Presentation Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Congregation of Presentation Brothers is an international Catholic
congregation of laymen
founded in 1802 in Waterford
, Ireland
, by a local businessman, Edmund Ignatius Rice
, now Blessed
Edmund Ignatius Rice
.
Presentation Brothers live and work in Ireland, England, USA, Canada, Ghana, Switzerland, Slovakia, St. Lucia 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 Bothers 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.
.
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 Presentation Sisters
’ Rule. The Holy See had already approved of this Rule when Edmund and his followers began to use their adaptation of it in 1809 to guide their first faltering steps along the path of religious life.
The granting of the Apostolic Brief in 1820, allowed the infant Congregation to become an Pontifical Institute - a defining moment for all of the early brothers. The majority accepted the Brief and went on to become the Congregation of Christian Brothers
. Today there are Irish Christian Brothers in 17 different countries.
A few Brothers, notably Michael Augustine Riordan, continued to live by the Presentation Rule. They continued as the Presentation Brothers and became a Pontifical Institute in 1889.
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.
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.
, Ireland
. The current Congregation Leader is Brother Martin Kenneally FPM.
- Anglo-Irish Province (Ireland, England, Slovakia, Switzerland)
- Our Lady of the Americas Province (Canada, USA, St. Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad)
- Ghana Province (Ghana, Nigeria)
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
congregation of laymen
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
founded in 1802 in Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, by a local businessman, Edmund Ignatius Rice
Edmund Ignatius Rice
Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice , was a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. Edmund was the founder of two orders of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers....
, now Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
Edmund Ignatius Rice
Edmund Ignatius Rice
Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice , was a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. Edmund was the founder of two orders of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers....
.
Presentation Brothers live and work in Ireland, England, USA, Canada, Ghana, Switzerland, Slovakia, St. Lucia 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 Bothers 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
Edmund Rice’s founding charism gave birth to two congregations, the Congregation of Presentation Brothers and the Congregation of Christian BrothersCongregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
.
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 Presentation Sisters
Presentation Sisters
The Presentation Sisters, also known as the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are an order of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland by Nano Nagle in 1775....
’ Rule. The Holy See had already approved of this Rule when Edmund and his followers began to use their adaptation of it in 1809 to guide their first faltering steps along the path of religious life.
The granting of the Apostolic Brief in 1820, allowed the infant Congregation to become an Pontifical Institute - a defining moment for all of the early brothers. The majority accepted the Brief and went on to become the Congregation of Christian Brothers
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
. Today there are Irish Christian Brothers in 17 different countries.
A few Brothers, notably Michael Augustine Riordan, continued to live by the Presentation Rule. They continued as the Presentation Brothers and became a Pontifical Institute in 1889.
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.
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.
Headquarters
The Presentation Brothers' Generalate is located at Mount St. Joseph in CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. The current Congregation Leader is Brother Martin Kenneally FPM.
Provinces
The congregation is divided into three Provinces:- Anglo-Irish Province (Ireland, England, Slovakia, Switzerland)
- Our Lady of the Americas Province (Canada, USA, St. Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad)
- Ghana Province (Ghana, Nigeria)
Schools
- Presentation Brothers College, CorkPresentation Brothers College, CorkPresentation Brothers College is a Catholic, boys-only, fee-paying college based in Cork, Ireland.- History :The college was founded by the Presentation Brothers in 1878, in the South Mall. Soon afterwards it moved to the Grand Parade and, in 1887, to the Western Road...
, Ireland - Coláiste an Spioraid NaoimhColáiste an Spioraid NaoimhColáiste an Spioraid Naoimh is a voluntary secondary school for boys run under the jurisdiction and patronage of the Presentation Brothers in Bishopstown, County Cork, Ireland.- History :...
, Cork, Ireland - Presentation College, BrayPresentation College, BrayPresentation College is a Catholic secondary school established in 1921 by the Presentation Brothers in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland.There are currently about 600 students in Presentation College. The school's main building was built in the late 1960s...
, Wicklow, Ireland - Brebeuf College SchoolBrebeuf College SchoolBrebeuf College School is a Roman Catholic all-boys' high school in Toronto founded by the Jesuits in 1963 and associated with the Presentation Brothers since 1984...
, Toronto, Canada - Coláiste Chríost Rí, Cork, Ireland
- Coláiste Mhuire, Cobh, Ireland
- Presentation College, San Fernando, TrinidadTrinidadTrinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
- Presentation College, Grenada
- Presentation College ChaguanasPresentation College ChaguanasPresentation College, Chaguanas is a Roman Catholic secondary school in Chaguanas, Trinidad and Tobago and is the brother school of Presentation College, San Fernando.-History:...
, TrinidadTrinidadTrinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in... - Presentation Secondary Miltown, Kerry, Ireland
- Scoil Chríost Rí, Cork
Former schools
- Presentation College, ReadingReading, BerkshireReading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, England – now Elvian SchoolElvian SchoolThe Elvian School was an independent school in Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom run by the Licensed Trade Charity as a coeducational, nondenominational Christian school. It was previously the Catholic boys' school Presentation College, Reading, until it went into administration in 2004...
, itself later closed (summer 2010) - Presentation High School—Montebello, Quebec ** now the Auberge Montebello Inn
- Verdun Catholic High School — Verdun, Quebec
- Daniel O'Connell School—Montreal, Quebec
- Sacred Heart Elementary School—Prince George, British Columbia
- Presentation College - St. John, Barbados
Notable alumni
- Michael BondMichael BondThomas Michael Bond, OBE is an English author, most celebrated for his Paddington Bear series of books.-Life:Bond was educated at Presentation College, a Catholic school in Reading...
, author of Paddington Bear series (Reading) - Joseph BoydenJoseph BoydenJoseph Boyden is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. His first novel, Three Day Road won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize...
, author of "Three Day Road" and "Through Black Spruce" (Brebeuf) - Marc KielburgerMarc KielburgerMarc Kielburger, CM, OMC is a Canadian author, humanitarian and activist for children's rights. He is the co-founder of Free The Children, an international development and youth empowerment organization....
, co-founder of Free the Children and Leaders Today (Brebeuf) - John McGahernJohn McGahernJohn McGahern was one of the most important Irish authors of the latter half of the twentieth century. Before his death in 2006 he was hailed as "the greatest living Irish novelist" by The Observer.-Life:...
, author (Presentation College Leitrim) - Patrick ManningPatrick ManningPatrick Augustus Mervyn Manning was the fourth and sixth Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the former Political Leader of the People's National Movement . He served as Prime Minister from 17 December 1991 to 9 November 1995 and held that office again from 24 December 2001 until 26...
, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (Pres San Fernando) - Cillian MurphyCillian MurphyCillian Murphy is an Irish film and theatre actor. He is often noted by critics for his chameleonic performances in diverse roles and distinctive blue eyes and general sex appeal....
, actor (Pres Cork) - Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, former Archbishop of Westminster and former President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (Reading & Cork)
- Sean O'Faolain, author and Short Story writer (Pres Cork)
- Michael O'Leary, Irish Tánaiste and former leader of the Irish Labour Party (Pres Cork)
- Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
, musician (Reading) - Joseph Kelly, CEO and Editor, The Universe Catholic weekly (Reading)
- Basdeo PandayBasdeo PandayBasdeo Panday was the 5th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago from 1995 to 2001 and has served as Leader of the Opposition from 1976–1977, 1978–1986, 1989–1995 and 2001–2010. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 as the Member for Couva North. He is the former...
, former Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (Pres San Fernando) - Numerous Irish rugby players including Ronan O'GaraRonan O'GaraRonan John Ross O'Gara is an Irish rugby union player, playing at fly-half for both Munster and Ireland. He is the all time highest point scorer for both Munster and Ireland. In addition to his prolific point-scoring, he has captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions...
and Peter StringerPeter StringerPeter Alexander Stringer is an Irish rugby union player who plays at scrum half for Munster and Ireland. He is one of the most recognisable players in world rugby as Stringer stands only 1.7m tall and weighs in at just over 70 kg .-Career:In February 2000, he made his debut for Ireland...
. - Stephen Pickford, host/Executive Producer of the Travel World Radio Show (Montebello)
- Xavier Hervé, President of Mechtronix (Montebello)
- André Laurin, President of BrainBank Inc. (Montebello)
See also
- Edmund Ignatius RiceEdmund Ignatius RiceBlessed Edmund Ignatius Rice , was a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. Edmund was the founder of two orders of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers....
- Congregation of Christian BrothersCongregation of Christian BrothersThe Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
- Presentation SistersPresentation SistersThe Presentation Sisters, also known as the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary are an order of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland by Nano Nagle in 1775....