2019-08-07 AUSTRALIA

Brian Louis Beggs

Br. Brian passed away peacefully at Molloy House, Campbelltown. He was aged 87 and had been a Marist Brother for nearly 69 years.

Victor John was born to Marie and Robert Beggs in Narrandera on 29 December 1931. He was the youngest of five children and his three sisters and brother have all predeceased him. Brian’s father died when he was just six years old and his mother worked hard to keep the family together and provide for them. After completing the Leaving Certificate at St Joseph’s Narrandera, he entered the Juniorate at Mittagong in January 1947. Postulancy, Novitiate and First Vows followed. Given the Religious name Brian Louis his first appointment was to Bendigo. Brian was possibly the only Brother to have been a member of all three Australian Provinces. He started with the Melbourne Province, transferred to the Sydney Province and of course died a member of the Australian Province.

Like most of his contemporaries Brian received no initial tertiary training and after the Novitiate went straight to teaching Primary and lower Secondary classes around the Melbourne Province – Bendigo, Camberwell, Wangaratta, Forbes, Parkes, Kilmore, Mt Gambier and Mitchel Park. At the age of forty he was given the opportunity for fulltime study. This unleashed a continuing desire for academic challenges. After success with his Bachelor of Arts he went on, in quick succession, to complete a Bachelor of Divinity at Melbourne University, a Master of Arts in Literature at Macquarie University (both on a part time basis), a Diploma of Theology and a Master of Sacred Theology at the Jesuit School of Theology Berkeley. He spent much of the 1990’s studying for a PHD in Scripture, which was conferred by ACU in 1998. In a real sense he found his niche in the world of academia.

Over the years he held a number of leadership positions: he was Deputy Principal at Mt Gambier, Mitchell Park, Maitland, Randwick and Grafton. He was sub-Superior or Assistant Community Leader at Clayton, Maitland, Randwick and Grafton, and Superior at Randwick. After completing his studies at Berkeley, Brian moved from secondary teaching into adult education. Until five years ago he was actively engaged in a number of such programmes, including Christian adult education in Toowoomba, the Aquinas Academy in Sydney, the LHR programme in Brisbane and other Parish based undertakings.

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