The Congregation of Christian Brothers is an international Religious Congregation of Brothers founded by Blessed Edmund Rice in 1802 in Waterford, Ireland. He founded the Congregation initially as a response to the needs of the poorer boys from the docks in Waterford. His desire was to release these boys from the trap of a sad life because they had no opportunities. Edmund saw that to have a chance in life one needed some basic life skills, some education in reading, writing and calculations, and some solid values to run one’s life by. The Brothers were initially teachers of Catechism and of other secular subjects which would equip the boys to gain employment and thus to be able to provide for their own families later on. The Brothers were also soon involved in trying to empower people generally through service of the families, through visiting prisons, through providing lunch for the poorer children in their schools and even helping them to have uniforms. The Brothers are now involved mostly in the empowerment of people, especially youth, through education and community and social development. The Congregation of Christian Brothers was so blessed in its early days that in 1825 the Brothers were able to move out of Ireland for the first time. A new school was started in England. So began the missionary activities of the Brothers, which have continued even to this day. The Brothers are present in more than thirty countries throughout the continents of Europe, Americas, Australia, and the sub continent of India, including the continent of Africa. The African countries are: Kenya, Tanzania and South Sudan, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Liberia and The Gambia.
THE BEGINNINGS WITH SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT
Zambia as (Northern Rhodesia) had had a long association with Europe, particularly with Britain. The British had been the major European influence since the early 1890s. On 24 October 1964 Zambia gained her Independence as a country from the immediate control of Britain. Quite some focus came on the country and also interest in the Church of that country.
Mater Dei Region. 1984.
In 1984 the Mater Dei Region was established as a separate entity. The first Regional Leadership Team was appointed: Br John Meade as Regional Leader, and Brothers Bernard Keating and Seamus O’Reilly as members of the Team. The region was still very much dependent on both the Irish Provinces for financial support and for provision of members for Mission in Zambia
