Patrician Brothers

The religious congregation, better known as ‘The Society of the Brothers of St. Patrick’ or ‘Patrician Brothers’, was founded in Tullow, Ireland on 2nd February, 1808 by Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel Delany - the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. Having received a good education in France, he was aware that only education could restore people’s hope of building a future. It is this thought which motivated him to found the Congregation of the Society of the Brothers of St. Patrick. The young men who originally rallied behind the good Bishop were materially poor, though endowed with the rare qualities of courage and conviction just as their Bishop was. Under his guidance they organised themselves and set to work in right earnest.

Having made an impact in Ireland as ‘excellent school men’, they were ready to take up missions abroad. Around the second half of the 19th century, India was the first to beckon the Patricians. The invitation came from the Bishop of Madras (presently Chennai) to take care of the Orphanage at Condichetty street in Madras. The first Brothers to land in Madras in 1857 were Bros. Ignatius Price, Paul Hughes and Fintan Parkinson. This led to Brothers opening up schools and institutes of higher learning in Australia, America, Kenya, Papua New Guinea and Ghana.

Unlike other foreign Religious Orders which - majority of them, if not all - landed in India with the aim of proselytising this subcontinent, the Patrician Brothers were invited to educate the masses of this vast country. Love for God and love for God’s creation, irrespective of geographical boundaries, race, religion or colour, was what motivated them to spread the light of knowledge wherever they went. Along with the teaching of secular subjects, they inculcated in their students those universal values that give meaning to one’s life such as love for God, love, respect and compassion towards others, justice, peace and a sense of equality.

The educational institutions they founded became instant success stories. From their first foundation in Chennai in the year 1857 - St. Patrick’s School, Adyar; they began taking over schools that were offered to them or started founding new ones of their own. The Brothers took over schools like St. Joseph’s in Coonoor, St. George’s in Mussoorie and St. Antony’s in Lahore. They founded new schools like St. Joseph’s Academy in Dehradun, St. Mary’s Academy in Meerut, St. Michael’s Academy in Adyar, Mount St. Mary’s School in Delhi, Nirmala Inter College in Mussoorie, St. James and St. Patrick’s Schools in Binnaguri (West Bengal), St. Patrick’s Higher Secondary School in Trichy, St. Patrick’s School in Mananthavady (Kerala), Patrician College of Arts and Science in Adyar, Mount St. Patrick’s Academy in Pune, St. Patrick’s Academy in Dindigul, St. Patrick’s Academy in Angamaly (Kerala), College of Education in Dehradun and St. Patrick’s Academy in Bangalore.
Even today, the Brothers in India continue to train young men as Patricians to carry on the good work and mission of Bishop Delany.