The history of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, an Irish organisation founded in 1802 by Edmund Ignatius Rice.
Last updated 2009-12-02
The history of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, an Irish organisation founded in 1802 by Edmund Ignatius Rice.
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a Roman Catholic lay congregation founded in Waterford, Ireland in 1802 for the purpose of educating poor Catholic boys in the area. Its founder was Edmund Ignatius Rice, a wealthy local businessman.
The institute is sometimes called the Christian Brothers of Ireland to distinguish it from a similarly-named organisation in France.
Many boys taught by the Christian Brothers in Ireland and England went on to achieve great success in public life.
Actors Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne, poet Roger McGough and the former Director-General of the BBC, Lord Birt, were all educated by the Christian Brothers.
In the early 2000s the history of the Christian Brothers was marred when widespread and systematic child abuse was exposed in Catholic-run institutions in Ireland. More allegations were made against the Christian Brothers than the other male orders combined. (Allegations were not confined to Ireland, with reports of abuse occuring in orders in Australia, the US and Canada.) The Christian Brothers accepted the findings were correct and in November 2009 the organisation announced they would be paying £145m million in reparations.
In 1802, Edmund Ignatius Rice, a wealthy businessman of south-east Ireland, devoted his life to educating the children of the poor.
An inspiring man, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II, so that Catholics call him The Blessed Edmund Rice.
Rice was concerned by the poverty and lack of education in his home city of Waterford. During Rice's lifetime, Ireland's population doubled, resulting in great hardship for young and old alike.
Seeing such suffering, Rice feared for the spiritual well-being of young people who had to live in appalling conditions.
Rice lost his wife after only a few years of marriage and had a sickly young daughter to look after.
His strong faith led him to consider becoming a monk, but he could not ignore the poverty around him.
He sold his business, and devoted his money and life to educating the poor. In 1802, he opened his first school in Waterford, Ireland.
Many people were inspired by his faith and work, and soon a monastery was built nearby to house the new brothers.
The reputation of the school spread quickly and by 1811 the Bishop of Cork encouraged a new house to be built in Cork.
For the next hundred years the Christian Brothers' Schools of Cork continued to educate children. In 1812 a community was established in Dublin and by 1907 there were 10 communities educating around 6000 children.
There were schools, orphanages, and a school for the deaf.
In 1820 the Christian Brothers were the first Irish order of men to be formally approved by a charter from Rome.
The Congregation of the Christian Brothers spread throughout Ireland and eventually reached English cities such as Liverpool and London.
By the end of the 19th century the influence of the Christian Brothers had spread around the world.
By 2002, their 200th anniversary, there were about 1800 Christian Brothers, 600 of them in Ireland.
Edmund Ignatius Rice died in 1844. On 6 October 1996 he was beatified by Pope John Paul II.
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