Our Brother Fulco passed away during the night of 22 – 23 March at around 2am, following a long battle with cancer. He was courageous to the end, despite the final 24 hours being difficult for him.

During his final days we were able to spend lots of time with him, keeping watch along with his faithful friends, Alain and Eliane.

On Saturday Br Gaétan celebrated Mass with him and he was able to receive communion. On Tuesday he was too exhausted to be able to celebrate, so Alain and Br Gabriel H. recited the rosary with him. Br Fulco was very much present, moving his lips for the “Hail Marys”. Br Fulco left us between two night watches; he is now in peace.

We are grateful to all the parishioners who accompanied him with their friendship and prayer over the past years. We would like to thank Visitatio for his support, which enabled Br Fulco to depart from this world in peace, surrounded by his brothers.

The Funeral Mass took place on Tuesday 24 March at the Priory of Boulogne, France. You can find the welcome given by Brother Gabriel here (in French) and the homily preached by Brother Barthelemy here (in French).

“We will never forget our dear Fulco:

His name, the longest of names! Fulco Ruffo de Bonneval de La Fare des comtes de Sinopoli de Calabre! All of that had to fit on his identity card! His name always fascinated us”, Br Gabriel recounted in his words of welcome.

“We will never forget his pilgrimages, covering thousands of kilometres by bus, plane and boat, in Israel, Patmos and various shrines all over Europe, with pilgrims from the island of the Réunion and elsewhere, even when he had to use a feeding tube (I won’t mention how he travelled across the world with suitcases full of food sachets and injected his soup when eating in restaurants!).

We will never forget him in Boulogne, his presence at our Wednesdays of the heart, even when he was very weak; how he was able to address everybody present, especially our guests, who were always worried when he was absent and asked after him.

We shall never forget his phenomenal memory – he was capable of recounting thousands of anecdotes about his personal history, his family history, stories of his parents, of the war, about Algeria… 

We shall never forget his capacity to make so many friends, thanks to his exceptional qualities of contact, like he did in Algeria or Cameroon. People have already mentioned to the parish secretary, “We’ll really miss him. He always let us know when it was time to take a break together!”

During this time of confinement, the technical means used by the parish of Sainte Cécile to transmit Mass enabled them to livestream the Funeral Mass online, which meant that many people, including his family and friends, were able to participate from their homes. You can find the whole Mass below.

Br Fulco was buried in Rimont on Wednesday, 25 March.

Published in French on 25 March, 2020

Published in French on 22 March, 2020

On 22 March, 2020, three new brothers from the novitiate house of the Brothers of Saint John in Saint-Jodard, France, were clothed in the habit: Brother Richard-Maria, Brother Vladimir and Brother Samuel-Marie.

We give thanks for this stage in their journey – which had to take place without the presence of their families because of the confinement measures taken in France – and we pray for them.

Published in French on 20 January, 2020

Vicariate meeting

Every two to three years the Brothers of Saint John who reside in Africa come together for a time of fraternity and formation. This year was the first time the meeting was held in Ethiopia.

The meeting coincided with the major feast of Timkat (the Baptism of the Lord), the 10^th anniversary of the community coming to Ethiopia and the blessing and opening of the new Saint John Centre in Addis Abeba. In sum, the kairos was at its pinnacle! The programme was a happy mix of work, discovery of Ethiopia and participation in the celebrations.

Activities and Celebrations

– An evening or prayer with the School of Life: adoration and praise in French and Amharic with young people brimming with fervour.
– An evening looking back over the past 10 years: video, history, testimonies, etc.
– A celebration of Timkat with the Orthodox Christians
– Mass for the Baptism of the Lord in the Ethiopian Rite at the Cathedral: diving into the Ethiopian Rite.
– A generous welcome given by the Ethiopians, School of Life, oblates, friends and Orthodox Christians during Timkat.
– Mass for the opening of the new building with the Apostolic Nuncio, Mgr Camilleri.
– Restaurant and culture: food and traditional dance.
– Two meetings about the intellectual heritage of Fr Philippe: these were marked by the freedom to speak, a sincere listening to one another and charity, all of which were palpable despite the questions that this topic raises among us.
– Work on our finances with a friend and coach, Katharina Schauer, and a representative from l’Oeuvre d’Orient, Philippe Alcquier, who had come for the 10 year anniversary.
– A walk to the Portuguese Bridge and shrine of St Tkelele: discovery of Ethiopian nature, an Orthodox saint and popular piety.
– Fraternal reunions after many years of not seeing one another.
– Blessing of the Saint John Centre in the presence of our new Apostolic Nuncio, Mgr Camilleri.

A testimony from Br Benoît-David: “What I found especially touching was being able to meet up with brothers whom I have not seen since my years spent in Quebec, before coming to Addis Abeba in September, 2019. We were also able to share many things and collaborate on financial matters. I was amazed to learn about the size and coherence of the project being undertaken in Kara.”

Click here to see the Lumen Valley project at the Priory in Kara, Togo

Before the meeting took place we were able to receive our first visit from the Vicar of Africa, Br Jean-Philippe, and also the Master of Studies, Br François-Frédéric.

We all left amazed by the experience and give Glory to God!

Published in French on 20 January, 2020

The town of Princeville in Illinois, USA, is, along with Simbock in Cameroon, one of the rare places in the world in which all three religious branches of the Family of Saint John are present.

The Brothers in Princeville therefore try to be attentive to the different modalities of each community, lived within the same Johannine charism. Respectful attention enables them to benefit from what can be offered from each community, their complementarity and unique richness, and to share this with all those the Lord sends them.

The Brothers share ministry to children, teenagers, students and young professionals with the Apostolic Sisters. They work together in a joyful climate to prepare events, feasts and solemnities with the desire to be able to give the best of the spirit of Saint John.

One of the brothers had the joy of preaching the annual retreat for the brothers and sisters from the priories in Orange, USA, and Terrebonne, Canada. He was struck by the palpable fervour of the retreat, where the brothers and sisters share a chapel and common rooms with the respect and simplicity of the first Christian communities.

The three branches of the Family of Saint John are also represented when oblates and future oblates are welcomed: not only do they form part of the Family of Saint John; they also bring opportunities for apostolic work that they either carry out by themselves or alongside brothers and sisters.

Published in French on 18 January, 2020

On Saturday, 18 January, a good forty or so brothers braved the snow and ice to come and reflect upon the work of Viktor Frankl, a renowned psychiatrist, starting from his experience of concentration camps. What an inspiring author to help us reflect on “the meaning of life”. It was Frankl who established “logotherapy” as the third branch of psychotherapy, orientating the patient’s efforts towards a focus point that grounds his or her life rather than a re-reading the past. This fruitful and fulfilling work brings finality and conditioning together once again.

We recommend reading his testimony and presentation of logotherapy, Man’s search for meaning. It is a small book that reads more like a novel and would work very well as the reading during meal times (for us religious).

On 7 March we continued our investigation into freedom by working on Macha Chmakoff’s Le Divin et le divan and Jeannine Guindon’s Vers l’autonomie psychique. We have scheduled a session for 9 May on Aristotle, leading to a conference on 6 June with Br Thomas on the theme of “being free”.

If you would like to register for the conference, email colloquephilostjn@gmail.com

Published in French on 17 January, 2020

Since 1986, the priory in Poponguine, Senegal (which takes the name “Keur Mariama”) has enabled the Brothers to be present in the heart of a land dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, under the title of Notre-Dame-de-la-Délivrande.

Only 5% of Senegalese identify as Christian, with 95% identifying as Muslim. The two religions manage to live in harmony, the principal guarantees of which are dialogue and a strong sense of the family.

The priory is currently made up of 5 brothers:

• Brother Jean-Christophe (Regular Oblate, originally from Senegal)
• Brother Elisée (undertaking his apostolic placement, originally from the Ivory Coast)
• Brother Christian-Marie (Prior and Parish Priest, originally from Senegal)
• Brother Marie-Guillaume (Vicar, originally from the Ivory Coast)
• Brother Bruno (Rector of the shrine, originally from Cameroon)

Their mission centres around two areas: the parish and the Marian shrine.

The parish occupies a considerable place in the life of the Dakar Diocese: it houses the Minor Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Délivrande and welcomes many pilgrims who come from all over Senegal and neighbouring countries. It is the parish of Cardinal Hyacinthe Thiandoum, who died in 2004 and thanks to whom the Brothers of Saint John were invited to settle in Senegal. Pastoral work in the parish centres mostly around evangelisation of the family, inter-religious dialogue and the Sacraments.

The shrine also forms an important part of life, not only for the Archdiocese, but also for the whole of the Church in Senegal. In May, 1888, Spiritan missionaries initiated a Marian pilgrimage. The following year, they set in motion the construction of the first church, which became the parish of Poponguine. Nowadays people come on pilgrimage, on retreat, for a time of recollection or simply just to visit. One of the Christian gatherings not to be missed is the annual pilgrimage at Pentecost.

In addition to the parish and the shrine, the brothers receive many requests for formation and preaching. They consequently help many different groups and religious communities with conferences or retreats. This is an important need and the brothers are currently reflecting on ways in which they might provide effective help that is adapted to their charism.

After more than thirty years in Poponguine, the brothers would like to express their gratitude to those who came before them in Senegal, and to remind us that guests are always welcome: the guesthouse may be modest, but the welcome is always warm.

Click here for the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame-de-la-Délivrande website (in French).

Published on 31 December, 2019

Volume 55 of the journal Aletheia was released in December, 2019. Its title asks how a theology of creation might respond to the current ecological challenge.

To download the contents page (in french), click here.

Journal available in the priories.

Published in French on 11 December, 2019

Five or six times a year, the Prior General calls together his “extended” Council, composed of twelve brothers (the Master of Studies, Vicar General, seven Vicariate counsellors, two non-Vicariate counsellors and a secretary), for a week of intensive work. Generally speaking, the “CPG” (Council of the Prior General) takes place in a French priory, but this time, following the General Chapter, it seemed fitting to hold the Council in Rome.

We were housed in the Pontifical French College, which is just a five minute walk from the brothers’ priory on the Piazza Navone and provides easy access to the Vatican, as well as making it easier to welcome external participants among the Council. Of course, the work of the CPG on its own would have been enough to fill the entire week. In addition to immediate matters that needed attending to, attention needed to be given to the six “areas of work” identified by our Prior General (Brother François Xavier) and his government to be undertaken over the coming years following the General Chapter. These six areas of work include the decentralisation of the community government, the restructuring of missions, work on our charism and our founder, qualification of our fraternal life, dealing with the issue of abuse, and formation. The division of labour and a schedule were drawn up and the first committees presented their reports.

In order to be able to better ask for and receive help from the Church, the brothers were able to organise a number of special meetings: they were able to spend a two hour visit with Mgr José Rodriguez Carballo, Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, as well as receive a presentation of how that Roman Congregation operates. Mgr Rino Fisichella, President of the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization came to the French College to pray with the Brothers and speak with them, as did Sr Marie-des-Anges, who works at the Secretary of State, and Fr Gianfranco Ghirlanda, a canonist who used to be Rector of the Gregorian University. They were all able to share with us what they working on, answer questions from the brothers and offer valuable advice on the way in which we might move forward, hand in hand with the Church. The Council was also able to visit the Dominican Friars of Santa Sabina (the Mother House of the Order), meet for some time with the Prior and Procurator and even greet the Master of the Order, Brother Gerard Timoner, during the meal.

We met men and women from the Curia who are deeply devoted to serving the Church, often working behind the scenes and with humility, and with great awareness of the weaknesses of every human group. As Br Luc testifies,”We not only received many precious suggestions, but also many words of encouragement and assurance of the confidence the Roman authorities have in us. Let us confide the work and the path of the Community to Mary, Mother of the Church, and let us pray for one another.“

The second session of the General Chapter took place from 22nd to 1st November 2019.

The Brothers of Saint John are aware that this General Chapter is a key stage and that work must continue to allow the community to express the vitality of its charism in the service of Christ and his Church.

Please find the link to access the final message of the General Chapter elaborated and voted by all capitulants as well as the letter to the brothers of Bishop Carballo, Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life.

Download the official translation of the final message from the second session of the General Chapter

Download the letter from Archbishop Carballo

Do you seek to escape reality? To what end? Br. Francis of the Child Jesus, author of the new book “The Theological Landscape of Middle Earth”, has joined Trending with Timmerie to discuss the world of fantasy, J. R. R. Tolkien, and theology. They discussed the role of beauty, truth, virtue and myth in fantasy, why the Lord of The Rings is such a beloved story and how various characters from Gandalf to Sam play a Christ-like role. Finally, Br Francis told about his youth in Soviet-occupied Lithuania and how he participated in the historic Baltic Chain that liberated eastern Europe.

Click here to listen the radio program