The Congregation of Presentation Brothers is an international

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 ...

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: * Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administr ...

of laymen founded in 1802 in

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

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 ...

, by a local Irish businessman,

Edmund Ignatius Rice Edmund Ignatius Rice ( ga, Éamonn Iognáid Rís; 1 June 1762 – 29 August 1844) was a Catholic missionary and educationalist. He was the founder of two religious institutes of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and t ...

, now

Blessed Blessed may refer to: * The state of having received a blessing * Blessed, a title assigned by the Roman Catholic Church to someone who has been beatified Film and television * ''Blessed'' (2004 film), a 2004 motion picture about a supernatural ...

Edmund Ignatius Rice. Presentation Brothers live and work in Ireland, England, USA, Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Grenada with about 100 Brothers throughout these countries. The Brothers take three promises— poverty, chastity and obedience—and live together in small groups called "communities". The motto of the congregation was adopted from that of the Jesuits: "'' Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam''" or "For the Greater Glory of God". Brothers bear the initials F.P.M. (''Fratres Presentationis Mariae''). The expressed mission of the Presentation Brothers is to "form Christ in the Young" and traditionally they have worked to achieve this through education. Today Presentation Brothers work in a wider range of ministries including with the homeless, elderly, disadvantaged youth and the Roma people. In 2007 the Presentation Brothers opened new missions in Slovakia and Nigeria and an Advocacy Office for the poor in Geneva.

History

The Presentation Brothers were founded by Edmund Rice in the city of

, Ireland in 1802.

Edmund Rice

Edmund Rice was born in the townland of Westcourt near the village of Callan in County Kilkenny on June 1, 1762. His parents, Robert and Margaret Tierney Murphy Rice, were prosperous farmers. The family spoke Irish but would also have spoken English in order to conduct their business affairs. Ireland in 1762, was under British rule and the anti-Catholic Penal Laws prevented a Catholic from receiving an education. Rice received his primary school education from a “hedge school”. These were illegal schools established by travelling teachers. The laws were relaxed at the time of Edmund's childhood and eventually he attended an academy in Kilkenny."Edmund Rice", Presentation Brothers
/ref> At the age of 17, Rice was apprenticed to his uncle, Michael Rice, in Waterford city. Waterford was one of the busiest ports in the world at the time, second only to Hamburg."Edmund Ignatius Rice", Edmund Rice International Heritage Centres, Ltd.
/ref> Seven years later, Edmund's uncle signed the business over to him. A shrewd businessman, Rice invested his growing fortune in land and property. At the age of 25, Edmund married the daughter of a local businessman, Mary Elliott. Mary was killed in a horse riding accident and the baby she was carrying was born with a handicap. The baby was christened Mary and Edmund's step-sister Joan took charge of looking after her. After his wife's death, Rice became more religious and he developed a devotion to St.

Teresa of Avila Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

. He also became involved in charitable works and regularly visited the poor of Waterford providing financial assistance to those in need. In 1798, Edmund helped the

Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...

open a convent and school for girls in Waterford. Rice decided to try something similar for young boys. In 1800 he began to teach youngsters at his business premises in Barronstrand Street with the assistance of some volunteers. The following year, Rice converted some stables on New Street into a makeshift school. His friends and colleagues described it as an act of "mad folly". Two men, Patrick Grosvenor and Patrick Finn, arrived to help. The three men lived in temporary accommodation over the horse stable as they waited for a monastery to be built.

The Congregations

In the early days, when Edmund first began to attract followers to his way of life, these formed themselves into a small group of companions. They lived together in community and began to follow an adaptation of the

’ Rule. The Holy See had already approved of this Rule when Edmund and his followers began to use their adaptation of it to guide their first steps along the path of religious life. In 1832 the Rule of the Religious Brothers, approved by the Pope, was adopted. As Superior General of a Pontifical Institute, Rice could now move brothers between dioceses without having to seek each local bishop's permission.''The Presentation Brothers: A Centenary in Canada 1910–2010''
/ref> The majority of brothers accepted the new Rule and went on to become the

Congregation of Christian Brothers The Congregation of Christian Brothers ( la, Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. Their first school was opened in Waterford, Ireland, ...

. Today there are Irish Christian Brothers in 17 different countries. Brother Michael Augustine Riordan, and a few of the Cork Brothers decided to remain under the jurisdiction local diocesan bishop and continued to live by the Presentation Rule. They became a Pontifical Institute in 1889. The Presentation Brothers have a particular devotion to

Our Lady of Good Counsel Our Lady of Good Counsel ( la, Mater boni consilii) is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, after a painting said to be miraculous, now found in the thirteenth century Augustinian church at Genazzano, near Rome, Italy. Measuring the imag ...

Expansion

In 1876 the first Presentation school outside Ireland opened in England. Like the Irish Christian Brothers, the Presentation Brothers have followed the missionary example of the great Irish missionaries Brendan and Colmcille, responding as they believe Edmund Rice would have, to different needs as they encounter them in different regions and different circumstances. Presentation Brothers College, Cork was founded in 1878. The main foundations have been: U.S.A. 1843; England 1876; Canada 1910; West Indies 1946; Ghana 1968; Peru 1969; Geneva 2007; Nigeria 2007; Slovakia 2007. From 1991 along with other orders was involved in the ''Christian Formation Resource Centre'' (CFRC) in Cork, which developed into the

Christian Leadership in Education Office (CLEO) Christian Leadership in Education Office (CLEO), provides postgraduate training in education in Cork, Ireland. Originally founded in 1991 as the ''Christian Formation Resource Centre (CFRC)'' by a number of Catholic religious orders, in 1997 it cam ...

, which since 1993 has delivered postgraduate courses in education, in Cork (and from 1993 to 1996 in Limerick), validated by the

University of Hull The University of Hull is a public research university in Kingston upon Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1927 as University College Hull. The main university campus is located in Hull and is home to the Hull ...

. Since 1995 CLEO has been solely run by the presentation order, and is based in Mardyke House, Cork. The ''Leadership Education and Formation'' (L.E.A.F) Project from the Presentation Brothers is based at Mount St. Joseph's, Cork.

Headquarters

The Presentation Brothers' Generalate is located at Mount St. Joseph,Presentation Brothers, Mount St Joseph, Blarney Street, Knocknaheeny, Cork
Buildings of Ireland. Blarney Street in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

, originally built as a House of Studies, it has been home to the brothers since 1892.

Provinces

There are about 350 Presentation Brothers living in 22 communities in 7 countries around the world. The congregation is divided into three Provinces: * Anglo-Irish Province (Ireland, England) * Our Lady of the Americas Province (Canada, USA, Grenada) * Ghana Province (Ghana, Nigeria)

Schools

* Presentation Brothers College, Cork, Ireland * Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh, Cork, Ireland * Presentation College, Bray, Wicklow, Ireland * St. Aloysius Grade School, Montreal, Canada *

Brebeuf College School Brebeuf College School (Brebeuf College, BCS, or Brebeuf) is a publicly funded Roman Catholic all-boys high school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada endorsed by the Jesuits of Canada. Founded by the Jesuits in 1963, it is part of the Toronto Catholic Di ...

, Toronto, Canada *

Coláiste Chríost Rí Coláiste Chríost Rí ( en, Christ the King College) is a Trusteeship Board Catholic secondary school for boys based on Capwell Road in Turners Cross, Cork, Ireland. History The school was founded by the Presentation Brothers and owned by th ...

, Cork, Ireland * Coláiste Mhuire, Cobh, Ireland *

Presentation College, San Fernando Presentation College San Fernando is a selective, government-assisted Roman Catholic Boys’ Secondary School located in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago. It claims to be the first Catholic secondary school in South Trinidad, having been estab ...

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

* Presentation Brothers College, Grenada *

Presentation College Chaguanas Presentation College, Chaguanas is a Roman Catholic secondary school in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago and is the brother school of Presentation College, San Fernando. History The Endeavour estates donated the land on which the school is. Wi ...

* Presentation Secondary Miltown, Kerry, Ireland * Scoil Chríost Rí, Cork * Presentation College, Carlow

Former schools

* Presentation College,

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, England * Presentation High School,

Montebello, Quebec Montebello is a municipality located in the Papineau Regional County Municipality of Western Quebec, Canada. At the 2001 census, there were 1,039 permanent residents. The village has a total area of , and is located at the eastern edge of Quebec's ...

* Verdun Catholic High School,

Verdun, Quebec Verdun (; , ) is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, located in the southwestern part of the island. Long known as a working class neighbourhood, it has experienced significant gentrification and social change in the 21 ...

* Daniel O'Connell School,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, Quebec * Sacred Heart Elementary School,

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 74,004 in the metropolitan area. It is often called the province's "northern capital" or sometimes the "spruce capital" because it is the hub city for ...

* Presentation College,

Saint John, Barbados The parish of Saint John (St. John) is a parish of Barbados on the eastern side of the island. It is home to one of its secondary schools, The Lodge School. It is home to the St. John's Parish Church, which has a scenic view of the Atlantic Ocea ...

* St Joseph's College

Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , 'Cethlenn, Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

* Presentation College Glasthule, Leinster,

reland Adriaan Reland (also known as ''Adriaen Reeland/Reelant'', ''Hadrianus Relandus'') (17 July 1676, De Rijp, North Holland5 February 1718, UtrechtJohn Gorton, ''A General Biographical Dictionary'', 1838, Whittaker & Co.) was a noted Dutch Orientali ...

Notable alumni

Michael Bond Thomas Michael Bond (13 January 1926 – 27 June 2017) was a British author. He is best known for a series of fictional stories for children, featuring the character of Paddington Bear. More than 35 million Paddington books have been sold ...

, author of Paddington Bear series (Reading) *

Joseph Boyden Joseph Boyden (born October 31, 1966) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer of Irish and Scottish descent. He also claims Indigenous descent, but this is widely disputed. Joseph Boyden is best known for writing about First Nations culture ...

, author of "Three Day Road" and "Through Black Spruce" (Brebeuf) *

Marc Kielburger Marc Kielburger (born 1977) is a Canadian author, social entrepreneur, columnist, humanitarian and activist for children's rights. He is the co-founder, along with his brother Craig, of the We Movement, which consists of the WE Charity, an ...

, co-founder of Me to We, Free the Children and Leaders Today (Brebeuf) *

John McGahern John McGahern (12 November 1934 – 30 March 2006) was an Irish writer and novelist. He is regarded as one of the most important writers of the latter half of the twentieth century. Known for the detailed dissection of Irish life found in w ...

, author (Presentation College Leitrim) *

Patrick Manning Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (17 August 1946 – 2 July 2016) was a Trinidadian politician who was the fourth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago; his terms ran from 17 December 1991 to 9 November 1995 and from 24 December 2001 to 26 Ma ...

, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (Pres San Fernando) *

Micheál Martin Micheál Martin (; born 1 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who is serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence since Decembe ...

, current

Taoiseach The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...

(Prime Minister) of Ireland (Coláiste Chríost Rí), he also taught in Presentation College. Cork. *

Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy (; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. Originally the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, he turned down a record deal in the late 1990s and began acting on stage and in short an ...

, actor (Pres Cork) * Cardinal

Cormac Murphy-O'Connor Cormac Murphy-O'Connor (24 August 1932 – 1 September 2017) was a British cardinal, the Archbishop of Westminster and president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales. He was made cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001. He s ...

, former Archbishop of Westminster and former President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (Reading & Cork) *

Seán Ó Faoláin Seán Proinsias Ó Faoláin (27 February 1900 – 20 April 1991) was one of the most influential figures in 20th-century Irish culture. A short-story writer of international repute, he was also a leading commentator and critic. Biography Ó ...

, author and Short Story writer (Pres Cork) * Michael O'Leary, Irish Tánaiste and former leader of the Irish Labour Party (Pres Cork) *

Mike Oldfield Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...

, musician (Reading) *

Basdeo Panday Basdeo Panday (; born 25 May 1933) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian lawyer, politician, trade unionist, economist, actor, and former civil servant who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001. He was the first ...

, former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (Pres San Fernando) * Numerous Irish rugby players including

Ronan O'Gara Ronan John Ross O'Gara ( ga, Rónán Ó Gadhra; born 7 March 1977) is an Irish former rugby union player and current coach. O'Gara played as a fly-half and is Ireland's second most-capped player and highest ever points scorer. He is currently ...

Peter Stringer Peter Alexander Stringer (born 13 December 1977) is an Irish former rugby union player who played at scrum-half. He played 13 seasons with Irish province Munster from 1998 to 2011; he then played seven seasons from 2011 to 2018 in England wit ...

and Irish Coach

Declan Kidney Declan Kidney (born 20 October 1959) is an Irish rugby union coach. He was the head coach of the Ireland national rugby union team from 2008 to 2013, where he won the 2009 Six Nations with a Grand Slam, winning the 2009 IRB Coach of the Year aw ...

. *

Anthony Carmona Anthony Thomas Aquinas Carmona (born 7 March 1953) is a Trinidadian politician who was the fifth President of Trinidad and Tobago, from 2013 to 2019. Previously he was a High Court Judge at the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago, and he served ...

, Current President of Trinidad and Tobago (Pres San Fernando) * Jack Warner, Previous Vice President of FIFA (Pres Chaguanas) *

Lawrie Sanchez Lawrence Philip Sanchez (born 22 October 1959) is a Northern Irish football manager and former international footballer. The defining moment of his playing career came in the 1988 FA Cup Final, when he scored the winning goal for Wimbledon a ...

, footballer and football manager (Reading) * Gerard Johnson, musician, composer and producer (Reading) *

Damian Thompson Damian Thompson (born 1962) is an English journalist, editor and author. He is an associate editor of ''The Spectator''. Previously he worked as editor-in-chief of the ''Catholic Herald'' and for ''The Daily Telegraph'' where he was religious a ...

, Journalist and Associate Editor of the Spectator (Reading) * Hon. Keith Claudius Mitchell,PhD (Current

Prime Minister of Grenada This is a list of heads of government of Grenada, from the establishment of the office of Chief Minister in 1960 to the present day. The Prime Minister appoints the Cabinet of Grenada. Heads of government before the 1974 independence Chief m ...

) Presentation Brothers College Grenada * Mr.

Maurice Bishop Maurice Rupert Bishop (29 May 1944 – 19 October 1983) was a Grenadian revolutionary and the leader of New Jewel Movement – a Marxist–Leninist party which sought to prioritise socio-economic development, education, and black liberation ...

, LLB (Deceased) Former Prime Minister of Grenada. Presentation Brothers College Grenada

Notes

External links

*
Presentation College Bray

Brebeuf College School (Toronto)

Presentation Brothers College Cork
{{Authority control Catholic teaching orders Religious organizations established in 1802 Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century 1802 establishments in Ireland