Recognizing the need for strong, principled, and visionary African leadership, the former Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hon. Meles Zenawi, in 1997 asked Pope St. John Paul II to establish a Catholic University in Ethiopia to address the acute needs throughout Ethiopia, with a particular focus on health and medical services.
The name of the Brothers’ Institute is the Brothers of the Christian Schools. To retain the connection with their founder, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, we call ourselves De La Salle Christian Brothers in ordinary conversation. The FSC following the Brothers’ names stands for the Latin name of the congregation, Fratres Scholarum Christianarum. Pope Benedict XIII granted approval of the Institute in 1725.
The Brothers of the Christian Schools began making a difference in people's lives over 320 years ago. The name of the Brothers’ Institute is the Brothers of the Christian Schools. To retain the connection with their founder, Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the Brothers call themselves De La Salle Christian Brothers in ordinary conversation.
We were founded by St. John Baptist de La Salle, a French priest, who saw the need for a group of lay men who would dedicate their lives to the ministry of Christian education, especially for the poor.