The
image to the left is that of an Icon of Edmund Rice created by the Irish
artist Desmond Kyne, which was unveiled in Liverpool, England, in 1986. Edmund
is depicted 'in prayer before the living God. The Star of David and the descending
triangle of the Deity direct the viewer towards him, showing Edmund in
adoration before the Eucharist, represented in imagery that is both muted and
powerful'.
Blessed Edmund Rice (1762–1844), who is remembered today, was a Kilkenny man from the Callan
district. Over the course of his life he was a businessman, husband, widower,
father of a child with disabilities, advocate for the poor, and the founder of
two religious congregations devoted to education: the Christian Brothers and
the Presentation Brothers.
I had the good fortune to be educated at a Christian Brothers' school in Rathfarnham, County Dublin, from 1968 to 1974. Although vocations to the Brothers had begun to decline from the mid‑1960s and, as with other religious orders, there was a significant departure of members from religious life, I was taught by four different Brothers during my schooling.
