Brother Broer Huitema, CMM, of the Brothers of Our Lady, Mary Mother of Mercy, talks to us about working together as a Vincentian Family, and shares his hopes for our future as a Family. 

With him we continue a series of video interviews called “The Heart of a Leader” which will accompany us on our journey to the meeting in November 2024.

“As we dream together, the dream becomes a reality.” – Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, C.M. Register now at https://famvin.org/en/famvin-2024

Transcript:

Brother Broer Huitema CMM, Brothers of Mary Mother of Mercy
Brother Broer, could you introduce yourself please?
Yes. My name is Brother Broer. I am a member of the congregation of the Brothers of Our Lady, Mother of Mercy, the Brothers CMM, and I entered the congregation in 1967. So that’s already 55 years ago. Our congregation was founded in the Netherlands in 1844, and our main focus is on education. So by profession, I am a teacher. But, the longest periods of my life, I have acted in the central administration of the congregation: 12 years as a member of the general board, and 12 years as Superior General. And at the moment, I am the provincial superior of the province of the Netherlands.

Brother Broer, why is it important to work together with the Vincentian Family?
I think first of all the world depends on collaboration. And we should be aware as individual congregations, especially with the declining numbers, that we can’t do it alone; we can’t work alone. So working together, in different circles, is for me very important. And the Vincentian Family is one of the circles. There are other ones, too, but the Vincentian Family is an important circle, and for us, as a congregation, we are inspired by the example of St. Vincent de Paul, and our founder, he told us that Vincent de Paul can be an important inspiration for us. Even our founder who founded the congregation in a small town, Tilburg, in the South of the Netherlands, he was named the Vincent de Paul of Tilburg.

So from the beginning of our congregation, the Vincentian Spirituality played an important role, and more specifically, we were more actively involved since the 90s of the past century. For me, it’s important also for me personally; first of all, that it’s also a source of inspiration for myself. And by being an active family member, I get inspired, not only by the writings of St. Vincent de Paul, but also by all the stories I hear from different parts of the world. So the inspiration is number one. And it’s also true for other members of the congregation. And for me being active in the family also means you meet colleagues; you share the same challenges. Because there are many challenges that we face, and it’s good to do that together. And the emphasis has also made me more aware that you should really emphasize the poor, and work for the poor as number one.

Finally, Brother Broer, the hope for the future.
Yes, I hope that the Vincentian Family will become bigger, not only in statistics, but in involvement of all the congregations who have Vincent de Paul as their patron Saint. And that’s my first hope, that the family will become bigger, and also actively involved, which is a big challenge, I see, but I think it’s worthwhile to make attempts to involve others too.

But I am optimistic by nature, so to say, so I really believe that the Spirit will dwell amongst us, and we will find ways to increase that participation. But you can only do that, by, from our side, offering opportunities to family members to meet one another, online but also in person. And that also will be a big challenge for the coming periods.

Thank you very much.