Development of male religious congregations In the 17th century, education of the poorer classes began to be seen as a means of practicing
charity, which had always been a mandate of
Christianity. A leading figure of this approach was St.
Jean Baptiste de la Salle, a
canon of
Reims Cathedral, who began to help the poor children of
the city. As he was gradually drawn into education as a means for this purpose, he established a new
congregation of men for this work, who were called the
Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools or De La Salle Brothers. De la Salle had initially intended the Institute to be composed of both ordained and lay members, but the death of the candidates he sent to Rome for ordination while en route convinced him to keep the Institute composed only of laymen. Thus the establishment of a recognized status of "brother" as other than an agricultural laborer came to emerge in the Church. The establishment of other congregations of brothers started to boom during the 17th century. The social devastations of the 18th and 19th centuries saw the gradual emergence of other similar congregations of men,
dedicated primarily to education. Other examples of such congregations are the
Marist Brothers, the
Brothers of Holy Cross, the
Brothers of Christian Instruction of St Gabriel (Gabrielites), and the
Congregation of Christian Brothers.
Religious brothers today Since the
Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) many brothers have moved toward professional and academic occupations, especially in the areas of nursing, education, peace, and justice. Brothers in communities with priests and seminarians often undertake advanced studies and enjoy equal standing with ordained members. Today, most brothers such as in the United States serve in some type of professional, technical, or academic ministry. Many serve as chaplains or teachers/faculty members at schools and universities run by their respective orders. In addition, most brothers undertake some studies in spirituality, religious studies, and theology. Today there are more opportunities than ever for brothers in the Church. Brothers can be members of congregations that are made up only of brothers or they may belong to communities which include
seminarians and priests. These congregations may be primarily contemplative or apostolic in nature; many try to balance both aspects of religious life. Brothers in the United States and elsewhere have access to an advanced education that is suited to their interests and talents. In mixed communities, brothers may collaborate with seminarians and priests or may minister independently of them. Brothers share equal status and rights with seminarians and priests in their communities with the exception that canon law currently requires that mixed communities elect an ordained minister as provincial; however, some dispensations to this rule have been granted. Brothers may be elected to provincial councils and other leadership positions. In the United States, the National Association of Religious Brothers was established in 1971, with Brother Bonaventure Scully
C.F.X. as its first president. The association is now known as the Religious Brothers Conference, describing its purpose as "to give visibility to the special charism and vocation of the religious Brother". The conference most recently met at the Pallatoine Retreat and Conference Center in
Florissant, Missouri, in July 2025. The most acceptable term currently for the brother's vocation is "religious brother", sometimes abbreviated as "Bro." or "Br." The generic use of the term "brother" to describe fraternal or spiritual relationships between men in communities can sometimes lead to confusion about what it means to be a "brother" (religious). According to canon law, brothers are neither "lay nor clerical" but instead belong to the religious state of life. Hence, the vocational title "brother" is generally not used by seminarians (other than in monastic or
mendicant orders) in order to avoid the impression that being a brother is a developmental phase of clerical formation. However, as equal members of the same community, both priests and brothers would consider themselves
brothers in the fraternal, communal sense of the term. The term
lay brother in canon law simply means "not clerical" or "not ordained".
Religious brothers who have been proclaimed saints Religious brothers who have been canonized as
saints include: •
Alphonsus Rodriguez,
SJ,
porter •
Bernard of Corleone,
OFMCap •
Conrad of Parzham,
OFMCap •
Crispin of Viterbo,
OFMCap •
Didacus of Alcalá •
Felix of Cantalice,
OFMCap, who was the first Capuchin
friar to be canonized in the history of the order •
Francis Mary of Camporosso,
OFMCap •
Gerard Majella,
CSsR •
Ignatius of Laconi,
OFMCap •
John of God,
Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God •
Juan Macias,
OP •
Richard Pampuri,
Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God •
Martin de Porres,
OP •
André Bessette,
CSC, Canadian founder of
Saint Joseph's Oratory in
Montreal •
René Goupil,
SJ, missionary and martyr •
Albert Chmielowski, Polish founder of a congregation of brothers and another of
religious sisters of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis, which both bear his name. •
Bénilde Romançon,
FSC, a
French educator, who was the first member of his
religious institute to be canonized •
Martyrs of Turon, eight
Spanish Brothers of the Christian Schools executed during the
Spanish Civil War •
Jaime Hilario,
FSC, executed during the Spanish Civil War •
Miguel Febres Cordero,
FSC, an
Ecuadorian educator •
Mutien-Marie Wiaux,
FSC, a
Belgian educator •
Paschal Baylon,
OFM ===Religious brothers who have been
beatified=== •
Isidore De Loor,
Passionist, a Belgian brother •
Edmund Ignatius Rice, founder of the
Congregation of Christian Brothers and
Presentation Brothers •
Dominic Collins,
SJ •
José Olallo,
OH •
Redemptus of the Cross,
OCD •
Artémides Zatti,
SDB •
István Sándor, SDB • Henri Verges,
Marist Brother ==Lutheran==