Congregation of Christian Brothers
Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum | |
| Abbreviation | CFC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1802 |
| Founder | Edmund Ignatius Rice |
| Founded at | Waterford, Ireland |
| Type | Lay Religious Congregation of Pontifical Right (for Men) |
| Membership | 680 members (2024) |
motto | Latin: Facere et docere (English: 'To do and to teach') |
General Motherhouse | Via Marcantonio Colonna 9, 00192 Rome, Italy |
The Congregation of Christian Brothers (Latin: Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Edmund Rice.
Their first school opened in Waterford, Ireland in 1802. At the time of its foundation, though much relieved from the harshest of the Penal Laws by the Relief Acts, Catholics faced much discrimination throughout the newly created United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland pending full Catholic emancipation in 1829.
This congregation is sometimes referred to as simply "the Christian Brothers", leading to confusion with the De La Salle Brothers—also known as the Christian Brothers, sometimes by Lasallian organisations themselves. As such, Rice's congregation is sometimes called the Irish Christian Brothers or the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers.