April 7 ~ St. John the Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719)

FRATERNITY is leading little brothers to Christ

Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  ~ Luke 18:16 NIV

John was a French priest who became famous as a teacher of underprivileged boys.  When he became aware of the needs of poor children, he felt himself called to respond.  John would later give away his share of the family fortune.  He began training a group of young men as teachers, thus beginning the order known today as the Christian Brothers.  John successfully introduced several new educational methods and established colleges for training teachers.  His success in training delinquent and underprivileged boys provoked bitter opposition from secular schoolmasters, who resented his emphasis on Christian values.  Ignoring his critics, John urged his teachers to treat their students with love, compassion, and concern for their spiritual well-being.  One of the lessons we learn from John is that our calling from God may at first seem unpleasant, but if we persevere, we will learn to love the life God intends for us.  John initially didn’t want to work with children, but he obeyed the LORD’s will, and ended up being very happy and fulfilled in his educational ministry.  Another lesson, as John learned, was that educating young people is an important way of serving Christ – especially by preparing them for eternity through an emphasis on faith and morality.  ~ J.M. Guerin

Knights are the big brothers of Squires.  What has our council planned for this year to support and mentor our Squires Circle?

The Savior has only good things to say about children.~ Author unknown

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