25 Years of Service in Notre Dame Refugee Centre [from Euro-Info SM – July] Notre Dame Refugee Centre (NDRC) in London, founded in 1996, had the opportunity to celebrate an important anniversary on 21 June, 25 years of service of Brian Mitchell, who is currently the senior immigration advisor. During his time in this post, personnel, both Marist religious and lay, have revolved around him! He is an exceptional example of dedication to this vulnerable community, and it can honestly be said that Brian has been instrumental in shaping the Centre into the service it is today. Brian writes, "I am genuinely appreciative of the experience NDRC has offered me. I came to the centre in 1999 with very ...

On May 11, 2024, I, Lauro da Silva Ferreira, at the request of the Assistant General Father Ben McKenna, I joined the Meeting of the Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation – JPIC Roma, of the USG [Union of Superiors General-men]/UISG [International Union of Superiors General – women]. The meeting took place at: Piazza di Ponte Sant'Angelo. Pour la traduction française voir ci-dessous The first factor that struck me was the number of participants. Representatives from more than seventy different religious congregations. The vast majority were first-time members of the commission. For this reason, I believe, the meeting took place with an introductory bias, in the sense of pre...

This week's blog is Chapter 2- Communities for Mission, from Fr John Larsen's recently released Letter to the Society of Mary: Like Mary, Bearers of Hope.         Pour la version française - voir ci-dessous.        Nazareth From our first beginnings Nazareth has always been an important symbol for us as Marists. For Father Jean-Claude: "Our spirit, the spirit of the Society … I personally find it in all its fulness in the house at Nazareth" (F.S. 188, 12) Nazareth speaks of a small village where people grew together in faith together with Mary, Joseph and their son. It was far from the centres of power, whether Jerusalem or Rome or elsewhere,...

CALLED TO BE EUCHARISTIC PEOPLE                                               Traduction française - voir ci-dessous Our world has plunged into a frightening darkness. LIGHT has diminished, almost extinguished. The threat of evil hovers large today, in the suffering and horror of wars: in the cries of the women, The bewilderment of the children, The hunger and exhaustion of the elderly, The helplessness and powerlessness of the innocent and suffering. The list is endless, Yet, in the midst of this God reminds us- He is alive. He LIVES in me. He LIVES in you. He LIVES in me ...

One of the most serious violations of justice is slavery. An International Day of Prayer and Awareness was instituted on February 8, the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese girl who was sold into slavery in the 19th century and later became a nun. This is an opportunity to recall the importance of these crimes, which often remain in the shadows, and which States rarely pursue. Organizations like Talitha Kum are constantly fighting against slavery and human trafficking, and they ask for our prayers and support. https://preghieracontrotratta.org "Journeying in Dignity": Listen, Dream, Act is the theme of the X° International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, celebra...

Economic Justice as a Priority for the Global South     Bro. Alberto Parise MCCJ     Rome, 23rd January 2024 La justice économique, une priorité pour le Sud            voir ci-dessous pour la traduction  The State of the World's Economy The recently published UN report on the World Economic Situation and Prospects 2023, presented at the World Economic Forum in Davos, portrays that we are in the middle of a "polycrisis". In fact, the report states that a series of severe and mutually reinforcing shocks struck the world economy in 2022: a. the impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic still reverberating worldwide,b. the war in Ukraine (a...

On-line Course on Integral Ecology From Laudato Si' to Laudate Deum An Initiative of the Alliance for the Care of Our Common Home (Pontifical Universities & Atheneums of Rome) In 2015 Pope Francis gifted us Laudato Si', the landmark encyclical letter on the care for our common home, in which he invited all people of good will to "a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet" (LS, 14). However, as Pope Francis recognizes in Laudate Deum, the apostolic exhortation published on 4th October 2023 - on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, patron of ecology, "our responses have not been adequate" and "the world in which we live is collapsing and may be nearing the b...

Fr Richard Rohr OFM, presents on the Centre for Action and Contemplation , 4 key issues that call for us to be engaged in this year, 2024: He draws on Brian McLaren's work: Everything must Change .  McLaren presents 4 Crises: Planet, Poverty, Peace, and Religion.  McLaren Writes Way back in 2007, I wrote a book called Everything Must Change. I wanted to understand what our greatest challenges and threats and problems were here on Earth as a global civilization. I spent a year researching the literature of global crises, and I came away with an understanding of four deep problems that we face. First, we face a crisis with our planet. We are literally destroying our life su...

The three Magi from the East brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to those gathered around the new-born child in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph among them. (Matt. 2) However, the beautiful story of the Epiphany suggests that these same travelers from the East bring other gifts, too, both to those in Bethlehem and also to us. These other gifts of the wise, then and now, are channels of peace and reconciliation within a very violent world. The Epiphany speaks to hearts in every age that long for peace and reconciliation in the midst of war, injustice and violence. We are so familiar with the Christmas scene that the magi seem to fit in there very naturally. In reality, they were strangers...

COP28 is the first COP to have a Faith Pavilion, found at  https://faithatcop28.com/ La COP28 est la première COP à disposer d'un pavillon de la foi à  https://faithatcop28.com/ GLOBAL FAITH LEADERS UNITE TO DECLARE SUPPORT      Traduction française - voir ci-dessous – 28 high-level faith leaders from over 19 faiths and denominations unite to sign a statement seeking urgent climate action ahead of COP28. – The document, signed at the Global Faith Leaders' Summit on 6/7 November in Abu Dhabi, shows commitment from faith groups across the world to take swift and decisive action to address the climate emergency. – At COP28, the first-ever Faith Pavilion will b...

Ross Flint, Marist Associate,  Ordained Anglican, Tasmania, offers us his Reflections:       [Traduction française - voir ci-dessous]. In the vastly complex situation that exists in Israel today, there are many issues to deal with and many to discern. For anyone to side with either the Israelis or the Palestinians without listening to the many stories of the events that have unfolded during the 75 years since Palestine was divided to give the Jews a homeland due to the UN Resolution 181 in 1947 will inevitably come to wrong conclusions. To further complicate an already very complex situation, some evangelical Christians (primarily in the USA) have adopted a...

Share the Journey Pilgrimage Unites Community in Solidarity with Refugees and Immigrants  /  Partageons le chemin Le pèlerinage unit la communauté en solidarité avec les réfugiés et les immigrants  [ voir ci-dessous ] On Saturday, April 29, Marist School's chapter of Share the Journey organized and embarked on a pilgrimage to foster unity and offer prayers for refugees and immigrants. Students, faculty, and representatives from Marist, Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, and St. Pius X Catholic High School were joined by representatives from the Clarkston Community Center and the Archdiocese of Atlanta's Office of Justice and Peace Ministries. The group set out on a five-mi...

Dear confreres and friends, the Laudato Si Movement is going to launch the Laudato Si' Animator training next April; kindly find at this link the promotional kit in all languages. Thank you for sharing widely within your network, on the Society of Mary's website and social media. Be aware that the training starts as follows and people can register accordingly: English (next 19th April), Spanish (next 17th April), French (next 19th April), Italian (next 19th April), Portuguese (next 18th April). Laudato Si Animator Training is recommended by our Marist Sustainability Covenant , approved by the SG and Council, 2022. Anyone interested in the Animator of Animators training, please let me kn...

Our blog this week has been submitted by Br Ivan Vodopivec SM - agreed by Anei - a South-Sudanese Refugee who made it to England. Anei requested to keep his original name for his article. Notre blog de cette semaine a été soumis par le Frère Ivan Vodopivec SM - accepté par Anei - un réfugié sud-soudanais qui s'est rendu en Angleterre. Anei a demandé de conserver son nom d'origine pour son article. Name / Nom: Anei                      Country / Nationalité : South Sudan                       Ethnicity / Origine ethnique : Shilluk I was born in Malakal Town South S...

Our blog this week was referred to us by Fr Petero Matairatu sm, Director of Marist Training Centre, Tutu, Fiji. The booklet can be downloaded here – in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. It is the fruit of a common endeavor between the Vatican Dicastery of Integral Human development and the Stockholm Environment Institute. It is a useful resource for groups, parishes, schools in addressing current issues in 'Our Common Home'. Notre blog de cette semaine nous a été référé par le Père Petero Matairatu sm, Directeur du Centre de Formation Mariste, Tutu, Fidji. La brochure peut être téléchargée ici – en français, anglais, espagnol, italien et portugais. C'est le fruit d'un effor...

A Blest and Joy-filled Christmas and New Year As we celebrate God-with-us. "God gave all things life, and Mary is the mother through whom all things are given new life. Without God's Son, nothing could exist; without Mary's Son, nothing could be redeemed'. [Anselm of Canterbury: 1033 – 1109] Que Noël et cette Nouvelle Année soient bénis et remplis de joie, alors que nous célébrons Dieu-avec-nous « Dieu a donné la vie à toutes choses, et Marie est la mère par qui une nouvelle vie est donnée à toutes choses Sans le Fils de Dieu rien ne pourrait exister Sans le Fils de Marie, rien ne pourrait être racheté [Anselm of Canterbury: 1033 – 1109]

Le P. Pascal Boidin sm, membre de la communauté de Notre-Dame de France à Londres, atransmis ce témoignage pour publication dans le n°170 du feuillet EuroInfo de la Province d'Europe. Cette mémoire des migrants morts en Méditerranée montre la préoccupation pour la justice de ces étudiants européens. Fr Pascal Boidin SM, from the community of Notre-Dame de France in London, sent EuroInfo this account of a meeting of students from various countries, on the Italian island of Lampedusa, where a deadly wreckage caused the death of several hundred migrants. It is a remembrance of the need of justice cared for by many young people all over Europe. Bonjour à tous, je m'appelle Charles Vibert. Je sui...

Marist Charism and Peace-making This last week, on 01 December, Marists from 4 corners of the world made Presentations on our Marist Charism and Peace-making.The Marists Presenting were: Fr Hermes [Larry] Sabud – Ranong Thailand; SMSM Sisters Gisèle, Christiana, & Monique – Ngozi, Burundi, Africa; Fr Miguel Contreras – Peru, South America; and Fr Donato Kivi – Fiji, Oceania. The invitation came from the Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission – JPIC Roma – who organize a workshop each year to train JPIC Promoters for Religious Congregations around the world. The Workshop was run this year from 28 November until 02 December, and had the Theme: Pacem in Terris and Laudato Si i...

Ross Flint, Marist Associate, and ordained member of the Anglican Communion, Tasmania, sends this short, stark, report – in the context of COP27 "World is on 'highway to climate hell",  - United Nations General Secretary warns at COP27 summit. António Guterres tells leaders 'global climate fight will be won or lost in this crucial decade – on our watch' In 1992, countries joined an international treaty, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as a framework for international cooperation to combat climate change by limiting average global temperature increases and the resulting climate change, and coping with impacts that were, by then, inevitable. https://unfccc....

Fr Damien Diouf SM, NDF London, Chair of our Migrants and Refugee Commission, recently sent this report: Notre Dame Refugee Centre has been working with refugees and asylum seekers for more than 25 years, thanks to the generosity of those who share our aims and beliefs. Originally, it was set up by Notre Dame de France in 1996, in response to changes in asylum and immigration laws that year. It was then registered as an independent charity in 2007. Like many of our supporters, many of our visitors are French speaking, but we have welcomed visitors from 98 different countries over the five past years. We remain a bilingual English and French speaking refugee centre.  Our immigration team...