Kevin Lawson
365 TESTIMONIES OF HOSPITALITY |
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Brother |
New Zealand |
Kevin Lawson |
My name is Brother Kevin Lawson. I have been a member of the Order, in the Oceania Province, since 1972. I live in Christchurch, New Zealand. Before I joined the Order I was a Registered Psychiatric Nurse. After completing my initial formation as a Brother, I trained as a General Nurse. Having that training, I was assigned to help establish a Medical Mission in Papua New Guinea. We established a Clinic and made medical patrols to the local villages. In 1980 I made Solemn Profession and began twelve years as a Formator in Australia and Papua New Guinea. In 1992 I returned to nursing for six years, before being re-assigned to PNG to work in Formation with our Scholastics. In In 2004 I returned to Sydney and began a ministry of working with people living on the margins in the Inner City of Sydney. After a sabbatical in 2007, I spent my last four years as a Registered nurse at our Christchurch Hospital. As I reflect back on my years as a Brother, I see that the various threads of my ministry of Hospitality have woven together. In a way it has prepared me for a new way of Hospitality. In Christchurch, New Zealand, I now share with Brother Stephen Coakley a ministry of ‘brothering’ in our Parish and local community. This includes visiting and assisting the frail elderly, working with the St Vincent de Paul Society and volunteering with Red Cross or the Christchurch City Mission.