“Our Founders were committed people, filled with the Spirit of Jesus. They were seized by his person and his message. They sense a vocation and a mission to spread his Good News…” (FIC Constitutions, # 9).

How it all Began: My Story

As with many vocations, mine began within my family. I was blessed to be born to wonderful parents, Stephen and Monica, who loved God, loved each other, loved me, and raised me in a good, faith-filled Catholic home. My father was a catechist and my mother an entrepreneurial housewife. Both are now advanced in age waiting to return to God. I am the second oldest child of seven siblings (4 boys and 2 girls). It was in this setting that I came to know God loves me and I learned how to love Him. From an early age, my parents taught me that loving and serving God was the most important adventure of life, and this included the possibility of God calling me to the religious life.

If I reflect back on my earliest thoughts about my vocation (from about the age of 14) they were very much along the lines of an intuitive feeling that God was asking me to give my life to him in some way. I did not know how I was going to do this at that point: whether it would lead me to the priesthood or the religious life, I did not know.

My first experience of religious life came when I encountered the Brothers FIC while I attended Nandom Secondary School (from 1979-1984) run by the Brothers. I became aware of these gentlemen living together, praying together, and working together. They were kind, loving, committed and  dedicated teachers. Inspired by the life and work of these brothers as a teenager, I began the journey towards discerning my vocation.

However, it was only gradually, over the next 9 or 10 years, that my initial “Yes” transformed itself into a personal relationship with God. Experiences such as the “Aspirancy Contact Days” were important events for me. I gradually became more sensitive to God’s presence in my life to the point of being able to say that I felt God’s love for me very strongly and in a variety of ways.

After an intense time of prayer and discernment, I finally arrived at a place where I felt completely FREE, as if the Lord was saying to me: “Remy, I have given you the gifts and the capacity for both vocations; you are free to choose.” It was then that from somewhere deep inside of me, the answer welled up and I responded: “I choose you Jesus, my love, and no other!”

Living out this decision was not easy. I had my fair share of doubts, trials, and grieving, but through it all, I sensed the gentle, loving guidance of Christ’s Spirit enfolding me with his presence. His presence manifests itself in the regular events of everyday life and the loving presence of people who shower me with his LOVE.

Community Life: Becoming One Heart and Soul

Sharing community with a small group of brothers is what began my journey with the FIC Brothers, and community is what continues to nourish it. Community life allows me to learn and grow as a person. In the process, I learned a lot, not only about my brothers, but also about myself. Self-knowledge is essential to any vocation, be it single, married, or religious life. As I come to know myself, I discover who it is God created me to be. Self-knowledge, along with a healthy dose of prayer, allows us to experience a freedom in which choices are not risks but opportunities to learn more about what God has in store for us. Our community life is not always easy. Difficulties will always be there. It is facing them and dealing with them that helps one to grow. I have learnt to grow through the difficulties I have encountered.

Here in Emmaus community, common prayer is at the heart of our lives. For us, the brothers, this prayer is what unites us. We are so different from one another. But we live with the conviction that Christ makes us one family. Our community wants to be above all a small parable of communion. Brotherhood begins by listening to others. By our life in community we try to express that Christ came to abolish the divisions between humans and to unite us with God.

As Requested by the Congregation: Main Apostolate

Since 2013, my main task has been  to assist the General Council in the administration of the Congregational capital (Article 167). This is a sensitive and delicate role. The treasurer is one of the primary stewards of the Congregational financial resources. This role involves a great deal of responsibility including the Congregation’s financial activities, in particular, investment and risk management, managing cash flows, implementing policies and procedures that govern the congregation’s accounting practices. Fortunately, I am being helped by a number qualified and competent professionals. The goods of the Congregation must be well administered otherwise we run the risk of not being able to support the mission entrusted to us.

Personal Mission: Other Apostolate

In addition to the above, I am an adjunct professor and researcher at the Erasmus Centre for Leadership, Rotterdam. I do research and publish in academic journals, engage in students thesis supervision both in Ghana and in the Netherlands, serve as a peer review team member for articles in journals and a member of the research consortium in inclusive business model programme of the Dutch Research Council (NWO). In this way, I keep myself alive with new developments in the field of management and leadership. Inclusive business in Sub-Saharan Africa particularly holds great potential to tackle pervasive poverty, improve livelihoods, and improve access to health and education across the continent.

Jubilee: A Time for Reflection and Celebration

After two and a half decades as a brother FIC,  I can honestly say that this is a life of potential and promise, of excitement and adventure. This year, I have been given the great privilege of celebrating 25 years of religious brotherhood. This occasion gives me another opportunity to reflect on what this vocation means to me. My life as FIC brother is firstly a life of discipleship. As a Christian and a member of the Church I have been called to be a disciple of Jesus. This has not always been an easy road to travel. One of the scripture verses that inspired me in my life is ‘I will follow you, wherever you go!’ (Mt 8:19) In my life I hope that I have always done my best to keep on following. This event brought many wonderful memories and a deep sense of gratitude to God for His mercy and faithfulness, as well as to my Brothers’ kindness and companionship along this journey. The overflowing graces and blessings without measure, poured into my heart and soul, cannot be fully expressed but profoundly felt. I thank God every day for my formation, my formators, the community, and the support of my family, friends, and spiritual directors.