De La Mennais Brothers: Making Jesus Christ better known and loved by young people

The second of my "Covideo Sessions", this one a multi-tracked arrangement based on Tim Hughes' original recording of his classic worship song, followed by a personal reflection during which I read out a devotional by Liz Milani from the Pocket Fuel app ( https://www.pktfuel.com/ = the devotional for July 17th, 2018). After this, I'll be stripping things back to live vocals + guitar for the most part, with only sparing use of backing tracks and will try and record something most days. Recording equipment: iPad Pro '11 - for video + live vocals/mandolin iRig Pro Duo interface Audio Technica AT2020 condenser mic Shure SM58 mic MacBook Pro '15 - for backing tracks Akai MPK mini II keyboard GarageBand software: - real instruments = acoustic guitar, banjo, backing vocals - software instruments played in on the Akai = Smart Strings, XtraViolin Sect 2 Pizz, Liverpool Bass (bass guitar) - automated Drummer (Mason/Roots) Lyrics: Light of the world You stepped dow...

Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. One of my heroes, Bro. Gregory Casey ficp, a fellow De La Mennais Brother, worked tirelessly for 20+ years in #Lourdes to organise liturgies for English-language groups. He had a little office to the left of the Basilica where all received the same warm welcome: from youngsters to bishops. This photo is of the 2 of us in 1986 while I was there with the #HCPT. Four years later, he came to my Noviciate in Ciboure (nr. St. Jean-de-Luz, 2 hrs. drive from Lourdes) for the opening Mass of my Noviciate year. Our Novice Master then took our group for frequent weekends to Lourdes (about 8 all told) over the rest of the Noviciate year, knowing that I had someone there from my home country who could act as a mentor for me. “Grogs” would get me singing in the underground Basilica choir for the International Masses, saying the Rosary at the microphone for the outdoor processions, etc... There are things he told me that have stuck with me e...

Founder’s Day - Father Jean-Marie De La Mennais (1780-1860) Nov. 26th is the day when we, the Brothers, and the members of our worldwide network of Brothers’ communities, schools, youth movements, educational projects and friends commemorate the life of Jean-Marie De La Mennais, a dynamic, charismatic Breton priest who helped reignite the Catholic faith in post-Revolution France, especially Brittany. The actual date of his death was Dec. 26th 1780, but traditionally we commemorate him a month earlier due to the proximity to Christmas. This year, being our Bicentenary year as a religious congregation, the children, laypeople and Brothers who make up our worldwide network will be involved in a variety of different projects now and over the coming months.  Our Yr. 7s are making a chain of 200 paper hands which I will laminate and use to form a large “200” with which I will decorate the Main Hall Chapel ’s partition wall. We will have a Bicentenary Mass here in school in the...

During today's Provincial Council meeting in Ploërmel (with Assistant General Bro. Vincent Ssekate - Uganda) we had a time of prayer before the tomb of our Founder, Fr. Jean-Marie De La Mennais. Rather chilly in the Mother House chapel, but the Spirit's fire and the passion for serving young people that filled our Founder's heart still fill ours today.

A Facebook memory from a 2006 young adult event in Ploërmel with #TeamWin. I am still at the feet of our Founder, guide and mentor. Fr. Jean-Marie De La Mennais, help us to know how to respond to the needs of young people today.

Bro. Hervé, Superior General of the De La Mennais Brothers (far right) together with two other General Council members (Bro. Jean-Paul, 2nd left + Bro. Miguel, 2nd right) at the Town Hall with Ploërmel's Mayor. An article in the local Breton press described how the 4 Brothers of  our General Council were received by the Mayor of Ploërmel at the local Town Hall in early June in the context of our ongoing Bicentenary celebrations. The Mayor talks about our Ploërmel Mother House as being our "vaisseau amiral", the "admiral's ship" of the congregation.  # TeamWin   got there before him, as we've been calling it the "Mother Ship" since I began taking groups there from Liverpool nearly 20 yrs. ago. Here's the article: http://bit.ly/2LimaOd I actually prefer the image of a "Ship" to that of a "House" as it suggests a flotilla of ships journeying together, on pilgrimage together, with the Mother Ship in the vangu...

A little bit late, but a couple of weeks ago I shared in our Staff Bulletin some brief notes from my staff training day (INSET) reflection with which we started the day: Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (Thurs. 27th) “Succour”  - “sub” (under/below) + “curro” (run) (Latin) = (self) run for cover, (another) run to someone’s aid, run to catch them  Click below for inform ation about this feast and the above icon: http://www.bishopeton.org.uk/novena-details2/shrine-to-our-lady-of-perpetual-help-2.html Father Jean-Marie De La Mennais He believed that we should educate “ avec douceur et fermeté ”, “gentleness and firmness”... at the same time! Here’s the song (based on a Breton dance) with which I began the reflection, written by one of our French Brothers, asking Fr. Jean-Marie to inspire us to live out the values that he felt were important for educators back in the 19th century but which are still relevant for us today: https://youtu.be/Q4ttpM0mxHg ...

Today is Vocation Sunday. May we each hear the voice of God in our hearts, calling us to follow him in a way that is unique to each individual: our personal path to “life in all its fullness”. And may the Lord grant to religious orders and dioceses fresh vocations to the religious life and the priesthood, so that we might continue to make Jesus Christ "better known and loved" (Jean-Marie De La Mennais).

The final day of our four day preliminary Chapter meetings in Ploërmel, Brothers and lay people together. Photo 1 = me and the 2 Corentins, 2 of our young adult youth movement leaders, providing musical accompaniment to a time of prayer. Four days of smiles, laughter, fellowship, productive small group and plenary discussions. I think we all left energised and renewed by the multitude of ideas and potential projects that we came up with for taking our work with young people forward as a Mennaisian Family.   

Weds. Feb. 13th was the second day of the first part of our Provincial Chapter, held at our Mother House in Ploërmel and involving 21 De La Mennais Brothers + 21 lay people, fired up by the desire to serve young people, “making Jesus Christ better known and better loved”,  inspired by the charism of our founders, Fr. Jean-Marie De La Mennais + Fr. Gabriel Deshayes. Delegates attended  a Mass for the young people of our “Foi et Prière” (“Faith and Prayer”) youth movement who happened to also be in Ploërmel.    One of our French Brothers (Frère Pierre Orain) has written a new hymn to mark our religious order’s bicentenary, in a style suitable for use at youth events. Here’s an extract of the hymn being sung at the end of Mass.                           

Happy Founder’s Day to all in the Mennaisien Network! (it was actually yesterday, the  26th) A day when we celebrate the life of our principal Founder, Fr. Jean-Marie De La Mennais (1780-1860). This morning we had a Founder’s Day Mass for Yr. 7. After our weekly Monday staff meeting at the end of the school day, we provided a “verre d’amitié” for all the staff and a chance for them to meet and chat with all the Brothers of our community, including former Head, Bro. Francis (see photo). Later in the week we’ll have an own clothes day to raise money for our mission in Indonesia and there’s an ongoing art competition to design a poster for our bicentenary as a religious order next year. Myself and Bro. Peter are giving the assemblies this week.

During the month of March I attended our General Chapter in Rome (nearly four weeks long) and it was a wonderfully positive, fraternal, hope-filled experience. Like with many congregations, our worldwide profile is shifting towards a "southern hemisphere" emphasis, but that does not mean there isn't life left in the north. Quite the opposite, in fact. "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it!!" We are responding to Pope Francis' call to "go to the peripheries" seeking ways to serve the poorest, most disadvantaged, most vulnerable young people, looking to respond to the needs of today's youth in the way that our Founders did 200 years ago (yes, we've got anniversary celebrations coming up). Recently-founded missions in war-torn South Sudan (a community + school - Ugandan Brothers), Mexico (Canadian Brothers, a French Brother for 6 months every year and a lay woman living in community together and serving the poor together), a new educ...

We have a NEW SUPERIOR GENERAL!! Bro. Hervé Zamor from Haiti (aged 51, since 2010 the Haitian Provincial). Our first ever southern hemisphere Superior General. There’s a real sense of excitement among us about how this could indeed be the start of a “new page” in the story of our congregation. With the Spanish having given him a “La Mennais - We’ll Never Walk Alone” scarf to wear for the photo shoot and it being both Paddy’s Day + our Liverpool community being today’s prayer intention in our Congregation Calendar, I think I might be singing “You’ll (or rather We’ll) Never Walk Alone” either at lunch or this evening :-) An Irish Picpus/Sacred Heart Father celebrated Mass for us this morning (his 2nd of the Chapter). Fr. David Reid, their Postulator General, a real character (a Dubliner who’s been in exile in the US most of his religious life). I think he’ll be with us for lunch. The craic’ll be mighty!!! ***** UPDATE: Indeed I did sing “You’ll/We’ll Never Walk Alone”. M...

The #whereislamennais scarf, designed by our Brothers in Spain, has returned to its spiritual home (See the text on the scarf. Football fans worldwide should see the link with Liverpool FC). Unfortunately, my team the Saints (#saintsfc #southamptonfc) lost to Liverpool, but it was great seeing Keith and Shaun, Sarah and Matthew again. #lamennais #menejoven #TeamWin Sarah Squires and Matthew Sewell, two former Team Win! Educational Project trip + World Youth Day participants whom I bumped into on the train whilst travelling to Anfield.

Easter Monday saw us having morning fun + games with 80+ children from the local parish in Larantuka. While we led the indoor activities (songs + dances inc. I am The Music Man, Macarena, Lord I Lift Your Name On High and arts + crafts), Bro. Andreas and a few of the 8 aspirants organised a football match outdoors with 30+ participants. This was followed by the return leg of the Aspirants FC vs. FIC/Team Win!, the latter made up of us 4 white-skinned, now sunburned English guys and the 5 local Brothers (French, Spanish + Indonesian). After a glorious victory for FIC/Team Win! 8-6 yesterday in the first leg, the Aspirants came out on top this afternoon 7-6, FIC/Team Win! winning on aggregate 14-13. See yesterday for a post first leg photo.

Photos from our first full day in Larantuka, Indonesia, including the walk to the local coastal shrine for their Good Friday morning liturgy involving the Stations of the Cross, a procession with a 500 yr. old statue of Our Lady of Sorrows, followed by a sea procession involving a flotilla of heavily laden boats of all shapes and sizes, the boat containing the statue leading the way. Catholic pilgrims come from all over the different Indonesian islands (and beyond) to take part in this and other subsequent Easter Triduum celebrations. Our guides were two young Indonesian Brothers whom the Brothers in Liverpool know well thanks to their stay for a few months in England about 5 years ago to improve their English: Bros. Andreas and Frengky. Bro. Blass who has recently finished his Scholsaticate (further studies after our initial year of training to be a Brother = the Noviciate). Bro. Andreas. The stage in the Pusat community centre. Our primary school wh...