Brothers of Christian Instruction
| Formation | 1819 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Gabriel Deshayes and Jean-Marie de Lamennais |
| Type | Lay Religious Congregation of Pontifical Right (for Men) |
| Headquarters | Via della Divina Provvidenza 44, 00166 Roma, Italy |
| Location | Various |
| Region served | Worldwide |
| Members | 773 members (3 priests) (2017) |
| Superior General | Br. Hervé Zamor, F.I.C.P. |
| Website | http://www.lamennais.org |
The Brothers of Christian Instruction (Latin: Institutum Fratrum Instructionis Christianae de Ploërmel, F.I.C.P.[1]), commonly known as the La Mennais Brothers, is a Catholic lay religious order founded in 1819 by Gabriel Deshayes and Jean-Marie de la Mennais for the instruction of youth.[2] Their aim remains that of their Founder: "to educate the young and to make Jesus Christ better known and better loved".[3]
The brothers are bound by the simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.[4]
History
On June 16, 1819, Gabriel Deshayes, pastor at Auray and vicar general of Vannes, and Jean-Marie de Lamennais, vicar of Saint-Brieuc, two Catholic priests in France, established the Daughters of Providence 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 in France and, eventually, across the world. The motherhouse was established at Ploërmel 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.[5]
The Brothers received canonical approval by Pope Leo XIII on March 13, 1891.[4]
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, England.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6]
Institutions
- Collège Jean de la Mennais
- St. Francis Xavier's College (Liverpool)
- St. John Fisher Ibanda Secondary School
- St Mary's Independent School, Southampton
- St. Mary's International School
- Walsh University
- Institution Saint-Louis de Gonzague in Delmas, Haiti
- St. Charles Lwanga Secondary School, Kasasa in Masaka, Uganda
- St. Henry's College Kitovu in Masaka, Uganda
- St. Mary's College, Kisubi in Wakiso, Uganda
- St. Mary's Duluti Secondary School, Arusha
- Seiko Gakuin Junior and Senior High School
- University of Kisubi
See also
- Pell Wall Hall
- Cheswardine
- Consecrated life
From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
Brothers of Christian Instruction — A congregation founded in 1817 at Saint-Brieuc, Côtes-du-Nord, France, by Jean-Marie-Robert de la Mennais (b. 1780; d. 1860), for the instruction of youth. The institute was founded primarily to supply the deficiency left by the regulation of Blessed John Baptiste de la Salle forbidding members of his congregation to go on missions singly, whereas in many places there were need and means of maintenance for only one brother. The first novices, consequently, were trained under the Christian Brothers, whose rule was to a large extent adopted. The congregation was recognized by the Holy See in 1851 and canonically erected by Brief of Leo XIII, 13 March, 1891. The members are bound by the simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. From the mother-house at Ploermel foundations were made in England, Africa, Asia, America, and Oceania. In 1886 the first brothers arrived in Montreal and were shortly afterwards introduced into the United States. Owing to the French Law of Associations of 1901, the mother-house was transferred to Taunton, England. In 1903 the congregation comprised 3000 members, with 420 educational institutions, including a number of orphanages, agricultural schools, trade schools, and boarding schools, the total number of students being 75,000.
References
- Back to citation Ann. Pont. 2007, p. 1499.
- Back to citation The Brothers of Christian Instruction, USA
- Back to citation "Brief History of the FIC". Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
- Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 "Brothers of Christian Instruction". New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 "Our History", La Mennais, Rome Archived 2011-03-19 at the Wayback Machine
- Back to citation "Brothers of Christian Instruction", Ohio History Central