Brothers on the Move

As most people familiar with The Servants of the Word know, we are a brotherhood constantly on the move. During this fortieth year of our existence, some of our brothers have taken on new responsibilities that have, in turn, necessitated their relocation to enable them to fulfill their new duties.

Though many brothers may have changed locations or service positions this year, below are a few of the more notable changes:

Ken Noecker: Ken was recently installed as the new presiding elder of The Servants of the Word, following John Keating who served in that position for the past eight years. Ken spent the last twenty-five years based in the Philippines, where he served our brotherhood there and also served The Sword of the Spirit communities throughout Asia. In addition to his role as presiding elder, Ken will continue to be involved in community-building work in Asia, with a special emphasis on India.

John Keating: Having completed two four-year terms as the presiding elder of The Servants of the Word, John has recently moved to Manila in the Philippines, where he will serve as the regional elder for The Servants of the Word in Asia over the next several years. From Manila, he will continue to serve as the vice-president of The Sword of the Spirit. He will also assume some responsibilities in Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (The Joy of the Lord) – the local community in Manila – and in the Asian region of The Sword of the Spirit.

John Keating, Bruce Yocum, Francisco Aguilar, Steve Clark, and Ken Noecker.

John Yocum: After serving seven years in the Philippines, John has returned to the United States. Having spent the past twenty-two years abroad, he is now living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he leads our international formation household and serves as a coordinator in The Word of Life community. In addition, John is teaching at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit and will work part-time on the teaching team for The Sword of The Spirit.

Dan Keating: Dan has now moved to Lansing, Michigan, to lead our household there in the Work of Christ community. He will continue as the regional elder for The Servants of the Word in North America, and as an associate professor of theology at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. The “new” parts of Dan’s service – which he expects will stretch him – are teaching an online course for community leaders and serving on the teaching team for The Sword of the Spirit communities.

Please keep our brothers in your prayers as they adjust to their new roles and reestablish relationships with those serving alongside them in their new assignments.

This article is from our 2011 Fall Servants of the Word Newsletter [653KB PDF].

Our new site feature called, “The Brothers” will show you more info about where all our brothers live and what they are doing.