Welcome Brother Philip

Brother Philip McGee, F.M.S., formally entered the novitiate on October 10, 2010. A native of Scotland and member of the West Central Europe Province of The Marist Brothers, Brother Philip will spend the next 15 months immersed in experiencing the life of a Brother.

“It’s an incredible privilege to be here and to have a year-and-a-half of your life to devote to God and spirituality,” said Brother Philip. The novice also describes the community in Esopus as “lovely.” “The Marist Brothers in America are like all Marist Brothers,” he added. “They are welcoming and open to new and different ideas.”

The novitiate in Esopus is one of 16 Marist novitiates throughout the world. Novice Master Brother Rob Clark, F.M.S., noted that many novitiates now have an international presence due to an increasing global society. “And that is really in keeping with our founder St. Marcellin Champagnat’s vision of going out and including others,” he explained. “There’s definitely a value in sharing our experiences and culture that is part of our Marist internationality.”

Brother Philip will also experience other Marist communities and meet other novices when he visits Colombia, South America later this spring. He will also have the opportunity to work with a group of Marist lay partners from Glasgow at Camp Marist in New Hampshire this summer. In August, Brother Philip and Brother Rob will also take the novitiate experience “on the road” when they visit four Marist communities and three ministries in Ireland.

Photo above, left to right: Brother Ben Consigli, F.M.S., Provincial of the U.S. Province;  Brother Philip McGee, F.M.S., Novice, Brother Rob Clark, F.M.S., Master of Novices, and Brother Brendan Geary, F.M.S., Provincial of the West Central Europe Province.