The Passionists, formally known in Latin as Congregatio Passionis Iesu Christi (CP), are a congregation of priests and brothers whose core mission is to proclaim the Passion of Christ — through preaching, prayer, and missionary work, uniting a life of contemplation with active ministry.

The congregation was founded by St. Paul of the Cross (Paolo Francesco Danei), who made his first vows and wrote the Rule in 1720. The first Passionist house was established on Monte Argentario in 1737, and papal approval followed soon after.

Early Expansion and Foundations

The first foundation outside Italy was established in Ere, near Tournai (Belgium), in 1840 by Blessed Dominic Barberi, marking the start of the congregation’s international expansion.
From this Belgian beginning, the Passionists developed monasteries (“retreats”), parish missions, retreat preaching, and ministry of confession throughout Belgium.

Further international missions followed:

• England (1841) – led by Dominic Barberi, who later founded communities in Aston Hall and London.
• Australia (1843) – Stradbroke Island, site of the first Catholic mission among Aboriginal peoples.
• United States (1852) – led by Fr. Anthony Calandri, CP, the first Passionist missionary to North America.

Blessed Dominic Barberi thus stands as the key pioneer of the congregation’s first international foundations — beginning with Belgium (1840) and England (1841).

The earliest Passionist community in Belgium was at Ere (1840).
No specific Belgian Passionist missionary sent abroad in those early decades is clearly documented, though Blessed Isidore De Loor, CP (1881–1916), a Belgian Passionist known for his holiness, served within Belgium.

Mission and Spiritual Focus

The Passionists proclaim the Passion of Christ as the supreme sign of God’s love for humanity.
Their mission centers on parish missions and retreats, spiritual direction and reconciliation, and the ministry of the retreat house — later expanded to include pastoral work, education, media apostolates, and social service, always emphasizing the presence of “the suffering Christ in the suffering human being.”

Worldwide Presence

By the 20th century, the Passionists had spread across all continents.
In 1968, the congregation counted approximately 4,137 members worldwide, with communities across Europe (Italy, Belgium, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Poland, Austria), North and South America (United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and others), Africa, and the Asia–Pacific region (Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, India, China, and Vietnam).

The Passionists Today

Today, the Passionists remain active worldwide, continuing their ministry of preaching and retreats, parish and mission work, and outreach to those who suffer — the “crucified of today”:
refugees, the poor, the marginalized, and all who experience pain or injustice.

Their contemporary mission emphasizes Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation, faithful to their founder’s call to make Christ’s Passion the heart of life and ministry.