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Showing posts from January, 2013

Life in community - changes on the horizon

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It's been 9 months since our confrère, dear old Br. Augustine, passed away and left us down to 2 Brothers in our community: myself + Br. Francis, both of us Southerners in our southern community. However, it is normal for us to have a minimum of 3 Brothers in our communities, if possible. After many months of prayer, discussion and reflection, our Brother Provincial in France and his 2 Assistant Provincials (our "line managers", if you like) decided that we would close our Southampton community next summer, with the 2 of us moving back to our community and school in Liverpool where we currently have 1 English Brother in community with a retired French Brother and a Togolese Brother. Our primary and secondary schools (Charlton House + St. Mary's College) here in Southampton are already under lay Head Teachers and we have total confidence in their ability to take the schools forward in our absence. We will still be Trustees and will continue to be involved as much as we

"Always look on the bright side of life" - How to Practice Extreme Awe

Thanks to my sister Mona for pointing this wonderful article out to me (see below).... " If y ou take five minutes to marvel, right now, what do you see? What gifts are revealed to you?" Not only can such thinking open our hearts to sensing God's presence in our lives, but you also reap the benefits of positive thinking. "Always look on the bright side of life", as the Monty Python crew so memorably put it. 5 Minutes of Marvel: How to Practice Extreme Awe | Spirituality & Health Magazine : We’re still in that time of year when we challenge ourselves to create new and healthier habits. The newspapers are full of specials for gym memberships and packages of yoga classes. Many of my friends have resolved to work out for 45 minutes a day, or meditate for 15 minutes a day, in the efforts to retrain their brain chemistry and lock in a new pattern of being. As I’ve thought about what I most need and what might provide me with a new boost of energy and hope,

La Mennais Media Team - Bilbao 2013

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I'm in Bilbao with my fellow Brothers + lay friends of the La Mennais Media Team discussing issues for our Mennaisian Family relating to communication + information (the needs of young people, evangelisation, websites, social media, publications, apps, formation...etc...). If you have any thoughts or ideas, let us know with a comment here. In the meantime, here is Matt Harding's latest "Where The Hell Is Matt?" video. It's another fantastic expression of global solidarity + fraternity." 'via Blog this'

Winning isn't all that counts

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During Lance Armstrong's belated (yet still mind-blowing) confession over his drug-taking during the era of his domination at the Tour de France he admitted to a "win at all costs" attitude. In the light of his declaration I think it is particularly apposite that the below post appear on Facebbok in the last few days on the Kellimni page ( https://www.facebook.com/kellimni ).  Kellimni is "Malta's adolescent and young people helpline, offering online support". This young Basque athlete deserves recognition for the example of sportsmanship he has set, especially for young people. ******************* Is winning all that counts? Are you absolutely sure about that? Very little has been said about this…..On December 2, Basque athlete Iván Fernández Anaya was competing in a cross-country race in Burlada, Navarre. He was running second, som e distance behind race leader Abel Mutai - bronze medalist in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the

Jean-Marie De La Mennais in the snow

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via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/UnyOMrDzhc/

The drive...

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Snowfall @ St. Mary's - school closed :-)

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'Fringe' Has Always Been About Playing God

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This Saturday, one of my favourite TV shows of the past few years comes to an end: Fringe (FX channel, now known as Fox in the UK). What initially attracted me to it was the similarity with an old favourite of mine, The X-Files. Though there are 2 major differences between the 2 series: 1 - throughout it's 5 seasons Fringe has become more and more serialised and less about standalone episodes, with the result that it has generally got more interesting as it has progressed, whereas the later seasons of The X-Files lost my interest altogether and lacked a compelling larger scale storyline. 2 - the character of Walter Bishop, played by the truly wonderful Australian actor John Noble (Denethor in "Lord Of The Rings"). He adds a whole other dimension to the series, playing (as most of the main cast do at different times) multiple incarnations of the same character that range from comical (yet grieving) mad scientist to frightening, God-complex dominated scientist hell

Sunrise @ St. Mary's

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