Brother Daniel Skala, C.F.X., General Superior, led a trip to Bruges, Belgium in November. Brothers Arthur Caliman, Congregational Treasurer, and Lawrence Harvey, General Councilor, accompanied him on the journey which included a visit to the Brothers at Herdershove, a Catholic residential care center.
In the Brothers’ community room, facility staff prepared an aperitif and lunch for the American visitors. Since Brother Dan had not been able to visit the Brothers in Belgium since February 2020, because of the global pandemic, it was an exceptionally special occasion and time to share news of the congregation.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up with Brothers Adelbert, Gabriël, Eric and Johan,” stated Brother Lawrence.
The Brothers visited de Frères (SFX Bruges) and met with Mr. Tim Coppehans, the new head of school, and were able to see the renovations that were done in 2019-2020 in the former residence of the Brothers. Tim expressed a desire to connect more with our Xaverian Brothers Sponsored Schools (XBSS) in the U.S., seeking to bridge the international gap.
Before the pandemic, Xaverian High School in Brooklyn was involved in an exchange program with de Frères and there is hope for this program to continue. Brothers were given a tour of other schools associated with the congregation by Frank Demuynck.
Overall, the Brothers were grateful for the opportunity to reconnect personally with the Belgian Brothers and the Xaverian mission in Belgium.