Evolution of The Christian Brothers.

What has the work of the Irish Christian Brothers evolved to today?

  This is quite extensive and includes the following in Ireland:

  Maintaining and running Primary and Secondary Schools. Nationally famous is the Specialist School for the Deaf on the Navan Road in Dublin.

  At Third level, there is a Primary School Teacher Training College at St. Mary's in Marino - now The Marino Institute of Education. This establishment also provides Inservice Teacher Courses for Secondary School Teachers. There is an ongoing 3rd. Level development going on here with affiliations to both British and American Universities.

  As well as all this, there is the main Retreat House at Emmaus in Swords. This was host to 50% of the Vietnamese Boat People in their induction into this country as refugees. Today, it is used by many organisations very extensively.

  Many Brothers are involved in quiet charitable works in all the cities and towns they are to be found in in Ireland.

  The Brothers are renowned for the contributions they have made to the Irish language, in many publications "as Gaeilge" (in Irish) and in the fostering of the ideals of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) in both hurling and football.

  Of course, Mission fields are in many parts of the world, which have evolved over the past 190 years. The way these have developed has been astounding.  The pattern of development is as follows:

                             Ireland                         1802

                             England                       1825

                             Australia                      1869

                             Canada                       1876

                             New Zealand              1876

                             India                           1890

                             South Africa                1985

                             Rome                          1900

                             USA                           1906

                            Grenada                       1947

                            St. Lucia                      1947

                            Argentina                     1948

                            Antigua                        1958

                            Barbados                     1961

                            Zambia                         1964

                            Peru                             1967

                            Ghana                          1968

                            Trinidad                       1948

                            Papua, New Guinea     1950

                            Zimbabwe                    1954

                            Uruguay                       1955

                            Dominica                     1956

                            Liberia                         1969

                           Cook Islands                1976

                           Fiji Islands                    1981

                           Sudan                           1986

   In Rome in 1978, Mother Teresa of Calcutta stated to the Christian Brothers: "I owe a deep debt of gratitude to the Brothers in India since they are closely involved in taking care of poor children. The door of the Brothers is always open to our children at any time. We have only to ask the Brothers and they take care of them."

  All of us, as Irish people, find somewhere that we owe the Irish Christian Brothers a great deal of gratitude for the positive contribution they have made to this Nation of ours.

  Thank you.

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