Blessed Edmund (1762 – 1844) was born into a farming family, the sixth of nine children at Callan, Co Kilkenny, Ireland. Edmund received a good education as well as religious instruction within his home from an Augustinian Friar.
In his teens, Edmund joined his uncle who had a successful merchant business in Waterford transporting goods to British colonies. He was very successful within the business and when his uncle died he inherited his wealth. However, following the death of his wife of two years in an accident which also caused the premature birth of a handicapped baby daughter, Edmund sold the business and devoted his life to “prayer and charitable work, particularly with the poor and marginalised of Waterford”. His initial work was with a small number of challenging young boys but over the years, it evolved into the formation of numerous schools across Ireland and beyond. Two new religious orders were founded by him, the Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers. The motto of the Christian Brothers is: “The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord forever”. (Job 1: 21)
Bl. Edmund’s Feast Day is 5th May.
Bl. Edmund:
Pray for us that we will fully utilise our abilities to help others, especially the young, to understand and live the Gospel teachings.
Glory be to the…
