• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • Marist
    • A Certain Way
    • Bearing Mary’s name
    • Doing Mary’s work
    • Marist Founder: J C Colin
    • Marist Places
    • Spirituality
    • Marist Family
  • Marist New Zealand
    • New Zealand Marist news
      • Get Marist News
    • Administration
      • Finance and administration
      • Marist Archives
      • NZ Marist History
      • NZ Marist Links
      • Privacy Policy
      • Renewal
    • Education and Youth
      • Gap Year
      • Logos
      • Marist Colleges’ Senate
      • Network of Marist Schools
      • School chaplaincy
      • Youth House
    • “Foreign Lands”
      • Social Outreach
        • Abandoned and neglected
        • L’arche
        • Ministry to Seafarers
        • Not-for-profit facilitation
        • Police Chaplaincy
        • Wellintown
      • CathNews
      • Marist Internet Project
      • Music Ministry
      • RPD Unit
    • Marist Spirituality
      • In Every Way
      • Marist Messenger
      • Pa Maria
      • Spiritual Direction
    • Marist Laity
      • Marian Mothers
      • Marist Third Order
      • Mother of Good Hope
    • Missionary parishes
      • Homily Helps
      • John Rea: Healing ministry
    • Tangata Whenua
  • Marist World
    • International Marist news
    • Marist Americas
    • Marist Asia Pacific
      • Asia
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
      • Oceania
    • Mission Districts
      • Asia
        • Ranong
      • Brazil
    • Marist Europe
  • Marist Vocation
    • Who are the Marists
    • What Marists do
    • Life as a Marist
    • Train as a Marist
      • Good Shepherd College
      • Marist Seminary
      • Marist Novitiate
      • Pastoral Placement
    • Want to know more?
  • Contact us
    • Fr John Rea
    • Marist Archives
    • Marist Laity
    • Safeguarding minors
    • Society of Mary New Zealand
    • Vocations Enquiry

Society of Mary

Marist Fathers New Zealand: Life and spirit

  • mike-mahoney-wataraoa
  • cerdon
  • jeffdranesmoa
  • laneyliere
  • everyway
  • refugeekids
  • reflection
  • kk-at-wairoa
  • arthurtoothillmarae
  • christie baptism

Life as a Novice in the Philippines

Philip Bennenbroek who entered Marist Seminary, Auckland last year is spending this year as a novice in the International English Speaking Novitiate in Davao, The Philippines.

Philip has been in the Philippines for five months now and has had many experiences in that time, some fantastic some challenging. 

Novices on involved in pastoral work
The novices are involved in pastoral work

The first two months was a time of orientation for the group – getting introduced to the Filipino culture, learning to find their way around Davao City, and learning something of the lives and background of the other novices.  This involved many challenges and a quite a bit of learning for most of the group.  Phil found the experiences which he thought would be the most challenging, such as spending a week living with a Filipino family, turned out to be the best experiences of his time in the Philippines so far.  “The Filipino people are so incredibly hospitable and I love getting out and meeting them and talking to them (or trying to anyway – my Visaya is still very bad and their English, although better, is still not great in some areas).

Novitiate house in the Philippines
Novitiate house in the Philippines

After this time of orientation, the novitiate group moved into the Novitiate house which is situated by the sea in a rather poor area of Davao, but the house has been recently extensively renovated for them.  The house has its own set of challenges, but despite these things Phil and the others seem to be enjoying it there.  The Novitiate community is made up of six novices from five different countries; two Filipinos (Niňo and Roque), a German (Thilo), a Spaniard (Daniel), a Chinese (John) and Phil from New Zealand.  There are also three formators in the team, Pat Breeze –  the Novice master,  Anggong Ingente from the Philippines, and Joe Rooney from Ireland and the European Province .  As you can see, it truly is an international community.  Despite this, from all accounts the group gets on really well.

Phil Bennebrook about to read at Mass. Pat Breeze is the Novice Master.
Phil Bennenbroek about to read at Mass. Fr Pat Breeze is the Novice Master.

All in all, Phil reports that he is really enjoying the experience at novitiate and he is finding it quite a contrast from anything he has experienced or done before.  While there is poverty in the area around the novitiate, there is also a big shopping centre just down the road, highlighting the divide between those who have, and those who have not.

Phil reports:  “Although this year is a year focused on prayer and growing in my relationship with God, it is also a year of broadening my mind and experiencing cultures very different from my own, but united together through the Gospel.

“Whatever happens here in the next nine months before I return to New Zealand, this is sure to be a year I will never forget.”

Related posts:

  1. Profession prayers requested for Marist Mexico novices The Marist Novitiate in Mexico is drawing to a close and three new Marists will be professed on 31 July....
  2. Arnold Garfero professed in the Philippines On July 23 our community had the pleasure of hosting the Profession of Arnold Gafero. Arnold had his Novitiate in...
  3. Six new Marists Novices from the Philippines, Europe and New Zealand became Marists during Mass at San Nicolas Chapel, Davao on the feast...
  4. Marist international novitiate transfers to Hawkes Bay Earlier today, the Superior General, Fr John Hannan announced the transfer of the Marist International Novitiate from Tutu, Fiji, to...
  5. February start for international Marist novitiate in Fiji The International Marist Novitiate starts in Tutu, Fiji in February and until then, the novices have begun a month’s inculturation/orientation...

August 3, 2009 Filed Under: International Tagged With: Formation, Novitiate, Vocations

Primary Sidebar

Recently

  • Mike and Yvonne Moore thanked for involvement at St Bede’s College
  • Tim Duckworth assumes office of NZ Provincial
  • €20k needed to reopen Marist Camino pilgrim hostel
  • Abuse and Cover-Up; Gerald Arbuckle’s challenging new book
  • Marist Ranong secondary school reopens
  • LOGOS celebrates 20 years

Keep chatting



Search sm.org.nz

We’re about

Administration Asia Australia Chris Skinner City centre church Earthquake Education Foreign Lands Formation Gerald Arbuckle International International Mission Looking outwards Maori MAP Marist Media Mission Missionary Parishes New Evangelisation Oceania Ranong Rome Seminary Spirituality St Mary of the Angels Superior General The Future Vocations Youth

Copyright © 2023 · Society of Mary New Zealand ·