We discover the Hotel de La Salle Museum, where John Baptist de la Salle was born in 1651. In French, he was always called “Jean Baptiste,” but in English, he is known as “John Baptist.” He grew up in this house for the first 13 years, surrounded by cousins, younger brothers, and sisters, as he was one of eleven children. It was from Hotel de la Cloche that De La Salle would leave twice a day to follow lessons in the College des Bons Enfants. We meet members of the LaSallian Community who guide us through Saint’s life in Reims. Our next stop is the Motherhouse of the Sisters of the Child Jesus, founded by Blessed Nicolas Roland, Saint John Baptist de La Salle’s teacher and spiritual leader. Blessed Roland asked De La Salle to oversee a group of sisters after his ordination, thus beginning his contributions to the cause of Catholic education. We visit the historic Cathedral Notre-Dame of Reims in the afternoon, built between 1211 and 1516. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site is the Coronation Cathedral, where all but two of the French kings were coronated. This Basilica was liberated with the help of St. Joan of Arc, and we see her famous statue in the city. There is also a statue of Saint John Baptist de la Salle in a chapel of the Cathedral where he was ordained and celebrated his first Mass and where we celebrate Mass today. (TBC) We see from the outside Lycée Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the premier LaSallian school in the city, and the College des Bons Enfants, the first college founded in the town, where De La Salle began his formal education in 1661 at the age of ten. We also see Reims University and the Church of St. Maurice. Dinner and overnight in Reims.
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