The Brothers of Christian Instruction (, F.I.C.P.Ann. Pont. 2007, p. 1499.), 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.The Brothers of Christian Instruction, USA Their aim remains that of their Founder: "to educate the young and to make Jesus Christ better known and better loved".
The brothers are bound by the simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
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."Our History", La Mennais, Rome
The Brothers received canonical approval by Pope Leo XIII on March 13, 1891.
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. 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.
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."Brothers of Christian Instruction", Ohio History Central
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
References
External links
Official Website of the Le Mennais Brothers Brothers of Christian Instruction at the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia St Edward's College, Cheswardine - former juniorate of the Brothers of Christian Instruction