Editor’s Foreword

“Mark the season of Advent by loving and serving others with God’s own love and concern”.

 This term has been an extraordinary one for me personally. One that has shown me, first-hand, that we live in a world of extreme contrasts. Visiting Sierra Leone and Liberia, my first time in West Africa, drove home to me that those who have very little, appreciate everything and live very much in the present. The experiences of joy and sincere welcome that we received will live in my heart forever as will the pain from witnessing the extreme poverty, exploitation and need being lived by so many there. The remarkable work of the projects being run by the Christian Brothers Development Office, West Africa, supported by Edmund Rice Development is truly transforming the lives of many girls and young women from the region. Later the same month, I found myself travelling again with the Network, this time to New York for the EREBB Leadership Forum. To be hosted by the Education Office North America, at Iona Prep, was a true privilege. You can read about it in this edition. Going from Freetown to New York is an experience to leave your head in a spin; a visceral confrontation of global inequalities. One of the new focuses of the EREBB strategy going forward is to address this gulf in our own schools’ network with more support being offered by wealthy schools to those less advantaged.

We are delighted by the response of schools to engage with the advocacy and fundraising campaigns developed as a result of our work in West Africa. ‘Opening Doors’ is our advent campaign to support education and empowerment of young women in Sierra Leone. You will be inspired to read about the wonderful work being done in Edmund’s name in our schools. Edmund Rice’s message to ‘give to the poor in handfuls’ is certainly being lived out.

We have had also had our Schools’ Conference, met many fantastic new members of staff at the Formation Day, and we are also preparing for our move to the new office, ‘Edmund Rice House’ in Liverpool.

I hope that you enjoy reading about the work and activities of Edmund’s people in this winter edition of Online Presence.