MISSIONARI DEGLI OPERAI. – A religious congregation founded on 24 November 1894 in Seraing, Belgium, by the priest Théophile Reyn with the full approval of Msgr. Doutreloux, then Bishop of Liège. On 10 June 1930 the Holy See granted the decree of praise, and on 4 June 1935 the Constitutions and the Congregation were definitively approved.
Its purpose is the apostolate among the working classes in harmony with the principles set forth in the encyclicals *Rerum novarum* and *Quadragesimo anno*, by opening apprentice, professional, and technical schools (both intermediate and higher), promoting Catholic Action among the working class, establishing employment bureaus and scholarships, and delivering lectures on religious and labor issues. The Missionaries also run parishes in places where workers are most numerous.
The Congregation, which consists of priests and lay brothers, currently has 15 houses with 106 missionaries in Belgium and the Belgian Congo.