Our Charisms
St John’s Regional College is shaped by two foundational charisms: those of the De La Salle Brothers, who were the College’s first administrators, and the Presentation Sisters, who have had a presence in Dandenong since 1912.
De La Salle Brothers
The journey of Saint John Baptist de La Salle into education was inspired by two influential figures, Nicholas Roland and Adrian Nyel. Confronted by the struggles of the poor, De La Salle recognised that education was the most powerful means of breaking the cycle of poverty.
He gathered a group of committed men who became known as the “Brothers” – brothers to each other in community, and elder brothers to the young people they served. These Christian schools welcomed all students, particularly the poor and marginalised, offering a learning environment grounded in love, dignity and opportunity.
In 1900, De La Salle was canonised and is now honoured as the patron Saint of teachers.
The Presentation Sisters
In 18th-century Dublin, Honora (Nano) Nagle came face to face with desperate poverty and was moved by the hardship and oppression she witnessed among the poor, particularly children. In response, she founded schools and care ministries that directly challenged the injustice of the Penal Laws, which denied education to the Irish Catholic poor.
The Presentation Sisters have been part of the Dandenong community since 1912. From the earliest days of St John’s, they contributed as teachers, counsellors and administrators – playing a vital role in shaping the College throughout the 1950s, 60s, 70s and beyond.
Nano became affectionately known as “The Lady with the Lantern”, and her Sisters as “Nano’s Walking Nuns” – renowned for their compassionate presence in the streets of Cork, where they brought light and hope to those most in need.
