Sent: Friday, 9 March 2007 10:49 PM
To: church-mouse@lanuera.com
Subject: Bro. Barry Butler
Dear Brothers & Sister,
I have read on the internet about the death of Fr. Ted Kennedy of Redfern. It may surprise you that I am writing from Ireland. I met Ted Kennedy in 1978, at a retreat given by Jean Vanier in Cork. He was with another priest from Sydney whose name I can not remember. I had spoken with Ted during the retreat and gone to confession to him. There were 174 people on the retreat, of these, four were priests, two brothers, myself and another member of our community, the rest were lay.
I felt that Jean Vanier had a big influence on his life, as he did on mine. Jan Vanier speaks the language of the poor and that freedom comes from failure. He turn the world pyramid upside down and puts broken people at the top.
I am writing this as in all the articles on the internet, I did not notice mentioned, and I am sure God used another Saint of our time Jean Vanier to encourage Ted, myself and many others.
God bless
Bro. Barry Butler
Community of Alexian Brothers