BROTHERS CMM

THE NETHERLANDS
‘ A ROOF OVER
MY SOUL’
On a regular basis the Dutch Province of CMM organizes a ‘Province afternoon’. Brothers and associate
members come together in the residential care facility Joannes Zwijsen in Tilburg for communal prayer,
reflection and interaction. On November 23, during the Province afternoon, much attention was paid to the
associate membership of the Congregation. Brother Wim Verschuren and associate member of CMM Betty
Karhof talked about it.
From the very beginning at the end of the nineties,
Brother Wim Verschuren (Superior General from 1978
to 1990) was intimately involved in the creation of
the associate membership. He recalled how new it
was and how it was a special sign of the evolution
that the brothers’ community went through. In a
few decades the Congregation changed slowly from
a closed to and open community. An openness that
Brother Wim Verschuren traced back to Pope John
XXIII and the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965),
where the church opened her windows and doors
and stressed her connectedness to the world. “Along
the way hospitality became more important for the
Congregation”, he stated. “The world was allowed
inside: the other was acknowledged, admitted to the
private circle and together they went on a journey.
And as is often the case, the inspiration could be
found in the rich tradition of the church: abbeys
have for centuries expressed in their rules that one
must see Christ in every guest.”
‘Openness’
“Association can be seen as the flowering of all
forms of connectedness that developed in the Dutch
Province”, says Brother Wim Verschuren. “An attitude
of service brought forth new forms of focus on
refugees, young people, lonely persons, reflection
on work and mercy. Here too, in the community
of Joannes Zwijsen, there are many instances of
openness and hospitality. In this house the brothers
are part of a greater whole, together with other
religious and lay people. This openness takes shape
at the table where brothers meet other residents, in
the chapel during celebrations, in jointly listening to
music, in the manner in which residents meet each
other around the house. Clearly there is room for
being together and friendship. The brothers also get
to know many more lay people that work in their
direct area. Do these people belong too? Do we share
in their lives? Without this evolution that I have tried
to sketch here, association would not be possible. It
should be clear that association is not non-binding.
The little book of 2006 Sharing in the Life of the
Brothers CMM, expresses this in the following way:
‘We are captured by the story of Jesus who modelled
the life of God’s love and who showed us what
mercy is’.”
Future
Brother Wim Verschuren recalled the discussions
that finally led to the opening up of the Congregation
for associate members. He distinguishes here three
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