Rome, Italy
FROM THE EDITOR: ACTIVITIES OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT: FROM THE UNITS: FEATURED MEDIA: TRANSITIONS:
Father General was able to visit Haiti and Chile recently. He writes us of his experiences to both earthquake torn countries below. Also, our Haitian novice gives us an update after being given special permission to visit his family in Haiti.
Below are some very important items in the Announcement section on opportunities for continuing education for Redemptorists. Please read them. Ms. Stephanie Tracy, the Communications Manager for the Baltimore Province reports on the North American Conference meeting recently held: “In March, the Baltimore Province hosted Superior General Michael Brehl, General Consultor Brother Jeffrey Rolle and the Ordinary Provincial Councils of North America for two days of meetings to discuss the decisions of last fall’s General Chapter.
August 1, the feast of Saint Alphonsus, will see a new Province come into existence. The Vice Province of Pilar (0101), a Vice Province of the Province of Rome, and the Vice Province of Asunción (0705), a Vice Province of the Province of Baltimore, will be suppressed and the new Province of Paraguay will be erected in their place. Their Province number will be 5200. As of now, Father General and the Vicar General, Father Enrique López, a native son of Asunción, are scheduled to attend. As our Neophytes remind us, Easter is not a day, but a season and a way of life in hope. So despite the Church’s sins, the crimes of a few, and the media’s best efforts to criticize the Holy Father in these days, there is great cause to celebrate: Ignored by the media spotlight, the members of the Body of Christ were strengthened and increased throughout the world on Holy Saturday night with hundreds of thousands of newly baptized and those making their profession of faith. Life overcomes death always both inside and outside the Church. Grace and Redemption for All!
ACTIVITIES OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT: Special Report
Others are in mourning, but continue to care for survivors. Several of our confreres not only lost family members, but many confreres’ families have lost their homes. Despite their personal living situations and the fates of their own families, our brave young confreres continue to reach out to help others around them. It is very difficult to describe the physical situation. The dust of hundreds of thousands of collapsed buildings seems to get into everything. Finding enough to eat and water for washing and drinking occupies much of the day for many people. And everywhere one turns, you see the destruction. Living in tents, the complete lack of privacy is difficult. The days can seem quite long. The work to be done is overwhelming. In the face of such a situation, one might expect despair and hopelessness to have taken hold of the hearts of the people. But this was not my experience. Certainly, there are some who feel completely lost and hopeless. However, this is not the majority of the people. Rather, I met a people who refuse to be broken. Their faith in God is strong, and their love for Our Mother of Perpetual Help sustains them. Time and again, they told me that they know that God is with them in their suffering, and that Jesus is Emmanuel – ‘God with us’. I witnessed remarkable care for one another and hope for a better future. On Sunday morning at 7:00 AM, I celebrated Mass in the open air for a huge congregation, all immaculately dressed. Full of faith and life, that liturgy was truly an experience of joy and hope. A young woman served as commentator. She introduced the liturgy with such a message of hope and faith that the Congregation could only shout: ‘Amen!’ The Redemptorists are committed to helping the people of Haiti rebuild lives and families as well as buildings and structures. The remarkable assistance of people from all over the world is a sign of solidarity – and that when one part of the Body of Christ suffers, we all suffer. But the response from around the world has been astonishing. As a Congregation, (V) Provinces, Regions, and individual communities have been very generous. This help will go a long way in the months and years ahead. It is difficult to capture the experience of this visit to Haiti in an article. Even pictures do not really capture the reality on the ground. Our confreres in Haiti continue to need our support - financial support, yes, but even more important - the support of our prayers, and our accompaniment. Pictured clockwise:
The Student House ruins The students’ “Tent Community” The Rectory ruins Where St. Gerard’s School once stood
Chile: On March 17, 2010, I arrived in Santiago, Chile, which had suffered their earthquake three weeks earlier. Fortunately, there was little loss of life, especially compared with Haiti. No Redemptorists were seriously injured. However, there was extensive property damage. Many churches and large buildings suffered damage. Approximately 800,000 homes will have to be rebuilt. In Santiago, our Basilica of Mother of Perpetual Help suffered damage to the exterior. The Basilica was already in need of repair, especially the towers and the roof. Previous earthquakes and the aging of the building required this. The parish was beginning a campaign to raise funds and address the needs. This earthquake, however, caused damage to the towers and the roof that must be repaired immediately to prevent further serious damage. In Santiago, it is estimated that about 30,000 homes have been destroyed. Oftentimes, to the untrained eye, a dwelling's exterior does not seem very much affected – but the interior has collapsed. Our confreres and lay ministers from the parish are visiting their people to bring comfort and help. Many of the people most seriously affected are recent immigrants, especially from Peru. On March 18, I traveled with Fr. Pedro Irizar, the Provincial, and Fr. Mauricio, his vicar, to Cauquenes. This is one of the first Redemptorist foundations in Chile. We have been here for over 130 years. Cauquenes is closer to the epicenter of the earthquake and it suffered a great deal of damage. It is a town of 40,000 people in the heart of the wine country of Chile. (Editor’s note: Please see photos below) In Cauquenes, the effects of the earthquake are visible everywhere. Many houses are in ruins. Schools are closed because of the severe damage to buildings. The remains of the Redemptorist monastery will need to be torn down. At the present moment our confreres are living in a corrugated steel shelter in the garden. The remains of the parish hall also need to be torn down. At first it appeared that the church could not be saved. Reports from an engineering firm, however, suggest that it can be restored. It has suffered severe damage and is not usable at the present moment. In Cauquenes, we celebrated Mass in the open air on the parking lot/playing field. Even on a Thursday night, there was a huge crowd of people. The parishioners deeply appreciate the Redemptorists and our presence among them. While in Cauquenes we experienced several aftershocks, but none of these tremors caused any further damage. The people of Chile have lived through many earthquakes. Buildings are constructed to withstand severe tremors and aftershocks. This is why there was not a greater loss of life and destruction during this very strong earthquake. On the coast, especially near Penco where we have another community, a tsunami followed the earthquake and damaged fishing vessels, nets and low-lying homes. The tsunami caried some people out to sea and they lost their lives. The earthquake in Chile has not received the same media attention that has been given Haiti. This is understandable. Haiti is a tragedy of epic proportions – with enormous loss of life and very little infrastructure to assist in the rebuilding of the country and people’s lives. Chile will recover. The people are already cleaning up the rubble and beginning to make plans for the future. The General Government, with the assistance of a few Provinces, has been able to offer some financial assistance. If any other Unit would like to contribute to this rebuilding, please contact the Econome General about sending a contribution to the General Government. It was a remarkable privilege to visit Chile and to see first hand how our confreres are standing in solidarity with the people. They have lost so much. But their faith and hope are strong. Pictured clockwise:
Haiti January 12th is a day I will never forget. Neither will the Haitian people nor the people of the world. It seems, however, three months later we hear very little about the current situation of Haiti. The news has moved onto other things, but the loss, pain and hunger still haunts the Haitian villages and the capital, Port-au-Prince. As for me, a Haitian, the story and situation of my country and especially that of my family is very present and near to me day in and day out. When the earthquake occurred it was a time of great uncertainty for me, of not knowing if my family was alive. It was a time to wait for the reassuring voices of my family to be heard on my phone. And when I finally heard from them and knew that they were all safe, it then became a time to pray that they would have enough food and water - and a time to hope that I would see them soon. The story of my experience of the first few days after the earthquake was told in last month's SCALA. Now, I would like to share with you my experience of returning to Haiti to be with my family, friends and countrymen after the earthquake. I left for Haiti on February 27th for an eight day visit. My immediate family is alright under the conditions they are living in. They have a tarp, but when it rains there is no adequate shelter as everything becomes flooded. I pray that one day they will be able to have a proper house to live in. Though life is still a challenge, they are doing the best they can to live one day at a time, remembering that they still have each other and can still celebrate life.
The school behind the church is now completely bull-dozed away. It was eerie to behold such a plot of land, where once stood a school that was filled with so many children and teachers who died.
Teresina, Piauí, Brazil. On the evening of Tuesday, March 23, around 2:00 a.m., an alarm sounded in our Church of St. Joseph the Worker in Teresina, Brazil. The caretaker informed the pastor that someone was breaking into the church. They called the police. The attacker broke in through an exterior air conditioning unit space. Expecting theft as a motive, the Church personnel were shocked to see that nothing was stolen, but that the face on the Church’s image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help was vandalized and destroyed. This particular icon in the Church came from Rome, with the blessing of the Pope some 47 years ago. It has been venerated in the exact same spot in the Church, having left it only once – to go to São Paulo to be restored from a previous act of vandals. In the history of the Church, this is the fourth time it has been broken into and each time it was for the motive of damaging sacred art.
For parishioner Maria de Jesus Santos, 54, the case is shocking and revolting. " It is the second time in less than two years that this icon of Our Lady has been vandalized. It is unacceptable. It is disrespectful to my faith and all that I have respected and believed in since childhood", she said. Naples, Italy
The volume is tri-lingual: The Italian is followed by a translation in English by Father John Vargas and a translation in Spanish by Father Emilio Lage. The volume consists of 476 pages (cm 21x30), printed at Materdomini by Valsele Printing Press on elegant ivory colored “Bodonia” paperstock and is priced at 40 euros (shipping and handling not included). You may order a copy by contacting: To facilitate payment, you may choose to request the Provincial Secretary to request the Econome General in Rome, Father Wröbel, to charge your province account at the Generalate and he will see to it that payment is credited to Naples to expedite shipping of your volume. If you choose this method of payment be sure to explicitly request it in your order. Vietnam
The sanctuary has shared the history of Vietnam and the Catholics of this country. Thus, in 1885, under the regime of Van Than, it was burned three times, while the faithful were threatened and killed. In 1894, Father Patinier Kinh, pastor of Co Vu, head of the zone of Quang Tri, where the shrine is located, wrote that in 1885 the sanctuary and the parish did not escape the 'disaster'. When calm returned. I hurried to build a small church." "I asked all the faithful - continues the priest’s story - to give their help to bring the wood from the mountain. On the appointed day, all my parishioners met and walked six miles to rebuild the church". The same year, Bishop Caspar LOC decided to rebuild the shrine, which had a tiled roof and was designed in the Vietnamese style. It was again destroyed during the war of 1925. On 22 August 1961, Pope John XXIII promoted the shrine to a basilica. Today, of the shrine destroyed in 1972, we see only the bell tower.
But every year hundreds of thousands of people come to pray to Our Lady
of La Vang. "When we go to the shrine," said John Paul II
in 1988. "we go to entrust to Our Lady all our joys, our sorrows,
our hopes." ANNOUNCEMENTS:
England: Province of London Greetings from Hawkstone Hall, one of the two Pastoral Centres of the London Province. Since 1974 we have been offering the Three Month Renewal Course, three times every year for the past 36 years! In that time well over 5,000 men and women in ministry worldwide have participated in this programme including some of the confreres! We welcome religious, priests, and lay people. They minister in wide variety of challenging situations; many of them serving the needs of the world's poorest peoples. During their time here they speak of the great hospitality at the heart of this House and ministry - a very real experience of Plentiful Redemption. Through SCALA I would like to bring this Centre to the attention of more of the confreres especially those seeking some time in personal and spiritual renewal.
The Course Tutors: Sr Eucharia Coffey (Liverpool) is a Religious of Marie Auxiliatrice with many years of teaching experience. TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) qualified. Mrs Kay Quigley, (Glasgow) is a former teacher. She holds the TEFL qualification. Further information contact:
Rome, Italy Greetings from the Center for Spirituality in Rome. We would like to inform you that we will be having the Summer Spirituality Course in both English and Spanish this year, 2010. The English language course will take place from May 31-June 19, 2010. We ask the participants to arrive no later than the 30th of May and to leave Italy no earlier than the 20th of June. The Spanish language course will be from June 29 - July 17, 2010. We ask the participants to arrive no later than June 28th and to leave Italy no earlier than July 18th. The program includes, as usual, a pilgrimage to the Alphonsian sites. Please let us know if you need any financial assistance. We will be able to help cover the cost of the course for some of the participants. Unfortunately, given the limitations of our budget, we cannot cover the cost of air travel. Send the names of participants to any of the following e-mail addresses (sending it to more than one will make sure we receive your communication) or by fax. centronet@copiosa.com Editor’s note: Do you want to satisfy your longing to see the Alphonsian sites but cannot make the Summer courses? Or do you want to bring back memories of your visits? You can take a “virtual tour” of the Alphonsian sites on our www.cssr.com Website under the public menu item: “On line Pilgrimage”. There you will discover interesting and informative slide shows set to Alphonsian music on Scala, Ciorani, Naples-Marianella -- and we have just finished the presentations of Pagani and Materdomini in the seven languages and have added those to the existing series. This is an ongoing project brought to you by the Center For Spirituality in cooperation with the Office of Communications.
Brazil: Province of Goias
Editor’s note: These changes have been made in the up-to-date “on
line Inscriptiones” available in the Redemptorist section of www.cssr.com.
This month we bring you a video and the translation of Father General’s Easter Vigil homily. Buona Pasqua! Easter Vigil Homily of the Superior General My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ! Christ is risen! Jesus lives! The joyful proclamation of this Easter Vigil announces to everyone that Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death. He lives – and we live in him. In some ways, Good Friday came early for me this year. Three weeks ago, I arrived in Haiti. I tell you truly, all the pictures I had seen on the television, All the photographs sent to me by Redemptorists in Haiti, All the stories I read about this earthquake – I saw almost total devastation: Houses in ruins and people living in the streets. The cathedral and all the churches were empty shells Hospitals and schools collapsed, most with the bodies of the dead still trapped inside. I saw a picture of death, destruction and suffering. Then, on Sunday morning, just at dawn, I celebrated Mass with a huge crowd of people in the open air. Before we began, a young woman spoke to the crowd of parishioners. The reporters from newspapers and television ask: “Where is God?” We know the answer. God is here, with us, in the tents. Jesus is alive – in us. And so we praise Jesus, and we thank God. As she spoke, the people rose as one to their feet. They clapped and shouted, “Amen!” This is the message of Easter. Jesus is alive – in us. God is here, with us. What more do we need to know? This is the message of St. Paul in tonight’s epistle – baptized into his death, we have risen to new life with him. This is the message of the angel at the tomb – do not look for the living among the dead! No tomb can hold him. This is the message we must carry in our very bodies – Jesus lives, and he lives with us, he lives in us. May we become prophets of hope and life and joy. Praised be Jesus Christ, risen from the dead!
Recent noteworthy events in the Redemptorist Family. For a complete record of Transitions visit the Officialia site First Profession of Temporary Vows: Profession of Perpetual Vows: Ordination to the Priesthood: Deaths: Father Gaspar de Almeida Pinto, 78, Province of Rio de Janeiro, March 20, 2010. Father Gaspar was elected by the XIX General Chapter to serve as Consultor General during the second term of then Superior General Josef Pfab from 1979-1985. At the same time he served as Rector of the General House and continued in that role until 1987 when he returned to Brazil. Father Gaspar was twice Provincial Superior of Rio de Janeiro, 1972-1979 and 1997-2000. Rev. Etienne Ségalen, 86, Province of Lyon-Paris, March 21, 2010 Sister Mary Margaret Miller, O.Ss.R., 102, Redemptoristine Monastery of Liguori, MO., USA, March 19, 2010. Sister was a founding member of the Liguori Monastery in 1960 from the Barrie, Ontario, Canada Monastery. She was Prioress from 1963-1969. Sister was preceded in death by her four brothers who were Redemptorists: Fathers Ray Miller, (Consultor General 1958-1963), Donald Miller (Founder of Liguori Publications), Ernest Miller (Mission and Retreat Preacher) and Louis Miller (Editor of the Liguorian Magazine 1961-1976). All five siblings are buried at the Liguori cemetery. Jubilees for the month of May: 50th Jubilee of Profession: 25th Jubilee of Profession: 25th Jubilee of Ordination: Electoral News: Suppression of Vice Provinces: Erection of Province: Suppression of Houses: Domus “St. Peter Claver” in the city of Otukpo, Benue State, Nigeria is suppressed as of February 25, 2010. Domus “Maria Bickesheim” in the city of Durmersheim to be suppressed with an effective date of September 1, 2010 as of February 25, 2010. Appointments: Rev. Joseph P. Dorcey (4500, Denver) re-appointed Secretary General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer until the next General Government elections. Confirmed March 29, 2010. Rev. Antonio Marrazzo (0200, Naples) re-appointed Postulator General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer until the next General Government elections. Confirmed March 29, 2010. Rev. Walteir Gonçalves Magalhães (2300, São Paulo) appointed to assist the General Econome until June 30, 2010. Rev. John Gerard O’Connor (1300, Dublin) appointed Mission Procurator for Africa & Madagascar starting July 1, 2010 until December 31, 2014. Rev. Johanny Gerardo Álvarez Castro (1506, San Salvador) appointed Building Supervisor of Casa Sant’Alfonso, Rome, until June 30, 2011. Rev. Louis Alberto Roballo (2800, Bogotá) appointed Executive Secretary for Formation until December 31, 2014. Rev. Gerônimo Ruchel (3500, Porto Alegre) appointed to assist in the General Archives of the Congregation starting January 1, 2011 until December 31, 2014.
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