Newsletter of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
Rome, Italy
December 16, 2005

From the Editor

The Northern and Southern Hemispheres offer us contrasting conditions to celebrate the Christmas season: Northerners endure cold and snow and decorate various species of pine trees for Christmas. Southerners endure heat and humidity and decorate palm trees. Sometimes, in the extremes of seasons, an individual may long for the temperature and conditions of the other hemisphere. You might say the grass always looks greener or the snow always looks whiter on the other side! If you are one of those, this issue of SCALA is for you. For example, we have news from the far reaches of the northern Siberian plains that will appeal to those suffering in the heat below the equator. We have news from the Caribbean, South America and the South Pacific that will warm up the imaginations of those of us caught in the icy grip of winter.

This time of year is also a time for beginnings and endings. We close out the old year and bring in the New Year liturgically as well as by the calendar. To put our Redemptorist heritage of the Crib and the Cross into focus for the liturgical journey ahead, we are going to end this year as we began it in SCALA, with a beautiful piece written by Sean Wales about “The Paschal Christmas.” We ran it last January, but you may have not seen it or have forgotten about it. It is worth remembering, re-reading and meditating on it again this Christmas season and the New Year as we pray our way towards Easter.

In the spirit of the Advent and Christmas season we have dressed up the front pages of our website, http://www.cssr.com/, with the traditional Advent wreath and O antiphons. We will also have a Christmas theme during the Christmas season. Take a look.

Here in Rome we have been blessed with the presence of many of the newly elected superiors of our units around the world taking part in an orientation to their responsibilities. They bring us news and stories of all the great evangelization being done by all of you for the sake of plentiful redemption. Some of these stories will appear in future issues of SCALA.

All of us here at Sant’Alfonso and the Curia, all of us who work on SCALA, wish you a most blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with peace, and as always…

Grace and Redemption for All!
Gary Ziuraitis, C.SS.R.

Recent noteworthy events in the Redemptorist Family. For a complete record of transitions
visit the Officialia site

First Profession of Temporary Vows:
Jiri Carbol, Province of Prague, August 17, 2005
Blaise Anael Mputu Elima, Vice province of Matadi, September 8, 2005
Chabi Siméon Biou, Vice province of Burkina-Niger, September 8, 2005
Patinde Francis Ilboudo, Vice province of Burkina-Niger, September 8, 2005
Ibrahim Seydou Gerard, Vice province of Burkina-Niger, September 8, 2005
Madou Germani Yougbare, Vice province of Burkina-Niger, September 8, 2005
Raimundo Sialogo de Oliveria Agostinho, Vice province of Luanda, October 8, 2005

Profession of Perpetual Vows:
Immanuel Benedict Agbulu, Region of Nigéria, October 1, 2005
Gabriel Gwaza Ajayi, Region of Nigeria, October 1, 2005
Marcel Emeka Okwara, Region of Nigeria, October 1, 2005
Michale Abba Okoh, Region of Nigeria, October 1, 2005
Benjamin Eseroghene, Region of Nigeria, October 1, 2005

Ordination to the Permanent Deaconate:
Josef Doppler, Province of Vienna, October 16, 2005

Ordination to the Priesthood:
Herybert Fred Yabid Bora, Province of Indonesia, August 1, 2005
Desius Kaki, Province of Indonesia, Aukgust 1, 2005
Yohanes Berchmans Notan Watun, Province of Indonesia, August 1, 2005
Antonius Sukamto, Province of Indonesia, August 1, 2005
Giovani Don Bosko Wora, Province of Indonesia, August 1, 2005
Asterius Zangu Ate, Province of Indonesia, Aukgust 1, 2005
Amable Antonio Salinas Tapia, Province of Quito, October 15, 2005
Patricio Alfredo Sánchez Molinari, Province of Quito, October 15, 2005
Héctor Olivo Siguenza Suárez, Province of Quito, October 15, 2005
Noel Gerard Kehoe, Province of Dublin, October 23, 2005
Jean Nguyen Nam Phong, Province of Vietnam, November 29, 2005

Deaths:
Br. Stanislaw (Bonawentura) Jantos, 88, Province of Warsaw, July 5, 2005
Br. John (Pius) Carmichael, 77, Province of London, October 16, 2005
Rev. Charles Grunenwald, 81, Province of Strasbourg, October 20, 2005
Rev. Bernard Pereira, 79, Province of Bangalore, October 26, 2005
Rev. Alfonsus (Fons) Dekkers, 81, Region of the Netherlands/Province of Saint Clement, October 28, 2005
Br. Louis (Stefaan) Van Campenhout, 64, Region of Flanders/Province of Saint Clement, November 2, 2005
Rev. Josefus (Jos) Hiel, 92, Region of the Netherlands/Province of Saint Clement, November 2, 2005
Rev. Leonard Fitzgerald, 93, Province of Edmonton-Toronto, November 3, 2005
Rev. Thomas Joseph Gavigan, 71, Province of Baltimore, November 9, 2005
Rev. Hugo Simon Irala Troche, 71, Vice province of Asunción, November 9, 2005
Rev. André Penato, 67, Province of Lyon-Paris, November 10, 2005
Br. John (Gabriel) Medic, 88, Province of Denver, November 14, 2005
Rev. Victor Simard, 69, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, November 25, 2005

  Index

News from the Provinces

Moral Theology in the Caribbean
Mark Miller, C.Ss.R.
Community Connections
Edmonton-Toronto

In the middle of July, 2005 I headed to Chicago to meet with and join Fr. Steve Rehrauer, C.Ss.R. for two-week trip to the Caribbean. We had been asked by Fr. Joe Tobin to make ourselves available for updating moral theology among the clergy and others on four islands of the Caribbean: Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and St. Lucia.

The summer is not a great time to do such a thing, both because the weather is hot and many of the priests are on holidays. We had originally planned to go the previous November, but Hurricane Ivan that year had devastated all in its path, so the summer was our next free time.

Steve and I flew through Atlanta (where Hurricane Dennis was just rolling in-it started to rain as we flew out and 10 inches fell by the next day!) to Nassau in the Bahamas. Archbishop Patrick Pinder picked us up and informed us that the next day was a national holiday, so we would teach only in the afternoon and then ali of the following day. The bonus was that on the holiday, many of the local doctors were able to attend and were most attentive to the issues around moral reasoning, palliative care and bioethics.

Next we flew to Jamaica where Archbishop Lawrence Burke, SJ hosted us. Again our two-day seminar lost half a day because Hurricane Emily was heading for Jamaica and the priests and married deacons needed to hurry home to batten down the hatches! Fortunately, Emily veered south and we only got a day of rain. It did, however, cause our flight to Trinidad to be delayed, so we lost a day of the seminar there. This was unfortunate because we had almost 100 people attending, including a group of Mother Teresa’s sisters who work with the poor and helped me take bioethics out of the hospitals and onto the streets. Archbishop Ed Gilbert, C.Ss.R. hosted us in his beautiful residence and we were sorry to stay for only two short nights.

Our final visit was in St. Lucia where priests, deacons, seminarians, sisters, a good number of Redemptorists, and two bishops (from St. Lucia and Dominica) joined us. We finally held the entire two days of our seminar for a very appreciative audience. St. Lucia was also the one place where we had a day to ourselves (after everything was over) and I walked three miles from the gorgeous Redemptorist mission house, where we were staying, to go swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.

Everybody seemed very pleased with the opportunity to reflect on moral issues. One issue that came up on every island was the question of dealing pastorally with couples who were living together. In Jamaica, for example, 87% of the couples live together without marrying. When I asked if there were any reasons for this, the most common answer was that the woman felt that if she married, her husband would treat her more like property and go off to do as he pleases. Not marrying, ironicaly, gave her more respect and stability. This made for some serious reflection on the relationship between Church teaching and social realities! It was interesting to me to hear the reflections of these dedicated women and men that had come from the moral theology learned in their formation programs, but often bumping into the messy world of human beings.

The visits to each island were too short, but Steve and I did get a feel for life in the Caribbean. We met many, many fine workers in the vineyard of the Lord and we were welcomed wholeheartedly by everyone from archbishops to cooks. Steve and I even took one Sunday mass each in one of the parishes in Vieux Fort. The music was loud, upbeat, and got the bodies moving. I commented to our leader of song that the music was 'great' and he replied, "No, Father, it was good; but you haven't heard great yet."

And I tasted breadfruit for the first time in my life - it's sort of like potatoes, only more solid! So, I stuck with the rich and tasty island mangoes!

Kemerovo, Siberia
Rev. Anthony Branagan, C.SS.R.

Kemerovo is in the center of Siberia. The population is approximately 600 thousand people. It is the capital of the Region of Kusbass, which has population of three million. An estimated 1% of the population is Catholic, They are largely of German, Ukrainian, Polish and Baltic origen. In general these peoples were deported to Siberia in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Redemptorists have been living and working in Kuzbass for about 45 years. The first Redemptorists were from the Ukraine and they attended to Ukrainian Catholics of the Byzantine Rite who had been deported from Western Ukraine in the 1930’s and 40’s. They lived in Prokopievsk and, in secret, ministered to Catholic communities in several cities of the region. After the break-up of the Soviet Union the newly appointed Bishop of Siberia, Joseph Werth S.J. , asked Father General to send more Redemptorists to Kuzbass and as a result of that request three Redemptorists arrived in 1996: one from the Ukraine, one from Poland and one from Ireland. At the end of 1966 it was decided that two of the community would live and work in the city of Kemerovo and attend to the Latin Rite Catholics of the northern part of Kuzbass Region. In 1997 the first Catholic parish was founded in Kemerovo and the city authorities gave us a site to build a Catholic Church.

Our missionary activities are carried out in the northern half of the Kuzbass Region with the city of Kemerovo as its hub. We attend to thirteen communities within a radius of 250 Km of Kemerovo. Our first objective was to search out Catholics who live scattered in the cities, towns and villages of the Region. Now we are more involved in the building up of the communities which have been founded. Children, youth and adults are prepared for Baptism. Catechists are formed and there is on-going Christian formation for the children, youth and adults.

Charitable and promotional activities are among the priorities of our pastoral plans. We are reaching out to invalids, the homeless, those who live alone, poor children, single mothers, the sick and those without work. Each year summer camps for children, youth and adults are organized. These are called “'Holidays with God", as religion has a large part in the program and is very much appreciated by the participants. Theatrical presentations have their place in our community life and the groups even travel to entertain and inspire other communities.

After seven years presence in Kemerovo our great desire is to have a church, a pastoral and charitable works center , and a residence for the Redemptorist community. We have a site allocated by the city authorities. This new church , besides being a place of worship, will be a strong symbol of faith and hope for the Catholics of the whole Region of Kemerovo who suffered such persecution and harrowing conditions during the seventy years of the atheist regime.

From Asioc News
Philippine Redemptorists begin Centennial Celebrations

Redemptorists from all over Asia gathered on June 30, 2005 at the Nationa1 Shrine of the Mother of Perpetual Help to begin the celebrations marking their one hundred years of service in the Philippines. The huge church in Baclaran hosted the beginning of the year-long celebrations, which will culminate on June 30, 2006 in the tiny church of Opon on the island of Madan, where the Redemptorists first began their mission to the Filipino people 99 years ago.

Irish, Australian and Filipino Redemptorists were honored at the celebration. The Philippines' Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Franco, led the Eucharist. Joining him was the Archbishop of Manila, Gaudencio Rosales, and Paranaque's bishop, Jesse Mercado, along with other bishops and priests representing the dioceses in which the Redemptorists have established founda-tions starting in 1906.

On June 30, 1906, the first Redemptorists arrived from Ireland at the invitation of American Bishop Thomas Hendrick to begin the work of evangelization. These were difficult times in the history of the Philippines and of the Church. The Americans had replaced the Spanish as rulers of the country, a development that had serious consequences for the life of the Catholic Church. The number of priests and seminarians had diminished dramatically. Numerous religious sects had sprung up all over the country in what was later described as a "struggle for the soul of a nation." In this context, Redemptorist priests and brothers preached the Good News of Jesus in remote barrios long since abandoned by the Church.

Methods of evangelization have changed over the years but the Redemptorists are still known, and loved, throughout the archipelago for their fidelity to their primary mission - the work of caring for the most abandoned of the people. Much as they have given to the people to whom they were sent, they have also received from them a wonderful gift: The Filipino people have taken them into their hearts.

A defining moment in the history or the Redemptorists in the Philippines came with the opening of the church which hosted the celebrations. The National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help first opened its doors in 1958 and, from that day until the present, they have never closed. The Novena has been conducted uninterruptedly since June 23, 1948. With millions of devotees all over the Philippines, "the Novena" is the stuff of which legends are made.

The Redemptorist church in Baclaran has also played a prominent role in the life of the nation. Described famously in martial law years by a certain Senator as "the haven of the opposition," it became a platform for all who resisted the rule of martial law .The family of Ninoy Aquino had planned to receive him at a thanksgiving Mass upon his arrival from the US in 1983. Comelec technicians took refuge in the church after abandoning their computer consoles in the control room in the F A T. Ms.Cory Aquino herself attended the Mass for Antique's former Governor Evelio Javier, whose assassination galvanized the middle classes to rise in revolt. Short1y after, the President-elect was at Bac1aran again for a mass of thanksgiving fo1lowing the declaration of her victory.

In sponsoring a year-long program of cultural, social, and religious activities, the Redemptorists in the Philippines, joined by their brothers from Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia and Vietnam wish to show their appreciation for the support the Filipino people have shown them. The wonderful work record that has continued undiminished for the past century would never have been possible without the generosity of the people.

From those humb1e beginnings in Opon in 1906, the Redemptorists have spread through the archipe1ago, with over 20 foundations in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. A 1arge number of 1ay missionaries and vo1unteers, both male and fema1e, share with the priests and brothers the burdens of the aposto1ate. As the Redemptorists stand on the threshold of a second centennial, there is a lively sense of hope for their future in the Philippines. Over one hundred young men have joined the formation program which prepares them to carry on the work of love that was begun in Opon a hundred years earlier by four intrepid Irish and Australian pioneers

Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre, Quebec, Canada
Institute for Redemptorist Historical Studies in North America.
Jim Mason, CSsR

The members of the Institute for Redemptorist Historical Studies in North America (hereafter IRHS) were welcomed by Provincial Maurice Dionne and confreres to the great Shrine of Ste-Anne-De-Beaupre for our 17th annual meeting, September 27-29. Professor Otto Weiss, the new General Editor of the General History Project was a most welcome guest. We missed the presence of Fr. Francesco Chiovaro, our recently retired General Editor, who many times was present at our meetings to encourage us in our work on the North American contribution to the General History.

Several of us were able to attend the funeral of Fr. Jean-Marie Labonté on Monday morning in the Basilica. Fr. Labonté, age 91 years, was a true missionary in the Alphonsian spirit. He gave most of his many years to our missions, first in Vietnam from 1936 to 1976 when he was expelled, and then to Haiti where he worked for some 20 years.

Otto Weiss brought us up to date on the progress of the General History. Briefly our General History is being written in 3 Volumes with each volume having two or more books. Volume One covers the period from our beginnings in 1732 until 1793, Volume Two will cover the period from 1793 until 1893 and Volume Three from 1900 until after the WW2. Volume 1, Book 1 has already been published in Italian and translated into other languages. Volume 1, Book 2 is almost ready for the press. Volume 2, Book 1 is now being assembled and there are hopes to have it finished within three years. Volume 2, Book 2 is also a work in progress.

Some historical texts of interest were discussed with the hope for their eventual publication in some format by the IRHS or others. They are: Fr. James Sheeran’s Journal of a Confederate Chaplain 1861-1865. The letters, German, English, and Latin, of Blessed Francis X Seelos, CSsR, are being translated, edited and annotated for publication in English. A history of The Redemptorist Apostolate in the Caribbean is at hand. Brother Louis Kenning’s diary, giving his impressions of the early history of the confreres in America is being looked at for publication. Liguori Press is soon to publish the story of Blessed Peter Donders. The Spirituality of St. John Neumann, Rich Boever’s PHD thesis is being revised for publication.

Eternal Memory, the biography of Fr. Aciel Delaere was published by the IRHS in October of this year to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Delaere’s first mass in the Byzantine Rite in 1906 in Saskatchewan.

Enclosed with Issue #21 of the Redemptorist Historical Bulletin are the biographies of 7 of the early Belgium Fathers working in the Byzantine Rite in Canada.

The Bulletin comes out twice a year and is available online at http://www.redemptorists.com/ under History.

The 4th Conference on Redemptorist History in North America will take place at Perpetual Help Retreat House, Oconomowoc, WI, October 1-5, 2007. Conference 1 was held at Glenview IL in 1999, Conference 2 at West End NJ in 2001 and Conference 3 at Hampton Va. in 2004.

Anyone interested in joining our IRHS Google group can send me their email address and I will add you to the list. The Google site is an information and exchange site for anyone interested in Redemptorist history in North America.

Index

News from The Alphonsianum

Rome
The Alphonsianum

Following is a statistical snapshot of the Alphonsianum for 2005-2006 provided by the Secretary General of the Academy. The figures in parenthesis ( ) are in comparison to 2004-2005.

There is a total of 307 students at the Alphonsianum.(306)
131 are studying for a Licentiate. (128)
157 are pursuing a doctorate (159)

19 others (35)

170 are diocesan clergy (188)
110 men and women religious (98 religious clergy)
27 are laity (20)

There are 12 Redemptorist students in the academy. (7)
8 are studying for a licentiate (4)
3 are studying for a doctorate (3)

1 extraordinary

Continent of Origin:
45 are from Africa. (53)
60 are from Asia (52)
130 total from Europe, (139); 73 of those from Italy (80)
31 are from North America (33)
41 are from South America 29)

In 2004-2005, 62 Licentiates were awarded (58)
In 2004-2005, 26 Doctorates were awarded. (24)

According to Nationality:
Italy 73 (80)
India 30 (24)
Brasil 27 (13)
USA 15 (14)
Ukraine 15 (12)
Poland 10 (9)
Mexico 8 (13)
Nigeria 7 (8); Philippines 7 (6); South Korea 7 (5)
Romania 6 (5)
Croatia 5 (3) , Peru 5 (5), Tanzania 5 (6)
4 - Cameron, Democratic Republic of Congo, Slovakia, Spain
3 – Burundi, Colombia, Egypt, Great Britain, Indonesia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Venezuela
2 - Canada, China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Germany, Haiti, Kenya, Malaysia, Malta,
Mozambique, Myanmar, Dominican Republic, Rwanda, Hungary Vietnam
1 – Benin, Burlino Faso, Chad, Congo, Czech Republic, El Salvador, Eritrea, France,
Guinea. Honduras, Ireland, Lashito, Lebanon,Lithuania, Thailand, Zambia

Index

In Spiritu Redemptionis

In Spiritu Redemptionis
A Paschal Christmas
Sean Wales, C.Ss.R.

Sometimes beginnings and ends are not easy to distinguish. What seems like an end turns out to be a new beginning; what seems like a beginning proves to be an end. Towards the end of his long poem ‘Four Quartets’ T.S. Eliot wrote

Is Christmas an end or a beginning? Is Easter an end or a beginning?

For the Christian, Easter is the unsurpassable feast, the beginning of everything and the meaning of everything. Easter flows over into all the other feasts – Christmas, Pentecost, Transfiguration etc. It is Easter that gives significance to everything in the Christian world. Easter marks all other feasts as “paschal” and the light of Easter can be glimpsed in every Christian celebration.

Because Easter is, as it were, the template for all Christian reality, aspects of the paschal mystery can be found in all Christian feasts. Hence Christmas is marked by both suffering and glory, Christmas manifests both poverty and richess, Christmas reveals both sadness and joy.

Apart from the sufferings and anxieties of Mary and Joseph, the Liturgy of the Christmas octave reminds us through the feast of the proto-martyr, St. Stephen, and the feast of the Holy Innocents, that Christmas is not just tinsel and pleasure: the cost of this birth is measured in death. Nothing, however, can drown out the song of the angels: “Glory to God in the highest heaven” (Lk.2.14).

“He was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty” (2 Co.8.9). the physical poverty of the stable may have been romanticised out of all proportion but nothing can diminish the self-emptying (kenosis) of the Word nor comprehend the infinite richness of God.

The sadness of Christmas is captured in the words from the prologue to John’s gospel: “He came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him” (1.11). It is outweighed, however by the very next sentence “But to all who did accept him he gave power to become children of God”.The joy of Christmas is the joy of receiving the utterly gratuitous gift of divine life.

Joy is something deeper than pleasure, some more lasting than amusement. It has been described as the blossoming of life –and the consciousness of that blossoming. If Christmas joy is the celebration of Christ’s life within us, then it is the fulfilment of Christ’s promise:”I say these things to share my joy with them to the full” (John 17.13)

Christmas joy is transformative: “you are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you” (John 16.22)

It was the genius –and inspiration- of saints like Francis and Alphonsus to express this Christmas joy in ways which touch the hearts of all peoples, especially those unmoved by any theological considerations. What Francis did with his cribs, Alphonsus did with his hymns, novenas, “darts of fire”, meditations and sermons. No one reading “The Incarnation, Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ” can fail to notice the warmth and enthusiasm of Alphonsus about this mystery of love: “(God) wished with such a prodigy of love to be as it were enchained by us and, at the same time, to enchain our hearts by obliging them to love him”.

In the light of Easter we have come to see that the whole life of Jesus is redemptive, indeed that Jesus in his person is our redemption. Hence the joyful mysteries we celebrate at Christmas are mysteries of redemption: the redeemer in the womb, the physical birth of him who is “the first-born of all creation” (Col.1.15), the manifestation of divine glory in the song of the angels, the impact of the Holy Infant on the shepherds, the epiphany to the wise visitors, the ups and downs of the Holy Family at home and abroad in Egypt : all are redemptive moments. The angel told the shepherds that the one born that night was “a saviour”; his very being is to redeem, hence the angel described the news as being “of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people” (Lk.2.10-11).

Our Redemptorist emphasis on crib, cross and altar can be seen as a way of holding together the one great mystery of redemption: crib (temporal birth of the eternally and only-begotten Son of God), cross (the mysteries of the suffering and death of Jesus), and altar (the Lord of glory present in his paschal mystery). Our personal lives often highlight these joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries and our ministry often reflects the luminous mysteries of the living Christ.

The way we, as Redemptorists, enjoy Christmas is a strong indication of how we are living our redemptive vocation. At Christmas we give the lie to Nietzsche’s complaint that Christians ought to look more redeemed. Our tradition ensures that something of that “great joy” of the first Christmas, a great joy revealed in every dimension of Christ’s life, death and glorification, finds expression among us.

Whatever our theologies, or lack of them, we all like to receive presents at Christmas. If we are at all decent specimens of humanity, we will also like to give presents at Christmas. We discover joy in giving and receiving; the rituals of Christmas presents reveal aspects of our better selves.

Christmas presents remind us of the great Christmas Present: the Redeemer-Child. In our Christmas liturgies we welcome again the Father’s Gift to us and we make Jesus our gift to the Father. This joy of receiving and giving at Christmas is rooted in Christ’s Easter birth into the fullness of glory.

St. Fulgentius of Ruspe writes: “It is fitting, that on the day of our Lord’s Nativity you should also hear about the day of our Lord’s Resurrection. For just as the only-begotten God deigned to be born for us, so he deigned in the flesh to die for us, and He deigned also to rise again….Conceived in the womb, He was made a sharer of our death; rising from the tomb, He has made us sharers of His life”.

When Isaac Watts wrote what is probably the most joyful Christmas carol ever, he based himself on psalm 98 where the whole of creation is invited to sing and praise God for his presence and salvation. It is our joy to repeat the sounding joy and to celebrate the wonders of his love this Christmas:

Index

Monthly Picture Gallery (  for online viewing only)

 1.   A Map of the Siberian region

 2.   The proposed new Church in Kemerovo

 3.   The Redemptorist Community at Kemerovo

 4.   Children's summer camp in Siberia

 5.   A Theatre Group

 6.   A Youth Group conducts a Way of the Cross

 7.   The New Parish Church and Parish Center in Yurga

 8.   Church dignitaries process out of Baclaran Shrine at the conclusion of the liturgy commemorating the Redemptorist Centenary in the Philippines.

 9.   A festive celebration of song in the sanctuary of the Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Baclaran in honor of the Redemptorist Centenary.

 10.  One of the many cultural, social and religious activites surrounding the Centenary of the Redemptorists in the Philippines.

 11.  The North American Historical Group meets in Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, Canada

  12.  Madrid Redemptorists on pilgrimage to Italy gather in the grotto at Scala.

  13.  The Nigerian seminarians in front of their new seminary compound. The compound was built with the assistance of the Denver province and generous American benefactors.

Index

Activities of Father General and the General Council

Interested in knowing where the members of the General Government are and what they are doing? The following link will take you to the Calendar of the General Government.

English: http://www.cssr.com/calendars/CalEN.htm

This link is in our cssr.com website under the Redemptorist section and require passwords. If you do not have them; a pop-up box will direct you to request them from the Secretary General.

Featured Redemptorist Website

You may recall our report on the bombing of our Redemptorist Greek Melkite Church in Baghdad.  They now have a website, http://www.woehoe.net/mansour/  where you can experience the tragedy of their loss and the wonderful progress they have made in rebuilding, as well as a history of the Greek Melkite Catholic Church and resources for further reading.  The liturgical music is beautiful too!

  Index

Announcements

Sixth Redemptorist International Moral Theology Congress
Theme: Violence and Terrorism - a Moral Response
Bogotá, Colombia

Following several requests from a number of confreres, the General Government has agreed to convoke another international Moral Theology Congress. An ad hoc committee met in Madrid in late August composed of Frs. Steve Rehrauer (Denver), Luis Rojas(Bogotá), Marcio Fabri dos Anjos (São Paulo), Alberto De Mingo (Madrid), Enrique López (General Government) and Raymond Douziech (General Government).

The committee's task was to develop a proposal for the General Government. This proposal was presented to the meeting of the General Government in September, revised and accepted. The ad hoc committee was also appointed to continue the work of organizing this Congress. A more permanent commission may be formed after the Congress.

The theme for this Congress flows from an examination of violence and the threat of terrorism in our world today. What are the possible moral responses we can give from a Christian point of view and from our Redemptorist tradition?

The theme, therefore, will be: Violence and Terrorism: a Moral Response. The province of Bogotá, Colombia will host the event at their retreat center outside of Bogotá from July 16 to 21, 2006.

REGISTRATION: $400 USD per person
SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS AVAlLABLE FOR CONFRERES FROM POORER UNITS FOR REGISTRATION ONLY
please apply to Fr. Enrique López, C.Ss.R. at the General Curia.

PLACE OF CONGRESS: Bogotá, Colombia
LANGUAGES: Spanish and English

Ukrainian Redemptorists: 100 years
Celebrating the Redemptorist Martyrs
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

The year 2006 marks 100 years since the Redemptorists began serving Ukrainian Catholics in the Eastem Rite. This first happened in Canada on September 26, 1906 by a Redemptorist from the Belgian Province, Fr. Achilles Delaere, C.Ss.R.. As a pioneer working with immigrants, Fr. Delaere quickly adapted his life, language and spirituality to become an effective missionary among the Ukrainian Catholics.

As part of the celebrations, the Yorkton province of Redemptorists is hosting a pilgrimage to the Bishop Velychkovsky Martyr's Shrine under the auspices of the North American Spirituality Commission. The Martyr's Shrine has been and continues to be a great blessing for the Yorkton Province and for the whole Congregation. We invite all Redemptorists to come as pilgrims to the Martyr's Shrine. This occasion will also give one an opportunity to come to know the Redemptorists of the Eastern Catholic Church, and to be introduced to their spirituality and prayer life.

The Redemptorist Bishop and Martyr Vasyl Velychkovsky was beatified in 2001 by Pope John Paul II. In the midst of persecution, he was instrumental in keeping the Ukrainian Catholic underground Church alive. After years of imprisonment and torture in the former Soviet Union, he died in exile in Canada. His holy body is now enshrined in St. Joseph's Ukrainian Catholic Church in Winnipeg, Canada.

Accomodations:
Villa Maria Renewal Centre
100 Place Villa Maria
Winnipeg, MB R3V 1A9
tel: 204-269-2114
Cost: $250 CDN includes single room, meals, and River Boat Cruise

Transportation: Provided from and to the airport and for all events. Please inform us as to your time of arrival.

Those wishing to come earlier or stay longer, please inform us and we will arrange accommodations. Make your reservations early as the number or participants is limited.

For your reservation contact:
Bishop Velychkovsky Martyr's Shrine
250 Jefferson Ave.
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada R2VOM6
Phone: (204) 338-7321
E-mail: bvshrine@mts.net
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