The Sisters of the Child Jesus

N icolas Roland founded, in 1670, the Congregation of the Sisters of the Child Jesus of Rheims, a community of nuns dedicated to the education of orphans and poor girls. Nicolas Roland is considered a precursor of John Baptist de La Salle, of whom he was the director of conscience. I t is there that on March 15, 1679, John Baptist de La Salle met Adrien Nyel at the Sisters of the Child Jesus, rue du Barbâtre He had been sent to him by his relative Mme de Maillefer, with the mission to create free schools for poor little boys, hitherto neglected. E ight months later, the first free school for boys opens in the parish of Saint Maurice and a second one in the parish of Saint-Jacques. D e la Salle was concerned about the lack of training of the teachers and the fact that their lives were not in line with the ambition they had for themselves, namely to be educators of the faith. He rented a house close to his own to accommodate them together and he offered them a daily schedule including several moments of prayer.