About the Christian Brothers
The Christian Brothers are a Catholic religious congregation of lay men, founded in the city of Waterford, Ireland, by Edmund Rice in 1802.
Edmund Ignatius Rice was 40 years of age when he founded his congregation in response to the needs of the children of his own city and indeed the whole country. His wife died soon after they were married and since that time he increasingly devoted his energies and considerable fortune to the care of the sick, the needy and especially the children of Waterford.
Since Rice's compassion and concern were drawn to the human, spiritual and educational plight of the children of Ireland who had no opportunity, he built and opened his first school in 1802. Over the next 20 years, men from all walks of life began to join him and together they resolved to form a new religious congregation called the Christian Brothers, which was formally approved by Pope Pius VII in 1820.
Since Edmund Rice's death in 1844, 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. As the number of Christian Brothers is waning, the namesake of their founder is becoming more commonly used to describe schools following his philosophy, hence Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA).