Brothers hand over ‘field of the brothers’ to SJB

The field of the brothers

On Tuesday December 19, the Brothers Lawrence Obiko (Superior General) and Niek Hanckmann (member of the General Board) officially transferred the ownership of the former soccer pitch of the brothers in Reusel to the Stichting Jeugdbelang Reusel (SJB) (Foundation for Youth Interests Reusel). This foundation has been using the soccer field since 2002, and has been taking care of the maintenance since then. The board of SJB Reusel made a collage of the activities organised by the foundation as a memorial to the brothers.

History of the brothers in Reusel

The field was the last piece of land left over from the brothers in Reusel. The history of the Brothers CMM in Reusel dates back to 1884. On 12 September of that year, the brothers moved into the brother house St. Cornelis in Reusel, and a little later they started a school. In 1887 a considerable expansion followed and in 1908 a new school was built. In 1944 the main buildings were almost completely destroyed by war damage. In 1959 the brothers left for a new building in the same village, and the old house was demolished. In the past, many brothers from Reusel have been sent to countries such as America and Namibia. Upon return they often spent their old age in Reusel. In September 2008, the community house was closed and the last 6 brothers left Reusel. For more than 100 years the congregation has been important for primary education and social and cultural life in Reusel.

Foundation for Youth Interests Reusel

The field of the brothers is in good hands at the SJB (Foundation for Youth Interests). The objective of the foundation is in line with the mission of the brothers, that traditionally focused mainly on youth work. The Foundation for Youth Interests Reusel was set up in 1963 for children from families who could not go on holiday. The goal was to keep these youngsters busy in a fun way. The activities offered included sports and games, a puppet and bear consultation hour, picnics, and later also outings by bus. When, at the end of the 1970s, the enthusiasm among young people became a little less, the foundation started organizing ‘theme weeks’, complete with well worked out storylines and decors. This was very popular with young people and these theme weeks are still being organised.