WASTE YOUR LIFE! Mgr Fulton Sheen

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Download Spirit of St Vincent 350th Anniversary Powerpoint

"Snowmageddon" in Monroe Street

The house is buried in almost 2ft of snow!



But you can go out still....



The busiest road in the neighborhood.....busy? I don't think so...not today!





Go out, as long as you have to make way to go back in the house.

Our Novices in Rwanda

Dear Brothers, Friends, Associate members,on the 5th of February, we officially closed our first part of religious formation which consisted the theoretical part. Now we are looking forward as from next week to start the second part which is the practicum in different centers, hospitals, schools of the Brothers of Charity here in Rwanda for two weeks, before starting our retreat which will prepare us for the Profession that is scheduled on 28th Feb 2010.

We are so grateful to our formators and coordinators of both Psychiatry and Special Education departments. We thank also our lecturers from outside and within the country and our brothers from other African regions who came from very far to give us knowledge and instructions according to our charism as Brothers of Charity. We are also grateful to the people here in Rwanda who welcomed us and helped us in our different situations and challenges. For your support and prayers, we say once again thank you all.

Novice Silvère Trésor K.

Personal fulfilment!

Sometimes we see our neighbour as a competitor or a threat and at times we think that even God might hinder our self-realisation until we discover that true self-realisation grows and arises in a positive relationship with God and our neighbour. God and God alone can heal us with his love and lead us towards true open relationship and true self-realisation in which God and our neighbour no longer pose a threat. This happens when God’s love has become the center of our life. A person living in God’s love cannot feel God or the neighbor as a threat but as an opportunity for fulfilment. René Stockman f.c. in SCOL Feb. 2010

Short biography Vincent de Paul

Come Holy Spirit

Sister Martha said:

My greatest joy in religious life is knowing that God loves me, personally, uniquely, without condition and is always with me. That I belong totally to Him and that He belongs totally to me. In religious life I also experience a greater freedom. Religious life made me surpass my previous dreams; it enlarged my horizons. I can do much more with my sisters. In community I could use all of my skills (known and unknown). We live in community as in a family, we even pass the holidays and feasts of the year together.

Please, do not drink when you drive. You are not ready to see me yet.
God.
Can you imagine what air would cost, if someone else provided it?
God
What do I have to do to get your attention? Put an ad in the paper?
God
I thought about making the world black and white. But then I said ... naaah!
God
If you missed the dawn that I made for you today, it does not matter. I will make you another tomorrow.
God
How can you be a self-made-man? I remember perfectly making you.
God
If you think Gioconda is amazing, you should see my master piece… in the mirror. God
Do not forget your umbrella. I have to water the plants.
God
In my opinion, you are the most beautiful creature in the world. OK, I’m biased.
God

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In DC Holiday means feasting!

During Christmas holiday here in our community of Washington,DC, we had great honor to welcome some visitors. Among them were two Bene Maria sisters and one sister of the Daughters of Mary (from Kigoma and Tabora, Tanzania) who are studying in New Jersey. They visited many places such as the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land, the White house and other historical places. It was terribly freezing, and I learned to eat sandwiches with my hand gloves on and the running nose! Despite of the freezing temperature, it was great time for all of us to forget books for a while!

Br.Venance.

St. John Community in Rwanda is Vibrant!

Just to share with you some of our recent pictures. The ten Brothers in the first picture represent the 8 African Nationalities present in the International Novitiate here in Ndera-Kigali. These pictures were used for the Christmas and New Year's Greetings cards which we sent to our fellow brothers in different communities, our friends and associate members and co-workers.
The pictures in the classrooms, was the recollection day on the theme: " Change your heart, purify your motivation "

Dear Brothers, friends and associate members, this is our sharing.

Novice Silvère Trésor KALIMA.

Conversion of St Paul (homily)

http://www.catholic.org/video/?v=3011

Before going to bed

Would you like to pass a good time before going to sleep?
Prayerfully Reviewing Your Day

Reflecting on the day's activities is a human need. It helps also the faithful to remember God's invitation and our response or lack of response. Reviewing the day helps us grow in self-understanding and free us to follow God's will. Many people do the Daily Examen by following the five steps below.
Stillness: Recalling God's Presence
Relaxing in God's presence in your favorite place and posture. Being aware of how God shows his love for you in all his gifts to you. Being thankful for the Father's love, the love of his Son Jesus, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Asking the Holy Spirit to help you to look honestly at your actions this day and how you have responded.
Gratitude: Expressing Thankfulness
Reviewing your day and give thanks to God for his gifts. Not choosing but rather seeing what springs to mind. Thinking of the concrete details of your day—the aroma of coffee, the smile of a co-worker, or a beautiful rainbow. Recalling the gifts that enable you to share with others—your ability to help, your sense of humor, or your patience. Expressing your gratitude to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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Our Brothers in Rwanda

Here are some of our pictures taken on Friday evening in the presence of Bro. General Superior when he visited our community with professor Borne responsible of the Psychiatric and Neurological Department at the University of Ghent in Belgium. After having the meal in our community, we also had a special recreation in which we shared some drinks and stories and even some news of other communities. We also welcomed the same evening our two brothers from Bujumbura: Bros. Emile and Hypolyte who came to meet bro General . On Sunday also, we were invited to sing at Remera Parish the newly rebuild parish "Regina Pacis Parish". We sung on the 2nd mass which is an English mass. The parishioners were happy for our apostolate and congratulated us for our acceptance to their request. As you know, Rwanda is now an English speaking country so all people are trying their level best to come up with this new language. After the mass we had a small gathering near the parish just to quench our thirst with some drinks and cocktails. It was a nice Sunday to be together as a community with some associate members who joined us for the prayers. These are some of our news in our community St. John of God, International Novitiate Second Year.

Novice, Silvère Trésor Kalima.

Sudan A beat for Peace

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Thanks to God’s wisdom we are not only free to do what we like, but also what we do not like.

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People challenging you, upsetting you, criticizing you and even despising you, do you a lot of good for your progress. Do the best of their contribution and pray that they remain your dedicated challengers!
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The ultimate measure of a man is where he stands not int ime of comfort and convenience, but rather in times of trials and controversy. MLK

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We are called to be people of convictions not conformity; of moral nobility notsocial respectabilité. We are called to live differently and according to a higher loyalty. MLK

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If we want to live eternal life now and follow the spirit of God, we must die to our need of recognition, admiration and power. Jean Vanier

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Unity and peace an only come between people and culture as we disarm ourselves, die to our own plans, and let God’s plans and ways take hold of us.

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In what we are going to experience during our life there are positive and negative sides. Up to us to pass our life in one or another side!
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A Bulletin for Brothers of Charity
and the Associate Members

January 2010 - 38

God became man so that man might become God

It is good to meditate these words of Saint Athanasius during this time of Advent and Christmas.

The incarnation is and remains the most powerful moment in the history of mankind, during which the creation was completed. The creation of man might be shrouded in the mist of time but the creation of God’s incarnation is verifiable historical fact.

The Word, once spoken in time, became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word was given a face and a name and appeared in time. God wanted to be human to allow man, every man, to share in his divinity. Human nature underwent a transfiguration and was re-created from the image of God into the child of God. The distance that arose during the creation between man and his Maker, between Creator and creature, was overcome with the incarnation. The step towards the Creator, which man could impossibly take himself, was taken by the Creator. Man, born from God, was now reborn in God.

When I visit the Sistine Chapel in Rome, I am always struck by that wonderful scene by Michelangelo depicting God’s creative power. God’s forefinger touches Adam’s, and we can almost see the creative force spark from God to Adam. God’s beauty and power are transmitted to Adam who bears God’s likeness. Adam, man, is the fruit of God’s love, one love that finds its fulfilment in giving itself away. God’s love, which is the basis of the Divine Trinity, the internal dynamics that pluralised the One God, was so powerful that man came into being, created to be loved by God and to love like God. God’s love is man’s origin and final destination, man’s ultimate meaning. Without God’s love man would have never been created, and without God’s love man’s life has no meaning. The capacity to love, which man, every man, experiences within, and the desire to be loved are both reflections of this divine love. The desire to be loved and the capacity to love are embedded in the spark of the creative power. God is the origin of our love and, as such, of our life.

When we admire Adam in the Sistine Chapel, we can see how God created him, how he receives life from God, but also how he eventually pulls away from God.

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