The Brothers of Christian Instruction ( la, Institutum Fratrum Instructionis Christianae de Ploërmel, F.I.C.P.''Ann. Pont. 2007'', p. 1499.), commonly known as the La Mennais Brothers, is a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

educational organization founded in 1819 by Gabriel Deshayes and Jean-Marie de la Mennais for the instruction of youth. Their aim remains that of their Founder: "to educate the young and to make Jesus Christ better known and better loved". The brothers are bound by the simple

vows A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath. A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual. Marriage vows Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddi ...

of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

History

On June 16, 1819, Gabriel Deshayes, pastor at Auray and vicar general of Vannes, and

Jean-Marie de Lamennais Jean-Marie Robert de La Mennais, FICP (or de Lamennais; 1780–1860) was a Breton Catholic priest and brother of the philosopher Felicité Robert de Lamennais, whom he influenced in their youth. He was a leading figure in the revival of the Ca ...

, vicar of Saint-Brieuc, two

priests in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, established the

Daughters of Providence The Daughters of Providence of Paris were members of a Catholic religious congregation for women in 17th-century France. The Daughters had their origins in the "Seminary of Providence" founded in 1643, with the authorization of King Louis XIII, ...

and the Brothers of Christian Instruction. The first brothers took their novitiates with the Christian Brothers, whose rule was to a large extent adopted. The organization dedicated itself to promoting education among the

working class The working class (or labouring class) comprises those engaged in manual-labour occupations or industrial work, who are remunerated via waged or salaried contracts. Working-class occupations (see also " Designation of workers by collar colou ...

and, eventually, across the world. The motherhouse was established at

Ploërmel Church Saint-Armel Ploërmel (; ; Gallo language: ''Pieurmè'') is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. On 1 January 2019, the former commune Monterrein was merged into Ploërmel. Character of the town The to ...

in November 1824. In 1876, the Brothers of Gascony, founded by Bishop de la Croix d’Azolette, then Archbishop of Auch, and in 1880, the Brothers of Sainte-Marie de Tinchebray, founded by Father Charles-Augustin Duguey, subsumed themselves within the Brothers of Ploërmel."Our History", La Mennais, Rome
The Brothers received canonical approval by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

on March 13, 1891. From the motherhouse at Ploërmel, the brothers founded sites in England, Africa, Asia, North America, and Oceania. In 1886 the first brothers arrived in Montreal and were shortly afterwards introduced into the United States. To escape the effects of a 1901 French law curtailing certain kinds of religious schooling, the motherhouse was transferred to

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

, England. In 1903, following through on the strict secularism of the 1901 law, the French government dissolved the brotherhood's French presence and confiscated its properties. At the same time, they established a presence in Bulgaria, Turkey, and Egypt. The Brothers of Christian Instruction grew, extending their mission to the Philippines and Spain, and expanding it in the United Kingdom. In 2015, 1,300 members of the Brothers of Christian Instruction were spread across 25 countries."Brothers of Christian Instruction", Ohio History Central
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Institutions

Collège Jean de la Mennais Collège Jean de la Mennais is a French private mixed secondary school on the South Shore of Montreal, Québec, Canada at 870 Chemin de Saint-Jean in the municipality of La Prairie. As of 2007, the school had about 1750 elementary and high scho ...

St. Francis Xavier's College (Liverpool) {{Infobox school , name = St. Francis Xavier's College , image = St. Francis Xavier's College Crest.gif , image_size = , coordinates = {{coord, 53.382662, -2.880281, type:edu_ ...

* St. John Fisher Ibanda Secondary School *

St Mary's Independent School, Southampton St Mary's Independent School, formerly named St Mary's College, was an independent day school for boys and girls in Southampton, Hampshire, England. The school was located on the site of a former a country house called Bitterne Grove, built c17 ...

* St. Mary's International School *

Walsh University Walsh University is a private Roman Catholic university in North Canton, Ohio. It enrolls approximately 2,700 students and was founded in 1960 by the Brothers of Christian Instruction as a liberal arts college. Walsh College became Walsh Univers ...

Institution Saint-Louis de Gonzague Institution Saint-Louis de Gonzague is a primary and secondary Roman Catholic school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It was founded and is run by the Brothers of Christian Instruction (FIC) (''Frères de l'instruction chrétienne de Ploërmel''). The ...

in Delmas, Haiti *

St. Charles Lwanga Secondary School, Kasasa in Masaka, Uganda ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

* St. Henry's College Kitovu in Masaka, Uganda *

St. Mary's College, Kisubi ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

in Wakiso, Uganda * St. Mary's Duluti Secondary School, Arusha *

Seiko Gakuin Junior and Senior High School , commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optics, optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first Quartz watch, qua ...

References

External links

Official Website of the Le Mennais Brothers
* ttp://stedwardscheswardine.co.uk/index.html St Edward's College, Cheswardine - former juniorate of the Brothers of Christian Instruction {{Authority control Religious organizations established in 1819 1819 establishments in France Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century

History

Institutions

See also

References

External links