Brother Mathias Barrett (1900–1990) was a Catholic Brother born in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

who founded a number of homes to help serve the needy and homeless throughout North America. He is also the founder of The

Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd The Congregation of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, (LBGS) is a Roman Catholic pontifical institute of religious Brothers whose members work in a variety of social service and health care related ministries to the poor and needy throughou ...

Early life

Brother Mathias Barrett was born Maurice Patrick Barrett on March 15, 1900 in

Waterford, Ireland "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

. On March 17, 1916 Brother Mathias entered the

Hospitaller Order of St. John of God The Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, officially the Hospitaller Order of the Brothers of Saint John of God (abbreviated as O.H.), are a Catholic religious order founded in 1572. In Italian language, Italian they are also known commonl ...

. Brother Mathias became a leading force not only as the North American Provincial of his Order, but in building many institutions such as hospitals, soup kitchens, and rehabilitation centers.

Life work

Brother Mathias came to New Mexico in September 1950 after retiring from the St John of God order to help Father Gerald Fitzgerald with the care of priests at Via Coeli. Archbishop Edwin V. Byrne had other plans for him, however and on January 19, 1951 Brother Mathias went to

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

to establish a new Order of Brothers and a house for men on the road. On January 19, 1951 Brother Mathias founded the Congregation of the

(BGS), a Roman Catholic pontifical institute of religious Brothers, whose members profess the canonical, public vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. Established in Albuquerque and led by Brother Mathias, the Good Shepherd Refuge, now Good Shepherd Center, opened its doors to the homeless and poverty stricken. Adhering to the motto "Charity Unlimited", the Brothers of the Good Shepherd expanded outside of the Albuquerque region and traveled to Columbus, Ohio, where St. Martin's Home opened in 1954. Ozanam Inn, New Orleans, Louisiana, followed in 1955. By their tenth anniversary, the Brothers' congregation had grown from seven men and one house to 25 men and six houses. Numerous houses were established in the 60's, among them Camillus House in Florida, Good Shepherd Refuge and Center in Canada, St. John's Hospice in Philadelphia, Good Shepherd Manors in Wakefield and Kansas City, and Mount Aloysius in New Lexington, Ohio. Brother Mathias acted as Superior General until the First General Chapter in 1977 and afterwards he continued to work with the poor at Good Shepard facilities.

Death

Brother Mathias Barrett died in 1990 at the age of 90.

References

Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd/Good Shepherd Center Albuquerque - Web SiteGood Shepherd Ministries Toronto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Mathias 1900 births 1990 deaths People from County Waterford American Christian monks Irish Christian monks Irish emigrants to the United States 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests