The Piarists (), officially named the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (), abbreviated SchP, is a religious order of clerics regular of the Catholic Church founded in 1617 by Spanish priest Joseph Calasanz. It is the oldest religious order dedicated to education, and the main occupation of the Piarist fathers is teaching children and youth, the primary goal being to provide free education for poor children. The Piarist practice was to become a model for numerous later Catholic societies devoted to teaching, while some state-supported public school systems in Europe also followed their example. The Piarists have had a considerable success in the education of physically or mentally disabled persons. Some notable individuals taught at Piarist schools include Pope Pius IX, Goya, Schubert, Gregor Mendel, Tadeusz Kościuszko and Victor Hugo. History Joseph Calasanz Joseph Calasanz, a native of Peralta de la Sal in the Spanish province of Huesca in Aragon, was born on 11 September 1557. He was the youngest of eight children, and he studied at Lleida and Alcalá, and after his ordination to the priesthood on 17 December 1583, by the Bishop of Urgel, he moved to Rome (1592) where he organized, in 1607, a brotherhood. In November 1597, he opened the first free public school in Europe at Santa Dorotea. While it was considered a school of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, it was unique from the 22 other schools of the Confraternity, which just taught Catechism classes. The school opened by Calasanz also taught secular subjects. The Pious Schools expanded and were financially supported by Popes Clement VIII and Paul V. St. Joseph suffered a crippling accident, but it did not stop him. On 6 March 1617, the Piarist Fathers became an independent congregation called the "Pauline Congregation of the Poor of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools" when Pope Paul V issued his brief "Ad ea per quae." On 25 March 1617, Calasanz and fourteen other priests became the first members of the new community when they received the religious habit. Calasanz was placed in charge of the new congregation, and he changed his name to Joseph of the Mother of God, thus inaugurating the practice of dropping the family name on entering the religious life. The new congregation was the first religious institute dedicated to teaching. To the three usual vows of poverty,