The congregation, commonly abbreviated FSC (Fratres Scholarum Christianarum, Brothers of the Christian Schools), is a Roman Catholic congregation around lay religious men (no priests) devoted entirely to education and formation, especially of children and young people from poor families.
They live in community and collaborate closely with large networks of lay partners known as the Lasallians.

Their founder, John (Jean-Baptiste) de La Salle (1651–1719), was a priest from Reims, France.
He organized free schools, introduced innovations in teaching (instruction in vernacular language, graded classes, teacher training), and together with his brothers laid the foundations for a worldwide educational network.

The institute received papal approval in 1725. In 1900, De La Salle was canonized, and in 1950 he was declared the Patron Saint of all Catholic teachers.

The congregation’s mission is evangelization through education — “to provide a human and Christian education, especially for the poor.”
For that reason, the Brothers have always sought to serve in places where education was scarce or where vulnerable groups needed extra support: schools, boarding institutions, vocational centres, teacher training colleges, and social projects.

Missionary work and expansion

Today, the Lasallian network is present in nearly 80 countries, with more than 1,000 educational institutions and a generalate in Rome.
The five world regions are covered: Europe–Mediterranean, Africa–Madagascar, North America, Latin America, and Asia–Oceania, spanning a presence from Europe and North America to Africa, Asia, and the Pacific.

The first missionary brothers of the Institute left France in 1841 for Canada and in 1848 for Burma (Myanmar).
Their first (real) sustained mission outside Europe began in 1851 in Burma, followed by India (1859) and Egypt (1858–1860).
By the late 19th century (ca. 1870–1890), new missions were founded in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Australia, Papua New Guinea, Africa (1894–1899), and Latin America — all focused on education, formation, and catechesis in colonial regions where Catholic schools were in demand.

The Lasallian presence in Belgium

Belgium’s first Lasallian community was founded in 1817 (Brussels, Sint-Jan-Molenbeek).
The Belgian province grew rapidly during the 19th century, and by 1870–1880 it was already sending brothers as missionaries abroad.
The first Belgian Brothers of the Christian Schools left for Congo around 1909–1911, shortly before the First World War, sent by the Belgian province of the congregation.

They worked in Boma, Léopoldville (Kinshasa), Matadi, and later in Katanga, focusing on education, the formation of native catechists, technical and vocational schools, and agricultural training.
Throughout the 20th century, Belgian brothers were also pioneers in missions in Rwanda, Burundi, Madagascar, Haiti, and the Philippines.