FRATELLI DELLA ISTRUZIONE CRISTIANA DI SAN GABRIELE - Enciclopedia Cattolica, Vol. V, p. 1013

Machine translation of the 1948–1954 Italian original. The original text is authoritative.

BROTHERS OF CHRISTIAN INSTRUCTION OF SAINT GABRIEL. – A religious institute founded in 1816 DESHAYES, GABRIEL (v.) for rural schools, in the spirit of St. John Baptist de La Salle. When Deshayes was elected Superior General of the Company of Mary, he transferred a large number of the Brothers to St. Laurent-sur-Sèvres, placing them at first in the same mother-house of the Company, known as that of the Holy Spirit, whence the Brothers were called Brothers of Christian Instruction of the Holy Spirit. In 1835 they obtained their own house, called that of Saint Gabriel. Subsequently the entire Institute took this name.

Deshayes also drew up their Rules. The Institute soon spread beyond the borders of France and extended into Europe and overseas countries (Canada, 1888; from 1900; Siam, Madagascar, India, Gabon, etc.). It was definitively approved by the Holy See in 1923 and today comprises 5 provinces with 155 houses and over 1300 members. They are also trained educators of the deaf.

Since 1888, the year of the beatification of Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, founder of the Company of Mary, the Brothers of Saint Gabriel have also claimed to have been founded by him. The question was resolved in the negative by a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites dated 25 April 1947 (AAS, 39 [1947], pp. 240-41). The biographies of Deshayes reflect the viewpoint of their authors.

BIBL.: F. Laveau, G. Deshayes, apôtre de la Bretagne, 2nd ed., Vannes 1866; A. Blain, Institut des Frères de l'Instruction chrétienne de St Gabriel, origines organisation-œuvres, Poitiers 1897; H.-M. Jouet, Quel est le fondateur des Frères de l'Instruction chrétienne de St Gabriel, Rome 1908; A.-P. Laveille, Le b. L. M. Grignion de Montfort et ses familles religieuses, Tours 1916; A. Crosnier, L'homme de la Divine Providence, G. Deshayes, Paris 1917; A.-P. Laveille-L. Collin, G. Deshayes et ses familles religieuses, d'après des documents inédits, Brussels 1924; Anon., Institut des Frères de St Gabriel, autrefois dit du St Esprit, Paris 1925; F. Chupin, G. Deshayes, fondateur des Frères de l'Instruction chrétienne de St Gabriel, Pontchaume 1929; Nova inquisitio superbus: a b. Ludovicus M. Grignion de Montfort historiae haberi possit uti fundator... Fratrum Instructionis christianae a S. Gabrielis (S. Ritum Congr., Sectio historica, 66), Vatican City 1947.