The Brothers of Saint Patrick, popularly known in most countries as the Patrician Brothers, is a Roman Catholic Religious Congregation founded by Bishop Daniel Delany in Tullow, Ireland, on Tuesday the 2nd February, 1808.
Bishop Delany founded the Brothers to educate the boys of his diocese in the faith and traditions of the Catholic Church. Under British rule for several centuries, the Catholic faith in Ireland had been suppressed by the British and thus near forgotten by the Irish.
From this small Irish town, the Brothers reached out to every corner of Ireland and eventually to every corner of the globe. From Galway to Los Angeles, from Aitape to Chennai, from Dormaa to Sydney, the Brothers travelled with their primary message Christus in Corde Omnium: Christ is in all people and in all of His creation.
The Patrician Mission Statement
We Patricians, inspired by the life of Jesus Christ, rise to proclaim His option for the poor. We hold all of creation to be holy and worthy of reverence. Its song of praise is spoiled only by sin. We dedicate ourselves to restore right relationships to our world by compassion and action for justice.
Like Daniel Delany, we refuse to separate our faith from life. Through life-giving Brotherhood and prayer, we strive for a union of hearts and minds which will transform us and lead us to witness and service. We set ourselves firmly against whatever may cause injustice. We tend to the marginalized and in so doing, glorify our Creator-God.
We resolve to carry forward the enduring educational initiatives of our forebears and the newer ministries of our apostolate. But we will test them all, for their benefit to the poor and for justice’ sake. Wherever we are, we will promote wholeness, welcome and self-worth.
As the future unfolds, our hope remains secure. Because our call is for service, we are ready to venture, risk, even fail, that some good might take hold, that some hope might be shared and that the poor might have their voices heard.
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