What is it about?
The Noble order has since its inception tried to live by its motto unity, charity, fraternity and service. Through unity the society has grown from its initial membership of 13 young men to the present membership of over2700 men and women, old and young and spread over five countries.
We have performed charity and service in all its forms and colours both within the church and beyond and to some, the society is synonymous to charity. A feeling of friendship and support that exists between the members of a group or society is what we refer to as fraternity.
The Marshallan, professes fraternity which literally means charity from within emanating from the unity and friendship that exists between us, unfortunately it appears that the Noble order does more external charity and little fraternization, we do not know ourselves that much , because we only attend meeting and leave soon after, do we say hello to a brother you meet and get to know his name? what about what they do as profession; have we supported a brother’s profession by awarding contracts to them for what they can do, what about given timely leads for the promotion of the social and economic status of a brother, timely warning and caution to brothers that will keep a brother from a danger . To the sick have we visited and supported them. In our daily activities have we helped in the capacity building of brothers believing that we are one in the same society and that success of any member should be of benefit to all? What support do we give to a brother who is bereaved and the families they leave behind .These are some of the ways we can test fraternity in practice in our Noble Society. It is the feeling of many that we have failed in the fulfillment of that aspect of our motto and that together we should work towards it promotion.
What do we do?
The Supreme Knight’s formation of the Marshallan Centre for Fraternal Relation forms the beginning of the steps that the noble order can take in its effort to promote and deepen fraternal spirit and networking among brothers and the subsequent benefits that accrue from that..
As a way forward the centre recommends the following.
1. Councils should design structures and programmes to strength their welfare committees and mandate them to promote the spirit of fraternity and networking among brothers.
2. Councils at all levels should have a database/directory of all brothers indicating their contact and professions
As much as possible reading of attendance list should be encouraged and designed in such a way that names of brothers can be related to faces
3. Council should encourage the use of the services and expertise/ professions of members as a way of keeping money within the society.
4. Talks on capacity building of members to be encourage during councils of instructions
5. Councils are to declare a month of socialization preferably in January, when the aged, sick and distressed brothers of the council can be brought together feted and given present.
6. Councils should Endeavour to visit the widows and children of dead brothers in the month of November when we remember our dead brothers.
7. The supreme knight will endeavour to issue a statement every month on fraternity and how it should be practiced in his monthly letters to councils.
8. The suggested measures to promote fraternity should be replicated at the Regional level as well.
9. The centre for fraternal relation would expect reports from councils & Regional council in their annual reports
10. Important and urgent matters that may require the immediate attention of the Centre should be channeled to the Chairman of the Marshallan Centre for Fraternal Relations on Cell No 0244342342