Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Description: BROTHERS IN TRAINING PREPARE FOR THE NEXT STEP...IN THE UNITED STATES!
Author: De La Salle
Bill, 34 and Lewis, 25 have been on a journey of discernment and faith exploration with the De La Salle Brothers since mid 2008. Keen to put their faith into action in the most committed and practical way, both young men have spent the last 12 months living and working with the Brothers in Australia as part of their pre-novitiate program. Currently based at Bankstown, Bill and Lewis say that it has been a challenging and uplifting time for them. Lewis says, “Through the pre-novitiate program I have experienced a number of different ministries. Since starting the program, I have been lucky enough to work in various schools directly helping students and in a homeless shelter where I have sadly seen some lives ruined through drugs and limited education. Whether in a school, a parish, or in the community, all focused on improving the lives of others.” “One of the more challenging but exciting aspects of training to be a Brother has been the variety and unpredictability of activities that you engage in each day. Every day I am able to use my skills, faith and energy to undertake a new challenge or priority,” he added. As the closure of the pre-novitiate program draws near, Bill and Lewis are preparing to head to the United States in August to complete the next stage of the Brothers’ Training Program – a 12 month Novitiate. They are both excited about the time they will have in the USA and the opportunity to engage in further exploration of their faith and understanding of the De La Salle tradition, which began more than 300 years ago. Bill says, “The opportunity to go somewhere new and meet new people is really exciting. I’m looking forward to getting to know more about the Brothers and more about the founder, John Baptist de la Salle. His is an amazing story.” Br Mark McKeon, Director of the pre-novitiate program, has accompanied Bill and Lewis in their quest to learn more about the Brothers’ life and help them determine if it is the right choice for them. He describes the Novitiate as, “a time for Bill and Lewis to deepen their initiation into the life of a Brother. It’s a change of pace from active involvement in ministry to having more time to reflect on and strengthen their relationship with God and the mission of the De La Salle Brothers.” Bill is excited about the opportunity to take this next step overseas. “The idea of going to the USA is exciting and I am really looking forward to the challenges that it will bring especially as I have never travelled out of Australia before. Being away from my friends and family will be hard but knowing that it’s part of the journey to becoming a Brother will make it worthwhile,” he said. Bill and Lewis are committed to completing their Novitiate and to ultimately becoming part of this long-standing tradition which exists to help young people in need. “I remind myself each day in community prayer that one of the most important gifts in life is education and I strongly believe that every young person should have access to it. This is a core teaching ideal of a Brother and what drives a Brother to never give up on a young person in their learning development,” Lewis said.