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Formation
Province participants in the Karibu Cross-cultural Program,
Nairobi
 FOR
THE PAST MONTH Brs Peter Thrupp, Peter Negus
and Berkeley Fitzhardinge along with three teachers from St.
Paul's College, Gilles Plains, Adelaide, Noel Mifsud, Marie
Galetta and Heather Heier, have been participants in the Karibu
cross-cultural program being held in Nairobi. The program
is an initiative of the Congregational Renewal Team (CRT),
in collaboration with the Christian Brothers, the Presentation
Brothers, and the Edmund Rice Network. It is billed as an
"experience of cross-cultural living and community
service in Africa and to situate life and work in a global
context". The residential session is taking place
at the Loreto Mary Ward Centre in the Kenyan capital. And
here's a long overdue photo of the notorious Negus twins,
Laurie on the left and Peter on the right (as you look at
the photo) with two of the East African Brothers who are hosting
Karibu. (Laurie is presently working in Nairobi and Karibu
has presented a good opportunity for Laurie and Peter to catch
up. The month-long Karibu program concludes on 19th August.
You can find more details of the Karibu program on the CRT
website: http://www.edmundrice.org/crt/
Thanks to
Peter Thrupp for the photo
Province
Amalgamation
New website for the North American Province
THE NEWLY-COMBINED
North American provinces of the Congregation have established
a website under the banner "Embracing a Common Future".
It can be found at: http://ercbna.org/.
Report Courtesy
Edmund Rice Online
Oceania looking
to the future
Exploring new Leadership models for the Congregation in
Oceania
A working party has been established under
the auspices of the Shaping Our Future initiative...
IN THE AUGUST EDITION
of the Brothers’ newsletter, Province Leader, Br Kevin
Ryan, announced the membership of an important working party
that has been established to explore future Leadership Models
for the Christian Brothers’ Congregation in Oceania.
Around the world the Congregation is exploring new structures
and leadership models that better meet the needs of today.
The North American Provinces have already amalgamated into
a new structure details of which can be found on their new
website: http://ercbna.org/.
This Oceania working party will be developing models for
discussion by the wider Congregation that meet the particular
needs of the Congregation and the Edmund Rice Ministries in
this region of the world. The members of the working party
are:
Br Bob Wallace (St Mary’s
Province)
Br Gerard Brady (St Patrick’s
Province)
Br Steve McLaughlin (St
Francis Xavier Province)
Sr Margaret Endicott (St
Francis Xavier Province)
Br Kevin Ryan (Holy Spirit
Province).
From the
Brothers' Newsletter August 2005
The
Cause
Postulator comments on the challenges of his role
In some comments delivered in Rome on the
Feast of Blessed Edmund Rice, the Postulator for the Cause,
Br Donal Blake (pictured below), shared some of his hopes
and frustrations in the role. Here's part of what he said
and you can find the full text of his comments on the Congregational
Leadership Team website at the link at the end of this story.
 "BEING
POSTULATOR FOR THE CAUSE can be a lonely experience,
especially if one feels that there is not a shared experience
of what one is about. There are different schools of theology
out there, and canonisation does not feature on all of them.
So be it! It may be that some have a simplistic view of why
we should canonise anybody. Simply trying to find one more
miracle is a caricature of what I do."
"I would claim that like the writers of the Gospels,
I am involved in the Ministry of MEMORY OF OUR STORY. Every
movement, every organisation, needs its story, its history,
if it is to continue in an inspirational way. Remember the
dictum: "Tomorrow began yesterday". Jesus
said, "Be my WITNESSES … Do this in memory of
me ... Go and teach this to all nations." The Evangelists
set out to preserve for future generations what the Christian
story was/is, what was it that Jesus began to DO and to TEACH.
… "This is JESUS' STORY, make it YOUR STORY –
Do you in like manner"."
"Similarly, the WITNESS of the Edmund Rice story needs
to be passed on. Some would claim that one of the main tasks
of Philip, the Congregation Leader, is to keep OUR STORY,
EDMUND'S STORY, alive, to be passed on from our generation
to the next. If so, the main task of the Postulator is to
facilitate him in doing just that."
See "From
the Postulator's Desk" on the CLT website
http://www.edmundclt.org/postulator/postulator.htm
From edmundrice.org
news...
Here's a run-down of the stories published in Edmund Rice
On-Line in the last few months...
Clicking the headlines will take you to the
full story at www.edmundrice.org
KIMBERLEY
BROTHER WELCOMES SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE
Broome-based Br Shane Wood of the St Patrick's Province, has
praised Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs
Minister Amanda Vanstone for her decision to take time to
visit remote Aboriginal communities in the Kimberley to listen
to the views of local people.
BROTHERS
COMMITTED TO RETREATS FOR ADULTS
Many Christian Brothers around Australia are offering a variety
of retreat experiences to a wide range of people, including
youth and adults.
'NOTHING
VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED' VOCATIONS PROMOTION MESSAGE
Ahead of next week's National Vocations Awareness Week, this
week's St Patrick's Province Newsletter published a quotation
from Marist Brothers Congregational Leader Br Sean Sammon,
who challenged religious to do something about reversing the
'serious and sustained action to reverse the membership decline
in our congregations'.
JAPANESE
PRIEST RECALLS HORROR OF ATOMIC BOMB
Mobilisation out of Hiroshima 60 years ago to work in a weapons-manufacturing
zone probably saved the life of Hayazoe Jo, then a 19-year-old
student. The 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb occurs
at 9:15 am tomorrow (Saturday).
THE
EUCHARIST REQUIRES COMMUNION
The Eucharist is legitimate only if full communion –
both visible and invisible – exists among those who participate,
according to an instructional reflection from education officer
Elizabeth Harrington of the Liturgical Commission in Brisbane.
 The
above stories published on Friday 5th August 2005
KARIBU
CROSS-CULTURAL PROGRAM BEGINS
Karibu, the Congregation's four-week international cross-cultural
program, began in Nairobi at the weekend.
DEATH
OF WOMAN FROM NOVENA INTENTION FAMILY
Congregational Postulator Br Donal Blake has asked for prayers
for the repose of the soul of Bridget Mayberry, who died in
the US on 14 July aged 29. Bridget was the subject of prayers
for the intercession of the Founder during the special Novena
leading to the Feast Day of Blessed Edmund in May.
REBIRTH
OF ST MARY'S PROVINCE BEACH HOUSE
Following negotiations with the local council aimed at preserving
both the use and heritage value of the Brothers' NSW South
Coast retreat, a restored and enhanced 'Billow View' at Gerringong
is once again open for retreats, conferences, camps, family
groups and Brothers' holidays.
THE
NAME WILL DIE OUT
The Congregational Leadership Team website has published a
reflection from Br Kevin Laws of St Patrick's Province that
uses a story from his own teenage years to point to the Brothers'
absolute need to attract vocations if the Congregation is
to remain more than a fact of history like Skipping Girl vinegar
and Pelaco shirts.
NEW
WEBSITE FOR CHRISTIAN BROTHERS NORTH AMERICA
The newly-combined North American provinces of the Congregation
have established a website under the banner 'Embracing a Common
Future'.
The
above stories published on Friday 29th July 2005
PROVINCE
COMMITS TO CATHOLIC PRINCIPLES IN IR NEGOTIATIONS
The Holy Spirit (QLD/NT) Province Leadership Team has issued
a statement stressing its commitment to observing the principles
of Catholic social teaching when negotiations are conducted
with employees in its schools.
ER
BULLETIN LOOKS BEYOND POVERTY CAMPAIGN
The Edmund Rice Justice Bulletin has described this month's
Make Poverty History campaign as a 'start on the way', but
action is required on four separate fronts if poverty is in
reality to be made history.
XANANA
GUSMAO MEETS BRISBANE STUDENTS
East Timor's President Xanana Gusmao visited Brisbane recently
and met students from St James and Gregory Terrace, and this
term's Liberation Lecture featured Brisbane-born Catholic
pacifist and peace activist and an old boy of St James, Ciaron
O'Rielly.
HOPE
THAT SOFCO CONFERENCE WILL 'UNSETTLE'
Br Peter Flint has put forward some words of Archbishop Oscar
Romero to suggest that if next January's Shaping Our Future
Conference in Brisbane does not provoke any crises, it will
have failed.
MEET
THE TEAM IN EAST TIMOR
Br Paul Conn of the Holy Spirit Province Leadership Team has
compiled a set of profiles on members of the Comunidade Edmund
Rice (CER), which was founded five years ago by Br Dan Courtney.
The
above stories published on Friday 22nd July 2005
CONGREGATION
SEEKING NGO STATUS AT UN TO HELP CHILDREN AT RISK
The Christian Brothers' Congregation intends to seek Non-Government
Organisation (NGO) status at the United Nations in its bid
to be a better advocate for the rights of children at risk.
'RATIONALITY
DEFICIT' AS FURTHER SOURCE OF DISADVANTAGE FOR POOR
The Edmund Rice Centre's Good Business newsletter has said
that advertisers must be scrutinised for increasingly sophisticated
techniques that invade the brains of consumers and rendering
those with lesser rational powers more vulnerable to manipulation.
THE
SCHOOL AS AN ECOSYSTEM
Br Gerry McGrath of the St Mary's Province has written a reflection
under the heading 'Earth Matters' that puts forward the idea
that the school community is a 'living system' just like any
other.
BROTHERS
'AHEAD OF THE GAME' IN AGED CARE
The National problems of an ageing population have real consequences
for the Christian Brothers, but Br Frank Hennessy of the St
Patrick's Province suggests that the high average age puts
the brothers 'ahead of the game'.
BR
PHILIP'S HOPE THAT NEW POPE MAY OVERCOME DIVISIVENESS
Writing to congratulate Pope Benedict XVI on his election,
Christian Brothers Congregational Leader Br Philip Pinto has
expressed the hope that that the ministry of the new pope
will be seen as a "sign of unity".
The
above stories published on Friday 24th June 2005
EUROPEANS
LOOKING TO RELIGIOUS BELIEF OUTSIDE THE CHURCH
Two addresses from leading figures in the Catholic Church
in the UK and Ireland have argued that while young Europeans
may be deserting the Catholic Church, their religious yearnings
have not necessarily disappeared.
BROTHERS'
LAND TO BE USED FOR SUSTAINABLE GARDEN
The Christian Brothers at Strathfield in Sydney have made
land available to the Edmund Rice Centre for Justice for the
planting of a small community garden based on the values and
principles for a sustainable future outlined in the Earth
Charter.
CALL
FOR BROTHERS IN PNG TO TEACH WHERE THEY'RE MOST NEEDED
A note in the issue of Xavier Province News (QLD/NT) sent
recently says that Brothers are less appreciated in schools
in traditional locations than in schools in some rural areas
without teachers.
COMPILATION
OF FORMATION OPPORTUNITIES
Br Michael Dyer of the Sydney-based Edmund Rice Formation
Services has provided a list of 20 personal development opportunities
in spirituality, faith formation, and justice for all of creation.
BROOME
CATHOLIC TALK RADIO WITH BR SHANE WOOD
The Broome parish radio show Cross Talk is back on the air
with host, Br Shane Wood, in the driving seat, according to
a report in this month's diocesan newspaper Kimberley Community
Profile.
The
above stories published on Friday 17th June 2005
 ER
FORMATION CONSULTING SCHOOLS
Edmund Rice National Formation Director Peter Nicholson has
written to schools inviting them to participate in a Research
Project aimed at working out how his office can best offer
practical support for those in the schools ministry to implement
the new Edmund Rice Education Charter.
PROVINCE
LEADER ENCOURAGES VOLUNTEERS FOR PHILIPPINES MINISTRY
St Mary's (NSW/ACT) Province Leader Br Laurie Needham has
written a letter encouraging Brothers to put themselves forward
for ministry in the Philippines.
EDITOR
ENCAPSULATES SOCIAL JUSTICE AS 'RIGHT RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN
PEOPLE'
Br Brian Bond of the St Patrick's Province, who edits the
fornightly Edmund Rice Justice Bulletin, has suggested that
the underlying meaning of the term 'social justice' is often
overlooked, and can be contained within the simple definition
'right relationships between people'.
ROTTNEST
ISLAND PSALM
Oliver Jacobs, a Year 8 student at Perth's Aquinas College,
has written a prayer of thanksgiving to God for Rottnest Island,
which is a haven near Perth, off the Western Australian Coast.
POSTULATOR'S
BIRTHDAY INTENTIONS FOR EDMUND
With Tuesday 1st June being the Birthday of Blessed Edmund,
whose feast day was celebrated last month, Congregation Postulator
Br Donal Blake has urged that members of the Edmund Rice Family
'bombard Heaven for his canonisation'.
The
above stories published on Friday 10th June 2005
MELBOURNE
BROTHER PRAISES 'COURAGEOUS' GOVT REBELS
Br Brian Bond of the St Patrick's Province has applauded the
"courageous move" of the Liberal members of Parliament
who are proposing a Private Members bill for changes to the
present legislation and practices concerning asylum seekers.
COMPILATION
OF FORMATION OPPORTUNITIES
Br Michael Dyer of the Sydney-based Edmund Rice Formation
Services has provided a list of 20 personal development opportunities
in spirituality, faith formation, and justice for all of creation.
'RATIONALITY
DEFICIT' AS FURTHER SOURCE OF DISADVANTAGE FOR POOR
The Edmund Rice Centre's Good Business newsletter has said
that advertisers must be scrutinised for increasingly sophisticated
techniques that invade the brains of consumers and rendering
those with lesser rational powers more vulnerable to manipulation.
INSPIRATION
FROM TURNAROUND THAT FOLLOWED NUNS' NEAR-DEATH REBUFF
Br Kevin Laws of the St Patrick's Province (VIC/TAS) has offered
a reflection in the leadup to January's Oceania Brothers'
Assembly, focusing on the the story of how the spirit US Benedictine
congregation was rejuvenated when a benefactor told them he
no longer wanted to give money to an institution that was
dying.
EDMUND
RICE VIDEO SHOWING ON FOXTEL
An Australian documentary that depicts Edmund Rice as a 'quiet
revolutionary' is showing this week on the new community TV
channel available to digital subscribers of the Foxtel and
Austar outlets.
The
above stories published on Friday 3rd June 2005
XAVIER
PROVINCE COLLABORATES IN KIT FOR RECONCILIATION WEEK
The St Francis Xavier Province Indigenous Ministries Unit
has joined with three other Queensland Catholic organisations
working for justice for Indigenous Australians, to produce
a Journey of Healing and Reconciliation Kit for National Reconciliation
Week (26 May-3 June).
TIME
TO ACCEPT THAT THE PM WILL NOT SAY SORRY
This week's Edmund Rice Justice Bulletin has highlighted the
speech given by former prime minister Malcolm Fraser at the
launch of yesterday's National Day of Healing - formerly Sorry
Day - in which he said that it's time to give up on expecting
current Prime Minister John Howard to issue an apology to
Indigenous Australians, but there's still much that ordinary
Australians can do to further the process.
ST
MARY'S PROVINCE LEADERS GATHER FOR CHARISM DEEPENING
Last week, a number of leadership groups within the St Mary's
(NSW/ACT) Province gathered for a three day program conducted
by Edmund Rice Formation Services, in order to deepen their
appreciation for the Charism of Blessed Edmund Rice and the
Mission of the Christian Brothers.
CONGREGATIONAL
LEADERSHIP TEAM VISITING AUSTRALIA
This week, Congregational Leader Br Philip Pinto, and two
members of his team from Rome - Br Michael Godfrey (St Patrick's
Prov.) and Br Dominic Sassi (England) - have been attending
meetings in Brisbane as part of their Visitation of Australian
Provinces.
CANBERRA
BROTHER A "CITIZEN OF THE YEAR"
Br Tim Barnes was recently named one of the ACT's Citizens
of the Year, receiving an award presented by Chief Minister
Jon Stanhope on Canberra Day.
The
above stories published on Friday 27th May 2005
CONGREGATION
SEEKING NGO STATUS AT UN TO HELP CHILDREN AT RISK
The Christian Brothers' Congregation intends to seek Non-Government
Organisation (NGO) status at the United Nations in its bid
to be a better advocate for the rights of children at risk.
BISHOPS
URGED TO ACT ON HOMOPHOBIA
With ABC TV's Four Corners raising the issue of homophobia
among Catholic school students on Monday night, a Brisbane
activist has asked the Australian Bishops to consider recognising
hate and violence against gays as a human rights issue.
CALL
FOR BROTHERS IN PNG TO TEACH WHERE THEY'RE MOST NEEDED
A note in the issue of Xavier Province News (QLD/NT) sent
yesterday says that Brothers are less appreciated in schools
in traditional locations than in schools in some rural areas
without teachers.
HOLY
SPIRIT PROVINCE OFFERS ANIMATED VOCATIONS RESOURCE
The Holy Spirit (WA/SA) Province has produced an animation
designed for use in lectures, workshops, and on Edmund Rice
Websites.
BROOME
CATHOLIC TALK RADIO HOSTED BY BR SHANE WOOD
The Broome parish radio show Cross Talk is back on the air
with host, Br Shane Wood, in the driving seat, according to
a report in this month's diocesan newspaper Kimberley Community
Profile.
The
above stories published on Friday 20th May 2005
ER
CENTRE DEMAND FOR PROBE INTO DEPORTATION SCANDALS
The Edmund Rice Centre for Justice and Community Education
in Sydney is calling on the Federal Government to launch a
public inquiry into the identification of asylum seekers and
its detention and deportation procedures.
THE
SCHOOL AS AN ECOSYSTEM
Br Gerry McGrath of the St Mary's Province has written a reflection
under the heading 'Earth Matters' that puts forward the idea
that the school community is a 'living system' just like any
other.
EDMUND
BIOGRAPHER FOR ABC RADIO FEATURE
Irish historian Daire Keogh, who is visiting Australia, is
this Sunday's guest on Rachael Kohn's The Ark program on ABC
Radio National.
EUROPEANS
LOOKING TO RELIGIOUS BELIEF OUTSIDE THE CHURCH
Two addresses from leading figures in the Catholic Church
in the UK and Ireland have argued that while young Europeans
may be deserting the Catholic Church, their religious yearnings
have not necessarily disappeared.
CALL
TO OBSERVE WORLD DEBT DAY ON MONDAY
This Monday (16 May) is World Debt Day, which commemorates
the day in 1998 when 70,000 people formed a human chain around
the G8 summit in Birmingham, England, to call for debt justice
for poor countries and greater accountability for past Cold
War and irresponsible loans.
The
above stories published on Friday 13th May 2005
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Edition
20: August 2005 Holy Spirit Province
