Legacy of the Brothers
St. John Baptist de La Salle, a prominent French priest, founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools “to give a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor and working class.” De La Salle transformed education by forming a community of educators steadfastly dedicated to the intellectual growth and spiritual well-being of its students. In 1876, the De La Salle Christian Brothers brought that legacy to the Sacramento Valley establishing the St. Patrick Institute at 12th and K streets, evolving into what is now Christian Brothers High School. Through the years, a remarkable 378 Brothers served our community as teacher, administrators, coaches, and mentors. The Brothers lived in community on campus while overseeing the mission of the school through teaching, coaching, and administrative roles. In addition to education, members of the Christian Brothers began making communion and medicinal wine and brandy in Napa at Mt. La Salle and Greystone Wineries. This production generated revenue for the various ministries of the Brothers.
A Rich Tradition of Athletics
Baseball and Football were the first sports offerings for young boys attending Christian Brothers. As the student body numbers increased and athletics leagues in the state became more established, the variety and competitive level of athletics grew. Christian Brothers currently offers 26 Varsity sports for both boys and girls with the newest addition being girls Flag Football. The success of the athletics programs has been well established and recorded with state, section, and league championships – the most recent being the DII Girls Track and Field Section championship and the DII Boys Swim and Dive Section Championship in May 2026. Catholic schools in the area also continue their competitive rivalries with “Holy” games throughout the year- most notably Holy Bowl, a football game against Jesuit High School taking place every September at Hughes Stadium for the past 54 years.
Insignia Through the Years
Although the Lasallian spirit of our community remains unwavering over the past 150 years, the physical campus, location, and logo of the school has evolved. Originally St. Patrick’s Institute, then Christian Brothers College, Christian Brothers School, Bishop Armstrong High School and finally Christian Brothers High School, the school has undergone not only changes in name but location as well. Starting at 12th and K streets just behind the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, to a short stint at 39th and J streets, and a large campus at 21st and Broadway, before establishing roots in Oak Park on MLK Blvd. With the close of Bishop Manogue and Loretto high schools, the student body also underwent a change, going co-divisional, and then fully co-educational in the fall of 1990 with the class of 1991 graduating its first female students in the school’s history. As far as mascots are concerned, Christian Brothers has been officially connected to two, the Gaels up until 1958, and our current mascot, the Falcons.
For more information on the 150 year legacy of Christian Brothers High School, see our online Archive and digital copy of Let Us Remember: A History of Christian Brothers High School