Our History
Since 1680 educational institutions in more than eighty countries have been influenced by the vision and innovative spirit of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the Founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and the patron saint of teachers. De La Salle transformed education by forming a community of educators with whom he developed a spirituality of teaching and learning, to give a human and Christian education to young people, especially the poor.
Lasallian Education centers on Catholic values and personal relationships, emphasizing academic excellence, faith formation, inclusion, respect for the individual, service and social justice. A Lasallian Education strives to enrich each student’s cultural, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual development.
Today, the De La Salle Christian Brothers and their Lasallian Partners continue to respond to students through advancements in teaching, technology and scholarship. In Lasallian communities, educators touch hearts, stimulate minds and cultivate leadership to prepare students for life, work, and service to society and the Church.
As a part of the Lasallian tradition, Saint Paul’s School traces its origins to 1911, when the Benedictines of Saint Joseph Abbey purchased Dixon Academy in Covington. Its first session began with forty-eight students and the school quickly won a reputation for excellent instruction and strong discipline. Before the end of the first year, enrollment had grown to seventy boarders and thirty day students.
In 1918, the Benedictines sold the school to the Christian Brothers. They were first represented here by nineteen French Brothers who had been exiled from both France and Mexico for political reasons. These pioneer Brothers worked long hours, not only teaching and guiding their students, but also staffing the school as carpenters, painters, plumbers, electricians, and yardmen. Inspired by the zeal of the founding Brothers, Saint Paul’s has prospered. Saint Paul’s has maintained its reputation for educational excellence established by the Benedictines and the founding Brothers.
The gospel message is central to the mission of the Christian Brothers’ Lasallian Schools, and a spirit of faith and zeal inspires the Brothers and their colleagues to form in their students a set of God-centered Catholic values. Today, the Christian Brothers who work in the school and the retired Brothers who live on campus are supported by a faculty and staff of dedicated lay men and women – all who commit themselves to the educational philosophy of Saint John Baptist de La Salle.
TO SEE PICTURES FROM THE PAST AS WELL AS A SYNOPSIS OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS OF SAINT PAUL’S SCHOOL:
