| Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice | |
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| Born | June 1, 1762, Callan, Ireland |
| Died | August 29, 1844 (aged 82), Waterford, Ireland |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | October 6, 1996, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II |
| Major shrine | "Westcourt", Callan, Ireland; International Heritage Centre, "Mount Sion", Waterford, Ireland |
| Feast | May 5 |
 Saints Portal |
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Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice (Irish: Iognáid Rís; 1 June 1762 – 29 August 1844), was a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. Beatification (from Latin beatus, blessed via Greek μακάριος makarios) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic church Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Events 193 - Roman Emperor Didius Julianus is Assassinated 987 - Hugh Capet is elected Year 1762 ( MDCCLXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 1844 ( MDCCCXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Edmund Rice was the founder of two orders of religious brothers: the Congregation of Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers. A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion usually The Congregation of Christian Brothers (officially in Latin: Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum) is a world-wide community of religious brothers within The Congregation of Presentation Brothers is an international Catholic congregation of laymen founded in 1802
Rice was born in Ireland at a time when Catholics faced oppression under Penal Laws enforced by the British authorities. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world The Penal Laws in Ireland (Na Péindlíthe refers to a series of laws imposed under British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands He forged a successful career in business and, after a tragic accident which killed his wife and left his daughter disabled, devoted his life to the education and service of the poor.
Christian Brother and Presentation Brother schools around the world continue to follow the system of education and traditions established by Edmund Rice (see List of Christian Brothers schools). The following is an incomplete list of the schools colleges and other educational institutions founded run or staffed (in any capacity by the
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Early life and career
Edmund Rice was born to Robert Rice and Margaret Rice (née Tierney) on the farming property of "Westcourt", in Callan, County Kilkenny. Callan ( Callainn in Irish) is one of the largest towns in County Kilkenny in Ireland. County Kilkenny ( is a landlocked county in Ireland. The county takes its name from the city of Kilkenny and has a population of 87558 Edmund was the fourth of seven sons, although he also had two step-sisters, Joan and Jane Murphy, the offspring of his mother's first marriage.
At this time, Irish Catholics were oppressed by anti-Catholic Penal Laws which were enacted and enforced by the Protestant-dominated Irish parliament. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. The Parliament of Ireland (Irish Parlaimint na hEireann) was a Legislature that existed from mediæval times until 1800. Rice's education, like that of every other Irish Catholic of the day, was greatly compromised by the 1709 amendment to the Popery Act, which decreed that any public or private instruction in the Catholic faith would render teachers liable to prosecution, and was not reformed until 1782. Year 1709 ( MDCCIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year An Act to prevent the further Growth of Popery (commonly known as the Popery Act or the Gavelkind Act. In this environment, hedge schools proliferated. A hedge school ( Irish names include scoil chois claí, scoil ghairid and scoil scairte) is the name given to an Educational practice The boys of the Rice family obtained an education at home through Patrick Grace, a member of the small community of Augustinian friars in Callan. The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430) are several Catholic Monastic orders and congregations [1]
That said, the Rices were quite well off by the standards of the day. As a young man, Rice spent two years at a school in Kilkenny to complete his education. Kilkenny, ( is a city and county town of County Kilkenny in Ireland. His uncle Michael owned a merchant business in the nearby port town of Waterford. Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country In 1779 Edmund was apprenticed to him, moving into a house in the market parish of Ballybricken, entering the business of trading livestock and other supplies, and the supervising of loading of victuals onto ships bound for the British colonies. Michael Rice died in 1785, and this business was passed into Edmund's ownership. [2]
In about 1787 he married a young woman (perhaps Mary Elliott, the daughter of a Waterford tanner). [3] Little is known about their married life, and Mary died in January 1789 following an accident, possibly by a fever that set in afterwards. The circumstances surrounding this accident are unclear, but she may have fallen off a horse that she was riding, or thrown out of a carriage by panicking horses. Pregnant at the time, a daughter was delivered on Mary's deathbed. The daughter (also named Mary) was born handicapped. Edmund Rice was left a widower, with an infant daughter in delicate health.
Vocation and beginnings
Rice devoted himself to prayer and charitable work, particularly with the poor and marginalised of Waterford. In 1802, when he established a makeshift school in a converted stable in New Street, Waterford, he found the children were so difficult to manage that the teachers resigned. This prompted him to sell his thriving business to another prominent Roman Catholic merchant, a Mr. Quan, and devote himself to training teachers who would dedicate their lives to prayers and to teaching the children free of charge. Despite the difficulties involved, Edmund's classes were so popular that another temporary school had to be set up on another of his properties, this time in nearby Stephen Street. [4]
The turning point of Rice's ministry was the arrival of two young men, Thomas Grosvenor and Patrick Finn, from his hometown of Callan. They came to him with the desire of joining a religious congregation, but had not decided which they would join. A congregation is a religious institute of Roman Catholics in which only Simple vows not solemn vows are taken As it turned out, they remained to teach at Edmund Rice's school, and formed their own religious community. The subsequent success of the New Street school led to a more permanent building, christened 'Mount Sion', where construction began on June 1, 1802. The Mount Sion monastery was officially blessed by Bishop Thomas Hussey on June 7, 1803. Bishop Thomas Hussey (1746 &ndash 11 July 1803) was a Diplomat, Chaplain, and Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Waterford Since the schoolhouse was not yet completed, Rice, Finn, and Grosvenor took up residence but walked each day from Mt Sion to their schools on New Street and Stephen Street. On May 1, 1804, the adjoining school was opened and blessed by Hussey's successor, Bishop John Power, and their pupils transferred to the new building. John Timothy Power (born 14 September 1967 in Allerton, Liverpool) is an English Singer-songwriter and former frontman of 90s rock band Cast [5]
All of Edmund's educational activities were illegal in the eyes of the authorities in Ireland, in that no Roman Catholic was allowed "to fund, endow or establish any school, academy or college". Nevertheless, it appears that his request to the local Church of Ireland bishop for a school licence was eventually granted, thanks to the appeals of some of Rice's more influential friends. The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland. [6]
Foundation of the Christian Brothers and Presentation Brothers
In 1808, seven of the staff including Edmund Rice, took religious vows under Bishop Power of Waterford. Following the example of Nano Nagle's Presentation Sisters, they were called Presentation Brothers. Nano (Honoria Nagle (1718 &ndash 26 April 1784) founded the "Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary" (also known as the " Presentation The Congregation of Presentation Brothers is an international Catholic congregation of laymen founded in 1802 This was the first congregation of men to be founded in Ireland and one of the few ever founded by a layman. Gradually a transformation had taken place amongst the "quay kids" of Waterford, largely attributed to the work of Edmund and his Brothers, who educated, clothed and fed the boys. Other bishops in Ireland supplied Edmund Rice with men whom he prepared for religious life and a life of teaching. In this way the Presentation Brothers spread throughout Ireland.
However, the communities were under the control of various diocesan bishops rather than Rice, and this created problems when Brothers were needed to be transferred from one school to another. Rice sought, and ultimately obtained, approval from Pope Pius VII for the community to be made into a pontifical congregation with Rice as Superior General; he was then able to move brothers to wherever they were most needed. Pope Pius VII, OSB (August 14 1740&mdashAugust 20 1823 born Count Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was Pope from March 14 1800 to August In the 1820s further difficulties emerged owing to the expansion of the society and it becoming two distinct congregations. From this time on they were called Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers. The Congregation of Christian Brothers (officially in Latin: Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum) is a world-wide community of religious brothers within The motto of the Christian Brothers was: "The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord forever”. Job1:21.
In 1828, the North Richmond Street house and schools in Dublin were established by Rice, with the foundation stone laid by the politician Daniel O’Connell. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Daniel O'Connell ( 6 August 1775 &ndash 15 May 1847) ( Dónal Ó Conaill) known as The Liberator, or The Emancipator The building housed the brothers’ headquarters for many years and the present residence incorporates the original house built by Rice, who lived here for several years beginning in 1831. Year 1831 ( MDCCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a
Retirement and death
In February 1838, Rice left the North Richmond Street community and returned to Mount Sion in Waterford. Aged seventy-six, and by now in poor health, he wrote to the different communities calling for a General Chapter to elect a new superior-general. Chapter ( Latin capitulum) designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran The Chapter, which opened on July 24, 1838, resulted in the election of Br. Paul Riordan as Rice's successor. Paul F Riordan ( November 8 1920 &ndash February 8 1944) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's [7]
From this time on, Rice spent an increasing proportion of his time at Mount Sion and the adjoining school, showing a continued interest in the pupils and their teachers. He would also take a short walk each day on the slope of Mount Sion, but his increasingly painful arthritis led the community superior, Br. Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body Joseph Murphy, to purchase a wheelchair for his benefit. [8] Rice's health took a turn for the worse at Christmas time, 1841, and even though expectations of his imminent death did not come to pass, he was increasingly confined to his room. [9]
After living in a near-comatose state for more than two years (in the constant care of a nurse since May 1842), Rice died at 11am on August 29, 1844 at Mount Sion, Waterford, where his remains lie in a casket to this day. Events 708 - Copper coins are minted in Japan for the first time (Traditional Japanese date: August 10, 708) Year 1844 ( MDCCCXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country Large crowds filled the streets around his house in Dublin to honour him.
Beatification and legacy
The first attempt to introduce Rice's cause to sainthood was in 1911 by Brother Mark Hill who travelled Waterford and other parts of Ireland collecting statements from people as to why they thought Rice should be made a saint, but very little progress was made. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity The cause was taken up by Pius Noonan, who was the superior general at the time. With the help of Monsignor Giovanni Batista Montini (the future Pope Paul VI), the cause was officially opened in Dublin in 1957. Monsignor, pl monsignori is the form of address for those members of the Clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain Ecclesiastical Pope
In 1976 the Historical Commission of the Dublin Archdiocese recommended that Rice's cause be brought to Rome, and the Vatican agreed to look into the cause. Archbishop of Dublin ( Irish: Ard-Easpuig Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the title of the senior cleric who presides over the Archdiocese of Dublin. Three brothers had the burden of investigating archives and collecting evidence on why Rice should be declared a saint: Mark Hill, David Fitzpatrick and Columba Normoyle. After the commission's unanimous approval, Pope John Paul II declared Rice worthy of his cause in 1993. Pope Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar)
On April 2, 1993, the Pope John Paul II declared Edmund Rice to be venerable and two years later approved a miracle attributed to his intercession. Pope The Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. Distinguish from "inter-session" ie "between Sessions " Intercession, in both Christianity and Islam, The miracle occurred in 1976, when Kevin Ellison of Newry, had been given only 48 hours to live due to complications from a gangrenous colon, and an apparent lack of viable colon tissue (a conclusion reached by five doctors after hours in surgery). Newry ( short form An tIúr, "The Yew" is the fourth largest city in Northern Ireland and eighth on the island of Ireland. Please do not add warnings to this page about the pictures Wikipedia is not censored for taste and has a guideline preventing such warnings - WikipediaNo disclaimers in articles The colon is a storage tube for solid wastes The main function of the colon appears to be extraction of Water and salts from Feces. A family friend, Christian Brother Laserian O'Donnell, gave Ellison's parents a relic of Edmund Rice. A relic is an object or a personal item of religious significance carefully preserved with an air of Veneration as a tangible memorial Many friends prayed for a miracle through the intercession of Rice and a special Mass was offered for Ellison's recovery. Mass is a fundamental concept in Physics, roughly corresponding to the Intuitive idea of how much Matter there is in an object Only the relic of Edmund Rice was placed at the bedside of the dying man who survived the 48 hour period during which he was supposed to die, and more besides. Upon investigation, surgeons discovered a considerable length of previously undetected colon. Ellison fully recovered after a few weeks.
These events paved the way for Rice's beatification on October 6, 1996 and he become known as Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice. Events 105 BC - Battle of Arausio: The Cimbri inflict the heaviest defeat on the Roman army of Gnaeus Mallius Maximus Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) [10] His official feast day is May 5. Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John
References
- ^ Keogh, Dáire (1996). Edmund Rice, 1762-1844. Blackrock, Ireland: Four Courts Press, 25-26, 35.
- ^ O'Toole, A. L. (1984). A Spiritual Profile of Edmund Ignatius Rice. Bristol: The Burleigh Press, 110.
- ^ Keogh, Dáire (1996). Edmund Rice, 1762-1844. Blackrock, Ireland: Four Courts Press, 29.
- ^ Normoyle, M. C. (1976). A Tree is Planted: The Life and Times of Edmund Rice. Congregation of Christian Brothers, 43-44.
- ^ Normoyle, M. C. (1976). A Tree is Planted: The Life and Times of Edmund Rice. Congregation of Christian Brothers, 45-50.
- ^ Normoyle, M. C. (1976). A Tree is Planted: The Life and Times of Edmund Rice. Congregation of Christian Brothers, 43.
- ^ Keogh, Dáire (1996). Edmund Rice, 1762-1844. Blackrock, Ireland: Four Courts Press, 89-90.
- ^ Normoyle, M. C. (1976). A Tree is Planted: The Life and Times of Edmund Rice. Congregation of Christian Brothers, 408.
- ^ Keogh, Dáire (1996). Edmund Rice, 1762-1844. Blackrock, Ireland: Four Courts Press, 92-93.
- ^ Becoming Blessed Edmund Rice. Iona College. Retrieved on 2007-02-08. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 421 - Constantius III becomes co- Emperor of the Western Roman Empire.
Bibliography
- Dáire Keogh, Edmund Rice, 1762-1844 (Four Courts Press: Blackrock, Ireland, 1996)
- M. C. Normoyle, A Tree is Planted: The Life and Times of Edmund Rice (Congregation of Christian Brothers: n. l. , 1976)
- A. L. O'Toole, A Spiritual Profile of Edmund Ignatius Rice (The Burleigh Press: Bristol, 1984)
External links
- Presentation Brothers' official website
- Edmund Ignatius Rice entry at the Catholic Encyclopedia
- Holy Spirit Province Australia
- St. Mary's Province Australia
- St. Francis Xavier Province Australia
- Edmund Rice Online
- Presentation Brothers
- Edmund Rice Network New Zealand
- Edmund Rice Justice New Zealand
See also
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Edmund Ignatius Rice |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Blessed Edmund Rice, Br. The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia The Congregation of Christian Brothers (officially in Latin: Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum) is a world-wide community of religious brothers within Edmund Rice Camps (often referred to as ERC or Eddie Rice Camps) is a charitable volunteer organisation closely associated with the Congregation of Christian This is a list of people on the Postage stamps of the Irish Free State between 1922 and 1937 and on the postage stamps of Ireland since 1937, including Ignatius |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Founder of the Congregation of Christian Brothers |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 1, 1762 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Callan, Ireland |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 29, 1844 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Waterford, Ireland |
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