Salim Baz with his family, including a daughter born a few months ago
This article is part of our Summer 2018 Newsletter, where we interviewed our Alumni: men who, out of their desire to pursue the Lord, have investigated the life of the Servants of the Word but, through their investigation and discernment, decided that their path of discipleship lay in a calling other than the brotherhood.
Many of our alumni observed that one of the things they noticed when they lived with us was that prayer is at the heart of brotherhood life. Here’s what they said:
“Put simply, I learned to pray daily while being with the brothers. So when my family built a house, we made sure we turned one room into a prayer room” (LA).
“My relationship deepened, simply by living with men who loved Christ passionately” (PM).
“I still follow the brotherhood Psalm sequence for my daily prayer, and I often join the brothers Saturday morning for prayer, since I live close to the brotherhood center in Chelsea, Michigan” (CM).
“I developed a solid spiritual life, and that has kept me in good stead as a married man” (LB).
“When I joined the brotherhood, I felt swept up by a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And this movement has gripped me and us for the rest of our lives, wherever we are now” (BL).
Don Escarro with his family
Here is a short description of some of the men who were interviewed:
Andy Jordan (AJo), 30 years old, married with one boy and one child on the way. Youthworker in Glasgow, Scotland.
Andy Juan (AJu), 55, married with 4 children. Manager in a large, multinational corporation, currently self-employed and also senior coordinator of the Ligaya ng Panginoon community in Manila, Philippines.
Brett Lockhart (BL), 59, married with 4 boys, barrister and Queen’s Council in Northern Ireland.
Corey Mantel (CM), 59, married with five children, computer engineer, living in Chelsea, Michigan, USA.
Fr. Dan Jones (DJ), 64, Catholic priest, Associate professor at the Sacred Heart Seminary and Pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary, both in Detroit, USA.
Dave Wittgens (DW), 44, married with 5 children, practices general medicine in Detroit, USA.
Don Escarro (DE), 58, married with 5 children, engineer and consultant in the power-plant business in Manila, Philippines
Leo Banog (LB), 49, married with three children, IT consultant based in Manila.
Luis Fernando Aragon (LA), 59, married with two children, professor at the School of Physical Education and Sports Sciences and director of the “Human Movement Science Center” at the University of Costa Rica.
Luis Brenes (LB), 51, married with four children, agronomist and organic agriculture consultant in Costa Rica and senior coordinator of the community “Arbol de Vida” in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Peter Mackenzie (PM), 53, married with two daughters, Anglican minister and currently vicar of St. John & St. James in West London, UK.
Salim Baz (SB), 32, Lebanese, married with two young children, currently working on a PhD in Finance at Imperial College-London.
In interviewing these brothers their observations seemed to fall into seven categories. Click on the following links to read more about each takeaway:
- Radical Dedication
- The Brotherhood as a Band of Brothers
- Prayer is at the Heart of Brotherhood Life
- The Word Stands out in the “Servants of the Word”
- The Maturity and Character of the Brothers Attracted Them
- Formation in Character and Skills Has Given Shape to Their Lives
- Their Careers Have Been Positively Impacted by Their Time with the Brothers
