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	Christian Brothers Institute Files for Bankruptcy; No Ties to New Orleans Order By Bruce Nolan The Times-Picayune April 29, 2011 http://www.nola.com/religion/index.ssf/2011/04/christian_brothers_institute_files_for_bankruptcy_no_ties_to_new_orleans_order.html A Catholic religious order with a name nearly identical to the Christian Brothers who run schools around New Orleans declared bankruptcy Thursday, partly under the weight of sexual abuse claims in the Pacific Northwest. The order, under the name of Christian Brothers Institute, based in New Rochelle, N.Y., filed for Chapter 11 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York. "Deficit spending and litigation costs have forced CBI into this action," the Christian Brothers said in a statement. However, that order, rooted in Ireland and sometimes called the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers after their founder, is separate from the sound-alike De La Salle Christian Brothers who run De La Salle High School and Christian Brothers School in New Orleans, as well as St. Paul's School in Covington, said Brother Tim Coldwell. Coldwell heads the New Orleans-Sante Fe Province of the local Christian Brothers, formally called the Brothers of the Christian Schools. Its operations are unaffected by the bankruptcy of the other organization, he said. The Edmund Rice Christian Brothers did not say how many claims are pending against the order, and that information was not immediately available. Victims' attorneys estimate there are more than 50 claims. In the United States, most of the cases come from the Seattle area. The number of claims pending against the Christian Brothers is not large — especially compared to the Jesuits in the Northwest, which declared bankruptcy in 2009 with some 200 pending claims. But the Christian Brothers is also a far smaller order, with about 250 brothers serving in the North American province, which covers the United States and Canada. Janet Tu of the Seattle Times contributed to this report. Bruce Nolan can be reached at bnolan@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3344.
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