Edmund Rice was born in Ireland at Westcourt in June of 1762. He became quite wealthy as a provisioner of ships in the busy port of Waterford. He was married and had a daughter. After the death of his wife he was planning on traveling to the continent to join a religious order because they were outlawed in Ireland at the time. A woman friend called his attention to the extreme poverty of the uneducated youth surrounding him. He decided to open a school. Others joined him and the Christian Brothers were established. Mount Sion was his first permanent establishment. Soon there were requests from Bishops all over Ireland for his brothers.