In May 1853, five Christian Brothers moved their small Canal Street school to what was then known as Manhattanville, a section of New York City at 131st Street and Broadway. The Brothers brought with them more than their furniture and their students. They were the bearers of an educational tradition that began in 17th century France with Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of their order and today acknowledged by the Catholic Church as the Patron Saint of Teachers.