Brother Eddie Coupe, Father John Quigley OFM, and Brother John Ledwidge

I have just returned from a three-day visit to Geneva. I was there with John Ledwidge and Eddie Coupe from the European Leadership. For them, it was a fact-finding visit. For me, it was a series of meetings with Franciscans International. ERI hopes to complete a partnership agreement with FI in January, if all goes well and if the finer details can be clarified successfully. Sometimes, as the politicians keep on reminding us, the devil is in the detail!

We met with the Marist Brothers and had the opportunity of a meeting with Dominic Pujia who was up from Rome. We entertained the Geneva Marist Community to dinner at Antonio's, a cheap and friendly Italian restaurant on the rue Lausanne. It was a very convivial occasion, cementing close relationships with the Marist Brothers and expressing the hope of even closer collaboration in the years ahead. Like ERI, the Marist Brothers are committed to strong advocacy action on behalf of children and young people around the world.

I sat beside Brother Jean-Claude, a councillor from the Hermitage Province. He was great company. Several times he laughed and joked about the fact that he was practically the executioner of the Swiss Province, having closed all six houses. "I have all the keys in my pocket," he said. He seemed pleased that the new Geneva house was in some ways compensating for his blitzkrieg through Switzerland.

John Quigley was in very resilient form, despite having buried his mother at the beginning of the month in Canada. John is a remarkable man, whose influence on the ethos of FI in Geneva is considerable. The gentle, calm and inclusive ethos of the office is in no small measure due to him, and to Jean-Louis Brusset, the equally calm and generous administrator and guest-master. FI is a happy ship. We were fortunate to participate in their office party and catch the spirit at first-hand. Everyone is excited about the possibility of ERI becoming part of the FI Geneva operation. Let's pray that the New Year will mark a major step forward in that direction.