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From the Provincial’s Desk …

1 October 2012

Dear Brothers,

I believe that two words that truly sum up

religious life and ring true for authentic Marist

living when it comes to the evangelical use of

goods: generosity and detachment.

We may be tempted to think that we can

overcome consumerism and abuse of goods by

sinking ourselves into poverty instead of

learning how to detach ourselves from our

possessions. But through generosity and

detachment we learn how to stop clinging to

goods, but to hold them more loosely share

them readily with bigness of heart.

Jesus does not tell us that we must become

poor: rather that we be generous and detached

from material goods. Strange as it sounds,

some poor people can be very materialistic and

possessive. The more generous and detached

we are, the more enriched and strengthened

we become. These attitudes help to reminds us

of our dependence on God. We can let go of

our security blankets that provide us with the

illusion of independence.

Let us contrast generosity in the life of a Marist

Brother against the notion of holding on to

possessions. Generosity helps us to look to the

Marist Brothers - Irmãos Maristas Province of Southern Africa - Província da África Austral

Province Office, Area 9/290B, Box 1077, Lilongwe, Malawi

October/Outubro 2012 Newsletter / Bolletim Informativo

Province of Southern Africa – Assembly, Lusaka, 8 - 15 August 2012

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future while possessions defend the brittle

present and build a wall to shield us against the

future. Generosity looks to involve the world

and to work with it while possessions seek to

imitate the world and forget gospel values.

Generosity responds to the Gospel values and

hears the call of the Spirit. While possessions

muffle the call of the spirit and ignore the

gospel values.

Consider now the other word, detachment.

Detachment is the ability to hold onto things

but with a loose grip. Such gentle holding is at

the heart of the spirit of poverty to be practised

in living our vow of poverty as Marist Brothers.

We are not asked to walk around in rags, no.

Poverty means a personal detachment from the

goods owned by the community and goods that

we have the use of. It is only through

detachment that we are able to grow closer to

the Kingdom of God. While society and

particularly the media calls us to acquire more

and more, detachment helps us to say, “I have

enough”.

To end our reflection, let us consider Article 28

of our Constitutions:

“Following the poor Christ”

Christ, who, although rich, became poor for

love of us (1), urges us to become one with

Him in His poverty. He was born in

deprivation (2), lived by the work of His hands,

announced the good news to the poor (3) and

proclaimed them blessed. Knowing that He

had received everything from the Father, He

gave Himself freely into His hands and

emptied Himself to the point of dying on a

cross.

Through love, we follow in the footsteps of

Jesus to learn from Him how to live fully, in a

spirit of detachment, our vow of poverty.

(1) 2 Cor 8, 9 ; (2) Lk 2, 7 (3) Lk 4, 18”

May God enrich us in our poverty.

God bless you all.

Birthday wishes …

02/10/1974 Tomás Kalumbula

09/10/1976 Floriano Silepo

09/10/1977 Chiza Phiri

10/10 1988 Fonseca Fernando

12/10/1936 Martin Whiteford

16/10/1976 John Bwanali

22/10/1936 Aidan Bridge

22/10/1953 Felipe Moreno

23/10/1985 José Capingana

24/10/1989 Clement Yambani

26/10/1978 Daniel Banda

28/10/1984 Daniel Jariosse

Br Joe’s Calendar

OCTOBER

1 - 9 Lilongwe 5-8 Provincial Council 10-13 Balaka, Malawi 14-17 Zomba, Malawi 18-19 Lilongwe 20-21 Via Jo’burg to Matola 22-27 Novitiate, Matola 28-31 Johannesburg

NOVEMBER

1-10 Centenary Madagascar 11 - 12 Via Jo’burg to Harare 12-15 Harare and Kutama. 16-18 Prov. Council (Kutama) 20-23 Dete, Zimbabwe 26-29 Nyanga, Zimbabwe 30 -2 Dec Via Jo’burg to Matola

DECEMBER

3-7 Manhiça, Mozambique 8 1st Profession Matola 9 Nivava, Mozambique

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Double Jubilee Celebration –

Br João Torcato (60 yrs) and António Sanasana (25 yrs)

Manhiça 2 September 2012

The celebration was included in the regular Sunday liturgy of the local parish, and participants were

then invited for an excellent meal in the Church hall. Among those who travelled some distance for the

event, were a number of former Marist students and Brothers, family members, and a representative

group from the novitiate. Congratulations!

“We prepare our students for DEATH” writes Head Teacher

Dr Paul Doherty, former head teacher at Trinity

Catholic High School in north-east London,

always began his letters to parents with the

phrase “Dear Beloveds” and then continued:

“Most schools prepare their students for life;

we prepare them for death.”

“At first glance, and at the time,” writes a

former student, “I thought this was extreme an

a bit morbid, but as my faith has grown and

become my anchor in life, I appreciate now

what was done for me then.”

THE TABLET Education 1 Sep 2012 (page s11)

Cutting and Sharing the Cake!!

Will my former students remember me

for my influence on their faith?

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All Brothers: Rome – International Meeting on the Identity and

Mission of the Religious Brother Forty-eight Brothers from eight different

religious institutes of Brothers met at the

General House of the De La Salle Brothers in

Rome from 2 to 29 September this year.

The following Institutes were represented:

Edmund Rice Christian Brothers; Brothers of

the Christian Schools (De La Salle); Brothers of

St Gabriel; Brothers of Christian Instruction;

Marist Brothers; Brothers of our Lady of Mercy;

Brothers of the Sacred Heart; and Brothers of

the Holy Family.

The following Marist Brothers took part: John

Hazelman (Samoa), Ador Santiago (Philippines),

Joachim Ezetulugo (Nigeria), Juan Carlos

Fuertes (Spain), Antonio Quintiliano (Brazil),

Ismar Portilla (Colombia), Bernard Beaudin

(Canada) and César Rojas, director of our

Secretariat of Brothers Today and a member of

the organising team of the Conference.

Institutes of Brothers are dedicated to a variety

of ministries, but principally education.

There are some nine hundred thousand

religious men and women in the Catholic

church including: 722,000 sisters, 55,000

thousand brothers; and 135,000 religious

priests.

For them and because of them, we risk our lives

“Blue Marists” (Maristes Bleus) at Aleppo, Syria (from “Marist News”, Rome)

It is 11.00 pm on Thursday 26 July 2012. Here in

Aleppo, it was more than 40 degrees during the

day. In the distance, I hear the firing. I am in my

room in the community. Brothers Georges

Hakim and Bahjat Azrie are also at home. In

fact, we returned together around 9.00 pm

after an unforgettable day for the Blue Marists.

If you see our photos, you will see the young

and not so young in blue T-shirts. You

remember what the local people called the first

Little Brothers of Mary ? Well, we wanted to

place this solidarity campaign under the title of

«Maristes Bleus».

Aleppo, our city, second city of the country,

financial capital, major centre of commerce and

craft industry, is in its death throes. It has been

suffocated for more than a week. The war is

spreading into the neighbourhoods. The people

flee, become refugees, wander, take shelter in

the streets, the public gardens, the schools,

everywhere. The inhabitants take in their

relatives, the houses are open…Bread is lacking,

electricity is lacking, fuel is lacking, milk is

lacking, medicines are lacking ; the only thing

not lacking is the spectre of war. It is on the

Syrian Brothers: Georges Hakim, Bahjat Azie, Georges Sabé

De La Salle Generalate, Via Aurelia, Roma

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prowl, it is everywhere. A nauseous smell rises

from the streets …

The city is completely encircled. There is risk of

being taken away or killed. The people are

afraid… A fear which depresses, which

paralyses, which kills… So the question is posed

: what do we do ? Flee, as so many families

have done? Stay in place paralysed ? Act ?

What to do?

At the beginning, we chose to continue all our

activities. We launched holiday camp projects,

and educational activities… But all discretely,

we realized the danger was enormous, and that

it would be necessary to halt. This was last

Tuesday’s decision : “Halt our activities”.

But stopping our activities does not mean

stopping our mission. It is rather to search

together, laity and brothers, for some response

to give to the emergency. The call of the last

General Chapter urged us to go out to the

displaced persons. In the quarter of Jabal el

Saydeh, a quarter where we have been working

for more than 25 years among the most poor,

we found people still poorer… The displaced!

So to them we hurried, to the children, the

women, the men… the young people

responded generously. And it was there we

spent our first day.

They welcomed us, the children came out of

the holes where they had hidden. A crowd… a

mass. A balloon excited them … They played,

sang, danced… each of them is a history, a

sacred history which is revealed to us. A little

girl who shares her sadness at being an

orphan… A boy who offers at the very first a

pencil to an animator, “Habaytak” he says to

him, “I like you”… A girl is quite sweetly

transformed thanks to a hand which does not

let her go… She dares to take her hands down

from blocking her ears. She skips, she smiles…

The “sheikh” (Imam), comes to thank us…

Someone asks, «Are you Christians?” An old

man comes up to me to embrace me and say to

me “Choukran”. I don’t know him, I do not

know his name, I do not know why he has

thanked me, but even so, the gesture is made, a

pact of love and trust is signed … The women

listen to the women. What dignity ! There is no

complaining. One thanks “Allah”. But what a

living Gospel we are- we are truly living!

One question is often asked : “You are going to

leave, are you going to come back ?” And a

trust is established. The children accompany us

to midday, when we leave them. They sing

around us as if to tell us “Stay, we love you”!

And at 5 o’clock when we come back, they are

already there, and the celebrations continue,

dancing, games, smiles, joy !!!

But the needs are pressing. More elementary

needs. In this month of Ramadan, the month of

fasting, for our Moslem brothers, the needs are

enormous : paediatricians, doctors, medicines,

milk, beds, sanitary napkins, soap, detergents,

mattresses, clothing, food…

They have been distributed in two schools, 900

persons crammed in. The flow does not stop

growing. Some families (2000 persons) are set

up in the public garden. They endure the heat

but do not want to be shut in. Perhaps, they

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dream of waking up in the morning and going

back to their homes… and yet today this dream

appears remote, without any hope of being

realised in the near future, if a home still exists

for them…

And those are a drop in a sea of displaced,

homeless, stranded... but for us, they are

names : Zeinab, Moustapha, Ali, etc... They

have a face, they are a history, they are a look,

a poem… For them and because of them, we

take risks…

Yes, we risk our lives. Certain young people do

not have the support of their parents. All of us

know the great risk of working when the

weapons keep on firing.

But the single smile of a child– isn’t that enough

to dispel all our fears ?

Br Georges Sabé

Your prayers are requested for …

The family of Br John Katumbi (Malawi). An uncle of his passed away on 12 September 2012.

RIP

The family of Br Tarcisio Postingher (Malawi). His grandmother, Luiza Delazzeri Postingher

(90), passed away in Garibaldi, Brazil on 13 September 2012. RIP.

The family of Br Davy Mbasela (MIC). His brother, Nobry Balama, passed away on 20

September. RIP.

A student at our school in Manhiça was killed in a motor accident on 24 September. Pray for

the family, the pupils and the teachers.

Thank You from Mymensingh, Bangladesh

8 August

Dear Br Mario

Through you I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the Brothers in the province for

their prayers during my time of bereavement. The messages of condolence received were

helpful. Though far away from home, through your prayers I felt close to you all and to my

family. May the Good Lord bless you all and guide you all in His ways. With you all in prayers.

Br Vigilio

Marist Youth Ministry

A report on the Pan-African Workshop held in Nairobi

will appear in the November Newsletter.

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Marist Educators from South Africa -

Pilgrims to Rome and Champagnat Country

Something to think about

A sermon walking

One afternoon in 1953, reporters and officials gathered at Chicago rail station

to await the arrival of the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize winner.

He stepped of the train – a giant of a man, six-feet-four, with busy hair and a

long moustache.

As cameras flashed, city officials approached with hands outstretched and

began telling him how honoured they were to meet him. He thanked them

politely and then, looking over their heads, asked if he could be excused for a

moment. He walked through the crowd with quick strides until he reached the side of an elderly

woman who was struggling as she tried to carry two large suitcases.

He picked up the suitcases in his big hands and smiling, escorted the woman to the bus. As he helped

her aboard, he wished her a safe journey. Meanwhile, the crowd tagged along behind him. He turned to

them and said, “Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

The man was Albert Schweitzer, the famous missionary-doctor who had spent his life helping the

poorest of the poor in Africa. A member of the reception committee said to one of the reporters,

“That’s the first time I ever saw a sermon walking.”

Pilgrims with Hermitage Community members

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FOLLOW-UP ON THE ASSEMBLY

I am thankful to Brother Vincent George for

collating all our responses to the questions we

discussed during the last two sessions of the

assembly. I invite you to revisit the ideas we

shared on that day considering how we can put

them into practice. The points raised provide

suitable material for the next Provincial Chapter

to consider.

A reminder of the three questions that we had

to deal with:

What should we keep?

What should we stop?

What should we start?

POOR CHILDREN

WHAT DO WE KEEP?

The good work already being done in the

Province

Putting aside funds in our budget for educating

poor children

Being present in educational circles at higher

levels than schools

Our presence among the youth

Making students aware of the plight of poor

children

Our support systems present in our schools

Our feeding schemes

Our programmes for refugees

The afternoon classes that exist in some schools

Support those Brothers & Laity who work

directly with poor children

Identify poor children and try to assist them to

get education or social support

Work with those already assisting the poor

children

Encourage privileged schools to assist the less

privileged ones where possible

Take steps to incorporate the poorer children

into our privileged schools

Our prayer for the poor

Give free tuition where possible

Be in solidarity with the poor children when we

have resources to share

WHAT SHOULD WE STOP?

Being rough/unwelcoming when the poor come

to our houses for help

Giving too much to individuals

Making the poor children perpetual beggars

Undermining their capacities as people

Our laziness or lack of creativity that stops us

reaching out to poor children

Focusing only on academic results

Boarding schools

WHAT SHOULD WE START?

Developing policies in our communities for

helping the poor children

Outreach programmes to help poor children

Working with NGO’s already in these fields

Generate resources when there is a major

initiative – maybe at Province level

An articulated structure

Looking hard for resources like clothing, food

etc. that are available to assist us

Day scholars in some of our schools

Counselling and guidance to assist our poor

students

Praying with the poor children

Catechizing the poor

Identifying those local people already assisting

children and support their efforts

Consider changing curricula to include more

vocational & skills subjects

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COMMUNITY LIFE

(These points could be a good starting point for

your next community life plan)

WHAT SHOULD WE KEEP?

Community meetings

Community and personal prayer

Regular attendance at Mass

Communications

Recreation times

The work of our schools

Family spirit & traditions – feast days,

birthdays, outings; manual work; quality time

Solidarity with the poor

Marial virtues

Accompaniment

Internationality & multi-culturalism and what

this entails

Manual work

Hospitality

Togetherness at meals

Life Plan and budgeting together

Fraternal correction and concern

Transparency / accountability

Community timetable as set out each year

Simplicity in our lifestyle

Making Jesus known and loved

Good relations with the local Church &

government

Frequent spiritual reading

WHAT SHOULD WE STOP?

Individualism

Having the same brother as both Superior and

Bursar

Sending Brothers to other countries without

dialogue

Being too selfish

Using the community house as a place of

lodging

Spending money unnecessarily

Viewing our support staffs as mere objects

Excessive use of alcohol

Absenteeism from community – especially

frequently

Going out without communicating our

whereabouts

Authoritarianism

Running individual projects

Lukewarm attitudes to spiritual living

Abuse of information technology, vehicles, cell

phones

Laziness in relationship to manual work

Frequent gossip

Over-burdening Brothers

Making life difficult for others

Being work-a-holics

Our portrayal of “having it all” in life

Closing communities

WHAT DO WE START?

More use of spiritual directors /

accompaniment for younger Brothers

Greater regularity in time and attendance at

community prayer

Greater enthusiasm at personal prayer

Getting to know the families of the Brothers

Getting to know those interested in joining us

Making time for community recreation and

manual work

Taking more time to do Spiritual reading

Communicating more around social

issues/things of interest/hobbies

Taking care of our health but without

exaggeration

Being more thankful for our vocation and

showing it

More loving and caring for others in the

Community/Province

Have a greater self-discipline

Have a greater transparency in all that we

do/say

Being creative with our community prayer

Being open to welcoming others for

prayer/meals

Having greater dialogue before transfers

Having a more balanced practice of the vow of

poverty

A “Come and See” programme in each

community

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VOCATIONS PROMOTION

WHAT DO WE KEEP?

Regular contacts with those interested –

intensive accompaniment

Family visits

Take up recommendations from parishes/small

Christian communities/schools

Collaboration with other dioceses and religious

orders

An aspirancy programme (if there is one)

Careful screening of candidates

Give talks on vocations in schools/parishes

The vocations promoter

Camps / Workshops

Inviting our students to visit places where

communities are actively present in schools/ or

work with the poor

Regular prayer for vocations

Use of the media

“Come and see Programmes”

Formation of Formators

Good Formation houses

Good communications concerning what is

happening around the Province re vocations

WHAT SHOULD WE STOP?

Sending any Tom, Dick or Harry to make up

numbers

Sending candidates without careful screening/

accompaniment where possible

Relying solely on the Vocations Promoter

Being lukewarm in or approach

Hostility in community, especially when there

are candidates present

Presenting false hopes to aspirants

Fast-tracking aspirants

Over-loading the work of the Vocations

Promoter

Apathy of “I am too old” or “This is not my task”

Recruiting those who have been in other

congregations for a length of time

Shielding a scandal

WHAT SHOULD WE START?

Massive support for the Vocations Promoter

and team

A good structure to promote Vocations

formators

Getting to know the parents/families of those

in formation or interested

More “Come and See” programmes in our

schools

More “Friends for Champagnat” programmes

Promotion of a carefully devised Youth Ministry

programme

Switching off phones during important

community activities

More welcoming to young people in our

Communities

Greater shared responsibilities for the upkeep,

neatness and care of the houses we dwell in

A “reference Brother” in Communities who will

follow up an interested candidate

All brothers take responsibility for vocation

promotion

Being more present in parishes when vocations

days/meetings are held

Novenas for vocations