St. Michael’s high school continues to be a part of the legacy left by the La Sallian Christian Brothers. The brothers opened St. Michael’s College for boys and young men in Santa Fe in 1859. Their mission was to continue the work of its founder St. John-Baptist de La Salle. In 1679 De La Salle opened his first school in Reims, France. In 1969 St. Mikes and Loretto Academy became a coed school.
The College of Santa Fe
The Christian bothers opened a four year college in 1947 in Santa Fe. Formally called St. Michael’s College it later became the College of Santa Fe, it closed in 2009. Today, St. Michael’s High School is one of hundreds of schools in 80 different countries that continues the educational vision of its French founder.
Godfrey Reggio
Godfrey Reggio was born in New Orleans and came to Santa Fe as a member the Christian Brothers. In the early 1960s he co-founded La Clinica de la Gente a medical clinic in the barrios of northern New Mexico and Young Citizens for Action, which helped to thwart youth gang violence. Not long after working with these organizations Reggio left the religious order and went on to become one of America’s most prominent experimental documentary film makers.
Award Winning Trilogy
His award-winning Qatsi-trilogy explores the complexities of living. All three titles of the trilogy derive from the Hopi language: Koyannisqatsi (life out of balance), Powaqqatsi (life in balance) and Naqoyqatsi (life as war). Reggio continues to make films bringing attention to life’s imbalance.