The Christian Brothers arrived in Victoria from Ireland in 1868 and in 1874 they were appointed to manage what became known as St Vincent de Paul’s Boys’ Orphanage in South Melbourne. In 1879, the Christian Brothers assumed responsibility of St Augustine’s Orphanage at Geelong. In 1885, the Australasian Province of the Christian Brothers was formally established.
The Congregation of the Christian Brothers was founded in 1802 by Edmund Ignatius Rice in Waterford, Ireland. Rice was inspired by the work of Nano Nagle, founder of the Presentation Sisters, and supported their school and convent in Waterford from 1797. Rice was a Roman Catholic and believed that education was the best way to help children who lived in poverty and founded the Religious Order to provide free education to boys.
From their origins in Waterford, the Christian Brothers spread throughout the world to establish schools and institutions with an educational mission.
The Christian Brothers first came to Australia in 1843, arriving in Sydney. They came to to Melbourne in 1868. The Australasian Province of the Christian Brothers was not formally established until 1885.