Br. Colin Griffin: A Lifetime of Dedication and Accomplishments in the Lasallian Tradition

Br. Colin William Griffin was born on 10 May 1938 in Lakemba, New South Wales, to Joyce Mildred Kemp and George Thomas Griffin. He was one of three children. He has always had a deep awareness of the presence of God, which led him to his mission. He received his habit on 14 May 1955 and gave his first profession in January 1957.  

He has dedicated close to 70 years of his life to educating and inspiring students and peers in the Lasallian tradition. He has a considerable curriculum vitae, having studied education and religious studies before teaching and serving as an administrator for more than a dozen schools throughout Australia, New Zealand, and Pakistan.   

He wrote in 1998 about the blessing of the awareness of the presence of God, which he assumed everyone felt in the same all-encompassing way.  

“God becomes my inner core and outer crust,” he wrote. “It came as a surprise to me. I think, to find out that not everyone experienced God in that way… I have realised that God may well have made it easier for me as He realised my inadequacy and that I needed every help I could get if I was going to do His work. 

“Time has clearly shown that without that deep conviction that God was with me, literally, I could not have coped with the directions in which God pulled me.”  

Br Colin earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of New England in 1961 and attained his diploma of education from the same university in 1963. In 1969, he earned his bachelor of education (administration) from Monash University. He continued his education in 1977 with a diploma in religious studies from the Institute of Religious Studies in Dundalk, Ireland. In 1989, he earned his master's in education (religious studies) from the Australian Catholic University in Strathfield.  

He began his community appointments in 1959 with a 10-year stay in Malvern, where he taught history and English. He has served in 18 different locations in Australia, Ireland, Wales, New Zealand, and Pakistan. During these years, he has served as a teacher, retreat director, counsellor, principal, the Chairman of the Lasallian Services Commission from 1989-2000 in PARC and a District Council member and Auxiliary Visitor from 1992 to 2000.  

January 2006 marked a significant change for Br Colin, at the age of 69 he was asked to go to Pakistan to be the President of the Sector, a newly formed delegation. He wrote at the time about the experience, admitting he was neither happy nor excited to move into the new role but rather was at peace, believing the Lord wanted him to go there and provide his leadership experience and people skills. An earlier visit to Pakistan revealed some of the deep-seated problems with the organisational structure. He noted, “Little did I realise the difficulties I faced and the frustration and boredom I would experience in the months that followed.”  

As Br Colin was attempting to make connections with all of the active players in Pakistan, the country was thrown into an uproar by the Muhammad cartoons crisis, in which a Danish newspaper printed 12 cartoons featuring depictions of the Prophet Muhammad considered blasphemous by those who followed the Islamic faith.  

“The blasphemy cartoons printed originally in Denmark prompted enormous disruption in Pakistan, and the schools were closed for some time though the Brothers considered themselves safe,” he wrote. “I considered myself as a leader ‘in exile.’”  

He and the Brothers in the delegation struggled, feeling isolated and abandoned. He struggled to obtain a Missionary Visa to Pakistan and was only able to visit for about six weeks before returning to Australia for another ten weeks. Finally, the Visa was granted, and Br Colin was to go to Pakistan and not return to his homeland until February 2007.

 When he finally arrived, he found a small group of Brothers spread over a large geographical area. He also found problems to overcome relating to lack of spirituality, commitment, division, personal ambition and uncertainty about the future. He started establishing some systems, including newsletters, annual retreats, council meetings, and a small land purchase in Khushpur for a boys' school.  

Despite the difficulties, Br Colin noted how touched he was by the goodness of so many people during his years in Pakistan. He fondly recalled the kindness of the teachers and the affection of the young children at the schools when he visited. He was optimistic about the future of the Pakistan delegation in the new Sector Coordinators hands but felt humbled by the stumbling blocks the experience dealt to him.  

Upon returning to Australia, Br Colin became the Director of the Marrickville Community in New South Wales. He was the Founding Principal of Casimir College in Marrickville. He was also the Principal of De La Salle College Mangere East and a Mentor to the Signum Fidei group in Rotorua. In 2009, Br Colin became a member of the interim Consecrated Life Council, which manages the matters of the Brothers in Religious Life.  

For two years, he served as the Lasallian Vocations Coordinator based in Mangere East, New Zealand. Since 2013, he has served various roles and volunteered in Karlaminda, Parmenie, Marrickville and Revesby. 

He chaired the Formation/Vocation Commission at the De La Salle Provincial Office in Sydney. He was a major part of the renewed effort for the promotion of the vocation of De La Salle Brother to young men in the district. He encouraged fellow De La Salle Brothers to visit Lasallian schools regularly and looked to the example of Lasallian Universities in the United States and the Philippines for inspiration.  

"Tertiary institutions are where vocations are going to come from in the long run", he said.

"We don't have a strong presence there, so we need to keep sowing seeds for potential vocations in Lasallian schools".

In 2016, Br Colin was part of a panel discussion at the Lasallian Student Leadership Seminar in Sydney, where he shared some of the insights of his career as a De La Salle Brother in Australia, New Zealand, and Pakistan. Br Colin shared some insights into his work as director of Lasallian schools in a predominately Muslim country like Pakistan where the schools take a highly inclusive approach to their curriculum and strongly promote the values of our Founder St John Baptist de La Salle. 

Since September 2020, he has volunteered for occasional pastoral work at Casimir Catholic College in Marrickville and De La Salle College, Revesby Heights, from his home in the Karlaminda community.  

In his 1998 reflections on his confidence in the presence of God, Br Colin reflected on the call “Let us remember that we are in the Holy Presence of God” given by the founder to his early teachers.  

“He gave them through this mantra a special instrument which enabled them to “centre” themselves on God’s Presence and a means of staying focused on what he believed was God’s Work, that is the salvation of the children “entrusted to their care.”  

Br Colin has lived an inspiring life of transforming lives, sustaining faith through challenges, and energising the Mission of John Baptist de La Salle. Let us celebrate his dedication and his accomplishments!