Christian Brother – educational outreach - Dublin, Ireland

I went to school with the Christian Brothers at Westland Row in Dublin, and 20 years later I became the Principal of the same school. I remained as Principal for 13 years, taking a year out in 1994, during which time I worked as a volunteer with an organization called ‘Servol’ in Trinidad. The philosophy of Servol is respectful intervention in areas of need, asking local people how they would like to be helped.

Christian Brother – justice advocate – writer – project officer – Oceania

Graduation 2009

peace activist – aid worker – writer – speaker – ERN Co-ordinator

“The beauty of the Edmund Rice Network is that it provides the space for people to explore the question ‘how can I make a difference?’ together as a community, walking the journey together. It’s a journey of action and reflection and conversion for all of us. I’m inspired by the Edmund Rice charism which provides a wonderful framework for the journey - presence, compassion, liberation. Being part of something bigger means we can encourage and inspire each other.”

Presentation alumnus – Gifted & Enrichment Teacher - Canada

I have the privilege of teaching at Brebeuf College School in Toronto. Brebeuf is also my alma mater and the last Presentation Brothers’ school in Canada. I am fiercely proud of our links with the order. Although I’ve read every book there is on Edmund Rice, whom I find fascinating and inspirational, I believe that I truly have come to know Edmund Rice more through my personal association and interaction with the Presentation Brothers than from any book. I’m quite proud to be one of their Lay Associates and friends.

Christian Brother – Psychologist – Catholic Educationist - USA

	.....	The subject of this profile celebrated his Golden Jubilee as a Christian Brother in October 2009. He is currently Principal of Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School in Miami. A practicing psychologist, he spent 15 years serving Boys’ Towns of Italy and about the same period at Iona College in New Rochelle; before and during the latter period, he served various Christian Brothers schools in the USA. He has been chosen for a number of roles of responsibility within the Christian Brothers, including Congregational Chapters. He has published writings on a range of topics, including contributions to HUMAN DEVELOPMENT and REVIEW FOR RELIGIOUS.   A traditional Catholic mnemonic for introducing the art and practice of prayer is ‘ACTS’: adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, and supplication. As this is my Jubilee year as a Christian Brother, and a Jubilee is a year of favor calling forth each of these four acts, let me use this as a framework for telling my story.   An act of adoration is the only possible response to the faithfulness of the Lord preparing us for a call and then accompanying us on the journey. A faith-filled New York City couple, Rita and Joseph Moffett, brought me into the world. A few years later, Rita Marie deprived me of only-child status, and in subsequent years along with Marge and Billy introduced me to the role of being a brother. Before the Major Deegan separated Bailey Avenue from Visitation Church in the Bronx, I simply had to cross the street to meet the Sisters of Charity. They introduced me to Catholic School Education. These two themes, Brotherhood and Catholic Education, were to become focal points on my journey.   As Billy’s arrival pushed the possibilities of staying in our three-room apartment, the family moved to New Jersey. Being a minor, naturally I had to accompany them, abandoning my Van Cortlandt and Gaelic Parks and the elevated ‘subway’ that brought us to the Polo Grounds, Yankee Stadium, Times Square, and as far as Rockaway and Coney Island. But the transition was made easier by once again meeting the Sisters of Charity at St Joseph’s School in Oradell. The Irish Christian Brothers ventured into Jersey just in time for me to join the first class at Bergen Catholic High School. The Brothers made a life-determining impression on me. And not only me, for nine of my class joined the Congregation. Three of us are now celebrating our Golden Jubilee. We offer adoration, mindful of the Lord’s faithfulness throughout our lives.   Contrition tempers my memories of those who have known me as a teacher, coach, counselor, administrator, or whatever at Brother Rice High School in Chicago, Commander Shea and St Cecilia Schools in East Harlem, Iona Prep and College in New Rochelle, Boys’ and Girls’ Towns of Italy, and now Archbishop Curley Notre Dame High School in Miami. I have never adequately conveyed to them and to my co-workers the full hope and joy of the Good News I am called to proclaim. I pray that they and their all-loving Father forgive me, confident that the Holy Spirit has filled in what was lacking in my service.   Thanksgiving is a ‘daily bread’ theme nourished in the Eucharist and the Prayer of the Church. My roles as a psychologist, formator, and facilitator have afforded me the privilege of accompanying individuals and groups seeking to live ever more fully their individual and collective calling. How blest we are as a church! How abundant are the graces stirring in the depths of the humanity and the suffering of our sisters and brothers. Each is the gift of a loving God.   ‘Supplication’ once conveyed a sense of asking for the supplies necessary for a journey. Jesus told his disciples to take very little. “Ask and you will receive”, he said. In this year of jubilee I can confirm that whatever I asked was always provided in abundance – if not quite according to the timetable and form I had in mind. Today I invoke a blessing on all who have been a part of this journey, and I pray for peace. I do suggest to the Lord my solutions for a trouble world: Catholic schooling for our youth and new vocations to priesthood and religious life, especially to the Congregation of Christian Brothers. Amen.   first requested for CATHOLIC NEW YORK adapted and republished July 2010
At Boys' Town, Rome
Br Sean with boys from Boys' Town
Graduation time
From the Boys' Town years 1985-2000

Christian Brother – Irish - Zimbabwe

As you leave the Bulawayo Airport to come into town, you will see through the trees on the left side of the road, a group of substantial buildings. This is the new Airport Primary School. The last classrooms were built in 2007. Twenty years ago, the then Director of Education, Rob Gordon, told me that this was his poorest school as it was only a shed. This was an apt description of the school. I began getting involved by donating some stationery and chalk.

husband & wife – 3D visualization specialists – Australia

This is not a lifestory like our typical Profiles. Instead it is about the journey of discovering Edmund Rice – an inspiring journey to which countless past students and associates of Edmund’s Brothers still have the excitement of looking forward…

wife & mother – Hindu – Principal of a Christian Brothers School in India

Seema with her husband and son

husband & father – Co-ordinator at Stella Maris College, Montevideo

I was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1975. My parents were looking for an English-medium Catholic school and found Stella Maris College. I entered the school at the age of six and met the Christian Brothers. At that time they still wore black clothes and had an intimidating look. After sharing some years I began to know them better and even became a friend of some. I enjoyed talking with them and learning from their different perspective of life.

Teacher – Dutch Reformed – Bloemfontein, South Africa

I was born as an only child in a Dutch Reformed family that was bilingual, speaking Afrikaans and English. My parents had many international friends and I was taught to have respect for all people in all walks of life no matter their race or beliefs. Since my high school days I have been involved in Christian youth groups.

Christian Brother – currently Oceania Province Leader

A quotation I came up against several months ago has stayed with me ever since:

I pray incessantly for the conversion of the prodigal son’s brother.
Ever in my ear rings the dread warning:
the one has awakened from his life of sin;
when will the other awaken from his life of virtue? ( Dom Helder Camara)

Christian Brother – 55 – South African – disabled by a stroke

I was born on 1 September 1954. My mother was Catholic so I had a Catholic upbringing – First Communion, Confirmation, and of course Catholic schools. I first went to Holy Cross Convent Maitland, and then for the next seven years to St Agnes Woodstock which was run by Christian Brothers. I remember, at the age of about 12, being one of 54 pupils in a classroom that had place for 40! There was a small tarmac playground, and at breaktime four tennis-ball games happened in a space just big enough for one. But I loved St Agnes. Every afternoon when we went home, there was a Brother at the iron gates to say goodbye to us.

USA-born Christian Brother – Paraguay – ministering to young prisoners

A Spanish version of the text follows the English version below. The first photograph shows Carlos with Mariela, a teacher at Stella Maris, the Christian Brothers’ school in Montevideo, Uruguay, that is in close contact with the poor in Asunción, organizing immersion weeks in the Bañado where the Brothers minister. The second picture shows him with a group of volunteers who over a period of four days built wooden houses in the Bañado as part of a project named A Roof for my Country.

Tanzanian – 38 – Christian Brother

My name is George Massay. I was born on 24 September 1971 in a small village in Tanzania called Dongobesh, which is above the great Rift Valley in Manyara Region, on the North Western part of Tanzania.

Wife – mother – Catechist - ER Camps Co-ordinator

Jennifer and husband Noel

Christian Brother – educator - leader

Lionel Edward Magee (Ted) was born in Bundaberg in the mid-forties. His early life was spent on the family sugar-cane farm at Gooburrum, a district north of the city. His early schooling was at a one-teacher school a short distance from his home. When his parents felt he was mature enough, he bicycled to Christian Brothers High School, Bundaberg for Grades 5 – 10. On concluding Year 10, he entered the Christian Brothers’ Juniorate in Strathfield in 1960. His story is not dissimilar from that of many young men of the time: leaving home, following a dream, blissfully unaware of the life-long daily commitment they were making, and, trusting in the Spirit that moved them - first to listen and then to heed God’s call to follow in the footsteps of Edmund and all who had been inspired by his Charism. The following is a reflection of fifty years: 1960 – 2010.

Christian Brother – Mount Sion CEO

In the Edmund Rice chapel at Mount Sion

Australian – Christian Brother – educator – advocate

Being born in the middle of World War II when my father had volunteered to serve overseas, made for an uncertain beginning. I didn’t meet my father until I was 2 years of age. At St Bernard’s College in Essendon, a suburb of Melbourne, I came under some great Christian Brother educators from whom I learned to concentrate and be determined to succeed.

When I told my father that I wanted “to have a go at being a Brother”, he responded: “No, you will do it properly”. He had boarded at St Patrick’s, Ballarat, and had great admiration for the Brothers who had taught him. He added that he had almost joined the Brothers himself.

I made some great friends in training with the Brothers, and then launched into teaching at the age of 21 with a class of 70 boys. Having survived this and some very onerous early appointments, I grew to love teaching and seeing boys develop into responsible young men. Later there came the privilege of educating girls as well.

The opportunity to complete a major in Physics at Melbourne University led to a love of this subject, or perhaps the love of teaching it. Sprinting and basketball were my sporting activities but I became a coach of football, cricket, athletics, and swimming. Army Cadets was another activity required of me, through which I learned many very useful skills and systems of organisation.

But the happy days of teaching, coaching, and army camps, were to change when I was invited to take on the successive leadership of 3 different schools over the next 25 years. This provided a wonderful opportunity for developing areas of particular interest. I have always believed that good student leadership, with guidance and support from the Headmaster, would have very positive effects for all students in a school. In fact, this can change substantially the culture of a school.

Likewise, I have always tried to enable schools to focus on giving students every opportunity to achieve their best through good teaching, effective motivation to hard work, and an encouraging environment. Improving pastoral care systems of schools and providing a wide range of extra-curricular activities have also had my full support.

Bill with Student Leaders

Now I give my energies to the Edmund Rice Foundation (Australia) which supports the overseas development projects of the Brothers in Africa, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines. The courage and commitment of those who go into the developing  world to work with severely underprivileged communities for their emergence from poverty and powerlessness humbles and inspires me.

Having travelled through East Africa and witnessed the great developments in education and projects in community health that have been brought from so little, I advocate for the Foundation in raising funds to assist these vital works. The Foundation also ensures the full accountability of funds and evaluation of projects. We hope to leave a legacy of high professional and ethical standards. Gradually African Brothers are taking the baton of leadership and are serving as models for their countrymen.

I am so encouraged by the generosity that I find amongst our young people. Many of our Australian schools year after year support the struggling of the developing world through the Foundation. As I grow older I recognise more the simple goodness that is about me, upon which the world’s spotlights do not shine.

February 2010

Christian Brother, USA

I was born in the Rocky Mountains in Montana in the western USA in 1937. We lived in a local community that was highly Catholic, mostly Irish, very supportive and yet pluralistic among people of European background and native Americans. I lived in a wonderful parish, and was part of great schools run by the Sisters of Charity and the Christian Brothers.

Presentation Brother – Edmund Rice International team

I was born in Verdun, a suburb of Montreal, in La Belle Province de Quebec, Canada. I met the Presentation Brothers when I went to high school. I joined them in the mid-1960s starting my Novitiate Training in Longueuil, Quebec, and completing it at our Mother House in Cork City, Ireland.

Denis and Dr Karleen Mason, Care Executive Director

In 2007 I was approached by our Leadership Team to take up a newly established position. This was the Congregation Promoter for Justice and Advocacy. It was time to take the thirty-five years of grassroots involvement to the United Nations and convince the policy-makers of this world that the voice of the underprivileged was vital before laws and policies are passed.

The Congregation of the Christian Brothers was on a similar path. Together we formed Edmund Rice International. We adopted “Our Vision” to make Edmund’s original dream a reality: to promote justice and liberate those oppressed by poverty, through the medium of education. This has proven a momentous task.

The formation of an Edmund Rice Community in - and then near - Geneva, was our first task. The prophetic vision of those who made this decision will be evident when history records this new venture. In the few short years we have been here, it is obvious that we needed the Spirit and each other to tackle the novel entity that is the United Nations. Ergo the wisdom of living in Community!

The work that both Congregations have done - and are doing - at the grassroots level, is the foundation of anything that can happen in Geneva. I know that when I was on the Missions, I often got bogged down in the immediate work, and never realized I was part of a bigger picture; that my situation was part and parcel of the “Congregation Vision”. Now I am in a position to see the bigger image. The establishing of a “Congregational ERI Network” is vital for our Mission. We are not re-creating the proverbial wheel here in Geneva. We are simply conveying the concerns of the “grassroots” to the international community.

There are systems already in place that can make this a reality. The UPR (Universal Periodic Review) is one case in point. Each country that has signed the Declaration of Human Rights is invited to Geneva, every four years, to measure their compliance with the implementation of the ordinances of the Declaration. The country writes a report and submits it. We, as NGOs (Non-Government Organizations), are invited to submit our own observations. This is where you come in. Your information needs to become ours.

Denis with a talented instructor from Soufriere Centre

denisclaivaz@hotmail.com

January 2010

wife – mother – New Zealand ER Networking Co-ordinator

Born in Kansas USA in the early 70s to a Cuban-born father and a Chicago-born mother, Damaris moved at age 7 to New Zealand where she developed a strong identification with both Maori and NZ Pakeha (Caucasian) culture. Now in her 30s, she has been married to Hayden Kingdon for 16 years. They have two children in primary school. Much reflection and questioning brought them into a lifestyle of volunteer service, reaching out specifically to young people on the fringes of society. A natural progression has led Hayden into teaching and management at an Edmund Rice school in Auckland and Damaris into the role of National Co-ordinator of Support for the ERN in NZ. What inspires Damaris most about the ERN is seeing it as a place to belong, to grow, and to action a better world into reality. She loves the open minds and spirituality that characterise ER groups. “There's room for everyone, and ministry is undertaken out of authentic love and care for our world and each other, not as a means of converting someone to our own religious culture.”

Presentation Brother

I was born into a family of six in the parish of Allihies, in the scenic Beara peninsula, West Cork, in 1949. I received my primary education in the local National School. On completing this, I proceeded to the Brothers Juniorate in Cork City in 1961. It was my first introduction to the Presentation Brothers.

family-man, faith-leader, ecologist, educator, enabler

My life commenced in the central Victorian town of Seymour, a dot on the major road and rail route between Melbourne and Sydney. My memories of this time are of explorations around our large back yard, fishing with my grandfather, accompanying dad when he visited the outlying farmers who purchased vehicles from him, attending the local Catholic primary school, a visit from the Governor General which stopped the whole town, and sitting above the railway line just allowing time to pass as I watched the many trains making their way between the large cities.

Presentation Brother

I was born into a Catholic family in Pakistan. Though I played with many Muslim friends, it was difficult growing up in a predominately Muslim country where Catholics make up only 2% of the population and were not allowed to practise their religion freely. In Karachi, I was fortunate to go to a Catholic school and be part of the St Vincent de Paul Society; in other parts, Christians faced persecution, and even hanging and torture.

wife, mother, educator, animator

Evona is the reason why the CBs in Southern Africa are starting to come across mysterious long strands of brunette hair in their homes. She is their recently appointed flexi-time Edmund Rice Networking Co-ordinator. She is known to many in the international network because she travelled to Vancouver for the 2007 ‘Connecting Spirituality’ Sabbath Experience, to India in 2008 for the Delhi Immersion and the Munnar Chapter, and to Waterford for the Edmund Rice Networking Conference ‘Living the Vision’ in June 2009.

I was born and educated in Geelong, Australia and received my secondary education from the Brothers  initially at St Mary's and then at St Joseph's College in Geelong. I joined the Congregation of Christian Brothers in 1967 and then ministered in various Brothers’ high schools in Melbourne, Hobart, Ballarat and Geelong as a teacher and administrator for more than 25 years.

Born on 6th August meant I entered the faith community in Cloughduv, Co. Cork, Ireland, on a day of celebration (The Feast of the Transfiguration). From an early age faith and sport shaped much of who I am. My faith and love of sport help fashion and hone my values, how I treat success/failure, along with the moments of joy and tragedy which have entered my life. A rural community was a support in this quest, and for our family, this was also a faith community.

Tasmanian ancestry, parents of different faiths so I lived between beliefs. Spend my adolescent years as a sea scout - they were great years with good men. This placed me outside the catholic ghetto culture and the secular culture.

My name is Mai Ralph, I am happily married, thank God and have three beautiful children, Ellen age 14, Sean age 11 and Audrey age 4. I work in the Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9, IRELAND within the Centre for Education Services.

Gayathri Ramachandran
As I begin to write many thoughts and memories come flooding. Where do I begin? Well, one always begins from where they come from? It sounds fairly easy, authentic and true. I am lost for a moment; my thoughts go hurtling down to what seems an eternity now, to a phase in my life and probe into the psyche of my identity- a source of security, insecurity, conflict and comfort.

My name is Peter Cole. I was born in an inner suburb of Melbourne, Richmond, in 1935, the last born after five girls and the first boy child. We kept moving from house to house in the inner city till we finished up in the outer suburbs of Melbourne surrounded by paddocks. Here my love for sports was fostered. I became the chief network person in organizing games for local youth, most of whom left school right on the dot of 14 years of age. My experience of being altar server as well as being sports organizer led me to believe I could be a modified John Bosco, hence the vocation to the Brothers. By the way I never envisaged being a teacher, rather a sports commentator for which I often practiced!!

Tom in Mumbai

Pausing in the journey and sitting on a rock at a turn in the path, it is difficult to see back around the bend to what has been and even more difficult to gaze through the thick woods to discern what the next steps will bring. The rock I sit upon is probably millions of years old and the oldest rocks are some 4 billion years old, so of what significance is my journey on this rock we call Earth?

I am a Ghanaian by birth. I was born in Bolgatanga, the regional Capital of the Upper East region in the North eastern part of the country. However, I come from a village called Sumbrungu which is five miles away from Bolgatanga.

I spent my childhood years in the village, first as a shepherd boy and then as a primary and middle school pupil in the local school. In 1975, I gained admission into Notre Dame Secondary School where I met the Presentation Brothers for the first time. It is here the seed of my vocation was sown.

Early Life
I was born in Ireland in 1943.  After primary education in the village school, I went to the Christian Brothers in Dublin (Brunswick Street), '54-'58.   Then I joined the Brothers, moving to St Joseph's Baldoyle, on 12th Aug 1958.  I joined the novitiate in Marino in 1960, second novitiate in Bray, 1961,  Leaving Certificate in Bray, 1962-63.  I moved to the training College in Marino in 1963 and was sent on my first mission to St Joseph's Fairview [Dublin] in 1964.  After one year on the mission I was selected for the Indian Province and came to India in Oct 1965.

Bill Carrothers cfc was born and raised in Vancouver B.C., Canada and attended a Christian Brother's school, Vancouver College from grades 2-12. Following graduation and a year of university studies in the United States, Bill joined the Christian Brothers in 1963. Upon graduation from Iona College in 1967, Bill was transferred to his Alma Mater where he taught for 10 years before spending a year teaching in CornerBrook, Newfoundland/Labrador. 1978 found Bill again on Canada's west coast in Burnaby as Principal of St. Thomas More Collegiate. It was during this six year principalship that Bill realized the value of youth retreat ministry which led him to request, following a year of study in Rome, to facilitate youth retreats, community building and student leadership full time.  

Sr. Jacquie Keefe, cssf originally from Prince Edward Island, joined the Team in 1991, following her return from studying Formation ministry in St. Louis.  Her experiences from both being a teacher in Ontario and the Northwest Territories and a member of a Youth Team for the Diocese of Mackenzie, NWT, along with her personal giftedness, were a wonderful addition to the Team.  Because of her love of young people, and the Vision & Dream of Jericho House, Sr. Jacquie, continues to be a full-time, active & integral part of the Team.  

The first full time endeavour in retreat facilitation began in the basement of Holy Cross Monastery, a Brother's community house in St. John's, Newfoundland. The two years were so beneficial that a second Brother was assigned to the retreat ministry in St. John's and Bill made the move to Mono Mills, Ontario, Canada. The ministry grew and matured during this time in the Caledon Hills just north of Toronto and these years also saw the formation of a ministry partnership that has flourished for 20 years as Sr. Jacquie Keefe, a Felician Sister, joined the team.

During the Mono Mills years, an opportunity for young adults to join in Jericho's ministry and community, was offered.  Twenty-four young adults took part in this program and their presence, enthusiasm and creativity added greatly to the Jericho experience.  In 1998, the Jericho Team moved to its present location on the Niagara Peninsula. Here Jericho's Ministry Pillars of Leadership, Justice and Spirituality expressed through retreats, leadership conferences and workshops took on a deeper dimension with the expansion of the community to include refugees. In fact over the years over 150 refugees have made Jericho House their home as they begin their journey towards Canadian citizenship and a new life in Canada. Jericho's ministry also continued to expand both in numbers, approximately 9,500 youth and adults a year and in scope as Confirmation Retreats, and teacher formation became another avenue of experiencing Jericho's ministry. The move to the Niagara Peninsula also brought about a deeper and broader inclusion of the ministry as Jericho Ministry took the decisive and intentional step of being not only ecumenical but also inter-faith. This latest expansion of the original vision has led to sharing the ministry with the students of the Public Education System. At present, then, the Jericho Team facilitates events for students enrolled in both the Catholic and Public Systems.  To respond to these needs, moreover, the Team has expanded from the 2 original members, Br. Bill & Sr. Jacquie, to another full time member, Gary Bowron and 3 part time members.

A further step in the development of Jericho's Ministry has taken the form of working with the Board of Directors and others towards the re-establishment of a permanent home for Jericho House. This effort has been much more than just raising funds and designing a building but has been a tremendously successful effort in community forming, consciousness raising, bridge building and ministry planting. With much effort, enormous generosity and constant good will the vision of a permanent home which will not only house but also support and enhance Jericho's Ministry will be concretized with the turning of the sod in late summer or early fall of '09.  The new Jericho House, situated along side a Carolinian Forest provides: focus and programme possibilities to Jericho's commitment to the environment, opportunity for Jericho Staff to practise Ministry of Hospitality and facilities that will accommodate day and residential events for the facilitation of youth and adult, as well as, family events and experiences. Offering facilities and programmes that respond to families and their particular needs is a feature that further expands Jericho's Ministry and increases its inclusivity.

Br Bill Carrothers cfc and Sr Jacquie cssf have worked together as a Retreat Team in Canada for twenty years. They also welcome to their home in Welland short-stay refugees who are seeking Canadian citizenship.

Rotorua, New Zealand, is known internationally for its geysers, mud pools and Maori culture. A little less-well known, is the Edmund Rice Reflection group that meets once a month.  A focus for the group is a quiet time to study the Gospel of the following Sunday under the guidance of Brother Vin Jury, and to absorb Edmund Rice's charism of justice and compassion.

I was born in Buenos Aires on 2nd January, 1964.My parents, Alberto Olivero and Jeannette Gautschi, created a home of love, spiritual peace and good examples. I was brought up in a happy family and had a happy childhood.I have unforgettable memories of those days. I especially remember the summer holidays in the hills of Córdoba, where I was always in touch with poor people, with whom, even to this day, I have strong friendship bonds.My grandmother on my mother's side, born in Switzerland, was a great example to me because of her deep sense of religiousness. She was not Catholic.

I was educated at De La Salle College, and I have many cherished moments from those days. When life gave me the opportunity to start my own family, I married Marcela Ham in 1988.  Today we have six children: Alberto, who is 19 years old, María 17, Agustina 15, Tomás 13, Catalina 9 and Clara 3.  We are a happy, close family and their support helps me to live my vocation and commitment as an educator, with great peace of mind.

I graduated in Law School at Universidad Católica Argentina, where I also taught for a few years.  I worked as a lawyer until 1992.  While I was studying my last years at university, I began to question myself whether Law was my real vocation. I was beginning to feel that the good Lord was calling me to do something different.  Since childhood I had the perception that I was privileged and had received a lot, therefore, had a lot to give. Moments I spent sharing with the poor of humble backgrounds and time spent, in the company of my wife, working with mentally handicapped, were turning points in my vocation. I began to perceive God's face in these special people.

It was a seven year quest because I could not find my path. Finally, already married and with a child, I understood my vocation and realized I had to pursue it in an activity which, in turn, would help me support my family. In 1991, I attended a retreat in a Benedictine Monastery where I could clearly see I had to trust more and have more faith since the setting of times is not up to us.

Shortly after I was offered a teaching position in a school.  At first I took it as a hobby, only to realize later that I had found my place. These were times of great decisions. In 1992 I finally put aside my career as a lawyer and started as Head of Studies in San Tarcisio, a Catholic School. It was during those years that I grew as a person and as an educator.  I shared many joyful moments but also difficult situations due to economic and institutional crisis. I later became Principal and remained in that position until 2005. But life had set even more challenges ahead for me.  The Lord laid before me the possibility of working at Cardinal Newman College. Since the very beginning, I felt at home with the Brothers, was supported by colleagues and good working teams, sharing a charism I live with great joy. In 2006, I had the possibility of living a powerful experience in Zambia, in the charism of the Christian Brothers' Congregation.

Currently, as Principal of the school, I try to be of service participating in the Community Service the Brothers carry out in deprived areas, with handicapped children and elderly people. During these last years we have strongly focused on promoting the charism of Edmund Rice's among the young and adults, clearly defining what is expected of us in our Magna Carta.

Personally, I try to live this charism listening to God's good will, and this helps me to understand far better the needs of my educational community.My vision and main interests are constantly focused on our community, so that it can grow in solidarity and humility to meet the tremendous needs of our country and the world at large.

Alberto Olivero is the Principal of Cardenal Newman College, Buenos Aires, Argentina.