Prayer of theTeacher before School
This is a modernization of the prayer that the Christian Brothers prayed before school each day some time after 1850. Although some mistakenly attribute the origin of the prayer to De La Salle, Brother Gerard Rummery, FSC, a Lasallian scholar, notes it has its genesis in the eighteenth century Traité des Études by Charles Rollin. The prayer echoes the spirituality of St. John Baptist de La Salle, who was proclaimed by the Catholic church on May 15, 1950, to be the Patron Saint of Teachers.

You, O Lord,
are my strength, my patience, my light, and my counsel.
It is you who touch the hearts of the children entrusted to my care.
Abandon me not to myself for one moment.

For my own guidance and that of my students,
grant me the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety,
the spirit of a holy fear of you and an ardent zeal to procure your glory.

I unite my efforts to those of Jesus Christ, and I beg the Most Blessed Virgin,
Saint Joseph, the Guardian Angels, and Saint John Baptist de La Salle
to protect me this day in the performance of my duties. Amen.