St Laurence’s College was founded by the Christian Brothers in 1915. Edmund Rice, a widower and successful businessman in Waterford, Ireland, founded the Christian Brothers in the early 1800’s with the aim of “raising up the poor”.
The Christian Brothers work chiefly for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with the poor. They are a congregation of Catholic religious men numbering about 1,800 Brothers working in 26 countries throughout the world, with headquarters in Rome.
Today, in Australia, Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition are administered by Edmund Rice Education Australia on behalf of the Christian Brothers Oceania Province. The mission of these schools is expressd in The Charter for Edmund Rice Schools which articulates the educational vision for Australian schools owned and operated by the Christian Brothers in the 21st Century.