BROTHERS CMM 2/22
m aga zine
| NEW: PORTRET GALLERY | GOD’S LOVE IN QUARANTINE | 100 YEARS CMM INDONESIA | AWARD FOR BROTHER ANDREA SIFUNA | 12½ YEARS WALK-IN LUNCH |
Take a look at the website www.cmmbrothers.org
CONTENTS OUR MISSION We are called to be merciful brothers and to do what Jesus did: to serve and enlighten, speak a redeeming word and be a helping hand. Most of our work is in the domain of teaching, accompaniment of youth and church ministry, especially for the poor and the needy. Through the quality of education and religious formation we want to empower young people and contribute to the development of society. We take care of the sick and vulnerable and create places of hospitality, and we help people to find meaning and happiness in their lives. Together with others we devote ourselves to building a more humane world of justice and peace. We are religious brothers and live in communities, joyful and courageous, open to the world around us. Trust in God, simplicity, brotherhood and mercy characterize our life and work. We honour Mary as our Mother of Mercy. We cherish the memory of our founder Joannes Zwijsen and we follow the example of Saint Vincent de Paul: serving God in the poor and the needy. We carry in our hearts the words of Jesus: “As you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me.”
CONVERSATION WITH THE SUPERIOR GENERAL
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PORTRET GALLERY
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COLOPHON Brothers CMM appears three times a year and is a publication of the Congregation of the Brothers of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy. A subscription is free of charge. A voluntary contribution is appreciated: ING Bank Account for Fraters CMM Tilburg IBAN: NL30INGB0001068517 (BIC: INGBNL2A). ISSN 1877-6256 Editorial Board: Nathalie Bastiaansen (editor-in-chief and executive editor), Brother Edward Gresnigt, Brother Ad de Kok, Brother Benyamin T. Robiwala. Contributors: The Brothers Lawrence Obiko, Januario Sani Quehi, Manuel Barreto Amaral, Wout van den Hout, Yonas Paso, Damasus Dobat, Rosario de Jesus Martins, Andrea Sifuna, Paul Damen, Ad de Kok. Mr. Anton van der Lee, Mr. Charles van Leeuwen. Translation: Nathalie Bastiaansen, Brother Edward Gresnigt, Father Jan van der Kaa AA, Mr. Peter Huybers, Mr. Tony Verhallen. Design: Layout: Printing:
Heldergroen, The Netherlands DekoVerdivas, The Netherlands Franciscan Kolbe Press, Kenya
Contact: Brothers CMM, Rhapta Road, P.O.Box 14916 Nairobi, Westlands 00800, Kenya E-mail: Brother Elijah Agilo: kaggillos07@gmail.com Contact: Brothers CMM, P.O.Box 89, Windhoek, Namibia E-mail: Brother Athanasius Onyoni: atonyoni@yahoo.com E-mail: magazine@cmmbrothers.nl Website: www.cmmbrothers.org Photograph front cover: Casa de Apoio in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Photograph back cover: Stained-glass window in the chapel of the brother house in Nakuru, Kenya. Photo: Brother Ad de Kok
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GOD’S LOVE IN QUARANTINE
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
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100 YEARS CMM IN INDONESIA
FROM THE EDITORIAL BOARD A new series starts on page 5: The Portrait Gallery. The Generalate of the Brothers has a beautiful gallery of portraits of all the Superiors General. Now that gallery contains thirteen portraits, because the fourteenth Superior General, Brother Lawrence Obiko, is still in office. It is tradition that a portrait is not hung until a Superior General has completed his term of office. Two brothers from Timor Leste write about their experiences during a period of quarantine, and God’s love is also present there. We pay attention to the 100th anniversary of the Province of Indonesia. The Province itself exists since 1989, but already in 1923 - next year 100 years ago - five brothers from The Netherlands went on a mission to Indonesia. Another jubilee was celebrated at the walkin lunch in Tilburg, The Netherlands. And in Kenya Brother Andrea Sifuna received the IChange Nations Award, in recognition of his contribution in the field of education in Kenya. For the series ‘In the Spotlight’ we visited Brother Wout van den Hout, who makes beautiful drawings. In the series ‘Images of Apostolate’ we take you to Casa de Apoio in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In ‘Stories from the past’ Anton van der Lee recalls memories of Brother Realinus Donders. Finally, in the column ‘See my people’, Brother Ad de Kok tells how the story of the Good Samaritan is a source of inspiration for him.
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IMAGES OF APOSTOLATE
STORIES FROM THE PAST
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AWARD FOR BR. ANDREA SIFUNA
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12½ YEARS WALK-IN LUNCH
NEWS IN BRIEF
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SEE MY PEOPLE
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CONVERSATION WITH THE SUPERIOR GENERAL
After the election of the new General Board in November 2021, the Provincial and Regional Boards for the period 2022-2027 have now been appointed. What kind of leadership do you expect to see in the new boards?
Well, I could explain about the various types of leadership, but these are quite commonly known, so I would like to speak about leadership with a vision for the world of today and the world of tomorrow. The motto of the General Chapter provides some principal elements that are applicable to the context of leadership. Our motto says we are “called to be merciful brothers”. This means we must make this visible in the apostolate we are called to do. This also applies to all leaders. The tasks of board members usually do not leave much room to be engaged in the day-to-day apostolate. How can they contribute to our apostolate? Speaking about leadership we tend to focus on the leaders in the boards, but it all starts in the community. That is where leadership starts, not only at the point of being elected or appointed as a leader in the General Board or Provincial or Regional Board. In our communities it is important to safeguard the human and spiritual qualities of our life. And secondly, being a leader is not just a title or telling others what to do. You must invest time, allow yourself to be challenged, encourage and empower your fellow brothers and others to be the best version of themselves, so that they can fully contribute to our mission and our apostolate starting right from the community.
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What can we do to strengthen leadership in our Congregation, and thus to strengthen the future of our apostolate? It is important that we invest in leadership development and training. We also must develop and empower our provinces and regions to become more self-sustaining. And looking towards leadership in the future, vocation and formation are important points of attention. The young men entering our Congregation need guidance: they are our future leaders. Looking towards the future, also our history and heritage are important. They form part of who we are, our identity and charism. We must take care of this and make it available and accessible for our future generation. Could you shortly describe what ‘good leadership’ in our Congregation is? Our mission should always be the starting point. It should never be about personal gain or ‘status’. It is not about having this title but about what you do as a leader to make things work. And it is not only about the leader: it is also about willing to be led; we should not forget this. The way I see it, is that good leadership is a common effort making good things happen. Brother Lawrence Obiko in an interview with Nathalie Bastiaansen
PORTRAIT GALLERY
SETTING OUT THE MARKERS The Generalate of the Brothers CMM has a very beautiful gallery of portraits of all the Congregation’s Superiors General. Charles van Leeuwen takes you along to tell their stories.
The oldest portrait is strikingly disciplined and stately. Not everyone considers it a great work even though a well-known artist, Petrus Slager, painted it. Some consider it too solemn, others too dark or oldfashioned. It did not make the portrait’s subject happy either. He saw it as too dreamy and too romantic; it did not show clearly enough how strictly he lived religious life. Father Superior De Beer (1820-1901), we’re talking about him, would have preferred a simple portrait, an unpretentious painting done by one of the brothers. Yet, this is how things developed, it would become tradition that the superiors had no say over who would paint their portrait. They simply had to endure and accept it. Father Superior De Beer guided the Congregation for 54 years, a record no one has matched. In various areas De Beer displayed impressive leadership. More than 120 years after his death some of the things he did still continue to impress us. Like the warm attention he had for his fellow brothers. He knew everyone by name and personal conversations with each one. Meeting De Beer could be risky; if you had an appointment, you definitely would be late. And you better avoid meeting him if you had to catch a train. De Beer paid extra attention to sick and vulnerable fellow brothers. Every morning he celebrated the Eucharist at the infirmary and had lunch there every day. He saw it as the first expression of mercy. He wanted to be present to the brothers who faced difficulties. His second act of mercy showed in his practice of hospitality. De Beer was known throughout Europe for the cordial way in which he welcomed religious. And so, many guests visited him, very many guests. Two other things contributed to De Beer’s fame. Everyone knew his commitment to the Rule of the Congregation. He applied the religious rules and
Father Superior Franciscus Salesius De Beer.
regulations in detail. That detailed attention rubbed off and became a trademark for the Congregation: almost all the brothers came to live that way. De Beer loved simplicity. He grew up in a rich family and it caused him to become intensely strict for himself. He had a simple room and made sure that the life in a brother house would be very sober. Nothing too rich or too spacious, everything had to be limited to the most basic needs. This therefore caused De Beer to have mixed feelings about his stately portrait: it was too big and too beautiful. Charles van Leeuwen
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TIMOR-LESTE
GOD’S LOVE IN QUARANTINE In the spring of 2021, Brother Januario Sani Quehi and Brother Manuel Barreto Amaral, who had just taken their first temporary vows, travelled from Indonesia to Timor-Leste, in order to support the work of the Congregation in their home country. When they arrived at the border, the first thing they had to do was to quarantine. They describe what that did to them.
We stayed in the quarantine hotel for about 14 days. We noticed that people lived in fear there. It made me sad. The covid-19 pandemic affects how we relate to others. For fear of contamination, we become a little afraid of each other, and we prefer to isolate ourselves from others. The hotel was not taken care of very well. Not because the staff was lazy, but because they were afraid, and that is quite understandable. But we shouldn’t continue to live in that fear. We can do something. When we saw the situation, we decided to clean things together, especially the sanitary facilities. We followed health protocol and wore masks and gloves. This influenced others who were in quarantine with us. One by one they approached us to assist. Together we cleaned up. We immediately felt a lot better and less scared.
If something needs to be done, we as religious should not wait or demand that it be done by others, even if they are employees who get paid for it. It is our duty to help, and to pay attention to the little things around us with the love of God that is in us. A humble person, living from love, does not necessarily hope to do something big. He starts with small things and does them because of the love of God. The people at the hotel were grateful to us. They were less stressed, and they felt comforted. I felt grateful, too. Even though we were in isolation, God was with us. Even in quarantine, there is still an opportunity to be open to one another. Perhaps this is even a way God can bring us together. Love does not mean that there are no more conflicts, or that there is no more fear. But love is always the best response. Jesus tells us, “Do not be afraid; I will always be with you until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). And “My beloved brothers and sisters, let us love one another, for love comes from God and everyone who loves is born of God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). Brother Januario Sani Quehi CMM, Timor-Leste
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Prayer helps The first few days of my quarantine I was not comfortable. I was afraid of being positive, afraid of getting sick, I felt locked up and left out. Because we were from Medan in Indonesia, other people in the quarantine hotel seemed to avoid us, because Medan was a red zone at the time with many infections. Before we went into the hotel we had been tested. I was very nervous about the result, but fortunately it was negative. Those first days I was stressed and anxious, and I was afraid of the boredom, because that can lead to even more negative thoughts. In difficult situations, I always pray a lot and constantly ask for God’s protection. As the apostle Paul’s letter says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in trouble, and persevere in prayer” (Romans 12:12). After a few days, I was more relaxed. Prayer helps. In fact, living in a quarantine hotel is quite comfortable. You have a bed to sleep in, food and drink were provided, and we could do some chores during the day, which kept us busy. We could do everything on our own time. Still, not everyone was so positive. Many people complained that they lost a lot of time, time they would have liked to use for more important things. But the time we spent in a quarantine hotel can also be seen as an extra time of grace, given to us just like that. I would say: just enjoy it. Brother Manuel Barreto Amaral CMM, Timor Leste
“While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20).
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
BROTHER WOUT VAN DEN HOUT In the past and today, there are quite some brothers with creative skills. They make paintings, drawings, sculptures, or beautiful craftwork. It gives a different, sometimes unknown insight into the makers. This feature places a selection from this work in the spotlight. For the fourteenth contribution to this column, we visited Brother Wout van den Hout.
Brother Wout van den Hout’s love for drawing started on December 5th, the day of the visit of Saint Nicholas, when he was a sixth grader at the St. Thomas School in Goirle. When the Holy Man visited his class, Wout realized readily that it was Brother Justus van den Boom. Already at this time Wout wanted to become a brother. “If you want to become a brother you must improve your drawing skills.” Wout took this as a challenge and encouragement and did his best to follow up on it. Brother Justus taught him drawing and later at St. Stanislaus Teacher Training College he was instructed by Brother Meinulphus van Grootel. Wout was talented and his desire to make beautiful work grew. In 1963 - he was already a brother at this time Wout left for the mission in Namibia. While there he read an article in the weekly magazine Elsevier about remote learning at the Famous Artists School. It had branches in New York, London, Paris and Amsterdam-Osdorp. This was just what he was looking for. Brother Walter got permission from his superiors to enrol. From Namibia he had to submit for three years an assignment every six weeks to the office in Amsterdam-Osdorp. At that time, it was sent by “snailmail” not email. Brother Wout enjoyed drawing and he drew a lot. However, to combine that with his profession as a teacher, often resulted in drawing till midnight in his classroom. Regularly students asked him to draw something for them. Many a personal poetry booklet was enriched with a drawing by Brother Wout. “Often they asked me to draw an animal”, shared Brother Wout with us, “and I liked animals too and the most beautiful one, in my opinion, is the horse.” Others discovered Brother Wout’s talent as well. The editorin-chief of the diocesan paper ‘Angelus’ in Namibia 8
Brother Wout van den Hout in his room at the residential care facility Joannes Zwijsen. asked him to make illustrations for his paper and Wout responded joyfully. For real models there was no time and no money, so Brother Wout looked for pictures in magazines to copy. The series of portraits of Namibian women in traditional clothing came about this way. Brother Wout prefers to work with oil pastels. He also drew the sketches for the mosaics depicting the stations of the cross in Döbra in Namibia. A lengthy article about this work can be found in Brothers CMM, nº 1/2014. Twice he participated in a group exhibition in Windhoek and in Walvis Bay. For Brother Wout, drawing is a form of service. For this reason, he often gave away his drawings free of charge to his friends and acquaintances. “To create something beautiful is rewarding and to give something beautiful to someone is also rewarding.” Nathalie Bastiaansen
Herero woman (oil pastel).
Himba woman (oil pastel).
Himba woman (oil pastel).
Card with butterflies. Brother Wout made this for his sister (oil pastel). Horse (oil pastel).
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Mantle Madonna (from a series of pen drawings).
Shepherd’s dog (oil paint).
One of the stations of the cross in a mosaic in Döbra, Namibia.
Good Samaritan (collage of coloured, shredded paper).
Card at the occasion of a jubilee (pencil drawing).
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Frontpage of ‘Angelus’, the diocesan paper of Windhoek with an illustration of Brother Wout (pen drawing).
INDONESIA
FROM PADANG TO PROVINCE OF INDONESIA On May 21, 2022, the jubilee year (100 years) of the Brothers CMM in Indonesia was officially opened. This certainly cannot be seen in isolation from the predecessors who were inspired by the spirituality of mercy and brotherhood when they set foot on the archipelago.
Padang It all started in the city of Padang, on West Sumatra. On May 21, 1923, the Brothers Paulus Jacobs, Severinus Aarts, Hermenigildus Fromm, Theodatus van Oers, and Claudius Kok started their mission in Indonesia. They opened two primary schools: the European Primary School and the Dutch Chinese School. The influence of the Brothers CMM was great, especially in the areas of education and youth work. There was a liturgy group, a drama group, a choir, a music band, a sports team, a library and an English group. In 1924, the brothers’ school received a government grant and was recognized as the best school of the time. In 1928 the Brothers CMM opened a MULO (junior high school) in Padang. After the Second World War this school developed into the ‘SMA (senior high school) Don Bosco Padang’. The situation in Indonesia at that time was not easy. In all parts of Indonesia, also in the city of Padang, there were riots. There were almost no Dutch brothers left in Padang, while there was scarcely any vocation among Indonesian boys. In December 1976 the CMM community in Padang was handed over to the diocese.
From Padang to Manado, Tomohon, Medan… Meanwhile, the Congregation’s work had expanded to other parts of Indonesia. Already on September 4, 1924, the Brothers Ernest Adriaanse and Radulf Bax set foot in Manado and Tomohon. In Manado they took over the education at the Dutch Chinese School. In 1927 the brothers also started working in Medan, with Brother Hermenigild Mimpen as director of the Dutch Chinese School of Medan.
The first five brothers in Indonesia, Padang1923.
… And on Gradually more and more communities in different parts of Indonesia were founded, and more and more Indonesian young men joined. At present there are about 120 brothers in Indonesia. They live and work in the Archdioceses of Medan, Semarang, Makassar and Kupang and the Dioceses of Manado, Sibolga, Banjarmasin, Tanjung Selor, Amboina and Larantuka.
There is good hope that the Congregation in Indonesia will continue to develop according to the expectations of the Founder, Bishop Joannes Zwijsen. “The joy and hope, the sorrow and anguish of the local church, of the universal church and of all people will also be ours” (Constitutions I, 177). Brother Yonas Paso CMM, Indonesia
Source: Frater CMM di Indonesia. Sebuah Sejarah dari Tahun 1923 sampai Tahun 1997 (CMM Brothers in Indonesia. A History from 1923 to 1997), by Brother Pieter-Jan van Lierop CMM, 1997.
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IMAGES OF APOSTOLATE
Brother Rosario de Jesus Martins and some pupils.
EXTRA LESSON IN BRAZIL Worldwide the Congregation is being confronted with all sorts of material and spiritual needs. The brothers, together with others, are trying to alleviate these. In the twenty-first edition of this feature, we present one of the activities of the brothers in Brazil. One of the core tasks of the Brothers CMM is youth work and education, especially for underprivileged youth and children. ‘Casa de Apoio ao Estudante’ (House for the Support of Students) in Belo Horizonte was founded by our brothers in the Region of Brazil for the benefit of children who attend public primary schools, where the quality of education is ‘inferior’ to that of the - much more expensive - private schools in Brazil. In Casa de Apoio, these pupils can receive ‘school reinforcement’ or tutoring. The children are supervised by several professionals hired by the Congregation and some volunteers. Besides tutoring in the regular subjects, other activities are offered, such as computer classes, educational games, sports and painting.
Before Covid-19 Casa de Apoio was always rather busy.
It is interesting that the ‘Brotherhood Campaign’ promoted by the Catholic Church of Brazil this year has “Brotherhood and Education” as its theme, with the motto: ‘Speak with Wisdom, Teach with Love’ (Proverbs 31, 26). This motto is an invitation and an inspiration to the congregational schools and other forms of apostolate in which we may accompany and teach children and young people. Brother Damasus Dobat CMM, former missionary in Brazil, now a member of the General Board)
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Since Covid-19 the groups are necessarily smaller.
Skipping rope.
Computer class.
A game of checkers
Homework help and tutoring.
Doing homework together.
Time for a snack.
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STORIES APOSTOLAAT BEELD FROM THE IN PAST
FOND MEMORIES Every human being meets on his life’s path a few persons who are decisive for your future and who continue to guide you like the star of Bethlehem for the rest of your life. Anton van der Lee shares his memories of Brother Realinus Donders.
Brother Realinus Donders (1879-1966) will always remain in my memory as the most sympathetic teacher I ever had. I got to know him in 1943 in the third grade at the St. Emilius School in Loon op Zand. He was a short, corpulent brother with his spiked hair trimmed to a length that was quite exceptional in those days. He was a true friend of children, especially the little ones, good-natured, a motivated teacher and not the youngest either (63).
Realinus was music I remember that he knew a trick for moving his mouth like a rabbit and on the playground, he was often asked by the first graders: “Brother, do the rabbit”, which he promptly did, to the great hilarity of his youthful audience. But whoever said Realinus, also said music. He was all about music and it was no wonder that he had written a singing method entitled Geniet van het Lied (Enjoy the Song), published as usual by the Boys’ Orphanage Printing House in Tilburg. Every brother who had something special to offer in the area of education was invariably commissioned by the superior to develop a method, because this was a nice extra income for the Congregation.
Brother Realinus Donders.
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Realinus wrote his music on cardboards with the text of a song and an accompanying staff, as large as the blackboard on which he could hang it. All the children could easily read it from their places. He spared neither time nor effort to teach his pupils songs well and with pleasure. In addition, he seems to have had the necessary extracurricular activities, but as a child you had no idea about that. I have been told that he made an inventory of all the bells in church towers in Brabant with their inscriptions, pitch and so on, a huge job of great cultural importance. Do any of the readers know anything more about this? [*]
Fortune and misfortune In the fifth grade, in 1945, to my good fortune, I encountered him again. He must have been pensioned by then, but I am not surprised that this idealist continued for another year. It ended dramatically. In this class were several unmotivated rascals, who had already done their second year so many times that they were only waiting for their fourteenth birthday, when their compulsory education would end, and they could leave school immediately. They made teaching almost impossible, and he suffered so much that at Easter of that year he had to retire overworked, although he had deserved so much better.
Many years later In 1965 I went to see him in the community of Steenwijk in Vught, at that time the home for elderly brothers, to tell him what a fantastic teacher I had always found him. In the meantime, I had obtained a certificate as a fully qualified teacher, although I never worked in that field after that. At first, he had difficulty in remembering me, especially as he had become totally blind, but soon the images of the past returned. He then also remembered my three older brothers, all of whom had been in his class.
It obviously did him good that after so many years a former student came back to pay his respects. We talked about the past and the present. It turned out that he still conducted the Gregorian choir of the brothers in Vught, even though he had become totally blind. He did not only know all the regular chants, but he also knew all the changing chants of the church year by heart. There were many hundreds of them. Incredible!
The one that came back When I said goodbye, I placed my visit to my favourite teacher in the light of the Bible story about the ten lepers, who were sent by Jesus to the priests to be declared healed, so that they would then be allowed to go among the people again. On the way they were cleansed and nine immediately hurried on for their declaration of health. Only one returned first to go and thank Jesus. “Consider me the one who came back. But all those others were as happy with you as I was.” I saw tears of emotion in Brother Realinus’ blind eyes. A year later he died, aged 87. I could not have waited much longer with my expression of gratitude.... Anton van der Lee, The Netherlands
* Note from the editors: it was Brother Getulius Arts who made the inventory of very many bells in North Brabant and beyond. Brother Realinus Donders often accompanied him on his trips to look at and listen to the bells. Brother Hermenegildus Beris recently did archival research on the brothers who were musicians and compiled his findings in a book. In it a chapter is dedicated to Brother Realinus Donders, and to Brother Getulius Arts.
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KENYA
ICHANGE NATIONS AWARD FOR BROTHER ANDREA SIFUNA On February 26, 2022, Brother Andrea Sifuna was honoured by the IChange Nations Award at Kamel Park Hotel, in Kisii town, Kenya. The award was given in recognition of his contribution in the field of education, especially in empowering marginalized youth in the education sector through the CP schools. He received the IChange Nations Regional Statesman Award. IChange Nations is an USA-based NGO that identifies and honours people who have excelled in empowering others.
The transforming power of education Brother Andrea Sifuna was nominated for the award by two of his former students - one working and living in the USA. Brother Sifuna is a long serving teacher having taught in many secondary schools in different parts of the country. He is a passionate believer in the transforming power of education for the marginalized young people. He is currently enrolled at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology in the Department of Educational Psychology, where he is concluding his doctoral dissertation on the ‘Influence of Sexual Attitudes, Gender Norms and Sexual Values on the Education Participation of Secondary School Girls in Homa Bay County’.
Coaching Programme In the educational sphere, apart from his own direct services as a government teacher spanning over two decades, Brother Sifuna has been instrumental in starting the Coaching Programme at Mosocho, popularly known as CP. CP was simply an affordable secondary school that cut off many appendixes that contributed to anchoring secondary education beyond the reach of the poor. Such appendixes
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included mandatory school uniforms, rigidly defined school shoes, socks, mandatory school trips, extra levies for remedial teaching, etc. The Coaching Programme focused on what was core and necessary for certification at KCSE level. To make ends meet, the spirit promoted amongst the staff the spirit of ‘giving back’ to the community by volunteering needed services. This attracted many newly trained teachers not yet absorbed by the government to volunteer teaching services in return for some token payments.
The harvest The idea was quickly noted and replicated by people both within CMM and outside. Soon afterwards, many schools emerged in various places modelled on the St. Patrick’s idea of 1995. It must be kept in mind that at the time these schools were emerging, secondary education in Kenya was not yet free as it is the case now. These affordable day secondary schools were critical in meeting the thirst for secondary education of so many young people in Kenya. Today, thousands of graduates from these schools can be found almost in every sector of employment both within Kenya and abroad.
THE NETHERLANDS
ELIM WALK-IN LUNCH 12½ YEARS The Elim Walk-in Lunch is one of the few apostolic works that are still possible in the shrinking Dutch Province of the Brothers CMM. In the Mission Statement of the Congregation, we read: “We take care of the sick and vulnerable, we provide hospitality and assist people in finding meaning and happiness in their lives.” We think the Walk-in Lunch realizes this in a beautiful way and we are especially grateful to the coordinators and volunteers who made it such a successful activity for so long.
Recently, the 12½ year anniversary of the Walk-in Lunch was celebrated in the Elim. The project started at the end of 2009 and was conceived, elaborated and implemented by Brother Jan Koppens CMM, Sister Mariëtte Kinker SCMM and Trees Versteegen (at the time team leader of the Brother Andreas Parish). The project is directed by parish coordinators who also recruit volunteers. The latter form a close-knit and loyal group of which some have already given their commitment for the full 12½ years. Initially every Tuesday and Thursday and now every Tuesday visitors gather. Previously, the Elim brother house was the meeting place, but since the suppression of that community, accommodation has been found in the building of the ‘Youth Interests Foundation’ near the former brother house. The visitors come from all over Tilburg, not just from the neighbourhood where the Walk-in Lunch takes place. The celebration of the anniversary was heart-warming. There were many ‘walk-in guests’, volunteers, former volunteers and representatives of the Provincial Boards of the Brothers CMM and Sisters SCMM. Brother Paul Damen, who assists with lunch every week,
Brother Ad de Kok at table with visitors and volunteers of the Walk-in Lunch. was master of ceremonies. It gave a warm feeling that visitors still spoke words of praise about Brother Jan Koppens, who often just walked in, but always showed an interest in the guests here and there. One of the guests had made a song. A few sentences from that song convey the feelings that the Walk-in Lunch evokes in the guests: “Just a roof over some heads, a door that opens for people, a place that makes the day so special; whoever you are, feel at home here, grow old together but also stay young, always connected with those who came before.” It was a beautiful celebration. The atmosphere of hospitality and togetherness indicated that the Walkin Lunch will continue to exist for many years to come. Brother Ad de Kok CMM, The Netherlands
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NEWS IN BRIEF
NEW LEADERSHIP IN PROVINCES AND REGIONS After the election of the new General Board during the General Chapter in November 2021, the term of office of the Provincial and Regional Boards also came to an end. In the previous issue we presented the new boards of the Provinces of The Netherlands and Indonesia and the Region of Brazil. This time it is the turn of the Province of Kenya and the Regions of Namibia and Timor-Leste.
New Provincial Board Kenya
New Regional Board Timor-Leste
On April 23, 2022, the new Provincial Board of Kenya was appointed. The Superior General Brother Lawrence Obiko, with the consent of the members of the General Board and after hearing the Provincial Chapter (according to Constitutions II, 201 and 213) appointed the following brothers: • Brother Elijah Agilo Osena CMM: Provincial Superior • Brother Augustine Monari Nyansimora CMM: Deputy • Brother Patrick Munyua Muhoro CMM: 2nd Board member • Brother Martin Mwau Kasiva CMM: 3rd Board member • Brother Eric Magoka CMM: 4th Board member These appointments are for the board period 2022 - 2027 and took effect on April 23, 2022.
On April 1, 2022, the Superior General, Brother Lawrence Obiko, with the approval of the members of the General Board and after hearing the Region Timor-Leste, appointed a new regional board for the Timor-Leste Region (Constitutions II, 233-235): • Brother Cancio da Costa Gama CMM: Regional Superior • Brother Henrique de Fatima Marques CMM: Deputy • Brother Silvino Freitas Belo CMM: 2nd Board member
Provincial Board Kenya, from left to right: the Brothers Eric, Martin, Patrick, Augustine, Elijah.
Timor-Leste Regional Board, from left to right: the Brothers Silvino, Henrique, Cancio.
DEVELOPMENTS IN NAMIBIA
mean that the presence of Brothers CMM in Namibia will come to an end. The two communities in Windhoek continue to exist but are placed now directly under the General Board. The brothers in Namibia can look back on a good tradition of solid education and other apostolates. In the coming years ways will be sought to make the presence and work of the brothers in Namibia more visible.
After careful considering the governability of the Region of Namibia, the General Board had to decide, with pain in its heart, to suppress the Region of Namibia as of 8 June 2022. Currently there are only three brothers in Namibia, and that is too few to function - with its own regional board - in a meaningful way as a region. Fortunately, this does not 18
The appointments took effect on April 1, 2022 and will be reviewed at the end of a three-year period (2022 - 2024).
‘SEE MY PEOPLE’
ATTENTION FOR THE MAN ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD Who are these brothers anyway? What keeps them busy? What are their dreams, their ideals? How do they give shape in their daily lives to ‘mercy’ and ‘brotherhood’ - the two core concepts in the charism of the Brothers CMM? In this column ‘See my people’ we always let one of the brothers speak. Attention for the man on the side of the road. I have tried to let this be a guiding principle for my life and work. In education, I chose special education. Young people who were struggling; plagued by all kinds of learning problems. They were having a hard time in their families and growing towards a dignified existence. Refugees who had left their country because of war or other misery and were not welcome in the Netherlands.
Vincent van Gogh, The Good Samaritan, 1890. We most probably all know it. The story from the Gospel about the Good Samaritan. I am always very fascinated by it. Especially after it started playing an important role in the revitalization of the spirituality of our Congregation and was eventually expressed in the threefold phrase: ‘seeing - being moved - taking action’. Recently I wrote a song text (Dutch melody: Mens voor de mens te zijn), based on this beautiful story. Refrain: Walking along the road, sighted or nearly blind. Moved by one’s fellowman, who is left behind.
During my stay in De Vuurhaard, the brother house where refugees were received, the brothers and the refugees organized for some forty people a weekly dinner with menus from the countries where the refugees came from. After dinner I told the guests about refugees and explained that my inspiration for working with refugees came from the story of the Good Samaritan. I also made them aware of the fact that nearly everybody must deal with ‘seeing - being moved - taking action’. And that all of us, sometimes in small ways and sometimes in big ways, are like that Samaritan, who cares about the fate of the man on the side of the road. Thus, we all can all be merciful in our own way. Brother Ad de Kok CMM, The Netherlands
Walking to Jericho: a priest of God. Man lying on the road stays in his lot. To Refrain Then from Jerusalem comes a Levite, who looks at everything, but still is blind. To Refrain He was Samaritan, stranger to all, cared about pains of the suffering man. To Refrain Took care of injuries with oil and wine, provided food and bed; he would be fine. To Refrain Who was the neighbour then, who was with him? Be like that stranger and do as he did! To Refrain
Brother Ad de Kok and a child of refugees in De Vuurhaard. 19
CHRISTIAN LOVE SHALL BE THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND THE EXERCISE OF ALL AUTHORITY IN THE CONGREGATION. (from the Rule of Life of the Brothers CMM)
Magazine of the Congregation of the Brothers of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy
