Province of Southern Africa
At the session of 8 June 2013, Br Superior General and his Council appointed Br Joseph Walton Provincial of the Province of Southern Africa, for a second term, starting in October.
Br Emili Turú, in the letter he addressed to the brothers of the Province, thanked Br Joe for his readiness to remain at the head of the Province for the next three years. The Superior General was also grateful for his devotion during the three years passed and for his attitude of service and availability towards all the Brothers of the Province.
The Province of Southern Africa is composed of Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It has great challenges and a fine future ahead of it.
Biography of Br Joe
Born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in August 1947, Brother Joseph Walton attended a Dominican Sisters’ primary school in Uitenhage and the Marist Brothers school (now closed) in Port Elizabeth. His initial formation began with the Juniorate and Novitiate both in South Africa at the time, as well as two years in Dundas, Australia for teacher formation. He proved to be an enthusiastic and creative teacher, particularly in the area of religion, and was much in demand to run short courses for others in this field. He has had 16 years of experience as principal, both at primary and secondary level in South Africa, and also spent a year as superintendent of Diocesan Catholic schools in Johannesburg. By way of further formation, he has participated in the Centre Champagnat programme in Rome, B.Ed studies in Australia, and the EAPI programme in Manila. He was invited to join the formation team at MIC in Nairobi in 2000, where for five years he enthusiastically shared his love of prayer, teaching and gardening, and accompanied many young Brothers there. He served as Deputy Provincial of the Province of Southern Africa from 2005 to 2010, when he was first appointed Provincial Superior.
His second mandate will officially commence during the Provincial Chapter to take place from the 19th to the 21st of October 2013.