Brief von der zuständigen Bruder

NOVEMBER 2012
Dear Fraternity,
In the Paris Assembly the brothers present elected me as the Brother Reponsible for six years, and I now wish to place myself at your service with fraternal love and good will for the good of all, assisted by the the International Team made up of Emmanuel ASI from Pakistan, Jean François BERJONNEAU, from France – who will be the ‘Assistant General’, Mark MERTES, from the United States – responsible for economic affairs-, Félix RAJAONARIVELO, from Madagascar, and Mauricio da SILVA, from Brazil. They are chosen from the four continents where the Fraternity is present and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for having accepted to sail aboard this boat so we can give our very best to the Fraternity.
Thanks also, to the outgoing International Team: Abraham, the international responsible, Eddy, José and Richard. Thank you for your work and dedication.
Allow me to present myself: born in Murcia (Spain), I am a priest of the diocese of Cartagena – Murcia, and I work in a rural parish close to Cartagena, called Perín. I was 57 years of age a few days ago and I have been in ministry for 28 years. I am a member of the Fraternity for 30 years. My faith, my life and my vocation, as well as my social priorities, have grown in the heart of the fraternity, where I have been inspired by my brothers, corrected, accompanied and loved by them. The Fraternity is where what my parents planted in me has grown. The charism of brother Charles has marked me from the beginning of my youth and Nazareth is where I have dreamt, laughed, cried and enjoyed life. Nazareth has given me both time and the timepiece, the rucksack and sandals, the bread and the table, and it is in Nazareth that I learn to listen to and share with people. I am involved in two humanitarian projects in Cartagena in the world of drugaddiction and AIDS and also in Bam (Burkina Faso), places and people who are my life, and to whom I give my heart.

My desire as I begin this task is, together with the International Team, to be close to the different fraternities and to establish a frequent and fluent communication with all, not to give lessons, but to accompany and listen to them. Continental assemblies are a reality in Asia and in Europe, and we will work to enable them to take place in America and in Africa. These are challenges that emerged during the Paris Assembly and which motivate us to strive to inspire the African and Asian fraternities to live the Gospel and to be Church in the present circumstances, growing as young fraternities. We wish them to know that they are not alone.
The intuitions of brother Charles have generated as style of family which gives space to whoever is searching for Jesus, not just in the sacraments but also in humans beings, especially Jesus favourites. We must be the visible presence of Jesus in our societies, who recognise Jesus not by what we say about him but by how we live, as expressed by brother Charles in his adoration of his Beloved. This family is made up of our fraternities: by our Fraternity as well as the branches born out of his charism. We are invited increasingly to belong to this great family, where we meet brothers and sisters who pray, adore, contemplate, do revision of life, work together, live the desert experience, receive the Word and fight for the rights of those who are in the last place, often in a very committed way, giving their lives. Nazareth is also to be with those who lose their rights for a thousand reasons in so many parts of the world, and we ought not forget those for whom Jesus fought and established his Kingdom. We recall the words of Ecclesiasticus: “The bread of the poor man is his life. Whoever takes his bread is a murderer” (Eccl. 34,21).
We have the means which our Directory offers to live fraternity: adoration, the monthly day in the desert, the fraternity meeting, the Review of Life, the contemplation of the Word, contemplation of the daily and habitual, the Month of Nazareth, being poor with the poor and cultivating their friendship. Let us grow as believers in the God who is close to us and who announces his Advent, already at our door, to us.
May brother Charles, bless us on his anniversary this coming 1st December.
A brotherly embrace,
Perín, 27 November, 2012
Aurelio SANZ BAEZA