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

Br Jean-Marie de la Croix will make his temporary profession on Sunday 20 October, 2019, in Saint-Jodard, France, where he is currently in formation.

Br François-Xavier, Prior General, the Brothers of Saint John and the family of Br Jean-Marie de la Croix invite you to the ceremony or to join them in prayer.

On the 31 August and 1 September, the Brothers in Austria celebrated 25 years since their foundation in Marchegg. Over two sun-filled days they gave thanks to the Lord for all the good things He has helped to grow over the years there.

The celebration opened with a musical comedy on the biblical figure of Ruth, which Br Antal wrote and presented with the children of the “Kisi Club Marchegg”. Following the First Vespers of Sunday, everyone listened to music from the choir “Adoramus”, who came from the Brothers’ priory in Vilnius and were joined by soloists from Germany, Belgium and Spain: “an apt celebration and concert for the vicariate of Europe!” as the brothers said. The evening followed with a traditional “Heuriger”, an Austrian wine celebration.

The high point of the jubilee was undoubtedly the presence of Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, who has been a long-time friend of the Brothers and who celebrated the Sunday mass in the conventual church – there were no empty seats! During his homily, the Cardinal evoked another anniversary: on 1 September, 1939, just 80 years ago, the Germans attacked Poland, triggering the Second World War. In words that were very personal and fair-minded, he reminded us just how much war, discord and sin in general leave man deeply wounded. He thus insisted on the vocation of every Christian, and in particular the Brothers and Sisters of Saint John in the current context of the Church, to live the beautiful vocation of intimacy with Christ. Before continuing with a beautiful meditation on true Christian humility, he added: the “heart of the Johannine vocation” consists in constantly “offering and revealing this friendship with Jesus to every man and woman“.

Following a large meal served al fresco and accompanied by traditional Austrian music, there was time to listen to performances from different local choirs and testimonies given by some of the brothers who have lived in Marchegg over the past 25 years.

With the Brothers, we can say, “Thanks be to God for this beautiful jubilee lived in friendship and in faith.”

Click here to visit the German website for the Brothers in Marchegg

After 14 years in Russia, the Brothers of Saint John left the priory of Nalchik in the diocese of Saint-Clément in Saratov in late August of this year. Since its foundation in 2005 by Fr Laurent, the Community had been on mission in this immense region, a land that was mostly Muslim and in which only very small Catholic communities existed.

During the farewell mass on 25 August, many local people praised the work undertaken by the Brothers, especially their inter-religious dialogue. “Fr Laurent opened up the Christian world to me, a Muslim. I have become convinced that we pray to the same God; we just pray to Him in different ways“, said a friend from the local community, Ibragim Yaganov. A local pastor, Sergueï, then had these words to share: “Yes, I have remained a Baptist, but Fr Laurent’s life, his ministry and the way in which he treated people changed the way I viewed Catholics“.

Mgr Clemens Pickel, ordinary of the diocese, sent a letter to the Brothers, thanking them for their “accessible witness” and their fidelity to the “small flock of Catholics in the south of European Russia“.

The mission will now be taken over by Fr Raoul, an Argentinian priest, who has become the parish priest for the parishes of the Republic of Kabardino-Balkarie.

For more information, click here for the bilingual (Russian and French) blog of the combined parishes

Our brother, Bernard, from the priory in Lomé, Togo, went to the Father on the evening of 27 July. Let us pray for him and give thanks for all the good he did.

Br Bernard was 63 years old. He had been experiencing health problems, for which he recently had to visit France, but nothing suggested he was to leave us so suddenly.

Br Bernard came to the Community in 1988. He spent 6 and a half years in Jaumes, 2 years in Abidjan, and the last 18 years in Lomé. He loved his mission work and wanted to finish his days on this earth in Africa. It had been planned for him to join the foundation in Kara.