Adrian Nyel

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Adrian Nyel was a 17th century French educator. Nyel was a layman who was in charge of the house for the poor in Rouen, France, where he also oversaw the education of poor boys, along with other poorly paid teachers. In 1679, he was asked by a Madame Mallefer to go to her native city of Reims and establish a school for poor boys there.

When Nyel arrived in Reims, he went to the Sisters of the Infant Jesus, who ran an orphanage and school for poor girls in the town, in order to solicit their help in his project. As it happened, while he was visiting the convent, John Baptist de La Salle showed up to visit the convent, since they were a group with whom he was already involved in various ways. The Mother Superior introduced the two men to one another, and De La Salle listened to the details of Nyel's project. Knowing that the town of Reims would not be much in favor of yet another school for the poor, he invited Nyel (along with the fourteen-year-old assistant whom he had brought with him) to his family home so that a suitable plan might be put together.

During the subsequent two weeks, De La Salle invited trusted clerical members of society to come to him home in order to help determine how best to establish such a school for poor boys. Finally, it was decided that such a school would work best as part of a parish institution. Parish priests, as a result of decisions from the Council of Trent, were able to provide for the education of the poor in their parishes without requiring the permission of either the Superintendent of Schools (a function of the local diocese) or the permission of the city. Soon enough, Nyel had gathered a group of teachers and they began to teach in a nearby parish that was sympathetic to his goals.

Within a few months, word reached him that another wealthy widow in the town wanted to establish a similar school in her parish. Nyel went to see her and assured her that he was the right person to do the job. But she was more wary about it. Therefore, Nyel returned to De La Salle and requested him to come to the dying widow in order to provide the guarantee that her money would be used for the designated purpose. Reluctantly, De La Salle agreed to come, and with his family's reputation in Reims - let along his own - he was all the assurance that she needed to complete the transaction.

Within the year, Nyel had established yet another school in the area, and De La Salle found himself involved with trying to keep these school stable and functioning well, although he had no intention to do so. He was only trying to live up to his promise to the widow that the teachers would do as she had asked. And so De La Salle became involved in education step by step.

Not long after establishing these schools, Nyel went away to begin other schools in outlying areas, leaving De La Salle to oversee the schools in Reims. Nyel was good at starting schools and getting teachers, but he was not good in running schools or maintaining them. He perhaps saw that De La Salle, being 32 years younger than he, had the intelligence, dedication, and drive to do so, if only he was "forced" to do so through a sense of obligation.

De La Salle subsequently became a leader in educational innovation, founding a religious order of Brothers whose educational tradition is found in over 1000 educational institutions in 84 countries around the world.

Nyel ended his years by returning to Rouen and working in the place where he had started. His influence, leadership, and humility led to the Lasallian schools that exist today. Without the spark that he provided, the fire would not have been lit.