Bro. Boris Kegdigoma

borisEvery human being is endowed with an inherent gift of hospitality. But this hospitality only becomes authentic when it is expressed, when it responds to the needs of each culture, and above all when it gives life to others.

In my vocational history I have to admit that I first learned about the Brothers of St John of God by reading. In the process of discernment and orientation it was my vocations director who showed me an article on the life of the Brothers of St John of God. It was from that article that I learnt that the Brothers dedicated themselves to serving others while offering a totally different type of hospitality from the concept that I had of it. I saw hospitality simply as a matter of taking in a guest.

I still remember all the sick people who have often come to thank us for the care we have given them. I often told myself that we had not really done anything particular. But quite a few sick people showed me that the time we spent with them did them a great deal of good. And I understood from what they told me that the dimensions of Hospitality were much vaster than simply taking someone in. Simply dedicating a few minutes to another able-bodied or suffering person has a meaning which constitutes the very basis of hospitality. I think that these are the conclusions that I am able to draw from my experience of Hospitality.

I would say that every time I have the chance to give time to people, I am the one to benefit most from it, because I have often experienced the gift of an interior joy that I cannot put into words.

I think that this is sums up my experience of Hospitality, and I believe that I shall have a lot more to learn after my initial formation