REFLECTIONS ON NAIROBI, #1

"The Way to the Future" was the theme of the recent gathering [October 2 - 8] in East Africa of 35 Brothers and  Associates who spent a week of intense consideration and reflection on the future.  The group included men and women from the Americas, Africa, Europe, India and Oceania.  Pictured below is our group portrait with both "John Caseys" in the back row!

Group portrait in the meeting room of the Little Sisters of St. Joseph Retreat House in Karen, a suburb of Nairobi, Kenya.  "Juan" Casey, Regional Leader for Latin America is fourth from the right, back row with the beard.

 

 

 

 We arrived on a Sunday evening and met through the next Friday.  Our schedule included prayer, reflection time, and many meetings in small group and large group.  We began meeting after prayer and meditation time, at 9 AM and went to lunch at 12:30 PM.  We reconvened at 3 and went until 6 or 6:30 with dinner at 7.  There were tea breaks at 10:30 AM and 4:30 PM.  The conversations were based on reflection on our readings, prayer and lived experiences.

I was in the "Mission and Ministry" group.   Our viewpoints are diverse, profoundly shaped by the historical, political, economic, social and educational systems that shaped the worlds that shaped our generations, families, communities and ourselves.  Our group includes  Brothers from Ireland, Australia, India and Zambia as well as myself.    All but one of us are "baby boomers" or older--only Stephen Chewe from Zambia is not. 

More on Nairobi and "The Way to the Future" later on this week.  After East Africa I visited the Ursuline Sisters in Forest Gate, in East London.  I returned to NOLA this past Friday and am still working on jet lag.  Leave for meetings in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi tomorrow!  Until then, below is a picture of the "Mission and Ministry" group in our small meeting room.  Declan kept us focused!

Stephen Chewe-Zambia, Martin Byrne-Europe, Declan Power-Europe[Chair], Jude Butcher-Oceania, John Casey, Graeme Leach-Oceania and Philip Pinto-India [Congregation Leader]