“Have courage, the good seed will grow up in the children’s hearts later on.”

Blessed Edmund Rice

Edmund Ignatius Rice was born in 1762 into a prosperous family in County Kilkenny, Ireland. At the time, Catholics faced severe persecution, primarily at the hands of Protestant landlords who controlled much of the land. Edmund, however, was fortunate. Kilkenny was overseen by John Butler, a lenient administrator who allowed Catholic tenants such as Edmund’s father, Robert Rice, to rent land at reasonable rates. This enabled the family to provide Edmund with an education at a local commercial academy.

This education opened the way for Edmund to enter the shipping trade in Waterford, then one of the busiest and wealthiest ports in the British Isles. He gradually assumed greater responsibility in his uncle’s business, amassing considerable wealth at a young age—an uncommon achievement for an Irish Catholic of his era. In 1785, at the age of twenty-three, he married Mary Elliot. Tragically, Mary died during the birth of their daughter, who was born with severe disabilities.

The following years brought further upheaval. The outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 caused economic instability, deepening the poverty that was already widespread in Waterford and throughout Ireland. Bereft of his wife, responsible for the care of his daughter, and witnessing the profound social changes sweeping Europe, Edmund found himself at a crossroads. He turned increasingly to his Catholic faith, which inspired him to look beyond the comforts of his social class and dedicate himself to serving the poor and marginalised.

Convinced that education was the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, Edmund sold his property and invested the proceeds into building a school that would provide free education and religious instruction to impoverished boys. Joined by a group of like-minded companions, he devoted himself to this mission. The group was soon recognized by the Papacy as the Presentation Brothers. United in prayer and service, and working without pay, the community grew rapidly. Eventually, they were formally organized as the Congregation of Christian Brothers, enabling them to extend their mission beyond Ireland and bring education to disadvantaged youth around the world.

One such endeavor led them to Birkenhead, where they founded our College in 1933. The Christian Brothers continue the mission of Edmund Rice to this day.

Edmund himself passed away in 1844 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Rome in 1996.