Rice, Edmund Ignatius (1762-1844), an Irish philanthropist and religious leader, was a pioneer of private school education in Ireland. He founded the Irish Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic charitable organization to educate the poor. The Irish Christian Brothers grew out of Rice’s efforts to educate the poor at his own expense. He patterned the order on the work of Saint Jean Baptiste de la Salle in France.
Rice was born at Westcourt, in County Kilkenny, on June 1, 1762. He moved to Waterford in 1779 and eventually became a respected businessman. The turning point in Rice’s life was the death of his wife in 1785. He turned increasingly to religion, finally retiring from business and devoting himself to good works. In 1803, he opened his first school for poor boys in Waterford. In 1820, Pope Pius VII formally licensed the new Congregation of the Brothers of the Christian Schools of Ireland. Rice, as Brother Ignatius, was elected its first superior-general. By the time he retired in 1838, the Christian Brothers had opened 22 schools in Ireland and England. He died on Aug. 29, 1844.
See also Christian Brothers .
