Saint Raphael Academy Welcome to the Saints family. Welcome home.

Lasallian Tradition

Saint Raphael Academy is a Roman Catholic educational community of the Diocese of Providence where students are loved, instructed, and guided according to the traditions of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. We draw inspiration from the charism of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, Founder of the Brothers and Patron Saint of Teachers.

As a Lasallian high school:

  • We educate in the Holy presence of God, striving for excellence by instilling Gospel values in all we do and by inspiring academic and spiritual growth.
  • We believe that teachers and staff stand in a providential and grace-filled relationship with students. Saint Raphael Academy students benefit from the witness of a caring, concerned, and dedicated faculty, administration and staff.
  • We are committed to create and sustain respectful human relationships in the community. Within such a setting, Saint Raphael Academy seeks to challenge its students to serve others, especially the poor, and to deepen a sense of responsibility in the world community.
  • We seek to serve and embrace students with varied academic needs and diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds and we do so in partnership with families and all those who are committed to living the Lasallian mission.

Core Values

The foundation of the Saint Raphael educational experience is our core values of faith, service, and community. Our mission is centered on the message of Jesus Christ and animated through the tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle.

Saint Raphael Academy shares in the teaching mission of the Catholic Church by promoting academic excellence in pursuit of wisdom. As a Lasallian school following the educational philosophy and spirituality of St. John Baptist de La Salle, we promote excellence in teaching, offer a rigorous curriculum, and challenge and support students of diverse academic abilities. We are committed to social justice and are guided by a preferential option for the poor.

Hallmarks of a Saint Raphael Academy education are its exemplary teaching and scholastic rigor, its community of faith, its concern for the poor, and its care and nurturing of each student. Our students’ experience today is referred to as Lasallian education, and is shared in more than 100 schools and ministries across the United States, as well as in 82 countries around the world.

 

Founder

St. John Baptist de La Salle (1651-1719) is the founder of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He was born into a wealthy family in Rheims, France, and ordained a priest of the Diocese of Rheims in 1678. De La Salle became aware of the fact that the children of the poor and artisans had no access to education. In 1689, he founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools teaching community so as to give a Christian education to the youth of the poor and the working class. De La Salle had great love for Holy Scripture, a great sense of always being in the presence of God, looking for God’s will in all things, a deep sense of prayer along with a spirit of prayer, faith and zeal. Today, they are found in 85 countries around the world and working in all aspects of education. Pope Leo XIII declared De La Salle as a saint in 1900. His feast is celebrated on May 15. De La Salle is the Patron Saint of teachers and is regarded as the “father of modern pedagogy.” He is respected as the innovator of many teaching techniques that are still in use today.

“To touch the hearts of your students with the Christian Message is the greatest miracle you can perform.”

Characteristics of Lasallian Spirituality:

  • The spirit of faith and zeal— we live our lives as men and women guided by faith in the very context of school life, as an integral part of the educational community. We learn to see the hand of God in the events of our lives, and His call to us.
  • Faith which is based on the Gospel-– De La Salle’s insistence on seeing everything in the light of the Gospel, an attitude sustained by constantly reading the Word of God, explains why daily reflection and remembering the holy presence of God were considered so important.
  • Faith and evangelization based on the community— to be able to promote effectively both human and Gospel values, we have to be seen to practice what we preach. We must work closely together; each person must support our goals by personal commitment to their fulfillment.
  • Special concern for the poor– we are called to live out the Gospel message of Matthew 25. “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do unto me.”
  • Willingness to be accessible to all — in a world where the pursuit of wealth is becoming more frenetic it is essential for us to develop a way of thinking and acting which reflects total availability and lack of self-seeking.(LLF)