EREA Story

Our Story

Our Call to Faithfulness

In the late 1700s, a group of young visionaries from Waterford Ireland, inspired by their Catholic faith, formed by their work with the disenfranchised of their city, and aware of the discrimination that the people of an occupied Ireland faced, made a commitment to act. In 1802, inspired by the work of Nano Nagle and the Presentation Sisters, Edmund Rice and his companions opened a free school for boys in a New Street stable. 

Facing many challenges, these courageous educators developed a relevant, relational, and faith filled pathway for young people to rise from demeaning poverty and hopelessness to live a life of dignity and full humanity. Edmund and his companions took vows as a religious community in 1808, forming the Christian Brothers in 1820. Edmund’s deep belief in God’s “providential presence in his life” inspired him to “open his whole heart to Christ present and appealing to him in the poor”.

Edmund’s vision and belief led to an expansion of schools across Ireland and around the world. In the 1840s, at a time when Australian bishops were inviting European religious orders to assist with the provision of education, three Irish Christian Brothers travelled to Sydney. This brief ministry was followed by the arrival of Br Ambrose Treacy and three companions at Melbourne’s Station Pier in 1868. In the ensuing years, their faith and vision saw 120 schools open across Australia. For generations of young people, Catholic education was a positive and lifegiving experience, but for many it was not. First Nations Australians suffered devastating dispossession and separation. The journey of Reconciliation and truth-telling remains one of the greatest challenges of our 65,000-year story. 

Many young people were harmed by systemic abuse. The Christian Brothers have acknowledged and apologised for their part in the hurt and pain caused to these young people. This journey of healing continues. 

In 2007, Edmund Rice Education Australia was formed. This family of schools strives to respond to the diverse needs of learners, from early childhood to early adulthood, across all regions of Australia. In 2023, new governance structures further ensured that, within safe and nurturing environments, and as part of a global movement of schools known as Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders, over 40,000 young Australians are connected to the message of Jesus, the prophetic voice of the church and the charism of Edmund Rice. 

Our Call to Transformation

As we begin the second quarter of the 21st Century, we are asked to reflect, in light of the Gospels and our Catholic faith, on the challenges we face as individuals, schools, communities and church. How do we learn, educate and grow with courage, faith and hope in order to be active participants in and leaders of change? 

Our national and global communities provide signposts for this journey of transformation, collectively committing to the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, the UNESCO Futures of Education and the Congregation of Catholic Education Global Compact on Education. 

We join with the Australian educational community in contributing to an innovative education system that “encourages and supports every student to be the very best they can be, no matter where they live or what kind of learning challenges they may face.” EREA commits to this intent through “co-creating the learning conditions, dispositions and relationships to enable deep listening, confidence, agency and freedom.”

We join with Pope Francis and our Church community in recognising that education is an “act of hope… grounded in solidarity”. The process of education must respond to the problems of the contemporary world and continue to find solutions to the needs of every generation. In this way, we proactively commit to the transformative evolution of the human journey.

We join with the international educational community in affirming that education “has long played a foundational role in the transformation of human societies”, connecting us with the world and to each other, opening us to new possibilities, and strengthening our capacities for dialogue and action. We acknowledge that education itself must be transformed if we are to shape peaceful, just and sustainable futures with our young people. 

In solidarity with the First Nations of the world, we commit to a movement for Reconciliation and Truth-Telling, walking together for mutual liberation, valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowings and recognising Australia’s shared histories, cultures and achievements.

On this journey of transformation, we are guided by the EREA Charter, with our Touchstones as the measure of our authenticity. Through a liberating education, based on a Gospel spirituality, within an inclusive community, committed to justice and solidarity, we co-create a better world for all. 

The call to transformation asks us to be courageous and visionary, just as Jesus and Edmund were, and collectively work toward a transformed world.