Gone Fishing 2023 — Ruben Centre

*[L-R] Alexis, Natasha, Bren, Neil, Eliza, Ashley & Paul.*

After a four-year hiatus due to Covid-19, the Gone Fishing program returned to Kenya, with seven Australians visiting for eight days in early November. In attendance were ERFA Board Chair Paul Gallagher, ERFA CEO Bren Arkinstall, ERFA Programs & Compliance Officer Alexis Pantazis, and friends of the foundation Neil, Natasha, Ashley, and Eliza.

*Guests overlooking at a polluted Nairobi River.*

As in previous years, a gathering ritual was held for both the visitors and the participants from various Edmund Rice projects. This year, however, the ritual took place at the conclusion of their time, serving multiple purposes, including expressing gratitude for their visit and highlighting the details of their days. The intention was to remind them that they are being invited to return to Australia as ambassadors for the foundation in Africa.

The ritual included the gospel reading from Matthew 25:31-48, where the Son of Man separates the sheep from the goats, rewarding those who have served people in need and addressing those who turned a blind eye to their brothers and sisters' needs. I was asked to share a few thoughts on the parable's relevance to the Gone Fishing visitors. The reading led to a reflection on the Christian Brothers Constitution and the commitment to acknowledging gifts, embracing continual conversion, and using these gifts in service to the poor, where Jesus is found. The gospel illuminated the concept of "service to the poor," involving providing basic human rights to those lacking them, such as clothing, food, water, healing, freedom, and hope.

I shared a personal story from 1972 when I said yes to the unexpected invitation to become a Christian Brother. Over the next forty years, spanning four countries and cultures—Tonga, Tanzania, South Sudan, and now Kenya—I found myself increasingly immersed in serving the poor in various capacities. The reflection continued with anecdotes from teaching prisoners in South Sudan and my current engagement in Nairobi's Mukuru slums, describing it as "The privileged Context To Live the Gospel." The narrative aimed to illustrate the transformative journey of serving the poor and marginalized.

*ERFA reps talking to Ruben Health Centre’s Community Health Promoters.*

Connecting this personal journey to the visitors from Australia, I highlighted a 2022 Christian Brother's leadership meeting in Dublin, where a Strategic Plan was conceived. The plan called on all brothers to collectively write their story, envisioning their future. Acknowledging the limitations of aging brothers, the invitation was extended to people of goodwill, urging them to contribute to the story, particularly focusing on Edmund Rice in Kenya.

I expressed gratitude to the visitors for saying yes to the invitation, acknowledging that during their week-long visit to the Brother's projects, they witnessed the struggles of the hungry, sick, ignorant, abandoned, and abused. Empowered by the gospel, I invited them to engage and assist in co-creating a better future for the poor mentioned in the constitution.

By: Br. Frank O’Shea
Edits: Gregory Barake