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Facilitator's PowerPoint on the Life of Edmund

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PPT presentation Reaching Our Potential 

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PPT presentation Reaching Our Potential 

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Poster containing the Themes of Catholic Social Teaching

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what is it? What does it say?

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The Pope's encyclical Laudato Si ('Praise be to you') - On the Care for Our Common Home, is the Church's most profound and comprehensive statement yet on caring for creation and the poorest. It is an inspirational letter that calls for us to examine our hearts, transform our social values and take action for global solidarity.

The encyclical captures the interconnectedness of social, economic and environmental justice in building and protecting Our Common Home. It highlights the 'intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet'. Protecting the planet requires an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.

Global inequality is a central theme: the poorest are the most affected by climate change and ecological chaos, yet they have done the least to cause it. The encyclical also highlights how unequal distribution and access to common goods such as natural resources, including the climate, perpetuates poverty and contributes to the climate crisis. The voices of the most vulnerable are often excluded from international political and economic discussions, fostering a 'globalization of indifference'.

Pope Francis is clear that human activity is at the root of climate change and our 'ecological crisis' - and that therefore, the solution also lies with us.

Pope Francis calls for nothing less than a revolution of our hearts and minds, for a transformation of our societies and individual lifestyles, to live in harmony with God's creation. He challenges 'the modern myth of unlimited material progress'. He asks us to redefine our notion of progress and rethink our current public values which put financial and economic growth before ecology and the needs of the most vulnerable communities and people.

He calls for governments to take strong, united action on climate change and other ecological issues for the global common good. He cautions against 'weak responses' including from those who dismiss the dangers of climate change. He also calls for 'enforceable international agreements'.

We have produced some resources to help you discuss and understand Laudato Si' better, including a 3-page overview of Laudato Si' and a PowerPoint presentation of Laudato Si's key messages. Download these at our Resources page.

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About Laudato Si - Pope Francis Encyclical 2015 - Caritas Australia

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The Pope's encyclical Laudato Si ('Praise be to you') - On the Care for Our Common Home, is the Church's most profound and comprehensive statement yet on caring for creation and the poorest. It is an inspirational letter that calls for us to examine our hearts, transform our social values and take action for global solidarity.

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An order or congregation in the Catholic Church

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"The presence of religious "orders" in the Catholic Church can be confusing to folks outside the Catholic Church - and to young Catholics too.

First of all, the term "orders" is used rather loosely; it has become a generic term for any specialized group recognized either by the Vatican/Pope or by the local bishop that was founded by a charismatic (spiritually and otherwise gifted) man or woman who invites others to "share their vision" of ministry and Christian service in a particular way: caring for the "poorest of the poor"; educating those on the margins of society; missionary efforts to those who have not heard of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and so on. A more proper generic term for these groups might be "religious communities."

The reason for this is that, as a quick look at a Google search for "Catholic religious orders" will show (and give you a headache), there is a huge number of classifications for those groups which people commonly call "orders" in the Catholic Church - way too many to explain in this article. There are orders, congregations, religious institutes, institutes of consecrated life, mendicant orders, clerics regular...is your head starting to ache? I should point out here that religious "communities" are not only found in the Catholic Church; the Orthodox Church, Anglican/Episcopal and Lutheran Churches also have them.

Why do these Christian religious communities exist within the Church(es)? Dating back to the early centuries of Christianity, some followers of Jesus felt drawn to gather together in monastic, celibate communities to dedicate themselves to regular, frequent, daily prayer; farming, and caring for the needy in the local community. In the early 500s, Benedict of Nursia wrote his "rule" for his monks - and the Benedictine communities have continued to this day, around the world, following his "Rule." As the centuries continued, other men and women were stirred to go beyond the monastery "into the world" to meet the needs of the people of their day, as they were inspired by the Gospel. Some of the best known are people like St. Francis of Assisi, the son of a wealthy merchant who abandoned his inheritance and, with his friend (St.) Clare, dedicated themselves and called followers to serve the poor, taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Another example is Ignatius of Loyola, a soldier wounded in war, had a spiritual conversion while recuperating and gathered some friends around him at the university to form the Company (or Society) of Jesus - the Jesuits. They also took the three vows mentioned above - and an additional vow of obedience to the pope. [When Pope Francis - who is the first Jesuit to be elected pope in history - met with the superior general, the head, of the world-wide Jesuit order, he joked about whether he still owed obedience to the superior general, or himself?!]

Likewise, St. Dominic founded the Dominicans to be an "Order of Preachers" - thus the initials after their names, O.P.

This, by the way, is a way to tell if someone is a member of a religious community...if they have letters after their name:

Dominican priests, sisters and brothers: O.P

Jesuit priests and brothers (no sisters): S.J. (Society of Jesus)

Benedictine priests, sisters and brothers: O.S.B. (Order of St. Benedict)

Franciscan priests, sisters and brothers... the list goes on. Now it gets a bit confusing! Franciscans, over the years, have had some disagreements about how to best live out the legacy of their founder and have ended up breaking off into different communities - all Franciscans, but placing more focus on this or that aspect of Francis' life and teaching. So...we have the Franciscans, O.S.F. (Order of St. Francis), the Order of St. Francis, Capuchins (O.F.M. Cap.) - these are the ones who run the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit USA; and the Order of St. Francis, Conventuals (O.F.M. Conv.). And a few others!"

- This excerpt is from The Detroit (USA) Interfaith Council written by Michael Hovey

"Basically, there are different religious orders in the Church because each order has its own purpose. For example, the Franciscans have a special love for and identification with the poor. Dominicans are especially interested in preaching, as is indicated by the fact that the official name of the order is the Order of Preachers. Other groups, such as the Benedictines, are monastic rather than active in the world like the Franciscans and Dominicans."

- This excerpt is from Catholic Answers blog based in San Diego California

And so we have the letters SCJ which comes from the words "Societas Sacratissimi Cordis Jesu" in the Latin language which when translated into English means: Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain. Near the Pyrenees there lies the village of Betharram.

"The little village of Betharram is nowadays best known for its grottos. But it is also a place of pilgrimage, hence the shrine and the wayside...Betharram wasn't spared by the French Revolution. But a saint, Michel Garicoïs, brought the shrine back to life and prosperity. He helped the needy people, and also listened to Bernadette Soubirous's confidences."

- From http://www.lourdes-fr.com/en/attractions/betharram-sanctuarie.htm

Michel Garicoïs (Michael Garicoïts) founded the congregation of the Priests of the Sacred-Heart, or also known as the Betharram Fathers and Brothers who are today active in three continents

The Holy Name of Jesus Parish here in Great Barr Birmingham is in the care of the Fathers and Brothers of The Sacred Heart of Jesus (Betharram).

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What are religious "orders" in the Catholic Church?

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"The presence of religious "orders" in the Catholic Church can be confusing to folks outside the Catholic Church - and to young Catholics too.

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The Congregation of Christian Brothers

Christian Brothers of Ireland

The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a Roman Catholic lay congregation founded in Waterford, Ireland in 1802 for the purpose of educating poor Catholic boys in the area. Its founder was Edmund Ignatius Rice, a wealthy local businessman.

The institute is sometimes called the Christian Brothers of Ireland to distinguish it from a similarly-named organisation in France.

Many boys taught by the Christian Brothers in Ireland and England went on to achieve great success in public life.

Actors Liam Neeson and Gabriel Byrne, poet Roger McGough and the former Director-General of the BBC, Lord Birt, were all educated by the Christian Brothers.

In the early 2000s the history of the Christian Brothers was marred when widespread and systematic child abuse was exposed in Catholic-run institutions in Ireland. More allegations were made against the Christian Brothers than the other male orders combined. (Allegations were not confined to Ireland, with reports of abuse occuring in orders in Australia, the US and Canada.) The Christian Brothers accepted the findings were correct and in November 2009 the organisation announced they would be paying £145m million in reparations.

History of the Christian Brothers

In 1802, Edmund Ignatius Rice, a wealthy businessman of south-east Ireland, devoted his life to educating the children of the poor.

An inspiring man, he was beatified by Pope John Paul II, so that Catholics call him The Blessed Edmund Rice.

Rice was concerned by the poverty and lack of education in his home city of Waterford. During Rice's lifetime, Ireland's population doubled, resulting in great hardship for young and old alike.

Seeing such suffering, Rice feared for the spiritual well-being of young people who had to live in appalling conditions.

From riches to rags

Rice lost his wife after only a few years of marriage and had a sickly young daughter to look after.

His strong faith led him to consider becoming a monk, but he could not ignore the poverty around him.

He sold his business, and devoted his money and life to educating the poor. In 1802, he opened his first school in Waterford, Ireland.

The first monastery

Many people were inspired by his faith and work, and soon a monastery was built nearby to house the new brothers.

The reputation of the school spread quickly and by 1811 the Bishop of Cork encouraged a new house to be built in Cork.

For the next hundred years the Christian Brothers' Schools of Cork continued to educate children. In 1812 a community was established in Dublin and by 1907 there were 10 communities educating around 6000 children.

There were schools, orphanages, and a school for the deaf.

Papal blessing

In 1820 the Christian Brothers were the first Irish order of men to be formally approved by a charter from Rome.

The Congregation of the Christian Brothers spread throughout Ireland and eventually reached English cities such as Liverpool and London.

By the end of the 19th century the influence of the Christian Brothers had spread around the world.

By 2002, their 200th anniversary, there were about 1800 Christian Brothers, 600 of them in Ireland.

Edmund Ignatius Rice died in 1844. On 6 October 1996 he was beatified by Pope John Paul II.

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The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a Roman Catholic lay congregation founded in Waterford, Ireland in 1802 for the purpose of educating poor Catholic boys in the area. Its founder was Edmund Ignatius Rice, a wealthy local businessman. The institute is sometimes called the Christian Brothers of Ireland to distinguish it from a similarly-named organisation in France.

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AN OVERVIEW OF OUR STORY

The Christian Brothers and their coming to and expanding in Oceania

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Our History

From the humblest of beginnings in 1802, Blessed Edmund Rice and his Christian Brothers have grown from their first stable school in Waterford in post-Penal Ireland, to classrooms and ministries in 29 countries across the globe.

Since 1802 our work has spread to 29 countries.

From the humblest of beginnings in 1802, Blessed Edmund Rice and his Christian Brothers have grown from their first stable school in Waterford in post-Penal Ireland, to classrooms and ministries in 29 countries across the globe.

The pivotal story in the history of the Christian Brothers is that of its founder, Blessed Edmund Rice. The Charism of the founder still informs and inspires the Mission of the Congregation worldwide.

The Christian Brothers first came to parts of the Oceania Province in 1843. The presence of the Christian Brothers in Oceania began in Sydney and quickly spread throughout Australia, to New Zealand and then later through Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Timor Leste.

A key figure in the history of the Christian Brothers in the Oceania Province is Br Patrick Ambrose Treacy - most notable for his selflessness and determination. In short, secondary education for ordinary people in Australia owes its beginning to Br Ambrose.

Read More of our founders and the history of the Oceania Province

Read about Blessed Edmund Rice

Blessed Edmund Rice (1762 - 1844)

Blessed Edmund Rice was a lay man, a husband and father,
a widower and a visionary.

Sensitively present to God's poor, Edmund responded to the call of the Gospel with an educational vision - offering liberation for the poor of Waterford.

Edmund Rice was born in 1762, in Callan, Ireland to a modestly prosperous family. They were never to experience the worst of the penal laws which denied Catholics rights enjoyed by other citizens.

Although the fourth child, Edmund was the first of the six sons to be formally educated which led to a mercantile apprenticeship with his uncle in Waterford.

He married in 1785, and was remembered as being "remarkable for his affection and regard for his wife". Surprisingly, the couple settled in notorious Ballybricken, a Waterford suburb punctuated with borderless markets, makeshift cattle and pig pens, open-air abattoirs, military barracks, extensive prostitution and numerous fatherless and orphaned children.

It is in Ballybricken that Edmund became sensitively present to God's poor, a presence that stirred in him a compassion that transformed him.

A "delicate" baby girl, christened Mary blest the union. Sadly, in January, 1789 Mrs Rice died, probably of cholera, a "fever" that devastated Waterford's population.

Immediately, Edmund moved home to the quay with its healthy breezes, where he raised Mary as a single father. It seems that Rice's experience of married love, his exposure to the rawness of Ballybricken and his intimate experience of fatherhood compelled him to remain unmarried and to seek another way of living and sharing his extensive wealth.

In 1793, he consulted Callen's Bishop Lanigan, who introduced him to the concept of vowed teaching lay brothers.

"Edmund Rice showed people that life could be lived differently, that human relationships could be different, that the dominant culture need not have the answers to how a society operated."

Philip Pinto cfc, Congregation Leader, 2006

From this time, Edmund prayed about and planned for a future Christian Brotherhood.

It was in 1802, when the teenage Mary was needed in the Callan family home to assist Edmund's youngest brother, Richard, and his young wife to raise a large family, that Edmund became free to pioneer his education vision.

Edmund's initiative attracted like-minded, compassionate followers, his Christian Brothers, who like him desired to embrace a life, living with Jesus in their hearts and serving God's dear little ones, the term Edmund used to describe the pupils.

...

Read more about Br Ambrose Treacy

Brother Patrick Ambrose Treacy

Patrick Ambrose Treacy paved the way for work of the
Congregation of Christian Brothers in Oceania.

"Christian Brother, Enterprising Immigrant"
by Br Regis Hickey

Br Ambrose, as he was known, has been an outstanding figure not only for the Christian Brothers, but also in the Catholic Church in Australia and indeed in Australia as a whole.

He is notable for his dedication and selflessness, and his belief that everything he experienced was from the hands of a provident God. From an incident early in his life he had an outstanding devotion to Mary the Mother of God.

Ambrose arrived penniless in Australia with three other Christian Brothers in 1868. In addition to starting a school at St Francis in Melbourne, the Brothers began collecting from the settlers in Victoria and South Australia and from the miners in the gold fields of Queensland and

Western Australia to finance their schools. Some of these journeys on horseback to remote areas are the stuff of legend. During 30 years as lea

der of the Brothers, Ambrose opened more than 20 schools in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Sydney and Perth, as well as in several country towns.

Ambrose's mission efforts in New Zealand and in Oceania are detailed in Br Regis Hickey's book "Ambrose Treacy: Christian Brother, Enterprising Immigrant".

Significant to the Treacy story was his aim to nourish faith, extend compassion to those in need and provide educational opportunities for children at a time when Irish Catholics, because of penal laws, were at the bottom of the social ladder.

Ambrose opened his schools to all.

Ambrose died of cancer in 1912 and is buried in the Brothers' plot in Nudgee Cemetery, Brisbane.

Download a comprehensive account of Ambrose's work in the Oceanic region.
Br. Patrick Ambrose Treacy - An Overview

The grave of Br Patrick Ambrose Treacy holds the centre place of honour in the
Christian Brothers plot at the Nudgee Cemetery, Brisbane.

Read about Oceania Province

Christian Brothers in Oceania

Christian Brothers first arrived in Oceania just 41 years after their foundation.

While the story of the Christian Brothers begins in 1802 when Edmund Rice established his first school in Waterford, Ireland, the story of the Christian Brothers in Oceania starts in 1843 in Sydney.

Brothers Stephen Carroll, Peter Scannell and Francis Larkin arrived and established three schools in Abercrombie Street, Macquarie Street and Kent Street the Rocks before returning to Ireland in 1846 after issues with the local Church authorities.

In 1868, the Christian Brothers returned to Australia, this time arriving in Melbourne on the sailing ship Donald McKay. Its leader was the 34 year-old Br Patrick Ambrose Treacy and his three companions were Brothers Dominic Fursey Bodkin (24), John Barnabas Lynch (29) and non-teaching Brother Patrick Joseph Nolan (45).

The 'schools' opened on the 25 January 1869 at St Francis's Church in central Melbourne. On 29 January 1871 Parade College was opened in Victoria Parade, Melbourne. Over the next ten years the Christian Brothers opened schools in Brisbane, Perth, Dunedin and Adelaide.

They also became involved in orphanages in Melbourne and Perth. It was due to the needs of the country areas that approval was given to open boarding schools.

While in the early days most of the Brothers were from Ireland, 'colonials' soon began to join the Brothers in Australasia. The first person to lead the Brothers in Australasia was Michael Benignus Hanrahan from Dunedin.

From the 1920s until the 1960s there was an influx of people joining the Brothers and so many new schools were opened.

With the growing numbers in 1953, the Australasian Province was divided first into two provinces. In 1959, New Zealand became a separate province in its own right. In 1967 the two Australian Provinces divided into four.

This was to remain until 2007 when the five provinces and the region of Papua New Guinea restructured into the current Oceania Province - incorporating Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Timor Leste.

In 1952, a group of Brothers established the first Christian Brothers' community and school in Papua New Guinea and the first Melanesian Brother was received in 1957. By the 1960s, the Brothers were working in primary and secondary education, child welfare, schools for those with diminished sight and hearing, teacher training colleges, technical education and universities.

With the call to mission in the 1960's through to the 1980s, new communities were opened in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga, East Africa and also with the indigenous people of Australia and New Zealand in such places as Murupara, Broome, Wadeye and Bathurst Island.

As a result of reflecting on the founding charism and the call to be with people made poor, new communities and projects where established in lower socio-economic areas such as Mangere in Auckland, the western suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, Girrawheen in Perth and Logan City in outer Brisbane. Flexi learning and alternative education centres were also established. Some Brothers went to China to work in language schools and a community was established in Timor Leste.

The Role of the Christian Brothers

To be a Christian Brother is to engage with and be present to all people with humility, empathy, and an open heart. Taking the "search for God" honestly and seriously is a particular gift a Christian Brother offers the Church. It can lead a Christian Brother to a thoughtful and critical understanding of the Catholic faith.

Governance

Oceania Province of the Congregation of Christian Brothers is a canonical entity created by the Congregation Leader on 1 October 2007. It is an entity within the Congregation of Christian Brothers - a Religious Institute in the Catholic Church. Locally it is governed by the Province Leadership Team which answer to the Congregation Leadership Team which answer to the Pope.

Governance

Oceania Province of the Congregation of Christian Brothers is a canonical entity created by the Congregation Leader on 1 Oct. 2007.

Recent History

Oceania is an amalgamation of the former entities: Holy Spirit Province, St Francis Xavier Province, St Joseph's Province, St Mary's Province, St Patrick's Province and the Edmund Rice Region of Papua New Guinea.

The Oceania Province comprises communities of Christian Brothers and Ministries inspired by the Edmund Rice charism in Australia, Timor Leste, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and The Philippines.

The Oceania Province is governed from the Oceania Province Centre in Melbourne, Australia, and the Oceania Leadership Team (OLT) of five members operate from this base.

Canonical

Oceania Province is an entity within the Congregation of Christian Brothers - a Religious Institute in the Catholic Church.

The Brothers, as members of the Province, form this canonical legal entity called a Public Juridic Person and the Province Leader and his team act as the Stewards of this canonical entity.

The Constitutions and Statutes of the Congregation and the Acts of Chapter of the Province provided the specific law under which the Province operates within the Church.

Because the Christian Brothers are an Institute of Pontifical Right they are responsible for their stewardship directly to the Pope rather than to a specific local Bishop.

The Oceania Leadership Team fulfils these reporting obligations through the Congregation Leadership Team based in Rome.

Civil

The complexity of the civil structure of the Oceania Province is significant. Oceania Province is a cross-national entity as it spans five sovereign nations, New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, The Philippines, Timor Leste. Consequently it comprises a number of civil corporate entities.

Additionally within Australia, entities that constituted the civil authority within the former Provinces remain constituted.

Christian Brothers Leadership Teams

Congregation Leadership Team

The Congregation Leadership Team comprises five Christian Brothers, elected by the Congregation Chapter delegates for a period of six years.

The Congregation Leadership Team provides guidance, encouragement and general leadership to all the Brothers around the world. They assist the Province Leadership and individual Brothers to respond to the Calls and Directions of the Congregation Chapter.

Congregation Leader:

Hugh O'Neill cfc ( front centre)

Deputy Leader:

Peter Dowling cfc ( front left)

Councillors:

Julian McDonald cfc ( back right)
John Casey cfc ( front right)
Richard Walsh cfc ( back left)

Oceania Leadership Team

The Oceania Leadership Team comprises six Christian Brothers, chosen from among all Brothers in Oceania. They are appointed by the Congregation Leadership Team following the Province Chapter.

The role of the Oceania Leadership Team is to oversee and govern the work of the organisation, working faithfully to the Constitution and directions of the Congregation and Chapter.

The Oceania Leadership Team has a central location in Melbourne. It aims to develop right relationships at the local level as well as inter-relationships at all levels to serve the wider mission of the Christian Brothers.

Gerard Brady cfc , Ted Magee cfc , John Webb cfc , Peter Clinch cfc, Bernie Gartland cfc

Province Leader:

Peter Clinch cfc

Province Deputy Leader:

Ted Magee cfc

Councillors:

Bernie Gartland cfc
Gerard Brady cfc
John Webb cfc

Resources

Teachers and any one else wishing to source material about the Christian Brothers and more specifically about the Brothers in the Oceania Region will find helpful resources in this section.

This page is for teachers or any one else wishing to source material about the Christian Brothers and more specifically about the Brothers in the Oceania Region.

Resources on Christian Brothers Globally and Edmund Rice are stored on the "Global Edmund Rice Network" website.
The drop-down menus under the heading "Edmund Rice" provide a wide range of Resources.
Access resources on Global Edmund Rice Network

Resources on Christian Brothers in Oceania can be found under the "Our Story" menu on this site .
History of Brothers in Oceania
BIG BROTHER

THE AMAZING INFLUENCE THAT THE CHRISTIAN BROTHERS HAVE HAD ON EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA.

CELEBRATING THE 250th YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDER, BLESSED EDMUND RICE (1762-2012) AND 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF BROTHER AMBROSE TREACY (1834-1912).

By M.D.WILLIAMS

"Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Launceston, TAS" website provides this document which gives a simple and clear explanation of who Edmund Rice was, how the Brothers came to Australia, the part played by Ambrose Treacy and some other played Brothers played in providing Catholic Education in Oceania.
Download this Resource
Interactive Computer Games

CONDITION OF USE:- Parent or teacher follows up with the student/s so that they actually do an extra prayer/helping activity in their own time.
After playing the game on their school's network, students from these Brisbane schools did a fair few of the own time activities:- St Pius X, St Mark's, St Laurence's.
Below are 4 games for school children under 13 years of age. These games require a Windows operating system to run.

Click on the name to download each game. Open file with Windows Explorer. Select "RUN" to start the game.
The file was tested and found safe when loaded on this site.

href="images/Lino_Games/Jagara_aborigines.zip">Jagara Aborigines

Edmund Rice Oceania Vimeo Collection

This is a collection of nearly seventy videos available for public viewing.
Most are a little out-of-date but still useful.

View these Videos on Vimeo

I will draw your attention to just a few that I believe could be useful to show what we do.

Ambrose Arriving: A historical look at how the Brothers arrived in Oceania. Edmund Rice Song: A tribute to Edmund Rice from a Pilipino Singer. East Timor: Shows the work of Brothers and Volunteers in East Timor:
Request for material to share

If you have spent time and effort producing a resource such as:

Prayers for Edmund Rice Feast Day or other special day

Other general prayers addressed to Edmund Rice

Prayers for vocations to the Christian Brothers

Prayers which could be used at a meeting of Edmund Rice Followers

Liturgies

Hymns and songs

Videos
Images

Work sheets which might be by teachers when giving a lesson on Edmund Rice

Perhaps a computer, broad or trivia game using information about ER and CB's. (See examples above.)

and are willing to make them available to others I would be happy to consider them for publication on this page.

I have to be careful of copyright requirements as some of what may be used in a private prayer session may not be freely placed on a website.

Hits: 60

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The Christian Brothers and their coming to and expanding in Oceania Open All Sliders close All Sliders From the humblest of beginnings in 1802, Blessed Edmund Rice and his Christian Brothers have grown from their first stable school in Waterford in post-Penal Ireland, to classrooms and ministries in 29 countries across the globe.

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Authentic expression of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother education 

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Authentic expression of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother education 

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A US article on Edmund Rice education

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Read here in detail Edmund's early life...

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Welcome to the website of the Edmund Rice movement. We are a loose network of organisations, groups and individuals across the world seeking to continue the spirit of Edmund Rice.

We gather around a set of core values, supporting one another on the journey, open to being transformed along the way. Together we create space and times of quiet to allow God into our lives, that we might be nourished. We gather for storytelling, listening, being present and healing, to be able to say "God is here". We are conscious of being wounded healers, broken, sinful, humble and vulnerable, but we are also committed to sharing the dream of fullness of life for all.

As a young man, Edmund, with a group of friends, immersed in the world of work and family life, formed a little Gospel community active in the city of Waterford. They shared prayer and spiritual reading, and they combined this with active outreach to the destitute, street children, orphans, prisoners, slaves and immigrants.

Today, living out of a new consciousness of the interconnection of all life, groups of people inspired by the story of Edmund's life form small communities that journey and converse together, stepping outside their comfort zones in respectful service. We seek to make a difference to the lives of marginalised people through compassionate presence. We are committed to living simply as a way of remaining in touch with the reality of the world. For us being "drawn by mystery" involves a real crossing of bridges, new beginnings, fresh hope and letting go 'the chains with which you would bind me'.

There are a diverse number of ways of becoming involved in the movement. Some men may wish to join the Christian Brothers , others are involved as participants in some of the groups which feature on this website. You may be looking to find a place to become a volunteer for a period of time, or you may be looking to help by becoming a partner in our developmentment and fundraising efforts.

For more information follow the " GETTING INVOLVED" links below.

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Connecting the Edmund Rice movement - Home

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Welcome to the website of the Edmund Rice movement. We are a loose network of organisations, groups and individuals across the world seeking to continue the spirit of Edmund Rice. We gather around a set of core values, supporting one another on the journey, open to being transformed along the way.

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You can explore Edmund's life and legacy through the 1960s icon by Desmond Kyne. Here is a booklet about the icon.

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watch the video by Brother Gleeson around Waterford exploring key events and places in Edmund's life

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Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice - A walking tour of Rice's Waterford with Br Peadar Gleeson

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The Change of Focus for Christian Brothers 

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The Change of Focus for Christian Brothers 

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Christian Brothers of the Latin American Region, August 2019

When Edmund Rice contemplated the Waterford of 1802 and saw the plight of the poor, his response was daring, bold and imaginative. He established an education system for poor boys where none existed. It was a creative response to a crying need. Over the past two centuries, generations of brothers and their co-workers have build upon Edmund's dream.

Nevertheless, there has been a growing awareness that while we have been good at replicating Edmund's response, we have lost something of his boldness and daring. In the world of young people, new needs have emerged to which the congregation has been slow to respond. Galvanised by recent Congregation Chapters, brothers have been encouraged to rediscover a splash of Edmund's boldness and daring.

In Africa where the congregation has been growing steadily, the most obvious crying need is the scourge of HIV/Aids. The brothers have committed themselves to address this appalling tragedy through a variety of initiatives.

In South America, the crying need is the countless numbers of homeless children. Many of these unfortunates end up in squalid jails with no provision for their welfare. The brothers have responded by involvement in juvenile prison ministry, and by initiating projects for the education and care of street children.

In India, the brothers have traditionally worked in prestigious private schools. In more recent years, the brothers have changed the focus of their ministry, and all of their recent openings have been for the benefit of the Dalits, the untouchables, in the tribal villages.

Working with the poor, it soon becomes apparent that unjust structures ensure that the poor remain poor. Brothers have learned that advocacy on behalf of those who have no voice is an important dimension of their ministry. Recently, the Christian and the Presentation Brothers have established an NGO called Edmund Rice International. Associated with ERI is a community of four brothers who live in Geneva, and work in advocacy at the United Nations.

Brothers have heard the crying need of the earth itself, and appreciate the importance of advocacy on behalf of the whole earth community. A number of Eco-justice centres have been opened to raise awareness in the human community of the consequences of our profligacy and wasteful use of resources.

Br. Mark McDonnell

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When Edmund Rice contemplated the Waterford of 1802 and saw the plight of the poor, his response was daring, bold and imaginative. He established an education system for poor boys where none existed. It was a creative response to a ... Continued

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The new EREBB map of our schools' network

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A provoking and insightful piece by Dr Aidan Donaldson on social justice and Catholic education. Read on...

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A Social Justice and Advocacy organisation funded by the Christian Brothers and run by a team of young human rights activists.

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the organisation that links all of the Edmund Rice schools together

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EREBB | Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders

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Registration is open for the next round of the programme beginningSeptember 28th 2020. The EREBB Leadership Certificate is an international online course developed by Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders (EREBB), Edmund Rice Schools Trust (ERST) Ireland, and Marino Institute of Education (MIE). The course has been developed to support teachers, educators, leaders and those aspiring [...]

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What type of school is it? How does it differ from yours? What connects us to all te other Edmund Rice schools?

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Edmund Rice College - Catholic Agricultural College in Bindoon WA

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A Catholic Agricultural College in Bindoon, Western Australia. Edmund Rice College has five single-gender boarding houses. Now taking enrolments.

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Fe Y Alegria Hermanos Cristianos 26, Lima Peru 

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Fe Y Alegria Hermanos Cristianos 26, Lima Peru 

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What can you find out about this school?

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Fe y Alegría 26. 3.8K likes. Institución Educativa Fe y Alegría 26, administrada por la Congregación de Hermanos Cristianos.

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Stella Maris College, Montevideo, Uruguay 

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Stella Maris College, Montevideo, Uruguay 

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Find out about this Edmund Rice school.

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El Colegio Stella Maris es un colegio privado católico ubicado en el barrio de Carrasco en Montevideo, Uruguay.

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What does this Outreach Centre do?

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Mary Rice Centre is a faith based organization under the Management of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, which started in the year 2007. The Centre supports children with disabilities through basic learning skills, prevocational and vocational skills, therapy services and outreach program. It also supports the parents of the children through skill training and income generating activities in bead work, tailoring and dressmaking.

The Centre is situated in Mugumoini location in Langata sub - county opposite Langata view apartments.

OUR VISION

A society that respects, appreciates, understands and recognizes the dignity of persons with disability.

MISSION

To enhance the dignity of excluded and marginalized persons with disability through the provisions of basic holistic, social, educational and therapeutic services and empowering the families as challenged by the gospel of Jesus Christ and inspired by the spirit of our founder Edmund Rice.

OUR VALUES

OBJECTIVES

EDUCATION

Basic learning skills in number work activities and language

Pre-vocational and vocational skills in beadwork, painting and drawing

Activities of daily living such as feeding, toileting, bathing and grooming

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

PARENTS EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME

To offer skill training to parents such as beadwork, tailoring and dressmaking

To organize workshops and seminar for raising awareness in the area of disability.

To monitor and evaluate the Income Generating Activities

To guide parents identify markets where they can sell their products.

OUTREACH PROGRAM

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Mary Rice Centre is a faith based organization under the Management of the Congregation of Christian Brothers, which started in the year 2007. The Centre supports children with disabilities through basic learning skills, prevocational and vocational skills, therapy services and outreach program. It also supports the parents of the children through skill training and income...

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We work closely with the Westcourt Centre, an Outreach and Social Justice Centre based in a former Christian Brothers School and funded by the brothers to today. Many school groups from England have visited and worked with the Westcourt Centre looking at social justice issues in and around Belfast such as Homelessness and access to education for marginalised young people.

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About the Westcourt Centre

Situated in the former St. Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School in Barrack Street, Belfast, the premises have been synonymous with the provision of education since 1929 and was listed as a 'Building of special architectural or historic interest' by the Department of the Environment in August 2015.

Westcourt is a sub-committee of The Congregation of Christian Brothers of Northern Ireland (Registered Charity No: NIC102236). The charity owns and operates the centre, which is committed to providing an accessible community facility with a particular focus on young people who do not attend mainstream schools.

As part of the Edmund Rice Network, Westcourt is committed to working towards social justice by giving voice and support to people on the margins.

The centre attracts people from all sections of the community regardless of religious belief, social or ethnic background, disability, gender, age or political persuasion.

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Situated in the former St. Mary's Christian Brothers Grammar School in Barrack Street, Belfast, the premises have been synonymous with the provision of education since 1929 and was listed as a 'Building of special architectural or historic interest' by the Department of the Environment in August 2015.

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General

The identity of the Brother is a mystery of communion for mission. At the center of this triple perspective lies the heart of the identity of the Religious Brother, namely fraternity, which is a gift that is received (mystery), a gift that is shared (communion) and a gift that is given away (mission).

The vocation of Brother is a unique gift mysteriously given by a loving God to some men in our Church. This gift is shared from a local community of Brothers to the broader community of t

Schools

At the Vatican, October 15th was supposed to be a big day for Catholic Education. The Pope and the Congregation for Catholic Education planned to address thousands of Catholic educators from all over the world. But instead, due to the pandemic, the Pope addressed the Congregation for Catholic Education from the Vatican YouTube channel, while several panelists and many young people, masked and socially distanced, attended in the Great Hall. Others, like me, watched from our desks.

General

To honor Mary's place in the history of salvation, the brothers contemplate the mysteries of redemption, especially by praying the rosary in one of its varied forms.

(Statutes of the Congregation of Christian Brothers)

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ERCBNA :: Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North America

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The identity of the Brother is a mystery of communion for mission. At the center of this triple perspective lies the heart of the identity of the Religious Brother, namely fraternity, which is a gift that is received (mystery), a gift that is shared (communion) and a gift that is given away (mission).

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The Edmund Rice NGO that campaigns on Human Rights issues directly with the United Nations in Geneva.

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Young leaders from our senior schools train to run 'camps' - week-long summer holiday clubs for disadvantaged youngsters across the UK. There are 8 camps currently running in England. Eddie Rice camps are an international phenomenon though; they're everywhere.

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History

The Edmund Rice Camps are based on the example and spirituality of Blessed Edmund Rice. They invite young people to engage in voluntary work and to contextualise it with a programme of daily Reflection and Evaluation.

The first Edmund Rice Camp was held in Australia in 1979. There have been Edmund Rice Camps in England since 2001 and now camps are held annually in Stoke, Liverpool, Salford and Wirral. There are Edmund Rice Camps running all over the world, from Australia to New Zealand, Africa to North America.

The success of the Camps is founded on a principal of one Leader to every child. In this way our young service users are guaranteed the time and attention that ensures they have a positive experience with us.

All Camps are sponsored and supported by the Congregation of Christian Brothers.

Leader Profile

All our Camps are organised and run by young adult leaders aged 17 and above. Volunteers are recruited from Christian Brothers schools as well as other groups and ministries with links to the Edmund Rice Network.

Volunteers are selected for their enthusiasm, commitment and desire to work with vulnerable children. Academic excellence is not a prerequisite; we want a diverse mix of young people on Camp!

Each Camp also contains a number of older, more experienced Leaders acting as mentors, coordinators and supervisors. The total number of volunteers on Camp is usually around 25.

All volunteers are expected to partake in detailed Reflection sessions at the end of each day. Camp does not end when the children go home!

Children's Profile

The average number of children on camp is 20-25. The age of participants is recommended as 7-11. However, exceptions may be made at either end of the scale where a Coordinators sees fit.

Local feeder primary schools are invited to select children who would benefit from a structured week of fun activities during their holidays. The reasons for their selection, unless absolutely necessary, are unknown to the volunteers on Camp.

Academic performance, disciplinary records, and popularity in school should have no bearing on whether a child is invited to Camp.

As is the case for Leaders, a short Reflection plays an important part of the children's day on Camp.

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The Edmund Rice Camps are based on the example and spirituality of Blessed Edmund Rice. They invite young people to engage in voluntary work and to contextualise it with a programme of daily Reflection and Evaluation. The first Edmund Rice Camp was held in Australia in 1979.

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video from some brothers around the world

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Leadership Program - Christian Brothers - What do we do?

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A Chapter is the 5 yearly large meeting of Brothers when they discern where they are now and the future directions / priorities.

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EREA schools that support young people to engage with education and find a pathway to their positive future

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Hear about what happens day-to-day in the brothers' communities, their work and mission in Sierra Leone, Zambia, The Gambia, Ghana and Liberia

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Africa Province Newsletter 2024  # 140 (July 1, 2024)

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Find out month by month the work of ERI in Geneva

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© 2020 Edmund Rice International. All Rights Reserved.

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Final Profession of Brother Cyril Dauda, Sierra Leone October 2020

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Final Profession of Brother Cyril Dauda, Sierra Leone October 2020

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Vocations are alive and well in certain areas of the world.

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a video presentation to describe the work of ERI, the Human Rights Council and mechanisms of the United Nations and all about the declaration of Human Rights

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from the Libraries of Ireland; a description of 'legalisation that oppressed, debased and impoverished people of the Catholic religion in 17th Century Ireland'.

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Taken from The British Empire in the Nineteenth Century (Chapter V.) by Edgar Sanderson (1898)

Penal laws against the Roman Catholics-Restrictions upon Irish industries and trade- The Irish Parliament-Flood and Grattan-Convention of Dungannon-"Whiteboys" and "United Irishmen"-Formation of "Orange" lodges-Cruelties practised on the Roman Catholics-Irish rebellion of 1798-Act for union with Great Britain passed.

For nearly a century after the last conquest of Ireland, under William the Third, that unhappy country was quiescent with the apathy of exhaustion, misery, and despair. In Elizabeth's reign the native Celts had been hunted like wild beasts: their faith had been proscribed; their lands had been largely confiscated. Great further land robberies were perpetrated in the days of James the First, his son Charles, Cromwell, and William the Third. In one quarter alone, Ulster, the Protestant "plantation" of Scottish and English settlers, formed by James the First, was there any real prosperity.

After the surrender of Limerick in 1691, the treaty which promised religious freedom to the Catholics was grossly violated, and they were made subject to the action of severe "penal laws", passed in the Irish parliament, an assembly composed of Protestant lords, and of members returned for boroughs controlled by the crown or by patrons or by close corporations, and for counties dominated in election affairs by great proprietors of land. Catholics were not permitted to keep school; to go beyond seas, or to send others thither, for education in the Romish religion. Intermarriage with Protestants was disallowed, in case of the possession of an estate in Ireland. Children of mixed marriages were always to be brought up in the Protestant faith.

A "Papist" could not be guardian to any child, nor hold land, nor possess arms. He could not hold a commission in the army or navy, or be a private soldier. No Catholic could hold any office of honour or emolument in the state, or be a member of any corporation, or vote for members of the Commons, or, if he were a peer, sit or vote in the Lords. Almost all these personal disabilities were equally enforced by law against any Protestant who married a Catholic wife. It was a felony, with transportation, to teach the Catholic religion, and treason, as a capital offence, to convert a Protestant to the Catholic faith. The legislation devised for the Irish Catholics in that evil time was described by Burke as "a machine as well fitted for the oppression, impoverishment, and degradation of a people, and the debasement in them of human nature itself, as ever proceeded from the perverted ingenuity of man".

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Taken from The British Empire in the Nineteenth Century (Chapter V.) by Edgar Sanderson (1898) Penal laws against the Roman Catholics-Restrictions upon Irish industries and trade- The Irish Parliament-Flood and Grattan-Convention of Dungannon-"Whiteboys" and "United Irishmen"-Formation of "Orange" lodges-Cruelties practised on the Roman Catholics-Irish rebellion of 1798-Act for union with Great Britain passed.

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An introduction video from a variety of ER schools that is used in our induction session for Year 7.

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Edmund Rice Development is a development agency that supports the sustainability of our partner projects by sourcing funding, building donor engagement and working with our partners to improve development capacity.

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Edmund Rice Development provides donor funding, development and capacity-building support to over 40 partner projects in 13 countries across Africa, India and Latin America. We are committed to transparency and accountability, and to an efficient, effective operation. We work hard to make sure we achieve as much as possible with the...
Read More

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Edmund Rice Development | Dedicated to liberation from poverty and injustice

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Edmund Rice Development provides donor funding, development and capacity-building support to over 40 partner projects in 13 countries across Africa, India and Latin America. We are committed to transparency and accountability, and to an efficient, effective operation. We work hard to make sure we achieve as much as possible with the...

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(1762-1844); apostle of modernisation. Fantastic document on Edmund, a man of his time

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ERST - The Edmund Rice Schools Trust, Ireland 

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ERST - The Edmund Rice Schools Trust, Ireland 

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Some 90+ schools make up the ERST trust. This is part of our European Province, we work closely with the schools in Ireland

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Our Work With Schools

We provide a framework of ongoing advice and support for Boards of Management and Principals in our Primary and Secondary schools in relation to the role of trusteeship.
FIND OUT MORE
Parents

We encourage the parents of our students to become fully involved in all aspects of their children's education.
FIND OUT MORE
About Us

Our video explains how the Edmund Rice Schools Trust's Charter inspires our educational approach.
WATCH VIDEO

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We provide a framework of ongoing advice and support for Boards of Management and Principals in our Primary and Secondary schools in relation to the role of trusteeship. FIND OUT MORE We encourage the parents of our students to become fully involved in all aspects of their children's education.

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The Parable of the Talents

14 "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.' 21 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.' 23 His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.' 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.' 26 But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Read full chapter

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Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 25:14-30 - English Standard Version

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The Parable of the Talents - "For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

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Mother Theresa & Catholic Social teaching 

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Mother Theresa & Catholic Social teaching 

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Human dignity is something that can't be taken away. Catholic Social Teaching states that each and every person has value, are worthy of great respect and must be free from slavery, manipulation and exploitation.

"Catholic social teaching believes that human beings, created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), have by their very existence an inherent value, worth, and distinction".
Daniel Groody "Globalization, Spirituality and Justice"

"How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points? This is a case of exclusion."
Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium

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Human dignity is something that can't be taken away. Catholic Social Teaching states that each and every person has value, are worthy of great respect and must be free from slavery, manipulation and exploitation. "Catholic social teaching believes that human beings, created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26-27), have by their very existence an inherent value, worth, and distinction".

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Fr Gustavo Gutierrez and Preferential Option for the Poor

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Fr Gustavo Gutierrez and Preferential Option for the Poor

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"I hope my life tries to give testimony to the message of the Gospel, above all that God loves the world and loves those who are poorest within it."

That's the recent summation of his life by 83-year-old Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutierrez, founder of liberation theology and its central tenet, "the preferential option for the poor."

These days, Gutierrez works and writes at Notre Dame, where his colleague, my friend Fr. Daniel Groody, has just completed an excellent anthology of his work: Gustavo Gutierrez: Spiritual Writings (Orbis Books, 2011). Gutierrez reminds us of God's preferential love for the poor and our own need to side with the poor and oppressed everywhere in their struggle for justice.

Gutierrez's groundbreaking work, A Theology of Liberation, published in 1971, changed everything. It seemed to chart a whole new course for the church, not just for Latin America, but everywhere. Vatican II challenged scholars to renew their theology and biblical study. Gutierrez responded by examining our concept of God and the scriptures within the Latin American reality of extreme poverty and systemic injustice. That led to a renewed realization of Christ's presence among the poor and oppressed, especially in their struggle to end poverty and oppression.

In his introduction, Groody reviews Gutierrez's three bottom-line principles about life and death at the bottom. First, material poverty is never good but an evil to be opposed. "It is not simply an occasion for charity but a degrading force that denigrates human dignity and ought to be opposed and rejected."

Second, poverty is not a result of fate or laziness, but is due to structural injustices that privilege some while marginalizing others. "Poverty is not inevitable; collectively the poor can organize and facilitate social change."

Third, poverty is a complex reality and is not limited to its economic dimension. To be poor is to be insignificant. Poverty means an early and unjust death.

An early and unjust death. I remember hearing Gutierrez say those words at a talk I attended at Maryknoll in 1984. The following year, while living in El Salvador, I remember Jon Sobrino using the same expression. Most people in history suffer "early and unjust deaths," they said. When they wake up, they know that because of poverty, they may die before the day is over. That is the greatest injustice, they insist.

Gandhi put it this way: poverty is the greatest form of violence.

When Jesus said "Blessed are the poor," Gutierrez points out, he does not say, "Blessed is poverty." For Gutierrez, "Standing in solidarity with the poor began to mean taking a stand against inhumane poverty." Groody explains:

Gutierrez makes distinctions between material poverty, voluntary poverty and spiritual poverty. Real poverty means privation, or the lack of goods necessary to meet basic human needs. It means inadequate access to education, health care, public services, living wages, and discrimination because of culture, race or gender. Gutierrez reiterates that such poverty is evil; it is a subhuman condition in which the majority of humanity lives today, and it poses a major challenge to every Christian conscience and therefore to spirituality and theological reflection.
Spiritual poverty is about a radical openness to the will of God, a radical faith in a providential God, and a radical trust in a loving God. It is also known as spiritual childhood, from which flows the renunciation of material goods. Relinquishing possessions comes from a desire to be more possessed by God alone and to love and serve God more completely.

Voluntary poverty is a conscious protest against injustice by choosing to live together with those who are materially poor. Its inspiration comes from the life of Jesus who entered into solidarity with the human condition in order to help human beings overcome the sin that enslaves and impoverishes them. Voluntary poverty affirms that Christ came to live as a poor person not because poverty itself has any intrinsic value but to criticize and challenge those people and systems that oppress the poor and compromise their God-given dignity. It involves more than detachment, because the point is not to love poverty but to love the poor.

The Christian sides with the world's poor, Gutierrez teaches, consciously acknowledging the forces of greed, violence and death that crush them. The Christian sees Christ present in the poor and marginalized, and joins their struggle to end poverty.

"A spirituality of liberation will center on a conversion to the neighbor, the oppressed person, the exploited social class, the despised ethnic group, the dominated country," Gutierrez writes. "Our conversion to the Lord implies this conversion to the neighbor. To be converted is to commit oneself lucidly, realistically, and concretely to the process of the liberation of the poor and oppressed."

Gutierrez writes:

Christians have not done enough in this area of conversion to the neighbor, to social justice, to history. They have not perceived clearly enough yet that to know God is to do justice. They have yet to tread the path that will lead them to seek effectively the peace of the Lord in the heart of social struggle.

Reading his theological reflections, I was deeply moved by Gutierrez's insistence on "the gratuitousness of God" as the basis for his liberation theology. Everything in life comes from the lavish, universal love of God, he insists. The best way to understand this gratuitous love of God is to see God's love for the poor and oppressed and to make that same love central to our own lives.

"We have been made by love and for love," Gutierrez writes. "Only by loving can we fulfill ourselves as persons; that is, [by responding] to the initiative taken by God's love. God's love for us is gratuitous; we do not merit it. It is a gift we receive before we exist, or, to be more accurate, a gift in view of which we have been created. Gratuitousness thus marks our lives so that we are led to love gratuitously and to want to be loved gratuitously.

"The preferential option for the poor is much more than a way of showing our concern about poverty and the establishment of justice. At its very heart, it contains a spiritual, mystical element, an experience of gratuitousness that gives it depth and fruitfulness. This is not to deny the social concern expressed in this solidarity, the rejection of injustice and oppression that it implies, but to see that in the last resort it is anchored in our faith in the God of Jesus Christ. It is therefore not surprising that this option has been adorned by the martyr's witness of so many, as it has by the daily generous self-sacrifice of so many more who by coming close to the poor set foot on the path to holiness.

"Clearly the gratuitousness of God's love challenges the patterns we have become used to," Gutierrez writes. "The Bartimaeuses of this world have stopped being at the side of the road. They have jumped up and come to the Lord, their lifelong friend. Their presence may upset the old followers of Jesus, who spontaneously, and with the best reasons in the world, begin to defend their privileges."

Those of us who are privileged First World North Americans may bristle at this theology that asks them to let go of their privileges, make that option for the poor and seek Christ in their struggle for justice. But Gutierrez assures us that this movement of the Spirit among us not only hastens God's reign of justice and peace, beginning with those in extreme poverty, it leads to new blessings. This is good news. We, too, are being liberated!

"To make an option for the poor," Gutierrez writes, "is to make an option for Jesus." That ultimately is the spiritual basis for our solidarity with the poor. We opt to be with Jesus, to serve Jesus, to accompany Jesus among the world's poor in the nonviolent struggle for justice.

Gutierrez reminds us that a key aspect of Christian life is to make a preferential option for the poor and oppressed. Reading him leads us to ask: How are we doing this today in our lives? How can the church more and more side with the poor? How can we support their struggle for justice and peace?

This week, newly released figures suggest that almost 50 million U.S. citizens live below the poverty line, which is set at $22,400 annually for a family of four. Globally, the United Nations put the number of poor people in the billions. And the number continues to grow. Certainly, one billion people on the planet live in extreme poverty, without adequate food, water, housing, healthcare, education, employment or dignity. Such poverty is not God's will, and needs to be fought and resisted.

Many unsung faithful serve Christ in the poor through this liberating work, this war on poverty. From Latin America to Africa to the Middle East to our own growing "Occupy Wall Street" movement, people are choosing to opt not for the corporations, or the war industry or big money, but for the struggling masses, our sisters and brothers who suffer needlessly under the weight of global injustice.

Gutierrez reminds us that the Gospel calls each of us to join this campaign of liberation, to do our part in the struggle for justice and peace. I recommend this collection of Gustavo Gutierrez's work hoping it will encourage others to renew solidarity with Christ among the poor and carry on the campaign to abolish hunger and poverty.

***

John Dear's new book, Lazarus, Come Forth!, is available from Amazon.com. Next year, John will undertake a national book tour to discuss this Gospel confrontation of the God of life and peace against the culture of death and war. To host John for an evening talk, send an email through his website. His other recent books, including Daniel Berrigan: Essential Writings; Put Down Your Sword and A Persistent Peace, are also available from Amazon.com. To contribute to Catholic Relief Services' "Fr. John Dear Haiti Fund," go to: donate.crs.org/goto/fatherjohn. For more information, go to John Dear's website.

We can send you an e-mail alert every time an On the Road to Peace column is posted to NCRonline.org. Go to this page and follow directions: . If you already receive e-mail alerts from us, click on the "update my profile" button to add On the Road to Peace to your list.

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Gustavo Gutierrez and the preferential option for the poor

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"I hope my life tries to give testimony to the message of the Gospel, above all that God loves the world and loves those who are poorest within it." That's the recent summation of his life by 83-year-old Peruvian theologian Gustavo Gutierrez, founder of liberation theology and its central tenet, "the preferential option for the poor."

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Inspiring a Faith that does Justice

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Early Years

Arrupe was born in the Basque region of Spain in 1907. After some years of medical training, Arrupe entered the Jesuits in 1927. In 1932, the Republican government in Spain expelled the Jesuits from the country. Arrupe continued his studies in Belgium, Holland, and the United States. After being ordained, Fr. Arrupe was sent to Japan in 1938. He hoped to work there as a missionary for the rest of his life.

Arrest & Imprisonment

After the December 7, 1941, bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese security forces arrested Arrupe on suspicion of espionage. He was kept in solitary confinement. Arrupe described the privation and uncertainty he suffered as he waited for the disposition of his case. He missed celebrating the Eucharist most of all. In the midst of his suffering, Arrupe experienced a special moment of grace. On Christmas night, 1941, Arrupe heard a group of people gathering outside his cell door. He could not see them and wondered if the time of his execution had come.

Suddenly, above the murmur that was reaching me, there arose a soft, sweet, consoling Christmas carol, one of the songs which I had myself taught to my Christians. I was unable to contain myself. I burst into tears. They were my Christians who, heedless of the danger of being themselves imprisoned, had come to console me. (Pedro Arrupe: Essential Writings, Kevin Burke, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books 2004, p. 57)

After the few minutes of song, Arrupe reflected in the presence of Jesus, who would soon descend onto the altar during the Christmas celebration: "I felt that he also descended into my heart, and that night I made the best spiritual communion of all my life." (Ibid. p. 58)

When the security forces came after 33 days to release him from captivity, Arrupe was convinced that they were coming to execute him. The experience of captivity filled him with a deep inner calm founded on a radical trust in God.

Hiroshima, August 6, 1945

Arrupe moved to Nagatsuka, on the outskirts of Hiroshima, where he resumed his duties as the master of novices for the Japanese mission. On August 6, 1945, he heard the sirens wail as a single American B-29 bomber flew over the city. He did not think much of it and expected to hear the all-clear siren soon. Instead he heard an enormous explosion and felt the concussion that blew in the doors and windows of his residence.

Moving outside Arrupe and his colleagues saw the first of the 200,000 casualties of the atomic bomb. Walking up the hill they saw the city of Hiroshima turning into a lake of fire.

Ministering to the Wounded

Arrupe decided to use his medical training to help whomever he could. He and his colleagues were able to give aide to 150 victims. Knowing nothing of the dangers of atomic radiation, they were perplexed and distressed at the many deaths of people who seemed to have no external injuries. Arrupe and his fellow Jesuits had only the most basic food and medical supplies and had to care for people without anesthetics or modern drugs. Nevertheless, of the 150 people whom they were able to take in, only one boy died from the effects of his injuries.

Discovering the Heart of the Poor

When visiting a Jesuit province in Latin America, Pedro Arrupe celebrated the Mass in a suburban slum, the poorest in the region. Arrupe was moved by the attentiveness and respect with which the people celebrated the Mass. His hands trembled as he distributed communion and watched the tears fall from the faces of the communicants.

Afterwards, one especially large man invited Arrupe to his home. The man's home was a half-falling shack. The man seated him in a rickety chair and invited Fr. Arrupe to observe the setting sun with him. After the sun went down, the man explained that he was so grateful for what Arrupe had brought to the community. The man wanted to share the only gift he had, the opportunity to share in the beautiful setting sun.

Arrupe reflected, "He gave me his hand. As I was leaving, I thought: 'I have met very few hearts that are so kind.'"

Superior General of the Jesuits

Pedro Arrupe was serving as the Superior of the Jesuits' Japanese Province when he was elected Superior General of the Society of Jesus in 1965. He held the position until 1983.

As the 28th Superior, or "Father General," it was Arrupe's task to guide the community through the changes following Vatican II. He was most concerned that the Jesuits make a commitment to addressing the needs of the poor. His work resulted in the drafting of Decree 4, a pivotal element of the Jesuit's 32nd General Congregation. Entitled, Our Mission Today: The Service of Faith and the Promotion of Justice, and passed in 1975, it led the Jesuits, especially in Latin America, to work in practical ways with the poor. In spite of threats against their lives-threats that led to the murder of six priests in El Salvador in 1989-the Jesuits continued their justice work with the poor, with Arrupe's support.

Arrupe's belief in justice informed his understanding of the goal of Jesuit education. He said:

Today our prime educational objective must be to form men-and-women-for-others; men and women who will live not for themselves but for God and his Christ-for the God-human who lived and died for all the world; men and women who cannot even conceive of love of God which does not include love for the least of their neighbors; men and women completely convinced that love of God which does not issue in justice for others is a farce. ( Pedro Arrupe: Essential Writings, Kevin Burke, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books 2004, p. 173)

Stroke and Resignation

In 1981 Arrupe suffered a debilitating stroke. An appointee named by Pope John Paul II served as interim superior until 1983, when Arrupe was forced to resign. He was wheeled in to the opening session of the 33rd General Congregation, and Arrupe's final prayer was read to the community.

More than ever I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference; the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel myself so totally in God's hands.

Fr. Pedro Arrupe died February 5, 1991.
SOURCE: Adapted from IgnatianSpirituality.com a website of Loyola Press - Text originally written by Jim Campbell

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Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. | Remembering His Legacy

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Pedro Arrupe, S.J., was the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, serving from 1965 - 1983. Fr. Arrupe was a man of great spiritual depth with a profound commitment to justice that permeated the work of the Jesuits.

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Oscar Romero and Catholic Social Teaching 

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Oscar Romero and Catholic Social Teaching 

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In this section, you can find a more detailed study of the six central themes of Catholic social teaching that are focused on in the website.

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A Pope for Social Justice

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As background research into pre and post Vatican II doctrine, this film is definitely worth watching.

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The Two Popes | Official Trailer | Netflix

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12 session Leadership Course for senior students in Edmund Rice schools

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Advocacy and Social Justice learning models written by Edmund Rice European Province 

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Advocacy and Social Justice learning models written by Edmund Rice European Province 

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Prayer

Prayer of Thanks for Blessed Edmund Rice

O God, we thank you for the life of Edmund Rice.
He opened his heart to Christ present in those oppressed by poverty and injustice.
May we follow his example of faith and generosity.
Grant us the courage and compassion of Edmund as we seek to live lives of love and service.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

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Advocacy and Social Justice - Edmund Rice England

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O God, we thank you for the life of Edmund Rice.He opened his heart to Christ present in those oppressed by poverty and injustice.May we follow his example of faith and generosity.Grant us the courage and compassion of Edmund as we seek to live lives of love and service.We ask this through Christ our Lord.

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The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

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The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights

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simple video explanation

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see how much you know...

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How Much Do You Know About Human Rights? Quiz - The Lawyer Portal

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Human rights laws are in place to protect us all but how much do you know about human rights law? Take our two-minute quiz to find out!

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The Christian Brothers and the Presentation Brothers' joint NGO that works to advocate for human rights in the UN, Geneva

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Videos about ERI and what they do, including the mechanisms of the UN 

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Videos about ERI and what they do, including the mechanisms of the UN 

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24 Hour Live and pre-recorded Programming

The UN Web TV Channel is available 24 hours a day with selected live programming of United Nations meetings and events as well as with pre-recorded video features and documentaries on various global issues.

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24 Hour Live and pre-recorded Programming The UN Web TV Channel is available 24 hours a day with selected live programming of United Nations meetings and events as well as with pre-recorded video features and documentaries on various global issues.

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How a country's human rights record is assessed every 4 years...

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The story of the babies in the Hudson river

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How do we value the Earth?

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When you see the word "Amazon", what's the first thing that springs to mind - the world's biggest forest, the longest river or the largest internet retailer - and which do you consider most important?

These questions have risen to the fore in an arcane, but hugely important, debate about how to redraw the boundaries of the internet. Brazil and Peru have lodged objections to a bid made by the US e-commerce giant for a prime new piece of cyberspace: ".amazon".

The Seattle-based company has applied for its brand to be a top-level domain name (currently .com), but the South American governments argue this would prevent the use of this internet address for environmental protection, the promotion of indigenous rights and other public interest uses.

Along with dozens of other disputed claims to names including ".patagonia" and ".shangrila", the issue cuts to the heart of debates about the purpose and governance of the internet.

Until now, the differences between commercial, governmental and other types of identity were easily distinguished in every internet address by .com, .gov and 20 other categories.

But these categories - or generic top-level domains (gTLDs) as they are technically known - are about to undergo the biggest expansion since the start of the worldwide web more than 30 years ago.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) - a US-based non-profit organisation that plays a key role in cyberspace governance - has received bids (each reportedly worth almost $200,000 [£129,000]) for hundreds of new gTLDs to add to the existing 22.

Amazon has applied for dozens of new domains, including ".shop", ".song", ".book" and ".kindle". But it's most contentious application is for its own brand.

Brazil and Peru have called for the .amazon application to be withdrawn, saying a private company should not be assigned a name that denotes an important geographic area that spans their territories, and is also used for certain regions and cross-border organisations.

"Allowing private companies to register geographic names as gTLDs to reinforce their brand strategy or to profit from the meaning of these names does not serve, in our view, the public interest," the Brazilian ministry of science and technology said.

Brazil said its views were endorsed last month by other members of the Amazon Co-operation Treaty (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela).

Dozens of other protests have also been registered over proposed top-level domains that take geographic, cultural or contested brand names.

Argentina has lodged an expression of its unhappiness that the US outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia is claiming a domain name that has been known far longer as a region of spectacular beauty that also has its own parliament. "Argentina rejects the .patagonia request for a new generic top-level domain," the government notes in an appeal. "(Patagonia) is a relevant region for the country's economy because it has oil, fishing, mining and agriculture resources. It is also a region with a vibrant local community and it is a major tourist destination."

Less convincingly, China has disputed the domain ".shangrila", which is proposed by a hotel group of the same name. The authorities in Beijing say the "shangri-la" label belongs to a region in Yunnan province, although it was only renamed as such in 2001 (long after the hotel group was formed) so that the local community could cash in on the fame of the fictional paradise depicted in the novel Lost Horizons by British author James Hilton.

At a conference this month in Beijing, the Icann's government advisory committee - the primary voice of national governments within the institution - recommended a freeze on disputed proposals. They are expected to be discussed again at a meeting in Durban in July. The first approved domain names should be in use before the end of the year.

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Amazon v the Amazon: internet retailer in domain name battle

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When you see the word "Amazon", what's the first thing that springs to mind - the world's biggest forest, the longest river or the largest internet retailer - and which do you consider most important? These questions have risen to the fore in an arcane, but hugely important, debate about how to redraw the boundaries of the internet.

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Turning conscience into action for a thriving Earth

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Catholic Social Justice and Ecology Fact Sheet 

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Catholic Social Justice and Ecology Fact Sheet 

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Carl Sagan

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definitions of key terms

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Boys from the Student Leadership Cert group 2020-21 write exemplar UPR statements as part of their assessments covering topics such as Knife Crime, Homelessness, Human Trafficking and the Asylum System.

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Prior Learning Exercise

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TUTU Leadership Course Facilitation Guide 

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TUTU Leadership Course Facilitation Guide 

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In conjunction with the Desmond Tutu Foundation, South Africa we encourage all our young people to complete this online course

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Tutu Courageous Leadership Course TRAILER 07Mar24

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Desmond Tutu Courageous Leadership course 

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Desmond Tutu Courageous Leadership course 

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enrol here for free

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The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation

The Tutu Courageous Leadership Course is part of the work of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the official legacy organisation of one of the world's most iconic leaders and his life-long partner. We take the Tutus' example into the future by nurturing leaders of courage.

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The Tutu Courageous Leadership Course aims to inspire and empower you to become more courageously engaged in your life and your community.

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Video to watch - prior learning

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If you want to change the world start with making your bed 

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If you want to change the world start with making your bed 

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Video - Willam McRaven US Navy Admiral

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Navy Seal William McRaven: If You Want To Change The World, Make Your Bed!

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video

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Challenge your leadership by asking these question in self assessment as a servant leader. These nine behaviors are meant to be used every day, as a guide for servant leaders staying on track to inspire and equip the people that come in contact with them.

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links to many of the most famous, world-changing addresses

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Jesus of Nazareth, 1977

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Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom

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Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom Official UK Trailer (2013) - Idris Elba Movie HD

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Ghandi, 1982

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Darkest Hour. About Churchill

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Darkest Hour Clips & Trailer (2017)  Gary Oldman Winston Churchill Movie

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Selma. (about M L King)

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Selma Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding Jr. Movie HD

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The Two Popes. About Pope Benedict and Pope Francis

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The Two Popes | Official Trailer | Netflix

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Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

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Overcoming the World's Challenges - The Global Goals

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The climate crisis. Ensuring no one goes hungry. Human rights abuses. Extreme poverty. Problems of this scale can be overwhelming, but the Global Goals(also known as the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs) are the solution to tackling them.

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Website of resources, lesson plans and videos all about the SDGs

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We promote use of the Sustainable Development Goals in learning so that children can contribute to a better future for all. From citizenship and justice to climate change and the environment, inspire children to make a difference!

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Click on and learn about each of the 17 SDGs

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Download the full grid with all icons, in png and vector formats.

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Article on the interconnectedness of the 17 SDGs 

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Article on the interconnectedness of the 17 SDGs 

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"It's all connected." We know that already, those of us who work on making the world a more sustainable, resilient, fair and prosperous place for all.

And we know that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all nations in 2015, are "indivisible" - a highly integrated web of challenges. We only succeed, as an intelligent species that controls the destiny of a whole planet, if we achieve all the goals together.

But exactly how is "everything connected"? And how do we know which connections are the important ones, the ones we simply must keep in mind, while others can rest a bit in the background?

Enter the International Council for Science, an umbrella organization whose members are the world's national scientific bodies. ICSU (the U is a holdover from an older name) is the closest thing we have to a "United Nations for Science," in the general sense. And it has just put out a very useful and important study: "A Guide to SDG Interactions: from Science to Implementation."

Before you start worrying about being overwhelmed by complexity, let me reassure you: this ICSU report is not an encyclopedic study of how "everything is connected to everything else." The report picks four SDGs, as case studies and examples, and then provides a very clear conceptual roadmap for understanding how those goals and their targets are linked to others in the SDG system.

The report even scores those linkages, using an easy-to-understand scale: plus 3 to minus 3, where plus 3 means that two objectives are "indivisible" and utterly dependent on one another, a plus 2 means that one goal or target "reinforces" the other, and so on. A score of minus 3 for a pair of goals means that making progress in one can "cancel" progress in the other - and perhaps cause things to get worse.

You can search the report or scan the infographics to find out how your favorite SDG or specific target shows up in this fascinating mapping exercise. Consider one of my favorites, SDG 14, which the ICSU authors take on as the fourth case study. (As any regular reader of this column knows, I am trying to get everyone to think about the ocean these days.) The authors assess SDG 14, the "oceans goal," as having its strongest linkages to issues of poverty, food, economic growth, cities, production and consumption and climate (SDGs 1, 2, 8, 11, 12 and 13). At the "deep dive" level, they find 97 relevant systemic interactions among the SDG Targets: 61 positive, one neutral and 35 negative.

But here is an important point: "negative" does not mean "incompatible." The authors are explicitly not saying that a score of minus 3 means you can't possibly achieve the first goal without destroying the possibilities to achieve the other.

Here's how they put it in the "Key Findings" section:

This analysis found no fundamental incompatibilities between goals (i.e. where one target as defined in the 2030 Agenda would make it impossible to achieve another). However, it did identify a set of potential constraints and conditionalities that require coordinated policy interventions to shelter the most vulnerable groups, promote equitable access to services and development opportunities, and manage competing demands over natural resources to support economic and social development within environmental limits.

In other words, achieving some of these goals and targets at the same time is hard, but not impossible. In some cases, they require extra effort to manage the interactions so that they become synergies instead of zero-sum games. Business-as-usual will not work in those minus 3 situations.

Achieving some of these goals and targets at the same time is hard, but not impossible.

Here's an example of what a minus 3 linkage means. Meeting the resilience targets for climate action in SDG 13 in the wrong way could make it very hard to reach some of the marine conservation targets under SDG 14. If you just build sea walls instead of protecting and restoring salt marshes, changing urban land use patterns and doing ecosystem-based management in off-shore areas, you might keep out sea level rise - but you'd be degrading life in the sea. It is a much better solution, from a systems perspective, to take the more integrated approach.
A systems-based, sustainable development approach is usually a more challenging planning exercise than just building a big sea wall. But the sustainable approach brings multiple benefits: protection from the effects of climate change, secure livelihoods for people working in fisheries, and healthy ecosystems that support nature as well as tourism and other economic activities. Using a true sustainable development approach can turn that minus 3 into a plus - if the right decisions and actions are taken.

Of course, the difference between building an expedient but damaging sea wall and pursuing a more synergistic, sustainable approach comes down to who is deciding and how the resources are allocated. The ICSU report highlights these crucial dimensions of power, money and social engagement by pointing squarely at SDG 16 (good governance) and SDG 17 (about forming partnerships and securing the financial and technical means to implement the other goals).

These two goals are truly the beating heart of the SDG system. As the ICSU report notes:

[SDG 16 and 17] are key to turning the potential for synergies into reality.... For many if not all goals, having in place effective governance systems, institutions, partnerships and intellectual and financial resources is key to an effective, efficient and coherent approach to implementation.

I hear the word "leadership" in that last sentence, a word that is often strangely missing from both scientific and U.N. documents. Because clearly, we will not achieve SDG 16 and 17 without good leaders. That makes leadership itself a crucial - and deeply inter-connected - element of the 2030 Agenda.

Clearly, we will not achieve SDG 16 and 17 without good leaders. That makes leadership itself a crucial - and deeply inter-connected - element of the 2030 Agenda.

This is a report that I will read slowly, absorbing over time and using as a reference in my consulting work. It is full of useful nuggets of analysis, case studies and practical solutions to complex problems, such as the one above.
This timely report provides guidance for anyone who has struggled with the question, "What does integration mean in practice?" Let it stimulate your thoughts, help you make connections - and then go lead (or participate in) some system-smart change effort that is more likely to create multiple benefits for your organization, your community and your piece of the planet.

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With the SDGs, everything is connected | Greenbiz

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"It's all connected." We know that already, those of us who work on making the world a more sustainable, resilient, fair and prosperous place for all. And we know that the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all nations in 2015, are "indivisible" - a highly integrated web of challenges.

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Comprehensive guide to making the SDGs relevant, lived realities in Uk schools today

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The Sustainable Development Goals: A guide for teachers

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Consider the relevance of the SDGs for learners, schools and the wider community; and explore how a global citizenship education approach can underpin good practice. Support young people to take ownership, have agency and build empathy; assess learners' progress; and investigate the links with educational priorities such as values, pupil leadership and voice, curriculum development and collaborating with the local community.

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Teachers in English Edmund Rice Schools INSET day 2019 on committing to the SDGs 

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Teachers in English Edmund Rice Schools INSET day 2019 on committing to the SDGs 

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Students Engagement & Commitment to the SDGs 

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Students Engagement & Commitment to the SDGs 

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Video of School Council Conference 2019

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How the Millennium Development Goals became the Sustainable Development Goals 

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How the Millennium Development Goals became the Sustainable Development Goals 

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Millennium Development Goals

In September 2000, leaders of 189 countries gathered at the United Nations headquarters and signed the historic Millennium Declaration, in which they committed to achieving a set of eight measurable goals that range from halving extreme poverty and hunger to promoting gender equality and reducing child mortality, by the target date of 2015.

The MDGs were revolutionary in providing a common language to reach global agreement. The 8 goals were realistic and easy to communicate, with a clear measurement/monitoring mechanism.

Substantial progress has been made regarding the MDGs. The world has already realized the first MDG of halving the extreme poverty rate by 2015. However, the achievements have been uneven. The MDGs are set to expire in 2015 and the discussion of a post-2015 agenda continues. The focus is now on building a sustainable world where environmental sustainability, social inclusion, and economic development are equally valued.

The MDG Fund contributed directly and indirectly to the achievement of the MDGs. It adopted an inclusive and comprehensive approach to the MDGs. The approach was guided by the Millennium Declaration and its emphasis on development as a right, with targeted attention directed towards traditionally marginalized groups such as ethnic minorities, indigenous groups, and women.

The Global Consultation of Sustainable Development Goals

The Rio+20 conference (the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development) in Rio de Janeiro, June 2012, galvanized a process to develop a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which will carry on the momentum generated by the MDGs and fit into a global development framework beyond 2015.

In the interest of creating a new, people-centered, development agenda, a global consultation was conducted online and offline. Civil society organizations, citizens, scientists, academics, and the private sector from around the world were all actively engaged in the process. Activities included thematic and national consultations, and the My World survey led by the United Nations Development Group. Specialized panels were also held and provided ground to facilitate intergovernmental discussions. The UN Secretary General presented a synthesis of the results of these consultation processes.

In July 2014, the UN General Assembly Open Working Group (OWG) proposed a document containing 17 goals to be put forward for the General Assembly's approval in September 2015. This document set the ground for the new SDGs and the global development agenda spanning from 2015-2030.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as proposed by the OWG

The SDG Fund and the SDGs

The SDG Fund is the first cooperation mechanism specifically designed to achieve the future SDGs. Building upon the experience and lessons learned of the previous MDG Achievement Fund (2007-2013), the SDG Fund intends to act as a bridge in the transition from MDGs to SDGs, providing concrete experiences on how to achieve a sustainable and inclusive world post-2015 through its integrated and multidimensional joint programmes.

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Millennium Development Goals In September 2000, leaders of 189 countries gathered at the United Nations headquarters and signed the historic Millennium Declaration, in which they committed to achieving a set of eight measurable goals that range from halving extreme poverty and hunger to promoting gender equality and reducing child mortality, by the target date of 2015.The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)Goal 1Eradicate extreme poverty and hungerGoal 2Achieve universal primary educationGoal 3Promote gender equality and empower womenGoal 4Reduce child mortalityGoal 5Improve maternal healthGoa