The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a world-wide community of religious brothers of the Catholic church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice.The first school was opened in Waterford, Ireland, in 1802. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelization and education of youth, but work in many ministries, especially ministries with the poor. In Catholicism, beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed, via Greek μακαριος, makarios) is a recognition accorded by the church of a dead persons accession to Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name (intercession of saints). ... Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice (born 1762, died 1844) was a Catholic missionary and educationalist who was Beatified by Pope John Paul II in October 1996. ... Waterford (Irish: Port Lairge) is, historically, the capital of County Waterford in Ireland, though today the city is administered separately from the county, the latter having its seat in Dungarvan. ... --69. ... There are at least two religious orders that go by the informal name Christian Brothers. ...

Formation

Rice considered joining a religious order on the Continent, but instead, with the support of the Catholic bishop of Waterford, Dr. Hussey, decided to open a school for the poor. A bishop is an ordained member of the Christian clergy who, in certain Christian churches, holds a position of authority. ...

In 1803 the citizens of Waterford built a monastery for the young men who had been drawn to assist Rice. The reputation of the school spread and many young men sought to become “brothers”. Houses were soon opened in Carrick-on-Suir, Dungarvan, and in 1811, in Cork. In 1812 the Archbishop of Dublin established a community in Dublin. By 1907 there were ten communities in Dublin with in excess of 6,000 pupils. The schools included primary, secondary and technical schools, along with orphanages and a school for the deaf. A community was founded in Limerick in 1816, followed by establishments in many of Ireland’s principal towns. A monastery is the habitation of monks, derived from the Greek word for a hermits cell. ... Main St. ... Dungarvan (Dún Garbháin in Irish) is a town and harbour on the south coast of Ireland in the province of Munster. ... Cork (Corcaigh in Irish) is the second city of the Republic of Ireland. ... Primate of Ireland is a title possessed by the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland (Anglican) Archbishops of Dublin. ... Dublin (Irish: Baile Átha Cliath), is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Ireland, located near the midpoint of Irelands east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region. ... Primary or elementary education is the first years of formal, structured education that occurs during childhood. ... High school is the name used for the last segment of compulsory education in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mauritius, New Zealand (in New Zealand college is more commonly used as a generic term for secondary school) Philippines, Scotland, South Africa, some established schools in Singapore... A blacksmith is a traditional trade. ... An orphanage is an institution dedicated to caring for orphans (children without living parents). ... Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the province of Munster, in the midwest of the Republic of Ireland. ...

The Holy See formally established the order in 1820. The Christian Brothers was the first Irish order of men approved by a charter from Rome. The Pope (from Greek: pappas, father; from Latin: papa, Papa, father) is the successor of St. ...

Expansion

The order spread to Liverpool and other parts of England. Brother Ambrose Treacy established a very successful presence in Melbourne, Australia in 1868. In 1875 a school was opened in St. John’s, Newfoundland. In 1878 the Brothers were introduced to Gibraltar. Communities were established in New Zealand and, in 1886 the Pope made it clear that he wanted the Brothers in India. A province of the order was established there. In 1900 the order was invited to establish houses in Rome. In 1906 the order established schools in New York City. Liverpools skyline, as seen from the River Mersey. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK 50. ... The City of Melbournes coat of arms The central business district of Melbourne, viewed from the north Alternate meanings: Melbourne (disambiguation) Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia, with a population of 52,117 in the Central... City motto: Senatus Populusque Romanus – SPQR (The Senate and the People of Rome) Founded 21 April 753 BC mythical, 1st millennium BC Region Latium Mayor Walter Veltroni (Left-Wing Democrats) Area  - City Proper  1290 km² Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density (city proper) 2,823,807 almost 4,000,000 1... The Empire State Building (right) and the Chrysler Building (left) are easily recognized symbols of New York City to the world. ...

The Brothers' schools continue to be of many types, including primary, secondary and technical schools, orphanages and schools for the deaf.

Sexual Molestation Charges (Canada)

• In 1898, the bishop of St. John’s, Newfoundland donated land for an orphanage. It was named Mount Cashel after the site in Ireland where St. Patrick is said to have baptized the pagan king Aenghus in 450. Provincial agencies began placing wards of the state at Mount Cashel in the 1950s.

• In 1989, Roman Catholic priest Rev. James Hickey was charged with sexually molesting young boys in his parish. The investigation prompted charges against other priests, including several members of the Irish Christian Brothers running the Mount Cashel orphanage. There were also allegations that previous investigations beginning in 1975 had been covered up, and the offenders whisked away to other provinces, where they received treatment and soon took on new religious postings.

• The church set up a commission of enquiry, and the Newfoundland government established a royal commission (the Hughes Inquiry) to investigate. The publicity also lead to other investigations into sexual abuse in institutions across Canada.

• By March 1989 police had laid 77 charges against the eight members of the Irish Congregation of Christian Brothers who were implicated in the earlier investigation. They also charged a ninth man for more recent offences, and laid 17 charges against three civilians.

• Nine Christian Brothers were eventually convicted and sentenced to between one and 13 years in prison.

• The Hughes Inquiry concluded that officials had indeed covered up the sexual abuse at Mount Cashel, and recommended that the victims be compensated. But it said there was insufficient evidence to charge church and government officials for obstructing justice.

• In 1992, CBC Television aired a movie called The Boys of St. Vincent. The film starred Henry Czerny in a story loosely based on the Mount Cashel abuse scandal. The original broadcast was banned in Ontario and parts of Quebec for fear it would prejudice the outcomes of ongoing abuse trials. It was rebroadcast a year later, reaching more than 2 million viewers each of the two nights. The film was then released internationally, winning film festival awards at Cannes, Banff, Columbus and New York.

• The orphanage was closed in 1990, the facility razed and the land sold. It became the site of a supermarket and a residential development called the Howley Estates. A piece of the orphanage was installed as a small monument to the children of Mount Cashel.

• On April 5, 1992, the Christian Brothers formally apologized to the victims of abuse at Mount Cashel.

• The fight to compensate the victims of Mount Cashel lasted for many years. In 1996 the Newfoundland government paid $11.5 million in compensation. The courts ordered the assets of the Christian Brothers of Ireland in Canada sold to compensate the victims. They were to receive between $20,000 and $600,000 in compensation.

• There was another legal battle over the ownership of two Vancouver schools held by members of the Brothers. St. Thomas More Collegiate in Burnaby and Vancouver College in Shaughnessy were slated to be liquidated to pay damages to the Newfoundland victims. But lawyers for the schools said they were not owned by the Order of Christian Brothers, but by four individual members who held shares. In 2002 the schools paid $19-million in an out-of-court settlement.

Today

The order currently boasts about 1,900 brothers across twenty-nine countries. The brothers have provinces in Europe, North America, Oceania, Africa, Latin America, and India. The order is governed by a superior general, who resides in Rome. World map showing Europe Europe is conventionally considered one of the seven continents which, in this case, is more a cultural and political distinction than a physiogeographic one. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... World map showing Oceania (geographically) Oceania is a geographical (often geopolitical) region consisting of numerous countries and territories – mostly islands – in the Pacific Ocean. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ...

External links

Catholic Encyclopædia