Dear Brothers and Associated Members,

As we are still in the Easter season, on behalf of the General

Council, I would like to wish you a very Happy Easter 2017.

May the spirit of the resurrection strengthen our spirit to

continue the ministry of salvation which reaches its culmination

in the death of Jesus on the cross.

As you might have heard we, religious Brothers, have for a

long time been waiting for the official document of the Church

concerning our vocation as religious Brothers. We think it is

necessary for the Church to publish such document which

would be of value, not only to ourselves but to the Church in

general. This kind of document is at the same time an official

recognition by the Church on the unique vocation of religious

Brothers. It is a reality that many people do not understand this

sort of vocation. There is no denying that lay religious life for

men has not always been understood in the Church, by either

the hierarchy or the laity. In many cases religious Brothers are

seen merely as a sort of hybrid: neither priest nor lay-persons,

but something “halfway in between”, ill-defined and incomplete.

Brothers themselves have sometimes been more concerned

about defending it than deepening their own understanding

of it.