De La Salle College “Oaklands,” one of Canada’s oldest educational institutions with roots predating Canadian Confederation, celebrated its 175th anniversary in early June with the opening of the John Hunt Student Centre, named after the longest-serving teacher at the school.

The Institute of Brothers of the Christian Schools in Canada, which traces its origins to its legendary founder and the patron saint of teachers, French priest St. John Baptist de La Salle, has been providing high quality education to youth in faith and academics to reflect the midtown Toronto school’s motto of servant-leadership: “Enter to learn. Leave to serve.” It continues today with the support and dedication of lay teachers on staff.

About 700 people gathered on the picturesque private schools grounds — featuring majestic oak trees (hence the school’s nickname “Oaklands”) and the Brothers’ Heritage House showcasing Toronto’s dramatic gothic architecture — to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

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Br. Armin Luistro, FSC, Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, arrived from the De La Salle Christian Brothers’ international headquarters in Rome to celebrate the anniversary and participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony with his Canadian Brothers and the school community.

“With 175 years of God’s abiding grace, the Lasallian mission flourishes,” Luistro told those gathered to celebrate the milestone. “You are the single bearer of the Lasallian mission (in Canada) captured in one timeless prayer: Live Jesus in our hearts, forever.”

In this new world of AI, many are beginning to ask, what is the future of education? Luistre assured that the De La Salle Christian Brothers will continue to invest in its students

“Our mandate is crystal clear. We must forge ethical leadership and reject technology as a weapon” and use it for the common good, he said.

“We do not only prepare students for a job so they can earn for themselves. We shape them for life so they can serve all. We are called to one sacred duty: to remain profoundly human.” 

Kathleen Cope, who has four children at the school and is president of the Parents’ Association, spoke of a renewed commitment to continuing the school’s legacy and how plans for the first Del Lumiere fundraising gala next May at the new centre are already underway.

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“Milestone anniversaries are moments of renewal. They invite us as parents, staff, students and alumni not only to look back with gratitude, but to look forward with renewed commitment,” she said.

Principal Robert Lundy, who succeeds Br. Domenic Viggiani as president, said the school abides by “mission-driven education” inspired by the Lasallian mission of high quality Christian education and concern for those who are vulnerable and in need.

“We receive no money from the government or no other organizations. The money is put towards the mission of the school,” he said. 

De La Salle College dates back to 1851 and the request of Toronto’s Bishop Armand-Francois-Marie de Charbonnel for five brothers to come to Toronto from Montreal to open a grammar school at the corner of Lombard and Jarvis Streets. It operated out of a number of locations in Toronto before settling in 1931 in its current location on Avenue Road hill, south of St. Clair Avenue West, with 270 students at that time. 

In 1950, the Brothers and alumni worked towards establishing the present structure (the main building) which had 743 students.

Moving forward, incoming principal Philip Ejiro Tialobi, FSC, said he sees his role as a ministry of service to the students and to the church.

“I often say that De La Salle is God’s enterprise,” he said. “Education, for me, has two important paths, academic excellence and the formation of character.

“The legacy we have received must become a living mission in our own time. Our task is not only to prepare them for examinations or university, but to prepare them to become good persons, responsible citizens, compassionate leaders and people of faith.”

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Tialobi highlighted the decades-long partnership between the school and Mount La Salle College (Naka), with its Canadian sister school hosting fundraisers for the Nigerian school.

“This is the heart of the Lasallian mission: to teach minds, form hearts and transform lives.”