The General Canonical Visitation to the Province of the Good Shepherd in North America was performed from 9 May to 24 June 2016 by the General Councillor, Brother Rudolf Knopp. The Prior General, Brother Jesús Etayo, accompanied by the General Councillor Brother Pascal Ahodegnon, attended the final part of the Visitation on 19-24 June. The Brothers of the Good Shepherd Province had prepared for the closure of the Visitation by participating in a course of spiritual exercises under the guidance of the Bishop Emeritus Brendan Cominskey SS.CC from Ireland. The exercises were held after 14 June in Orangeville (Toronto). For the closure of the Visitation, a continuing formation course on the theme of Hospitality was also run for the Brothers and managerial Co-workers, animated by Brothers Brian O`Donnell and Joseph Smith from Australia.

The secretarial work and the minuting of the Visitation were performed by the secretary of the Provincial, Bro. Justin Howson, Sister M. Christina Kazimirek of the Congregation of the Felician Sisters (Sisters of Saint Felix of Cantalice).

The Province of the Good Shepherd in North America (http://www.sjog-na.org/) is a very young Province. Its mission focuses on caring for the homeless and the marginalised http://www.goodshepherdcentres.ca

http://www.goodshepherd.ca

http://www.camillus.org

http://www.stjohnofgod.org

http://www.sjogcs.org

The Province came into being as a result of amalgamating the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd with the Order of Saint John of God, on 19 January 2015 (video of the ceremony:https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=hamilton+good+shepherd&&view=detail&mid=3CE31D4573897F0C07803CE31D4573897F0C0780&FORM=VRDGAR

At that time the following communities and works were united in a single Province:

The General Delegation of the Brothers of St John of God in Canada,

The Congregation of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd in the United States and in Canada

The community and centres of the West European Province of the Brothers of St John of God, in New Jersey (USA).

It is wonderful that the memory of Brother Mathias Barrett, the founder of the Little Brothers, continues to be present and to live on, while these distinctive features of the Hospitaller Order are becoming increasingly more evident (the pomegranate, images of Saint John of God, etc). But it is not only the external signs that speak, because we can truthfully say that after a mere eighteen months, the spirit of the Saint John Family is really breathing in the Province.

On 21 and 22, the guests from Rome visited the Province’s centres in Hamilton and Toronto where they were warmly welcomed.

In his closing address, the Visitor, Bro. Rudolf Knopp, said, “For you, the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd, joining the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God was a huge step to take, which deserves all our admiration. You did not want to wait passively for events to take their own course, but you took your own future in your own hands.” Bro. Rudolf also emphasised the praiseworthy efforts made by the Brothers and Co-workers of the new Province to develop a new identity as members of the Hospitaller Order and Family of Saint John of God. In conclusion, he said, “With your wealth of experience providing care to the homeless and in the field of social exclusion, the new Province can make an invaluable contribution to the Hospitaller Order’s reflections on pastoral care and bioethics, which have not yet been debated with the necessary depth and thoroughness in the specific context of caring for the homeless.”

The Prior General, Brother Jesús Etayo mentioned the following aspects in his address: “Barely 18 months ago, on 19 January 2015, we joyfully celebrated the merger between the Congregation of the Little Brothers of the Good Shepherd and the Order of Saint John of God. There is no doubt that, thanks to this merger, the Order of Saint John of God has been greatly enriched in terms of what constitutes its very foundation, namely, Gospel-inspired Hospitality, through the rich contribution of people, talents and works it has received…”. The Prior General then went on to say, “At first sight, it may not seem that very much has changed in the lives of the Brothers and the Centres. But the important changes are the things which are taking place in the hearts and minds of each and every member of the Province”. On the subject of the challenges awaiting the new Province, Brother Jesús mentioned the following fields of action in particular: combining the mission and spirituality of Hospitality in daily life; living community life authentically; offering an attractive vocations pastoral ministry despite the dearth of vocations we are experiencing at the present time, and fostering networking both within and without the Province. He therefore thanked the two Provinces of the Order in North America for the cooperation venture on which they had embarked in the previous few months expressing the hope that this would shortly lead to the establishment of a new region of the Order: the North America region.

Video on the work of the Brothers in the Province of the Good Shepherd

A former homeless man recounts his experience (Camillus House, Miami)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwopTQLxPqA

Presentation of the Miami centre (Camillus House)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq5-qc29cto&spfreload=5

Presentation of the Toronto centre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jel50cW9MV4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MxXGqEWS-o