Brothers Vocation
Explore the vocation of the Christian Brothers and our dedication to faith, education, and serving those in need.
Discernment Is Hard Work. You Are Not Alone.
Discernment is a process and is an intentional way of discovering how God is leading you to be the person you were meant to be.
We invite you to discern our Gospel life and community where the experience of God is shared as we are Brothers to one another and older Brothers to the young entrusted to our care.
If you are considering joining us, you will have the chance to connect with a Brother, meet other men who are also considering this path, take part in service activities at the core of our mission, and get a glimpse into the daily life of the Brothers.
How We Support You
This support comes in different forms, tailored to your specific needs and circumstances, including age, education level, employment, and personal situation. However, key components will involve regular communication with the vocation director or another Brother, learning about a Brother's life, the Lasallian mission, and the Brothers' community life, and gaining experience in educational service with the underprivileged.
You will be able to observe the Brothers, learn about their values and way of life, and see how you identify with their lifestyle. If you feel the call to explore this path with us, please reach out to a vocation director.
Called To Evangelize and Educate In Community As Brothers
As Brothers, we live in community with one another and find places in our communities to be evangelized, develop personally, and discern educational needs and our ministry.
“The community life of the Brothers is, above all, a gift from God, which they receive through Jesus Christ present in their midst. It is he who gives them the Spirit of love who lives in each Brothers and unites the community” – Rule of the Brothers
Our communities are our homes, where we share life together, friendship and fraternity with our fellow Brothers, trust and respect. It is the place where we share the joys and challenges of life with one another. Through daily prayer, sharing meals together, social activities, and ministry, we are present and active in one another’s lives.
During various stages of the process, discerners will be invited to join community life, from visiting for prayer and meals to live-in experiences.
Vocation Team
Meet a Brother
We call Brother Charles, Chuck. In Chuck we have a Nebraska boy from small town Elgin who has become a world traveler. Brother Charles Gregor spent years teaching in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Kansas City, Miss
Brother Larry has served many of our schools with great energy, creativity and has always been a source of joy. He is totally attentive to the needs of his faculty and staff.
Frank served the Midwest District when it was first formed in 1995 as Auxiliary Visitor and later as the Brothers' Visitor. Brother Francis Carr, Visitor, served the District during difficult times...
Commonly Asked Questions
A Brother is a vowed religious male who dedicates his life to a specific ministry or work within a Catholic religious order. In some orders, there are both priests – who are ordained and engage in sacramental ministry as their primary focus- and Brothers. Other orders have only priests. The De La Salle Christian Brothers is a congregation of Brothers only.
For Brothers of all congregations, the primary means of ministry, spirituality, purpose, and joy is through living authentically and faithfully our Gospel call and the charism of our religious order.
Those deciding on becoming Brothers have diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, but they also share some common characteristics.
Discerners are single men who wish to deepen their faith within a community of like-minded individuals while being drawn to the work of education and young people. Typically, discerners are between 20-40 years old and have completed or are currently attending college or university.
They are open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to explore the opportunities and joys a religious community offers in living out their purpose, passion, and God’s call in their lives.
Discernment of religious life is a process for both the individual and the community they discern with.
In our process, we invite those interested in learning more about our vocation to be in touch with a vocation director.
Initial conversations may lead to joining the Contact program, where discerners meet with a Brother, visit communities, and experience prayer, ministry, and community life. More serious discerners may participate in a live-in experience, living and working in a Lasallian community and school.
Early on, De La Salle and the Brothers decided that they would best serve their mission by concentrating entirely on the ministry of teaching. The only priest in the order was him.
Today, the Brothers remain the largest group of lay religious men in the Church devoted exclusively to education. The Brothers bring the Gospel to the educational world with singleness of devotion and purpose, solely through the ministry of education.
Those who are called to priestly ministry, along with teaching, will find very good religious orders that do so.
Being a Brother offers the joy of being part of a worldwide, prayerful, and supportive community. Brothers serve in a variety of educational settings, from in-need schools to top universities.
There’s always a place that needs you, always a community that welcomes you, and always a need that calls out to you. Daily life is punctuated by times for prayer, times for study, times for teaching, and times for community activities.
Personal and professional relationships grow wider and deeper as the years progress – all of them informed and transformed by one’s relationship with God.
Prior to their Novitiate experience, a Brother receives his habit, a sign of deeper commitment to his vocation as a Brother of the Christian Schools. De La Salle wrote a Memorandum on the Habit of the early Brothers’ community.
The Brothers’ habit is black with a two-piece white collar, called a rabat, which was common to religious people and professionals in De La Salle’s day. It is distinctive on purpose to identify them as Brothers, not as clerics.
The primary function of the habit for the Brothers fosters a distinct internal spiritual identity and a more tangible collective cohesion.
Want to Join?
Interested in exploring your options to become a Brother? We're looking forward to hearing from you!
