Welcome to our website
Maryknoll Brothers are men who commit themselves
to lifelong celibacy, prayer, community living, and ministry.
Bringing a wide range of talents to the missionary endeavor,
they build missions and schools, work as teachers and
administrators, develop agricultural and other life-sustaining
projects with indigenous people, serve in health-related fields
and contribute in numerous ways to the ministry of Maryknoll.
In the early days of the Church, the Apostles realized that
they could not preach Jesus’ Word without the help of others who
ministered in various ways in early Christian communities (Acts
6: 1-6). Although they do not perform sacramental Church
ministries, Maryknoll Brothers witness to the Gospel through
lives of service and prayer, proclaiming the Word throughout the
world.
John Beeching
Much of Brother Beeching's
work in Thailand has involved accompanying Mon refugees and monks,
who have taken shelter at Wat Prok, a Buddhist temple in Bangkok.
The
Mon are indigenous Burmese people, who have been brutalized by the
ruling military regime of Burma (Myanmar, as the military government
now refers to the country). Brother Beeching joins the Mon and other
Burmese ethnic groups in demonstrating in front of the Myanmar
embassy in Bangkok, helps them secure visas and passports, and
assists them in getting supplies to some of the refugee camps along
with the Burmese/Thai border. He writes:
"Despite differences in belief, these
fellow refugees and I have grown through the experience of service
as a shared sense of community. Together we break the bread of
compassion. Together we sit in silence trying to be present to the
gift of the moment, and are drawn ever deeper into the ineffable
mystery of God."
Prior to Bangkok, Brother John served first in Chile and then in the
Middle East, working in Egypt, Yemen and Lebanon. In war-ravaged
Beirut he experienced numerous narrow escapes with mortar attacks
and terrorist bombings. It was also a time when he became involved
in interfaith dialogue, an interest that has grown within the old
walls of Wat Prok, Thailand. For him, Christian love and Buddhist
compassion comprise the same call to action. Buddhists say you are a
brother to the mosquito you slapped on your wrist. The tree, the
water-it's all part of what is happening in you. It's a brotherhood
that embraces all life."