Our History

Since its beginnings, the mission of the Piarists focused mainly on the school. Already other religious were in charge of the pastoral care of the adults in the parishes. However, Calasanz always wanted each new foundation to have a church open to worship for students to participate in the Continual Prayer and to accompany their families. He founded in San Pantaleo in 1640 the Confrery of Saint Anna, for ladies, which had nothing to do with the school ministry. Few years after the death of the founder, the Piarists accepted some parishes in Central Europe: (Szepes, 1674; Brezno, 1675). In the 18th century the Order already ran about 25 parishes, not counting the many missionary-type services they lent in others. Saint Pompilio himself worked for two years (1760-61) in the parish of Lugo, entrusted to the Piarists. 

Today, the Piarists serve more than 130 parishes (some very small, but others very large) and about 175 temples with public worship. It is a pastoral reality where the Pious Schools have the opportunity to exercise the Piarist Ministry of fully educating in piety and letters and building Piarist Christian Community.