was not Albert’s fault
- That night, Albert went out to tell John as
well
- A week later…
- John went to the farm where Albert was
- Albert was really happy and ran to hug him
- John saw that Albert was busy helping out
his father
- “Fetching water is only one of the things I
do, but I miss school”
- “Albert, there is someone here who misses
you at school”
- Then Bernard comes out of their ride
- “He came all the way out here to talk to
you”
- “Forgive me albert”
- “I’m so sorry for what I did to you. I’m such
a spoiled child… I hope you can forgive
me…”
- They shake hands then Albert asks his dad
to come there
- Bernard: “I told my parents about what
happened and they came here with me to
ask for your forgiveness too”
- Bernard’s Parents apologize and say they
are happy to help Albert with his needs so
that he can come back to school
- *John’s thoughts* “Thank you Lord”

CHAPTER 4
- Fast forward, scene shows an older version
of John (puti na buhok)
- John: “Dear Lord, Thank you for your care
and guidance. My prayers go out to you for
dear Br. Barthelemy. He deserves to be
chosen as my successor by his brothers. He
has the makings of a great leader, and he is
truly devoted to the welfare of our society.”
- “They are ready for a new beginning”
- “That gentle drifting leaf is like an angel
descending from heaven…”
- “… A gentle reminder from God that I’m
coming near my journey’s end.
Life moves in cycles. Life and death, and
them new life. And so the end to this story
also promises a new beginning.”
- Next scene…
- There are kids running in front of the church
- “I wanna be a brother when I grow up just
like Br. Albert”
- “Then I’ll be like Br. Bernard”
- Next scene…
- There are guys carrying stuff to a carriage
- “Let me help you Bernard”
- “Thanks Br. Albert”
- “We are ready to go Fr. John”
- Albert and Bernard are preparing the next
adventure of their journey as brothers
- “Albert, who came from a poor family,
courageous and resourceful…”
- “A young man who is passionate about
learning and teaching…”
- “Bernard, born from a wealthy family,
humble and generous…”
- “A young man, who learned to share God’s
good grace to the less fortunate…”
- “Life sometimes seems like it pushes us
around like wind that scatters the leaves.
- And when things do settle down and we
find ourselves in a brand-new place, the
story is not over yet.”
- “Each one of us is invited to notice the little
things around us that call for our attention.
The people that need a little help, they are
often as close as our own two feet.”
- “All that God asks us to do is that we bend
down and pick them up. God will do the
rest.”
- This scene shows John talking to Albert and
Bernard
- “I am the vine, you are the branches. If you
remain in me and I in you, you will bear
fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing” –
John 15:5
- “This is what I pray for-that you bear much
fruit…
- For he has chosen both of you to do his
work. Goodbye my Brothers.”
- “Remember to love the young people that
you teach, and bring Jesus alive in their
hearts.”
- “This is the greatest miracle that you can
perform. With his guidance, you cannot fail”
- “I adored God in all things that happened in
my life. God be blessed”