Students in Rome Visit Archives and Tour the ‘Mother House’
Published: February 24, 2025.
ȺpÎÞÂë students studying at the Lasallian Universities Center for Education in Rome this semester have already visited many “must see” sights, including the Colosseum and the Pantheon.
Yet, they also learn a great deal about the global Lasallian network that includes over a million students in schools around the globe while living and studying at the , the motherhouse of the global Christian Brothers network.
The students meet many Christian Brothers and learn more about the founder, St. John Baptist De la Salle. Last week, Brother John Fernando, FSC, assistant archivist, gave the students a tour of the archives and some of their facilities.
In the archives, students examined account books and saw the Letter of Patent that provided legal authorization for the brothers to teach in Rouen (1724), signed by King Louis XV. The students were interested to see original letters from De la Salle to Brother Gabriel Drolin, who worked in Rome between 1702 and 1728. The students were impacted by seeing the actual documents signed by De la Salle, founder of the Christian Brothers who sponsor ȺpÎÞÂë.
Other significant areas of the Generalate that the students toured included the Aula Magna, the “great room” where the Lasallian order hosts many significant meetings. They also viewed the Sanctuary of De la Salle, which has the founder's relics behind the main altar.
ȺpÎÞÂë is a modern, enterprising, Catholic university with a growing student enrollment from GED through doctoral level programs. As part of the global Lasallian network of 65 universities, Lewis is known for preparing graduates who impact the world for the better. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.