Through your association with CBU, you become part of the global mission of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, the largest Roman Catholic order dedicated to teaching.

As a Lasallian Catholic institution, CBU traces its origins to a priest and educational innovator of 17th century France, Saint John Baptist de La Salle. Born in 1651, De La Salle began a new system of Christian Schools in which the teachers assist parents in the educational, ethical and religious formation of their children. To continue his vision, De La Salle founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (known today as the De La Salle Christian Brothers). In Latin, the group's name is Fratres Scholarum Christianarum — the "FSC" often seen after a Brother's name. The spiritual and pedagogical insights of Saint John Baptist de La Salle are the foundations of the Lasallian Community of which you are now a member.

Today, the Lasallian Community, the ongoing home of De La Salle's tradition and spirit, is alive and functioning in 82 countries of the world and in more than 1,000 educational institutions. The De La Salle Christian Brothers, along with 100,000 Lasallian lay colleagues, serve more than 1,000,000 students and their families worldwide. Here in the United States there are more than 100 Lasallian educational institutions. Christian Brothers University is one of the six Lasallian colleges and universities in the United States.