EDMUND RICE NETWORK
AOTEAROA-NEW ZEALAND
AN ASSOCIATION OF EDMUND RICE GROUPS

NEWS update

April 2005 Vol 3 No 4

AROUND THE NEW ZEALAND GROUPS

CHRISTIAN BROTHERS:

Prayers for Br. Henry Shepherd

Prayers are requested for Br. Henry Shepherd in Dunedin, who is recovering from major surgery. Henry is doing well and has not lost his sense of humour through his stay in hospital. He welcomes visitors and is in fine spirits. Please remember him in your thoughts and prayers in the weeks ahead!

PLT Meeting

The New Zealand Province Leadership Team met in Christchurch between the 16th-18th of April. A broad spectrum of issues were covered during the meeting, including the upcoming visits of Daire Keogh, CLT members Michael Godfrey and/or Dominic Sassi and the upcoming Shaping our Future Conference which will be held in January, 2006. It was a successful gathering for all those who attended.

ER CAMPS: ER Auckland Camp at Piha, 17-22 April, 2005

The ER Auckland Camp held at Stedfast Park in Piha was a great success! It was an exhilirating and moving experience for all involved and both the camp leaders and the children who attended had a wonderful time. Edmund Rice Camps (which operate in both Auckland and Dunedin in New Zealand) exist to provide a holiday of fun, laughter and new experiences for socially disadvantaged children in a caring, loving environment. The next ER Auckland Camp will be held in July from the 11th-16th of July, 2005. Keep up the great work!

ER SCHOOLS: St Thomas of Canterbury College-Young Entrepreneurs shine in China!

Congratulations to Thomas Cole and Logan Elliot from St. Thomas of Canterbury College in Christchurch on a very successful trip to China as official guests of the Chinese government! As part of a science research competition held last year, Thomas and Logan created and marketed a cell phone tracking device that can be used in school classrooms to alert teachers to the fact that their students are using their cell phones while in class. Their success has been so overwhelming that they were invited to represent New Zealand at this year's Beijing science exhibition. Last year, both students were members of the team that were awarded the Lion Foundation Company of the Year award. Thomas and Logan also received gold medals for business excellence prior to their departure to China, awarded by New Zealand's Governor general, Dame Silvia Cartwright.

ER SCHOOLS: Daire Keogh in New Zealand

Irish historian and Edmund Rice expert Daire Keogh is visiting New Zealand from 17-25 May. Daire will be presenting a series of talks on Edmund Rice on the 18th and 19th of May at St. Peter's College in Auckland. Daire will also be presenting in Christchurch on the 23rd of May, in Oamaru at St. Kevin's College on the 24th of May and finally in Dunedin on the 25th of May.

Dáire Keogh is a lecturer in history at St. Patrick’s College, Dublin City University. He is a past pupil of Synge Street CBS. He has a PhD from Trinity College Dublin and has published a dozen volumes on Irish history, including Edmund Rice 1762-1844 (Dublin, 1996). He is currently researching a commissioned history of the Christian Brothers in Ireland from their foundation to 1968. Daire is married with two children and his family will be traveling with him to both Australia and New Zealand.

A detailed programme of events is now complete. Any additional queries can be made to the ERN National Office at afonseca@st-peters.school.nz or on 09 524 8108 ext 370.

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

ER Feast Day to be Celebrated, 5th May 2005, St. Peter's College Chapel

The feast of Blessed Edmund Rice will be celebrated by the ER Network in New Zealand on 5 May, 2005 at St. Peter's College, Chapel at 7:30pm, followed by a social gathering. All members of the ER Network are invited. Watch this space for more information and we really look forward to seeing you there!

ERN Conference, July 2005, Oamaru

This year's annual ERN Conference is being held in Oamaru from the 9-10 July, 2005. The theme for this year's conference is 'Reaching Out-Outreach to those at the margins of New Zealand'. Paul Dalziel, professor of Economics at Lincoln University will be our the main guest speaker, along with a representative from Challenge 2000.

Applications to attend the conference are now available on the ERN website and from the ERN National Office. Please contact Abigail Fonseca on 09 524 8108 ext 370 or at afonseca@st-peters.school.nz for further information. The last date for receiving applications is May 31, 2005.

OCEANIA REGION
Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, East Timor, Fiji

ERN Network Gathering- Mulgoa, Sydney- 9th-10th May, 2005

A gathering of representatives from the Edmund Rice Network in the Oceania region is being held in Mulgoa, Sydney from on the 9th and 10th of May 2005. Attending from New Zealand will be Abigail Fonseca from the ERN National Office and Jennifer Martinez, NZ Oceania Rep. Issues that will be discussed include the concept of Oceania as a region and the extent of ERN involvement and activity within it.

INTERNATIONAL

New Pan African Province

The last day in the life of Pope John Paul II was also the last day in the life of the Southern African Province. On 3 April, a new Pan-African Province came into being, comprising four Districts:

the Western District: CBs in West Africa- presently Sierra Leone, the Gambia, & Ghana;

the Eastern District: CBs in East Africa- presently Kenya, Tanzania, and the Sudan;

the Mater Dei District : CBs in the middle of Africa- presently just Zambia;

the Southern District: CBs in Southern Africa- presently RSA, Zimbabwe, & Namibia.

This is part of a move towards having a single province in each continent.

RICHARD WALSH was officially installed as the new Pan-African Leader (PAL). The other members of the Pan African Leadership Team (PALT) are the four District Leaders: MIKE DE KLERK (who also serves as Deputy Pan-African Leader), SEAMUS O’REILLY (Mater Dei), HARRY HARRINGTON (West Africa), & TOM KEARNEY (East Africa). The new province's Mission Statement is mentioned below.

We wish them all the very best with the challenges ahead of them-congratulations on starting off this new and exciting chapter!

PAN-AFRICAN CORPORATE MISSION

As brothers in Africa, fired with

the transforming vision of Jesus,

we commit our energies to the

liberation of oppressed young people

through broad-based education.

At this particular time we place special emphasis on HIV/AIDS

New Promoter for Advocacy and Justice -Brother Rice Province Centre, Joliet, Illinios, USA

The Congregational Leadership Team has recently announced the appointment of Br. Donal Leader to the position of Congregational Promoter for Advocacy and Justice, to become effective in 2006. In making the appointment, the CLT expressed the belief that the particular charism and tradition of the Congregation suggested that a central focus of the Brothers' justice outreach should be the welfare of children at risk which would include:

1. Children in underdeveloped countries at risk from malnutrition, lack of education, and other forms of exploitation

2. Children adversely affected by their refugee status

3. Children who, because of their poverty, fail to benefit from the educational and social services provided for them.

In making the appointment, the CLT also wished to highlight the importance of advocacy, something that has perhaps not been given prominence in the ministry of the Christian Brothers in the past. This is a recognition of the fact that it is not sufficient to directly address the plight of children at risk, it is also necessary to lobby for systemic change so that the root causes giving rise to the pain and misery of children can be addressed. We wish Br. Donal all the best in his new position!

SURFING THE NET

www.erc.org.au

The latest news from the Edmund Rice Justice Centre in Sydney, Australia.

www.edmundclt.org

Donal Blake, the postulator for the cause of Blessed Edmund Rice is now posting a monthly talk on Edmund and update on the Founder's cause on the CLT website, under the title From the Postulator's desk

www.erjnbulletin.blogspot.com

A bulletin of news, information and invitation to action on current issues of social justice for members of the Edmund Rice Network

www.ericeqld.org.au/formation/socialjustice

Jim D’Arcy’s Volume 2 of “Edmund Justice” is on the web at the above url address. The article is about East Timor and gives a clear picture of the many issues of justice/injustice in the country and is worth a read.

UPCOMING DATES

5th May Edmund Rice Feast Day Celebrations

Venue- St. Peter's College Chapel

Time- 7:30pm

Social Gathering to follow

9th-10th May Oceania Groups-Edmund Rice Network Meeting-Mulgoa, Sydney

18th May Daire Keogh Seminar on Edmund Rice (Auckland)

Edmund Rice- A Man for All Times

Venue : St. Peter's College Pavilion, Lion Place, Epsom

Time : 7:30pm

19th May Daire Keogh - A Day of Mini Presentations on the life and work of Edmund Rice(Auckland)

Venue : St. Peter's College Pavilion, Lion Place, Epsom

Time : 10am- 3pm

To register interest for this particular day or to confirm attendance, contact Abigail on 09 524 8108 ext 370

or afonseca@st-peters.school.nz

23rd May Daire Keogh Seminar on Edmund Rice (Christchurch)

Edmund Rice- A Man for All Times

Venue : The Waterford Room, St Thomas of Canterbury College

69 Middlepark Rd, Christchurch

Time : 7:30pm

Contact : Brother Norm Gillies on 03 3484813

25th May Daire Keogh Seminar on Edmund Rice (Dunedin)

Edmund Rice- A Man for All Times

Venue : Kavanagh College, 340 Rattray St, Dunedin

Time : 7:30pm

Contact : Amelia Bresanello on 03 4772201

9th-10th July 4th Annual ERN NZ Conference

"Reaching Out- Outreach to those at the Margins of New Zealand"

St. Kevin's College, Oamaru

MORE INFORMATION
For more information www.edmundrice.org.nz

To include news or information related only to the ERN Network (either in NZ or overseas) please email

afonseca@st-peters.school.nz