About Edmund Rice
The Christian Brothers are a Catholic Religious Congregation of lay men, founded in the city of Waterford, Ireland, by Edmund Ignatius Rice in 1802.
In 1789, after the death of his wife in an accident soon after they were married, Edmund Rice began to devote himself more to prayer and charitable work, particularly with the poor and marginalised. He increasingly devoted his energies and considerable fortune to the care of the sick, the needy and the children of Waterford. He was especially drawn to the plight of poor children whose parents could not afford to send them to the paying schools of the time.
When his handicapped daughter reached adulthood, Edmund Rice made provision for her and resolved to go to Rome to enter a monastic congregation to serve God in prayer and silence. However he couldn't deny his great compassion and concern for the human, spiritual and educational plight of the children of Ireland who had no opportunity.
At forty years of age, then, Edmund Rice founded his Congregation in response to the needs of the children of his own city and indeed the whole country. He built and opened his first school in 1802 and over the next twenty years a considerable number of men from all walks of life began to join him. Together they resolved to form a new Religious Congregation which was formally approved by Pope Pius VII in 1820.
Edmund Rice died on the 29th August 1844. His reputation for holiness spread rapidly and he was Beatified by Pope John Paul II in October, 1996.
Since his death, the Christian Brothers have expanded to serve in all parts of the world. They first arrived in Australia in 1843 but returned to Ireland in 1847 when it became impossible for them to retain an identity here. They returned in 1868 and have since opened over 150 schools across the country. His reputation for holiness spread rapidly and he was Beatified by Pope John Paul II in October, 1996.