Brothers of St. John of God News USA Province July 2014

JULY 30, 2014 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2

XV Provincial Chapter By Steve Gaucin

Every four years the Provinces of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God hold their Provincial Chapters. The two main goals of the Chapter are to develop a Pastoral Plan as Lines of Action for the next four years and to elect the leadership team that will guide the Province. This Province’s Chapter convened from June 30th to July 3rd, 2014 at St. John of God Retirement and Care Center in Los Angeles. !

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XV Provincial

Chapter ASIA PACIFIC COMMISSION

IN LOS ANGELES

BRO. PAUL HANSON 50TH ANNIVERSARY

BRO. GEORGE TECKU ATTENDED RELIGIOUS

BROTHERS

THE HOSPITALLER ORDER OF ST. JOHN OF GOD

USA PROVINCE OF OUR LADY QUEEN OF THE ANGELS

JUNE 30 - JULY 3

“Do good to yourself by doing good for others”

St. jOhn of God


!The Prior General of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Br. Jesús Etayo Arrondo, O.H. presided over the Chapter in the USA this year. He was accompanied by Br. Benigno Ramos, O.H. - third General Councillor, Br. Joseph Smith, O.H. - General Delegate of Asia Pacific & North America Region who was also the moderator of the Chapter and Br. Luis Padierne, O.H., translator for the Prior General. !!

The main undertaking of this Chapter was to develop a set of lines of action that will promote living hospitality to its fullest. The Prior General said in his opening address that the mission of the Chapter is, “to listen to the Spirit of the Lord in order to discern the

period through which the Province is passing and the direction that it has to take in order to face the future”. The Chapter is a “Spiritual Meeting, not a technical one” was emphasized by the Prior General as he called the participants to listen to what the Holy Spirit is asking of us. !

Brother Jesús asked the Brothers to return to their first love that called them to their Hospitaller vocation. The Prior General acknowledged that the number of Brothers are decreasing yet that shouldn’t stop them from being present to those we serve and having passion to lead the Province into the future. In 2015, the Hospitaller Order will celebrate “Hospitaller Vocation Year.” Brother Jesús emphasized that this would be an ideal time for the Brothers to discern through a process of story telling what their attraction to the Brothers was and pinpointing this first love as a foundation for the Vocation celebrations. !

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Provincial & Council

Brother Pablo Lopez, O.H. Provincial

Brother Edward F. McEnroe, O.H. 1st Councillor

Brother Stephen de la Rosa, O.H. 2nd Councillor

Brother Ignatius Sudol, O.H. 3rd Councillor

Brother Michael Bassemier, O.H. 4th Councillor


!The recent joining of the Asia Pacific Region has introduced the Brothers of this Province to the Brothers and Co-workers of other Provinces in the region. The Prior General is happy with the collaboration started with the Asia Pacific Region and asks us to do the same with the new North American Province of the Good Shepherd that will emerge in 2015. !!

The second task of the Provincial Chapter was to elect the leadership team that will guide the Province over the next four years. On Wednesday, July 2nd Br. Pablo Lopez, O.H. was elected as Provincial. His councillors are Br. Edward Francis McEnroe, O.H. - 1st Councillor, Br. Stephen de la Rosa, O.H. - 2nd Councillor, Brother Ignatius Sudol, O.H. - 3rd Councillor, and Br. Michael Bassemier, O.H. - 4th Councillor. !!In Br. Jesús’ closing address, he thanked all the Brothers and Co-workers who assisted in making this Chapter a success. He felt that the

Holy Spirit was present with us during this time. It is vital to give thanks to God for his assistance. Br. Jesús noted that, there are many challenges that have to be addressed, but he believes that if each of us makes an effort, showing goodwill and above all commit to the process, the Province will be able to continue to grow and face its future with sufficient guarantees. The Prior General asked that we continue the task “fearlessly” and in the process become a stronger Province. His final blessing was to invoke the Patron of the Province, Our Lady Queen of the Angels, to guide us along the emerging path toward a future and full of hope and hospitality.!

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!!!!!!!!Religious Brothers Conference

June 18 - 21, 2014 New Orleans, LA!Brother George Tecku, O.H. attended the Religious Brothers Conference in New Orleans this year. The theme was Brotherhood: A distinct Vocation lived in Diverse Ways. He reported that the video “BROTHER” will be released in the fall. He also mentioned that other material is being prepared to educate the Church on the Vocation of Brother.


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XV Provincial Chapter


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Brother Paul Hanson, O.H. Celebrates 50th Anniversary

On July 2nd, 2014, Brother Paul Hanson, O.H. celebrated his 50th anniversary of profession of vows in the presence of the Prior General, Brother Jesús Etayo, O.H., the Provincial, Brother Pablo Lopez, O.H. and the Brothers and Co-workers present during the Provincial Chapter.!

From Brother Paul Hanson, O.H.:!

I’m Brother Paul. I have been with the Brothers of St. John of God since 1962. I was trained as a nurse and Registered Physical Therapist and I worked in our facilities with the elderly as a physical therapist for 30 years. In 1992 after the Rodney King riots in L.A., I began helping poor families, the homeless and street people outside our hospital in L.A.!I am currently volunteering at the Brothers’ facility “Samaritan Helping Hand”, which is an emergency food pantry. It is located at 15527 8th Street in old Victorville and it occupies the same building that houses our thrift store “Second Time Around”. !At Samaritan’s Helping Hand we provide food for up to 30 families twice a week. We also help with utility, rent and motel stays for the rest of the week. The work depends upon the funding available each month. The thrift shop provides clothing for only one or two dollars and provides free help to homeless adults and needy children. !

The main focus of my religious life is to stay in the presence of God and provide hospitality to the sick and poor in the Spirit of St. John of God. I wear the symbol of our Order on my hat during the time I volunteer. This symbol is that of the cross inserted into a pomegranate. The cross symbolizes the suffering of Christ as well as the suffering of the sick and poor who come to us for help. The pomegranate symbolizes God’s charity, love and compassion. These are the graces that God provides us that enable us to give hospitality to those we serve. !St. John of God had a devotion to the passion of Christ and lived the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan; he stopped and helped the suffering person in their sickness and poverty. He invited many poor people, including prostitutes and the sick to come to his Hospital which he called the “House of God” where they could get the help they needed and grow together in hospitality. !I would like to invite you to come visit our “House of God” in Victorville but more especially to enter often into your hearts where God makes His special dwelling. In conclusion, I am going to share a poem of hospitality with you.!

Let’s All Room at God’s House

The house where we live has many rooms. We spend most of our time in the most comfortable rooms doing what we like best. In my house, I am the boss and God is the occasional guest. I invite Jesus to come and take up His rest. He stays for awhile and then says with a smile — In His house my Father wants us to be. Leave everything behind and come follow me. To get to God’s house we must cross the void. You must trust me with your life and take a journey of faith. Hope will be our surest way. Together with me on the cross; all earthly comfort lost. In God’s hands we will trust and pray. Deep in my heart where God dwells my spirit is His guest. My true home is in God’s house, with Jesus in God’s Love forever blest. !!


Asia Pacific Commission Meets in LA

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Back Row: Bro. Francis Mannaparamil, O.H., Bro. Timothy Graham, O.H., Bro. Pablo Lopez, O.H., Bro. Joseph Smith, O.H., JoYoung Anna Lee, Bro. Gerardo D’Auria, and Fr. Michael Mullins. Front Row: Raffaele Pilla, Bro. John Baptist Tran Cong Mihn, O.H., Bro. Benedict Won, O.H., Bro. Mathew Tran Doan Phi, and Bro. Michael Lee, O.H.

Brothers from the Asia Pacific Region of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God gathered in Los Angeles this past June to strategize a future of collaboration between the Provinces and Delegations of the Pacific Rim. The meeting was moderated by Father Michael Mullins of Australia. This was the first meeting of Asia Pacific Commission to take place in Los Angeles. !

There were four main goals of the meeting: 1) to change the Asia Pacific Provincials Conference (APPC) name to Asia Pacific Commission (APC) to be more inclusive with the other commissions of the Order, 2) to elect Brother Joseph Smith, O.H. as the President of the APC, 3) to develop and strengthen our 2014 collegial leadership and clarity the direction of our Hospitaller Order Mission over the next four years in the Asia Pacific Region, and 4) to lead and manage the Mission of Hospitality in our region, particularly in how we authorize and promote collaboration in the areas of formation and resourcing for mission, finance and joint

projects that are essential to developing a culture of Hospitality. Brother Joseph Smith, O.H. thanked Brother Timothy Graham, O.H. for serving as President of the APPC and to the USA Province for hosting the APC meeting.!

The Brothers and Co-workers who attended the APC meeting were: Brother Joseph Smith, O.H., General Delegate for Asia Pacific & North America, Brother Timothy Graham, O.H., Provincial of Oceania, Brother Mathew Tran Doan Phi, O.H., Provincial of Vietnam, Brother Gerardo D’Auria, O.H., Provincial of Rome, Brother Pablo Lopez, O.H., Provincial of USA, Brother Michael Lee, O.H., Provincial of Korea, Brother Benedict Won, O.H., Provincial Delegate of Japan, Brother Francis Mannaparampil, O.H., Provincial Representative of India, Brother John Baptist Tran Cong Minh, O.H., Vietnamese Interpreter, JoYoung Anna Lee, Korean Interpreter, Raffaele Pilla, Italian Interpreter, and Father Michael Mullins, Facilitator of the meeting. !


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Asia Pacific Commission Meeting


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The Hospitaller Order of

St. John of God USA Province of Our Lady Queen of the Angels 2425 S. Western Avenue Los Angeles, California 90018

Mission Statement

We, the Brothers of St. John of God are called to witness to the people of God, Christ’s healing love as expressed by our charism of hospitality, through a community of faith and a compassionate service to God’s suffering people.

Become a Brother Today! Call (323) 734-0233 www.hospitallers.org !

From the American Medical Association: Patients have a right to take an active role in their own health care. Unfortunately, there are times, such as sudden illness or an accident, when this is not possible.!

Advance care planning affords patients the opportunity to exercise their right to make determinations regarding their medical care in advance in the event they become incapable of active participation in health care decisions. The process provides individuals with the opportunity to determine their goals regarding health and medical treatment based on personal values, attitudes, and beliefs surrounding health care, illness, and death. It also enables individuals to communicate their wishes to their primary care physician, their proxy, and loved ones. As a result of this process, if a patient becomes incapacitated, parties involved in the patient's care should have a common understanding of the patient's health care wishes and what the patient would have wanted.!

Please follow up with this process if you don’t have your advance directives in writing. Don’t wait until its too late!!

Designed by Steve Gaucin - 2014

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Brothers of St. John of God News USA Province July 2014