>Approximately 30 young Brothers from the USA-Toronto Region and the two Districts in Mexico recently gathered in Cuernavaca, Mexico to share experiences and look to the future.
The Assembly of Young Brothers of North America stemmed from the 44th General Chapter which encouraged regular meetings of young Brothers at the Region, District, Delegation, and Institute levels. The purpose of the gathering was for young Brothers to get to know each other, share their experiences, discuss community, support each other, and plan for the future.
Bro. Chris Patiño, who is in temporary vows and teaching at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, helped organize the gathering. “It definitely gave me the more international perspective of our mission, of our role as Brothers and it gave me a sense of knowing where the other young Brothers are,” he said. The meeting provided the group with an opportunity to talk about growing their interior life, living in community, and how they want to be involved in the mission.
Bro. Peter Nguyen, who is also in temporary vows and teaching at La Salle Academy in New York, was inspired by the camaraderie among the Brothers, despite the language barrier. “I do not speak any Spanish. Not a single word,” he said. “So communicating with them is on an entirely different level, but there seems to be a connection between us because I do understand the things that they are going through.”
General Councilor Brother Robert Schieler was involved in developing the event and pointed to the importance of the young men gathering since there are fewer Brothers. “Personally, it gives me hope for the future because of their commitment to the mission, their enthusiasm for it, and their desire to live not only the mission in terms of primarily service to the poor through education, but also their desire for a quality community life and their desire for a quality prayer life with all of the Brothers in the communities where they live,” he said.
The young Brothers plan to stay in contact using various forms of technology to continue discussing challenges and sharing practical ideas. Young Brothers will gather on a larger scale in 2013 at the International Gathering of Young Brothers in Rome.