Northern Luzon, Philippines
Edmund Rice Oceania
Since the first of Edmund Rice’s Christian Brothers came to Sydney, Australia in 1843, their presence in Oceania has quickly spread throughout Australia, New Zealand and then later through Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Timor Leste.
Today these five nations form the Christian Brothers Oceania Province.
To be a Christian Brother is to engage with and be present to all people with humility, empathy, and an open heart. Taking the “search for God” honestly and seriously is a particular gift a Christian Brother offers the Church. It can lead a Christian Brother to a thoughtful and critical understanding of the Catholic faith.
The fruits of this understanding, when shared are often an inspiration to the faith of other Church members searching to deepen their own faith.
One Province for all of Oceania in 2007
In the Edmund Rice tradition, the Christian Brothers Oceania Province was established in 2007. It unites the previous provinces within Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, including the St Patrick's Province of the Christian Brothers. The province was created to improve administration and enable the organisation to focus on its work of adult education, social justice activities with refugees, asylum seekers, indigenous people and disadvantaged youth.
Catholic Church Dili, Timor Leste
1990s - The Brothers in Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste has made significant progress since gaining independence from Indonesia in 2002. After decades of occupation and violence, during which approximately 200,000 Timorese (one quarter of the population at the time) lost their lives and almost all the country’s infrastructure was destroyed, Timor-Leste is slowly emerging from fragility and rebuilding itself to become a strong and stable nation. Read more.
Jesus Statue Cristo Rei of Dili, Timor Leste
Seven Decades in Papua New Guinea
The first Christian Brothers Community in PNG was established in 1950. Callan Services was established in 1991 with the support of CBM (Christian Blind Mission) and Save the Children and over the past three decades has led the way in building services for people with disabilities. Read more.
Christian Brothers support youth in Papua New Guinea by providing life skills training programs
1920s - 1960s: A time of rapid expansion
The largest of the male teaching orders in Australia, the Christian Brothers, had 115 brothers teaching in thirty schools by 1920. Under the influence of the religious orders, Catholic schools flourished. The 1950s was a boom time for Australian Catholics. Numbers grew rapidly, increasing the proportion of Catholics in the Australian population . Many parishes were established in the new suburbs of the major cities and the number of priests, sisters and brothers continued to expand. The impact of all the effort expended on education was felt as Catholics made noticeable advances in socio-economic status, drawing near to the Australian population as a whole in educational attainment and prosperity. There was a high level of attendance at Mass and other devotional ceremonies, and many Catholics belonged to parish sodalities such as the Sacred Heart Sodality (for women) and the Holy Name Society (for men; it was reputed to have 100 000 members at one stage). At home, large numbers of families recited the Rosary every night or at least once a week, and in the community Catholics stood out because of practices like never eating meat on Fridays. The Catholic community had grown to be what the Irish bishops of the nineteenth century had worked for and dreamed of: a thriving Church based on the Irish model.
Students at St Patrick’s College Strathfield, NSW, Australia
The influence of Brother Patrick Ambrose Treacy
Ambrose arrived penniless in Australia with three other Christian Brothers in 1868. During 30 years as leader of the Brothers, Ambrose opened more than 20 schools in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Perth, as well as in several country towns. He is known as an outstanding influence for the Christian Brothers and the Catholic Church in Australia. He is notable for his dedication and selflessness, and his belief that everything he experienced was from the hands of a provident God. From an incident early in his life he had an outstanding devotion to Mary the Mother of God. Read more
The Christian Brothers arrive in New Zealand
Since their arrival in New Zealand in 1876, the Christian Brothers have been synonymous with Catholic education in schools and colleges. Their arrival coincided with the opening of a secondary school in Dunedin, the Christian Brothers School.
From the arrival of the Christian Brothers, New Zealand was administered as part of the Australasian province incorporating Australia, New Zealand and, from 1950, Papua New Guinea. In 1959, New Zealand became St Joseph's Vice-Province. Read more.
The Christian Brothers arrive in Australia
In 1843, the Irish Christian Brothers first arrived in Sydney at the invitation of Archbishop Polding, but left in 1848. The Christian Brothers returned to Australia in 1868, arriving in Melbourne at the invitation of Bishop James Goold.
Arrival in Melbourne - a soundscape journey to the new world.
Ambrose arriving: A historical look at how the Brothers arrived in Oceania
The Edmund Rice Tradition
Our History
From the humblest of beginnings in 1802, Blessed Edmund Rice and his Christian Brothers have grown from their first stable school in Waterford in post-Penal Ireland, to classrooms and ministries in 29 countries across the globe.
Resources
The Oceania Province assists people wishing to source material about the Christian Brothers and more specifically about the Brothers in the Oceania Region.
“Be intent on prayer and whatever may happen will turn to our good”
Edmund Rice
Lake Tekapo, New Zealand