Edmund Rice International

A couple of articles on corporal punishment elsewhere on this website have attracted some comment and discussion. Whilst it is undeniable that corporal punishment was once relatively common in many Christian Brothers Schools (as it was in most schools and in the broader community at the time) and whilst it was also the case that [...]

This is a letter sent to the Governor General of Canada. It is inspired by Louise, a Canadian physiotherapist, who spent her holidays working with the people of Haiti. We await the response of Her Excellency Mme. Michaelle Jean, who was born in Haiti and emigrated to Canada. Your Excellency, The devastating earthquake which caused [...]

Corporal punishment was banned in Kenyan schools in 2001. Despite this, the practice continues to be widespread. Many teachers, parents and caregivers remain unconvinced of the value of alternative methods of disciplining children and the legal system appears unwilling to deal with any teacher who violates the rights of children in this matter. Belief in [...]

Despite the chilly rain, spring struggles on, here in France, and the pair of magpies nesting in the pine tree over the back fence finally saw their three offspring launched from the nest this week. I watched them during breakfast as they flopped about in the neighbouring birch, misjudging distances, pecking optimistically at trembling leaves, [...]

I spent three hours watching Kenya, a large and complex African nation, being assessed on its human rights record. Over 78 countries had lined up to speak to Kenya about this, and most of them, in the two minutes allotted them, spoke succinctly and wisely. It was analysis, encouragement and challenge: Kenya was being judged [...]

Amidst the negative press coverage about the Catholic Church that has saturated the media following the ongoing revelations about sexual abuse and its cover-up, it was refreshing to read the following article that appeared online recently. The article, about the program run by the Christian Brothers in their former orphanage in Dum Dum is a [...]

Of all the tragedies afflicting youth, one of the hardest for workers to handle is youth suicide. The numbing effect of grief, the undertow of despair, often render our efforts fruitless. Yet Brendan McCarthy cfc in Kolkata, and his co-workers, run an NGO called SERVE, which says it all – Students’ Empowerment, Rights and Vision [...]

ERI has been visiting Oceania, and we have found a place extremely conscious of itself as islands and oceans. On one hand, islands are separated by oceans. On the other, islands are joined by oceans. In a former life, Brothers down here lived in six provinces or regions, and their lay colleagues worked within those boundaries [...]

The three days in ‘short-term guest’ involvement at Findhorn (July14 – 16), on the Firth of Moray, in far north-eastern Scotland, gave me a good insight into Findhorn as a major eco-centre, with a strong base in eco-spirituality. In fact, along with my week in Schumacher College (Devon, UK) in late 2008, it seemed that [...]

Sometimes an email will arrive on my screen like a breath of fresh air. Daniel Devincenzi, from the City of Beautiful Breezes (Buenos Aires), sent me one with the refreshing title you see above. Isn’t that an idea to move the Edmund Rice Network to work? Colegio Cardenal Newman (yes, he who is moving towards [...]