Brotherhood of Hope explained
The Brotherhood of Hope (abbreviated B.H.) is an association of the faithful in the Catholic Church, composed primarily of religious brothers who serve in college campus ministry. They are also a member of an association of charismatic communities called the Sword of the Spirit[3] [4]
Early history
The association was founded in 1980 in Newark, New Jersey by Father Philip Merdinger, a Catholic priest from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark, and five lay men who came together to consecrate themselves to God through private vows.[5] [6]
This new community had been formed by an association of charismatic Catholic families in New Jersey known as the People of Hope and from the inspiration of an ecumenical group of consecrated men in Michigan called the Servants of the Word.[6]
Their first apostolate was in New Jersey, serving students at Rutgers University. In 1995 they were invited by Cardinal Bernard Law to establish their headquarters in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, with canonical approval in 1998.[6]
Description
The Brotherhood of Hope serves Catholic campus ministries at University of Central Florida, Northeastern University, Rutgers University, University of South Florida and the University of Minnesota. They formerly served at Florida State University, Boston University and in other ministries. [7] [8] [9] [10]
In December 2012, Father Robert W. Oliver, a member of the Brotherhood of Hope, was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the Promoter of Justice for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.[11] [12] In September 2014, Oliver was promoted by Pope Francis to be the first secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.[13]
Fr Philip Merdinger was their founder and first General Superior. Their current General Superior is Brother Patrick Reilly, who followed Br Ken Appuzo who was Superior from 2013-2023.
Further reading
- Graves, Jim, "Religious brothers celebrate 35 years ministering to college students", The Catholic World Report, November 11, 2015
- Graves, Jim, "On campus, brothers are professors of faith Members of the religious order the Brotherhood of Hope evangelize students at secular colleges", Our Sunday Visitor, OSV Newsweekly, August 26, 2015
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Post Nominal Initials for Religious Congregations of Men in the US. Oliver. Richard. 2012. Conference of Major Superiors of Men. 28 December 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141228043400/http://www.cmsm.org/documents/PostNomInitials.html. 2014-12-28. dead.
- News: Boston priest named secretary of Vatican commission to protect minors. Harris. Elise. 10 September 2014. Catholic News Agency. 28 December 2014.
- Web site: Come and See: Our Personalized Approach to Discipleship with College Students . Living Bulwark.
- Web site: Then & Now: Special Moments in Our History . brotherhoodofhope.org . Brotherhood of Hope.
- News: Brotherly Love: Family, friends help order mark anniversary. Donahue. Chris. 10 November 2005. The Catholic Spirit. Diocese of Metuchen. 24 December 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141228043353/http://00eb9ba.netsolhost.com/stories/2005/nov/1110brotherlyLove.html. 28 December 2014.
- https://www.brotherhoodofhope.org/story "Brotherhood of Hope: Our Story"
- News: TV series features campus ministry, Brotherhood of Hope. Floyd. Gregory. 8 October 2010. The Pilot. 20 December 2014.
- News: Hope for College Students in Boston. Williams. Christine M.. 3 June 2012. National Catholic Register. 20 December 2014.
- News: On campus, brothers are professors of faith. Graves. James. 26 September 2015. OSV Newsweekly. 5 April 2017.
- https://brotherhoodofhope.org/news/our-sixth-campus-ministry "Our Sixth Campus Ministry"
- News: Boston priest gets new role in Vatican. Wangsness. Lisa. 22 December 2012. Boston Globe. 28 December 2014.
- News: The Vatican’s New Point Man on Sexual Abuse. Williams. Christine M.. 3 January 2013. National Catholic Register. 28 December 2014.
- News: Pope appoints two U.S. priests to help tackle sexual abuse of minors. https://archive.today/20140911085034/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1403751.htm. dead. 11 September 2014. Glatz. Carol. 10 September 2014. Catholic News Service. 28 December 2014.
