As a Congregation that has included religious brothers since its founding more than 200 years ago, we are happy to celebrate Religious Brothers Day on May 1, along with the rest of the Church.
Religious brothers lead lives of prayer, community and service. Here’s how our Br. Tim Cahill, C.PP.S., explains the vocation:
“What is a religious brother? One answer is that a religious brother is a man who wishes to serve God and the Church. It is a simple answer and one that every brother will give you. Ask the brother why he became a brother, and you will discover that we all have different answers!
“I was asked by a friend why I became brother and not a priest or a married man. To be honest, I cannot see myself being anything else but a religious brother. Looking back on my life, I see that God has been guiding me all along to become a brother. All the choices that I had made led me in this direction. At a young age, 15–17, I discovered that I like helping people; I also discovered that I like listening to their stories.
“Being a brother means leaving your family. But when you join a religious community, you gain a new family! Instead of having one or two brothers, you now have 200 plus brothers to share your life and your story. When you need some help with a problem or question, you can bet there is someone in your community family who has the answer or knows where to find the answer.
“Being a religious brother has let me become a teacher. Being a teaching brother has opened to me many different areas where I can apply my teaching skills and at the same time help others. It allows me to bring God to others and set examples of what a religious brother can do as well as answer the age-old question, ‘What’s a brother?’
“What would I change in my life? Nothing! Being a brother is a special calling from God, and I am very happy that I heard and responded to his call!”
On this day and always, we thank God for the blessings that religious brothers bring to our Congregation and our Church.