Meeting Reflection at Home 

Maastricht - De Beyart 

On 25 May 2023, there was a meeting of Reflection at Home in the chapel of De Beyart. It was both a reflection and celebration around the theme "Globally connected". The brothers 

and associates from Maastricht were invited, but also members of Kontaktgroep Maastricht (KGM) and the sisters and interested residents of De Beyart residential care centre. Central to this reflection and celebration was the connectedness with our fellow brothers FIC worldwide. Through rituals, prayers, songs, dance and information accompanied by photos and images, the brothers from the Netherlands, Chile, Ghana, Indonesia and Malawi were presented and together we celebrated our global connectedness. 

Welcome and greeting from the general superior 

Bro. Frans opened the celebration with a word of welcome. Then Bro. Gerard Langelaan read the message of our general superior, bro. Augustine Kubdaar. Here is an excerpt: "I send you our warm greetings and best wishes from Indonesia, where bro. Theo Suwariyanto and I enjoy visiting our fellow brothers and their fellow workers. You have gathered today around the theme of Connectedness with our fellow brothers worldwide.

This gathering shows the international character of our FIC family." "The essential reflections of our Constitutions state: 'We call ourselves brothers and earnestly desire to be brothers to one other and to all humankind, both in receiving and in giving love”. There are two levels to our calling: a call to “Be” and a call to “Serve”. We are called to receive the fullness of God's love and through brotherly service to give love to others and build good relationships with humanity, especially the poor and vulnerable ones." 

Ghana 

Nick van Wouwen told us something about the brothers in Ghana using slides on a big screen. She visited her brother Hans, the FIC brothers and other acquaintances recently in Ghana. She told us how the work of the brothers in Ghana started and how it continued to develop in terms 

Of formation and education. She also said something about the new Senior High School "Louis Rutten" in Wa-Sombo and the Avellinus Janssens community, and about the joint initial training and formation of brother candidates with the province of Malawi. 

In front of us in the chapel stood the FIC candle stand of bro. Remund Pennings b.m. where we placed the five specially crafted candles depicting the five FIC provinces. Bro. Raphael Besigrinee lit the Ghana candle and then the prayer for Ghana was said together and the international congregation song sung: "We honour both their names. They laid the foundation stone. We, brothers, keep on building, in faith and grateful memory." 

Malawi 

Bro. Frans Wils told us about Malawi. He mentioned the names of the 13 brothers. Malawi has long been an international province with brothers from Ghana and Indonesia. Bro. Frans reported on how the brothers in Malawi try to pay attention to the environment by planting trees and distributing seedlings to parishes as well as primary and technical schools. To minimise the use of plastic and dispose of all kinds of waste properly, Bro. Mike Mbato wrote something in the "Brothers FIC", magazine No 7, 2022. 

Bro. Nico Brunott lit the Malawi candle and we said prayers together for Malawi, which was recently affected by a natural disaster. We prayed for courage, strength and resourcefulness to keep the country afloat and habitable. 

Chile 

Bro. Lo Koeleman gave an insight into the province of Chile. A large number of Dutch brothers have been sent to Chile since 1953. They did a lot of good work there. A number of important educational institutions still exist and are flourishing, including the school for special education in Buin and the technical schools in Santiago and Talca. The Chileanprovincenowhasonlyeightbrothers:3Chileans,2Indonesians, 2 Spaniards and 1 Dutchman. The brothers have an outdoor property on the coast for some relaxation: Pellines. 

Bro. Joop van Eijk, who worked in Chile for a very long time, lit the Chile candle. Bro. Gait Welling, who has also made his mark in Chile with, among other things, his commitment to alcohol and drug addicts, said the prayer for Chile. We sing together the Salve Regina."

Religious House Netherlands 

For the Netherlands. Bro. Frans School referred to the message from the Netherlands to the other provinces during the 2018 General Chapter in Denekamp. This message is included in the booklet of this reflective meeting, which every participant received at the start. In this message, the Dutch brothers encouraged their 'foreign' fellow brothers in the other provinces on a number of important issues. They are passing on a legacy: 

• -  keep being open to the poor and deprived in the spirit of our Founders; 
• -  remain immersed in the social, cultural and spiritual development of the country in which you live and work; 
• -  remain, as an FIC congregation, united with each other - as a unity in diversity; 
• -  remain internationally oriented and focused on each other as an international community of brothers; 
• -  remain in solidarity with each other by helping and supporting each other; in accepting responsibility for each other, for the congregation and the apostolate; 
• -  remain close to one another as fellow-brothers: in mutual respect, appreciation and love. 

Indonesia 

Bro. Valentinus Daru Setiaji presents the province of Indonesia with a Javanese Gambyong dance in beautiful dancewear to Javanese music. The dance is originally a supplication to the rice goddess for an abundant harvest. It is an expression of the connection between people and their gods/goddesses and between people and the gifts of the earth. In further development, the dance becomes a welcoming dance that connects people from different cultures. Bro. Yos Berkemeijer lit the Indonesia candle and bro. Wensislaus Parut said the prayer for Indonesia in Dutch. Together we sang the congregation song "We honour both their names". We concluded the reflection and celebration with the Saint Servatius song. Bro. Frans School presided over the closing blessing. 

After the celebration, the brothers and their guests gathered in "Kras" at 6 pm for a Chinese-Indonesian meal served by the ladies of the FIC team. 

The Hague - Westeinde

On Saturday 20 May, the reflection and celebration with the same theme was held in the Saint Joseph Chapel of the Stadsklooster. Participants were: some brothers FIC, the associate members FIC, a group of friends and acquaintances of the Stadsklooster, and some members of the new residential community of Westeinde 101. Each was given the prayer booklet. Bro. Frans Wils led the celebration. The program was slightly modified. Slides were shown from Ghana, Malawi, Chile and Indonesia, 

Bro. Frans School