We are in transition in New Orleans;
Province Leadership is exploring new ideas for the volunteer program and has appointed
two new members to the community. Two
current members have accepted different assignments to fill other needs of the
Province.
The changes were published in an
e-mail sent to the Brothers on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day! Br.
Charles Avendano will continue here. Two
new community members are replacing Br. Bob and Br. John. [Br. Bob also is confident that there will be
volunteers in residence next year.
Having volunteers and sharing life and mission with them is the reason
for the community.]
Joining Charles will be Br. James
Raphael McDonald, who grew up in Butte, Montana and now resides in Chicago,
Illinois. He was a science teacher
before becoming Vocation Promoter for the Province. He also serves as Chair of the Office of the
Edmund Rice Network which includes our mission efforts, the volunteer program
and vocation promotion. He is an
intrepid traveler, which his responsibility demands and rumor has it that he is
interested in golf, too!
The community will also include
Br. F. Séan Whitty, a Canadian now living in New Rochelle, NY. Séan has served as a teacher and
administrator in Canada and has experience in our community at Mt. Sion in
Waterford, Ireland. A gifted cook and
horticulturalist, he is a wonderful host.
He serves as Chair of the Province Office of Life and Renewal,
coordinating retreat programs for the Brothers among other duties. He brings experience and appreciation of the
international brotherhood we share.
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| Caitlyn, Vincent and Kyle planted these Carolina jasmine our second year here. |
A separate position of Director
of Recruitment for our Volunteer Programs, who will be a lay person somewhat
closer in age to those recruited, is being developed by the Province Leadership
Team. Br. Sean Moffett, a Province Councillor is leading the re-founding of the program and brings great energy, determination and vision to the effort.
Bob
Koppes, having completed five years here, is investigating ministry on the West
Coast of Florida where we have a community at Bonita Springs. John Casey, having completed eight years in
New Orleans, is going to East Harlem to help explore ministerial
opportunities for Brothers in Harlem where the Brothers served for over 100
years before withdrawing in 2010 with the closing of Rice High School.
The
changes take effect during the summer—still plenty of time for gumbo and shrimp
boils!
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| K of C room redone by Glenn Lirette--fancy but great for a small meeting |
REFLECTION
“A prayer that does not lead you to practical
action for your brother: the poor, the sick, those in need of help, a brother
in difficulty, is a sterile and incomplete prayer. But, in the same way . . .
When time is not set aside for dialogue with Jesus in prayer, we risk serving
ourselves and not God present in our needy brother and sister. St Benedict sums up the kind of life that indicated
for his monks in two words:ora
et labora, pray and work. It is from contemplation, from a
strong friendship with the Lord that the capacity is born in us to live and to
bring the love of God, his mercy, his tenderness, to others. And also our work
with brothers in need, our charitable works of mercy, lead us to the Lord,
because it is in the needy brother and sister that we see the Lord himself.”
Pope
Francis (7/21/13)
