Brothers of Charity

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2012-01-18T19:27:00.001-05:00

Activities of Bro. Superior General

2012-01-15T09:17:00.001-05:00

As we mentioned in our lastinformation bulletin, we arrived on the 12^th of December in Colombo in order to give a session about religiousleadership to the superiors of Asia. We cansay it was, like in Africa, a very goodmeeting and all enjoyed the session and the way we could live together asbrothers for several weeks. On the 18^th they started the provincialchapter in Katugastota, the first provincial chapter in the congregation aspreparation for the general chapter.

The house in Katugastota is moreor less ready to accept the second year novices beginning of March. BrotherLawrencepillai will be the novice-master and Brother Janvier responsible forthe academic side. We gave Saint Stanislas Kostka, the patron saint of thenovitiates, as patron of this new house.

On the 19^th ofDecember we arrived in Pakistan,where it was rather cold. We remembered our last visit in June 2010 when we had45° C: what a difference.

Also the situation in Pakistanis totally changed for our brothers! We have now 3 communities: Lahore, Narowar andPasrur. In Lahorewe have our primary school and the new initiative for the psychiatric patients.In Narowar and Pasrur, there is not yet a fixed apostolate, but the brothersdid a lot in order to become integrated in the local Christian community and theyrenovated their houses, two former schools that are now ready to be used as acommunity house.

From the 19^th untilthe 23^rd we had a retreat in the Renewal Centre in Lahore, where all the brothers participatedand also a group of Sisters of Charity; it was a good experience for all of usto be

together as one spiritual family. We ended the retreat with the acceptance of our first associate member,Mr. Ashraf and the acceptance of Bro. Saud who started again his probationperiod in the congregation.

Christmas in Lahore was a special event with visits to theother communities of the sisters with whom the brothers are collaborating andto the Bishop’s office. He had a lot to tell about the growing of ourcommunity.

On the 27^th wecelebrated 25 years presence of the Brothers of Charity in Pakistan with a Eucharisticcelebration preceded by the Bishop. Itwas a moment of thanksgiving and looking hopeful to the future.

The first weeks of January wereoccupied with the general council meeting, a meeting with the colleagues ofGAAP and the participation on the meeting of the Vincentian congregations inRome, where we were asked to give a conference on the social doctrine of theChurch.

To all the brothers, associatemembers, co-workers and friends: a blessed 2012!

2012-01-15T09:07:00.001-05:00

Religious Life is dying

2012-01-13T16:17:00.000-05:00

Brother Philip Pinto, who heads the Congregation of Christian Brothers, says religious life in its traditional sense is “dying” across the world, but wants people to accept the process as part of God’s plan.

Commentaire:
J'ai lu le texte par le supérieur général des Christian Brothers of Ireland. Rien pour nous encourager pour l'avenir même si la question se pose. J'ai eu l'impression d'un homme qui gère un bateau qui coule. Comment peut-on prédire l'avenir de manière aussi ferme lorsqu'on a connu dans l'histoire bien des hauts et des bas dans tous les domaines et particulièrement dans l'Église et les religions en général. Ce serait intéressant d'entendre le point du vue de votre supérieur général à ce sujet. Je soupçonne que ce point de vue serait peut-être un peu différent.

News of the Province of the Americas (Our Lady of Guadalupe)

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Brothers elected from five countries of the Americas and of four nationalities gather this weekend in Montreal together with the Provincial Council for the Provincial Chapter. Unexpectedly one elected member, Bro. Venance Kapita, who was tought not to get visa on time to cross the border, finally got it for five years at the last minute. More than fifty motions will be discussed over the three days of prayer and reflection on the future of our Congregation and of our Province.

Brother Alfred Kiza,fc who was member of Peter Joseph Triest community in Ayacucho has been called for a new mission in Ethiopia. Right now he is in Lima waiting to travel on Friday 06/01/2012 at 21h15 PM to Addis Abeba (Ethiopia) Via Amsterdam and Nairobi to Kinshasa. He will spend two to three days in Kinshasa where he is expected to arrive on Sunday 08/01/2012 at 9h45 AM for his business visa. Before leaving Ayacucho on Tuesday 03/01/2012, he was blessed in a special way. The Archbishop of Ayacucho Mgr. Salvador came at 6h30 AM to celebrate a farewell mass for him in the brothers community. The Bishop mentioned that Brother Alfred is not leaving Ayacucho but it is the Church of Ayacucho wich sent him to mission in Ethiopia. Brother Alfred avail this opportunity to thank all the Brothers, Associate members of Our lady of Guadalupe province in general and particularly of St. Martin de Porres for the reach shared experience.

Brother Roli from Lima, Peru will use his summer holidays this January to attend the meeting of of the Provincial Vocation Team in Washington DC together with Brothers John Fitzgerald and Venance Kapita.

Counsel the doubtful.

2012-01-04T09:10:00.000-05:00

January 2012 - 61

Counsel the doubtful

Doubt is inherent in man, and in faith. The first pages of the Bible reveal how man falls into doubt and is enticed by the offers of the tempter. We are immediately confronted with fundamental doubt here; the question if God is indeed the God from whom we can expect everything. It sounds so familiar: “Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” (Gn 3:1). It was a ruse to sow doubt in the heart of man. For once this question is answered, another will follow, until man will renounce his true relationship with God and wants to be god. This is where the fundamental doubt arises; it casts doubt on the power and the goodness of God, right up to the existence of God. Today, many are stuck in this fundamental doubt and make no effort to rise from it, to consider the doubt as a doubt. The doubt fades and makes room for relativism, indifference, complete disbelief, a removal of everything that has to do with God from this life. Still, we experience that in spite of everything, God remains in the background for many people: no, we cannot get rid of the doubt completely; it is like weeds that are difficult to eliminate and whose roots grow deep. Marnix Gijsen, a Flemish author who called himself an atheist, could not resist talking about God in one of his last interviews, and ended with a witticism: “If God were to appear right there on the other side, I would say: ‘Peekaboo, you don’t fool me.’”

Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre also could not help coming back to the inexistence of God in his writings, to vent his doubt so to speak. There has probably never been a time when God was the subject of so many modern works, not always in the most pious of ways, often degrading and jeering, but perhaps this might indicate the tenacious existence of the doubt about and surrounding God, and we could ask ourselves whether doubt and faith are indeed completely detached from each other. Is faith not giving a positive interpretation to that which cannot be proven or understood starting from that fundamental doubt? Faith arises from this existential doubt surrounding the nature of man, his origin and destination, and the question if there is a body that transcends man, from that general vague sense that there might be something there. This question is the basis for all great religious traditions and it was gradually answered in the monotheistic religions by a divine revelation.

Moses also doubted the mission that he received from God. “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:11). This is another kind of doubt: doubt about one’s own abilities, probably well-founded, because Moses was only thinking of his own power, particularly his lack of

power and had little or no faith in the power of God’s grace. It is the doubt that arises around the question if God, who exists, actually intervenes in our lives, if He is concerned about man, and if He can be near him in a special way. The God of philosophers is that immovable mover, the one who exists and who has set everything into motion but, other than that, who does not concern himself with man. He lets things be. The Old Testament reveals a God who is indeed concerned about man, and His answer to Moses is telling and guiding: “I shall be with you.” (Ex 3:12). A few verses back, it says: “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying for help on account of their taskmasters. Yes, I am well aware of their sufferings.” (Ex 3:7). God makes himself known as a compassionate God for the first time, a God who is in pain when man is in pain and who wants to personally intervene. And during the journey through the desert, that long contemplation for the people, God reveals his commandments, He responds to the doubts of the people, and provides security by fixing a framework of the law in their hearts. Indeed, the commandments, as they were recorded and described in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, the first books of the Bible, make a good framework for a good life. No, it is not up to us to say how we should live; God offered us the guidelines. “From this you can see that Yahweh your God is the true God, the faithful God who, though he is true to his covenant and his faithful love for a thousand generations as regards those who love him and keep his commandments.” (Dt 7:9). A beautifully worded conclusion that will accompany us through the entire Old Testament and that will be fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ, Son of God, who will fully reveal God to us as well as the full truth about man.

Jesus enters even deeper into the doubts that every man has and offers faith as a response to these doubts. Peter hears it when he tries to go to Jesus across the water and starts to sink: “‘You have so little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’” (Mt 14:31). Jesus himself becomes the answer to the doubt, the only answer that persists. He offers us faith, which can move mountains. “In truth I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be pulled up and thrown into the sea,’ with no doubt in his heart, but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.” (Mk 11:23). Jesus himself becomes the answer to every doubt, for it is written: “I am the Way; I am Truth and Life.” (Jn 14:6). He is the one who clears every doubt if we just believe in Him, so that, in the end, we might be able to say in the words of Thomas: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28). “Do not be unbelieving any more but believe. You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (Jn 20:27.29). There is no stronger task for us, who have not seen Jesus, to take away our doubt.

It would be a false conclusion to think that every person who believes no longer knows doubt. Doubt is fundamental and existential, and is overcome through faith. However, that same doubt can also reinforce our faith, purify it. This is what saints like Mother Teresa, Therese of Lisieux, and the Curé of Ars have gone through. With great faith, they experienced a very dark night, they had fundamental doubts but refused to allow these doubts to have the final word. And exactly because of that, their faith was purified; it became pure faith. It was a real surprise when Mother Teresa’s postulator found in her letters and journals that she had experienced a dark night of more than 50 years, longing for Jesus. It remained a longing, however. She had truly experienced Jesus in the first moments of her mission during which Jesus appeared to her with a clear message to love Him in the poor. And then came the great abandonment. Years later, she understood that this abandonment was meant to let her share more deeply in the suffering of Jesus, his abandonment on the cross, and, as a result, better understand and experience firsthand the abandonment of man, of the poor.

Therese of Lisieux wrote in her journal that she doubted God at certain times, that she doubted the afterlife. It was a doubt for which she blamed the devil, who tried to pull her away from faith. It teaches us to better understand today’s situation; how evil succeeds in completely removing God from the picture and in portraying Him as the cause of our misfortune, with his commandments always trying to put up unnecessary barriers to keep us away from happiness. Just listen to the media when they talk about the Church, faith or God.

Perhaps, with this work of mercy, we should take Moses as our icon and his conversation with God as our guideline. Moses doubts, and it is a pertinent doubt. It is the first move that is important: we can and should take doubt seriously, not conceal it or pretend that it is wrong or sinful to doubt. Quite the contrary, we should be encouraged to face our doubts; express them, not run from them. Acknowledging the fact that we doubt has to do with humility, realising that we are human and, as such, humanly limited. However, doubts about ourselves and about our own capabilities should not discourage us or undermine our self-confidence. We all know those people who have low self-esteem, who think that they are capable of nothing because they never heard that they are in fact meaningful, that they are somebody. When I was the head of a school, I once received a mother who had come to enrol her son. She and her husband were both physicians and their other children were all brilliant university students, I was told. But the boy in front of me was nothing, he had never succeeded in anything, which his mother told me very laconically as they both sat there in my office. This boy was deeply frustrated and suffered from deprivation neurosis because he never experienced any kind of validation whatsoever. Dr Terruwe developed her well-known affirmation therapy and indicated how the other can be approached in an affirming way: “You can be who you are, with your flaws and shortcomings, in order to be the person you are meant to be, but since you cannot present yourself just yet, you can become that person in your own way and in your own time.”

People who had to go without that so necessary affirmation in their youth, and who sense that they really can do something and that they mean something, are prone to develop deprivation neurosis. It is a call not to neglect mutual affirmation in our relationships, to dare to say that the other did something good, and that we appreciate him or her for it.

Moses heard from God that he could do it, and that God would help him. He would put the good words in his mouth with which he would convince Pharaoh to let his people go. This is where we arrive at a second element, perhaps even more important than the first. We might feel that our possibilities are limited, that our doubts are many, but we must continue to have faith that God is there to complete our efforts, even more so, who is at the origin of our efforts and in fact magnifies them. God expects that small step from us, and He completes it with his infinite grace. This is what can give us peace, the profound self-confidence that, in the end, we are indeed able deal with it all, because we do not have to do it all by ourselves. No, we do not need to take the entire weight of the world on our shoulders and carry it like Atlas did. By contrast, I am always moved by Teresa of Avila’s words, which I read one time in an office of one of our headmasters and which teach us the opposite of this ‘Atlas feeling’: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things pass away; God never changes. Patience obtains everything. He who has God finds he lacks nothing. God alone suffices.” God indeed transcends our greatest doubt. This is what Mother Teresa showed us by doing nothing else but radiate God’s love in spite of the spiritual darkness and abandonment by which she was tormented. We could say that the only thing that was still visible in her was God’s grace, all the rest was darkness. She had given God all the space to allow Him to become certainty instead of doubt.

From time to time, we hear people say that there are no more certainties. It is almost fashionable to cultivate doubt, so to speak. No, this cannot be nor become our attitude when we continue to build our life on God and God alone. This certainty of faith we must share with others; with it, we must encourage others and help them on their way. This is no place for empty-sounding words, clever one-liners or slogans. And in the encouragement of others we ourselves will receive encouragement. Affirmation breeds affirmation; it becomes reciprocal.

Bro. René Stockman,Superior General.

2011-12-27T19:32:00.001-05:00

2011-12-22T20:18:00.000-05:00

Dailymotion - dinner for one, vostfr, très drôle... by papyfrancis

From the Vincentian Family on the Web

2011-12-18T09:56:00.000-05:00

Brothers of Charity and the Vincentian Vision

December 17, 2011 0 Comments

The Brothers of Charity are a religious congregation founded by the “Belgian St. Vincent”, Peter Joseph Triest in 1807. With Vincent as their patron their mission is to promote a culture of charity wherever people are wounded in their existential capacities. Their special concern is mental health and they do much work through their NGO Global Action Against Poverty which is actively involved in specific councils and conferences at UN-level, especially in the field of mental health care
On October 10th 2011, the World Federation for Mental Health organizes World Mental Health Day. Global Action Against Poverty wants to give its full support to this worldwide initiative. The psychiatric centres of the Brothers of Charity in the South are therefore organizing different activities at the occasion of World Mental Health Day and collect signatures for a petition.
List of activities organized by the Brothers of Charity for World Mental Health Day:

Burundi:

Centre Neuro-psychiatrique de Kamenge (CNPK):

awareness raising commercials on mental health care in local media
lectures on different topics:

situation of mental health care in Burundi
community-based approach towards mental health care
CNPK as national reference centre
expertise and scientific/technical approach

Panel discussion broadcast by RTNB (Radio Télévision Nationale du Burundi)
Visit of the Burundian Minister of Public Health

Centre de Soins Mentaux Gitega:

official opening of the centre
opening ceremony
speech by the visitors, the governor, a representative of the mentally ill and the Minister

Indonesia:

Sahabat Kita Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center (Purworejo):

Mental health Seminar: organized by Sahabat Kita in collaboration with the Indonesian Schizophrenia Care Community and with the support of the Rotary Club of Merapi Jogja and Kanisius Book Publisher Company
Distribution of 1.000 Mental Health Awareness Posters in different provinces. The poster is intended to give facts regarding Mental Health in Indonesia.
Hand-over of petitions to policy makers

Ivory Coast:

Maison des Soins Psychiatriques Saint Vincent de Paul

Guided tour at the psychiatric centre and conference on mental health care in the presence of the Mayor of Yamoussoukro, the Governor of Yamoussoukro District, the Health Minister and the Prefect of the Région des Lacs on World Mental Health Day.
11-14 October: awareness raising activity in the streets of Yamoussoukro organised by the staff of the psychiatric centre and with the logistic support of the fire brigade of Yamoussoukro, press interviews and counselling for homeless psychiatric patients.
11-14 October: free psychiatric consultations

Report (French) on World Mental Health Day activities organized by the Brothers of Charity in Ivory Coast.

Peru:

Comisión de Salud Mental de Ayacucho (COSMA):

A round table with the theme “The Great Push: investing in Mental Health in Ayacucho” with the participation of the authorities, the Church, specialists in the field of mental Health Care and COSMA.
A Hand-over of petitions to the local authority.
Two days for training sessions with Professionals of Mental Health coming from Lima, for professionals who are working in regional mental health care and also for students from different programs related to mental health.
Three day open exposition about the BOC and Mental Health Care and the evolution of the interventions in Mental Health Care.
Parade with the different public organizations which work in Health Care.
A social sharing with families and patients.

Pictures on World Mental Health Day activities organized by the Brothers of Charity in Peru.

Philippines:

Holy Face Rehabilitation Centre for Mental Health (Tabaco)

Motorcade and opening programme on October 3rd
Residents day with students of Aquinas University and Bicol University on October 10-12th
Free psychiatric consultation in Libon Albay on October 14th
Family support group meetings
Hand-over of petitions to policy makers

More detailed info
Report on World Mental Health Day 2011 in Tabaco.

Sri Lanka :

Saint Benedict Menni Mental Health Rehabilitation Centre (Kalmunai)

Organized visits to the centre for the students of the Carmel Fatima College on September 30th. Awareness raising seminar, discussions and launch of GAAP petition.
Family day for relatives of the patients
Hand-over of petitions to policy makers in the capital Colombo

Formation in Leadership for BoC in Asia

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Swamynathan Wilfred

On 5th of December 2011, the Superiors, Formators, and Directors of the institutions of the Brothers of Charity from Asia came together for a 10 day Leadership Program given in Sri Lanka, Katugostota, Kandy. More than 22 Brothers and a lay persons attended the program. The Brothers are very grateful to the Congregation for this opportunity of formation. More over, the Provincial Chapter will begin on 18th December 2011. We thank you for your prayers. We thank personally the Superior General and Mr.Guido De Clerk from Belgium.

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Disabled Proud and Celebrating

2011-12-13T09:26:00.002-05:00

New Development in BoC Global Action Against Poverty

Awesome dance

2011-12-06T16:45:00.001-05:00

From Africa

2011-12-05T08:45:00.001-05:00

26th of November 1809 First Profession in the Congregation

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On 26th November 2011, the remembering of our First Brothers of Charity, we celebrated in our Community St.John De Britto. Recollection by Rev.Fr.Baskar David followed by Sacrament of Confession, and then finally the Holy Eucharistic Celebration. It was a time of remembering the names of the first Brothers who were followed by many more others. On the same day we the Brothers renewed our Vows...Brother Swamynathan Wilfred, India.

Thanksgiving for BOC brotherhood

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Thanksgiving Day in Triest Hall BoC Community

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One of the outstanding communities of the BOC: 7 nationalities

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We buried him in a toumb

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November 2011 - 59

Luke describes the burial of Jesus in detail. “And now a member of the Council arrived, a good and upright man named Joseph. He had not consented to what the others had planned and carried out. He came from Arimathaea, a Jewish town, and he lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He then took it down, wrapped it in a shroud and put it in a tomb which was hewn in stone and which had never held a body. It was Preparation day and the Sabbath was beginning to grow light. Meanwhile the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus were following behind. They took note of the tomb and how the body had been laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments” (Lk 23:50-56).

The horror with which the crucifixion is described contrasts sharply with the tenderness with which the evangelist portrays the entombment. Jesus, who was considered a criminal, is buried with honour, unlike his fellow sufferers. Joseph of Arimathaea offered his own tomb, hewn in stone. Everything had to be done quickly, as Passover was approaching. The embalming was planned for after the Sabbath. The other evangelists also mention the linen cloth in which the body was wrapped. John, who is known for his attention to detail, also speaks of the cloth that covered the face of Jesus, in addition to the shroud. This is the historical basis for the Shroud of Turin, which was displayed for veneration for a short period of time in 2010, and the sudarium or ‘sweat cloth’ with the Santo Volto of Manoppello in Abruzzo, Italy. Both bear the same face of Jesus.

The seventh physical work of mercy, to bury the dead, does not originate from Jesus’ judgment criteria, but from the Book of Tobit, often called the little Old Testament book of good works. “I gave my bread to the hungry and clothes to those who lacked them; and I buried, when I saw them, the bodies of my country-folk thrown over the walls of Nineveh. I also buried those who were killed by Sennacherib” (Tb 1:17-18). As he sat down to eat, he was looking forward to invite a poor countryman. When he learned that a man was strangled to death in the marketplace, he left the table to go and bury him. Even when the government forbade him to bury the dead, he went through with this work of mercy. “When the sun was down, I went and dug a grave and buried him. My neighbours laughed and said, 'See! He is not afraid any more. Once before he had to flee, yet here he is, beginning to bury the dead again'” (Tb 2:7-8).

Tobit’s example will probably have inspired the medieval Cellites, later called Alexians, to bury the dead in the cities during the plague epidemics. They were left in the streets, and nobody was prepared to bury them, for fear of contagion. These brothers got a new nickname; they were called ‘Schokkebroers’ or ‘Shaky Brothers’ in English, probably because they frequently had a little alcohol to protect themselves from contagion and so at night they would be shaking and stumbling down the city streets. Their motivation, however, was deeply religious and was inspired by the commandment of charity to love everyone and treat everyone with respect. This love does not stop with death, but the body, like a temple of the Holy Spirit, as Paul said it, deserves a tribute and a worthy final resting place. And so, the Church cultivates the tradition to have special attention for burying the dead, including those without a family or without means. To this day, there are groups, particularly in the United States, who arrange funerals for homeless people, lonely people, and poor people. In Sri Lanka I was a guest of the Sisters of the Poor in Batticaloa. Like in several other places in the world, they run a rest home for the poorest of the poor. Many of these people literally have no one, and thanks to the care of these sisters they can spend their old age in peace. When one of the residents died, I saw how the sisters respectfully and carefully laid the man out at the mortuary. The other elderly came to pay their last respects. A few hours later, they celebrated the Eucharist and the sisters took him to the graveyard where they buried him themselves and placed a simple wooden cross on his grave. This man had no one in this world, yet he was entrusted to the earth like a human being.

It also reminds me of Mother Teresa who said the following about her experience in the relief of those who were dying: “There was the man we picked up from the drain, half-eaten by worms and, after we had brought him to the home, he only said, ‘I have lived like an animal in the street, but I am going to die as an angel, loved and cared for.’ It was so wonderful to see the greatness of that man who could speak like that without blaming anybody, without comparing anything. Like an angel – this is the greatness of people who are spiritually rich even when they are materially poor.” Helping people to die with dignity, showing them that they are worth the effort to be cared for and loved in spite of their past; this was the special mission that Mother Teresa received in Calcutta. “Maybe,” she said at another occasion, “if I hadn’t picked up that one person I wouldn’t have picked up those thousands of others. This is bringing the poor to Jesus and carrying Jesus to the poor.”

We can add the care for the dying to this work of mercy. In the 1960s, a new form of care was born: palliative care. When curative care ends and there is no cure, there is always the care for the person who is dying. We often heard that people who were dying were put in separate hospital rooms and the nurse would avoid going in as there was nothing left to do. Others would undergo all sorts of medical procedures that would prolong life for only a short period of time and cause nothing but trouble. They wanted to prove that they were willing to go to any length to help the patient, as it were. On the other hand, the advancing treatment possibilities for cancer among others helped people for only a short period of time but left them with great pain and suffering in the long run. A new approach was required, focused on the suppression of pain and additional burdens, without having to anaesthetize the patient or place him in a coma. The legendary English physician, Dr. Cicely Saunders started London’s first hospice, Saint Christopher’s, which became the model of an entire new movement later on, palliative care. In Belgium, it was Sister Leontine who established the first palliative department at Saint John’s Hospital in Brussels. Today, these hospices are found in many places and several hospitals have opened special palliative wards. Everything is aimed at increasing the patients’ comfort and preserving the quality of life as much as possible, and, at the same time, at quietly preparing the patient for death. The possibility for the family to be there unrestrictedly, and even stay the night, is a very strong point and gives the patient the opportunity, albeit in an adapted environment, to be with his family in the final moments of his life. The request for active life termination, which is heard in these departments and stems from the unbearable and hopeless suffering that the patient endures, often fades away once the pain is relieved. It was not a request for life termination but a cry for help to be relieved of the pain. Palliative care is a big step forward in the matter of dying with human dignity.

Burying the dead is also a topical issue in countries where bodies have been dumped in mass graves due to situations of war or genocides without people being able to pay their last respects. In Rwanda, every discovery of a mass grave is an opportunity to have a ceremony to disinter the remains, rebury them and give them a suitable headstone. Even if the remains cannot be identified, they are treated with respect. They attempt at restoring that which was done in a cruel and inhumane way during the genocide. In the light of the commandment of neighbourly love, which tells us that true love is expressed in the total absence of reciprocity, burying the dead adds an extra dimension. No, we cannot count on reciprocity here, and love emerges in its purest form. Burying the dead is therefore justly to be considered a work of neighbourly love. In Western countries, there is a growing tradition to leave the entire funeral ritual to specialised companies. Even the laying out of the deceased’s body is done by so-called specialists, and in case they pass away at home, the deceased are immediately brought to a special funeral home. This is where people can pay their last respects before the actual funeral service. We probably cannot go back to the old days when the deceased’s body was laid out at home, the shutters were drawn, and a wooden cross was placed on the front of the house. Friends and family would have the opportunity to say goodbye to the deceased in his or her home, sometimes for several days. How fortunate I am to have witnessed the passing of my grandmother at her home, on her deathbed. If you ask young people now if they have ever seen a dead person, many will give a negative answer. Disease, suffering, and death are safely stored in hospitals and funeral home, and have become taboo. The newly created parting rituals in crematoria that are increasingly replacing the traditional funeral service, are a deterioration because people no longer accompany the deceased to the final resting place. In many cases, they paused at what the deceased meant for this world, however the reference to the afterlife is missing completely. It has become an end without prospects; one literally goes up in smoke.

Burying the dead is saying goodbye to a loved one, and continuing to live with this person in a new way. “Death is naught. I have only passed to the other side. I am me. You are you. That which we were for each other, we are still. (…) You see, everything is fine. You will rediscover my heart. In it, you will rediscover pure tenderness…” Saint Augustine wrote. The memory of the departed for those who believe should be more than a continued existence in the minds of those who remain. Across death, the deceased has already entered eternal life, the limitations of time and space have ceased to exist, he or she can be with us in a whole new way, transcending time and space. We cannot experience this now as we are still connected to time and space but we believe that those who made the transition can have a place in our life, even more intimate than before: not like it used to be, exclusively during times when we were physically in this same room, but always and transcending the distance that was caused by corporality. Praying for the dead, another work of mercy, stems from the work of burying the dead: the burial of the body but the continuation of life with the soul.

Bro. René Stockman,Superior General.

News from Superior General

2011-11-15T09:09:00.001-05:00

On Monday the 17th of October westarted with the collaborators of our International Organization GAAP and withsome brothers invited from other continents with the “Think tank”, in order toreflect on the objectives and the development of GAAP. It was a very intensive week. The responsiblepersons of GAAP are now preparing a final document that will be presented tothe general chapter. They also prepared a meeting for the more concretefollow-up in January in Rome.

During that week we had also aspecial event in our museum Dr. Guislain, where in collaboration with thepharmaceutical factory ‘Janssen Pharmaceutica’ a new department was opened,focusing the working of the brains and the evolution in the neurology assupport in the treatment of psychiatric patients. The guest speaker was Mr.Kennedy, nephew of the late President, who proposed to start with an annualreward for the most progressive initiatives in the field of mental health care.

On Sunday the 23^rd ofOctober, we left for Rwanda,where we participated in the training session for our local superiors of Africa. 30 superiors were together in our formationcenter ‘Twisere’ in Ndera for a 2 weeks session. We gave a formation onreligious leadership, and Mr. Guido De Clercq gave a conference on morepractical issues like organizing a meeting, how to bring over clear messages,etc. We heard afterwards that the participants were very enthusiastic about theformation, the first in the history of the congregation. In December, we planthe same formation for our superiors of Asia.During the weekend of 29 – 30 October, we visited our international novitiatein Nairobiwhere we gave a recollection. At the same time we had a first evaluation of thenovices together with the formators.

During the week that we were in Rome, we went with somebrothers on pilgrimage to San Giovanni Rotondo, the place of Saint Father Pio.We could not find a better place to celebrate All Saints. We had also somemeetings in the Vaticanand with our group of interreligious dialogue. We ended our short stay in Rome with the participation of the Vespers with the HolyFather at the occasion of the opening of the academic year of the universitiesof Rome.

Back in Belgium, we had the opportunity tovisit Bro. Hermeland Heerwegh who was celebrating his 100 year. He is the firstBrother of Charity who becomes 100 year, and he is still in good condition. Thatweek we gave a 2 days reflection to the Sisters of Charity in Roeselareand a retreat of 3 days to the charismatic group “Maria Kefas” in Beauraing,before returning to Rome.And in Rome itwill be again a period of meetings with the superior generals and the councilof catholic health care and the Propaganda Fide.

And so are we going to the end ofthe year visiting in Asia: India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

2011-11-14T21:51:00.001-05:00

Couple Donate $150 Million to Fight Poverty in Developing Nations

2011-11-12T12:11:00.000-05:00

Couple Donate $150 Million to Fight Poverty in Developing Nations

2011-11-10T10:32:00.001-05:00

Globalization: what is it?

There is enough for all if we share!

2011-10-19T19:12:00.000-04:00

Recent news from the superior general René Stockman f.c.

2011-10-15T09:53:00.002-04:00

The second part of September, wespent in China.The most important event was the acceptance of our two first Chinese brothersfor profession. Together with Bro.Adrian, our associate members Fr. Zhang and Fr. Joseph, our postulants Jamesand Bernard and of course our two novices Peter and Jose, we left Beijing on the 17^thof September with the train. The sisters of Bianciun, and especially ourassociate member Sister Whang, arranged everything that we could celebrate theprofession in their chapel. It was the vicar general of the diocese (who has nobishop for the moment) who presided in the Eucharist. For all of us it was anemotional moment when Peter and Jose expressed their profession. We were reflecting the past 20 years, becauseit is from 1991 that we are going for several times to China together with the Verbiest foundation, inorder to explore the possibilities to collaborate in China and to start thecongregation. The Lord has blessedfinally our efforts and we are thankful to all who collaborated for it, and ofcourse in a special way to Bro. Adrian, the vicar general, who sacrificedhimself to learn Chinese in order to stay in Beijing.

From the 21^st untilthe 24^th we gave lessons at the National Seminary in Beijing. We were glad to see so many young people whoprepare themselves for the priesthood. Yes, in China,even in a very difficult situation, the Catholic Church is alive! We were askedto give a course of pastoral care towards the sick. It was a nice experience,for us, and we hope also for the students…. Finally we visited Xian where wewere invited by Janssen-Pharmaceutica, the famous pharmaceutical factory from Belgium,with whom we are collaborating in many fields. They are the experts in the conservation and restoration of the famousterra-cotta soldiers, and so we could visit the workshops where with hightechnology experts they are working on these very famous statues.

We returned to Belgium on the 28^th of September andthe following days we had some meetings in Ghent, we visited the community of Sassenhoutwhere a sister-hermit is now joining the community. We had the meeting with“Natural Family Planning” that is progressing in its scientific work and we metthe “Friends of the Brothers of Charity”.

Then we left for Rome, where a lot of workwas waiting after an absence of more or less two months. We were preparing the general council; we hadthe final profession of Bro. Francis who is staying in the Generalate helpingin the house and appreciated as cook. And we were glad to participate in thecelebration, organized by the Belgian College, where a statueof the Blessed Pope John Paul II was inaugurated in our chapel.

The 16^th we will leaveagain for Belgium to participate the “Think tank”, organized by ourinternational foundation “Global Action Against Poverty”, in order to reflect,as part of the preparation of the general chapter, on the way we have todevelop ourselves as organization in the world.

Wilsom of the Dalai Lama - From "Maniac World"

2011-10-14T19:52:00.000-04:00