In 1789, Rice married Mary Elliot but, shortly after the birth of their sickly child – also named Mary – Edmund’s wife passed away. Edmund chose to cope with his loss through deepening his relationship with God. 

 

As a young man, Edmund moved to Waterford to work for his uncle. There, he was highly respected and became quite wealthy. 

 

Although Rice had a very good life, he decided to become a Roman Catholic missionary and educationalist. Therefore, in 1803, he opened up a free school – called Mount Sion – for young boys living in poverty. It was towards the outskirts of Waterford and aimed to give the boys an education that would allow them to rise from the poverty into which they were born. The school was run by Edmund and some of his friends. Together, they formed the Christian Brothers. The school also provided necessities such as food and clothing.  

 

Throughout his life, Edmund focused on helping out strangers and ensuring everyone had equal opportunities. He died in 1844 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on October 6^th of 1996 at a ceremony in St. Peter’s Square, Rome. Edmund Rice is known as Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice and his feast day is the 5^th of May.  

 

The characters in the story include the servants, the host and the poor man. The servants are loyal to their boss (the host) and do whatever he wants them to do. The banquet host likes everything done a specific way; he is very rich and feels superior to everyone around him. The poor man is regularly treated in an unfair manner. 

 

All of the characters display certain values and attitudes that are like walking in the footsteps of Jesus. The attendants follow specific orders from the host and don’t complain about it. The host invites other people to his banquet. The poor man tried to do the right thing and follow the attendants’ instructions by going to the banquet and even while getting kicked out by the host, nothing was stated about him getting angry or annoyed. 

 

We need to find out if the poor man did anything to prevent being kicked out of the banquet. If we knew this, we could gain a deeper understanding of his values, attitudes and beliefs. We may then be able to figure out more about his history and life. 

 

Apart from younger children (who may not understand the story), I believe that everyone could get something out of this story. Each person would have a slightly different interpretation of it, but there would always being a significant message and/or moral. I think this story could’ve inspired my chosen reformer – Edmund Rice – because he chose to help the poor children instead of just focusing on the wealthier and better-off children. He helped them in multiple ways (including food and clothing), as mentioned in the parable. 

It is stated that this scripture influenced Edmund Rice. He always helped other people and never expected anything in return; this is also what the scripture tells us to do.

Luke 6:21–22 

This scripture has the possibility to have influenced Edmund Rice because it similar to what he did in his lifetime. It states that those who are hungry will be satisfied and those who weep will laugh. This is exactly what Edmund Rice strived to live out. 

 

The Edmund Rice Prayer
This prayer was not one that influenced Edmund, but it was written by someone else in appreciation for what he did throughout his life. It states that "he opened his heart to you present in those oppressed by poverty and injustice." This tells us that he strived to give everyone equal opportunities.