Post date: Apr 21, 2017 6:58:34 PM
As the Iona Prep community comes together to celebrate its centennial anniversary, it is important to remember the meaning of what it is to be an Iona Man. To discover this, one needs to look no further than Blessed Edmund Rice, the founder of the Congregation of Christian Brothers.
Born on June 1, 1762, Blessed Edmund Rice grew up under the Penal Laws in force over Ireland. Luckily, Edmund was raised in Callan, Ireland, an area where the Penal laws were not strictly enforced, and he was apprenticed to his uncle, a wealthy merchant in Waterford, at the age of seventeen. When his uncle died in 1785, Edmund inherited the business.
Form an early age, Edmund’s mother, Margaret, had instilled upon him the importance of faith in God. Along with Brother Paddy Grace, a wandering Franciscan, Margaret encouraged Edmund to give to and play with poor boys. Even when he was working for his uncle, Edmund continued to go out at night to feed and clothe the poor.
While Catholicism was always part of Edmund’s life, he only began to seriously consider becoming a religious after his wife, Mary, whom he had married in 1785, died just after giving birth to their handicapped daughter. During this time, Edmund was forced to rely even more heavily on God, and his sensitivity to the plight of the poor increased.
Encouraged by Pope Pius IV and Nano Nagle, the founder of the Presentation Sisters, Edmund took action. In 1802, he bought a group of stables in Waterford and converted them into a school for boys. Only six boys attended his first class, but within a few months Edmund was inundated by boys looking for an education.
On June 7, 1803, due to the school’s growth, Edmund was forced to open a second school called Mount Sion. Initially, the school consisted of two classrooms with rooms for the teachers above, but over time, several additions were made, including open air classrooms and a bakery. In just six years the school grew to 700 students. Contributing to the school's appeal was the emphasis on stellar academics interwoven with a strong religious theme.
Soon after opening Mount Sion, Edmund realized the importance of attracting more men to help him in his mission and organizing them into an effective charitable and academic group. On August 15, 1808, Edmund along with seven of his closest friends made their vows as the Brothers of the Presentation.
In the years following, Edmund saw the need to extend the help of the Presentation Brothers to various counties within Ireland. This was no simple feat however; it required coordination and approval from bishops of different dioceses. In 1820 Pope Pius VII solved this problem when he gave permission for the Brothers of the Presentation to elect a Superior General, who could have control over the transfer of brothers. On January 20, 1822, the Brothers of the Presentation elected Edmund as their Superior General. By electing a Superior General, a new congregation called the Christian Brothers was formed.
Throughout his life, Edmund was renowned for his service to the poor and destitute. Not only did he grant the boys of Waterford an education, clothes, and meals, but he often met with prisoners, especially those condemned to death, to pray with them. One time when a cholera epidemic broke out in Waterford, Edmund used his school as a makeshift hospital for the poor.
By the time of his death, Edmund had touched innumerable peoples’ lives. He was so loved that after his death on August 28, 1844, newspapers all across Ireland, England, Canada, and the USA had published articles about his life and mission.
Blessed Edmund Rice is the Iona man. Because he overcame religious persecution to become the first layman to form a religious congregation, Blessed Edmund Rice has become the model of spiritual, intellectual, and physical excellence that all Iona Prep students strive towards. His life is an inspiration for anyone who is going through a tough time or simply wants to do more to help the poor. Blessed Edmund Rice is truly a “man for our time.”
-Michael Bachmann