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

From the Editor

There are so many interesting things happening in our Congregation around the world . This month, for example, we have an account of Father General’s visit to Australia. We have continuing news of the Tsunami and its aftermath from India and Bangalore. We have very interesting news from the Province of Madrid, its vice provinces and the other European provinces it is associated with. This news comes from their province newsletter, NER, which is celebrating its 500th edition! Felicidades! In this year of St. Gerard, we have a story and illustration about how a new image of St. Gerard was created in the province of London. And don’t forget to visit the websites, varied and in various languages, that are featured this month. All the websites we have featured previously, now and in the future are testimony to the universality of our mission.

We have now archived all the previous four SCALA editions in its seven languages at the cssr.com website, in the members section at http://www.cssr.com/scala/index.shtm If you missed a previous edition, you can find it there. All future editions will be archived there too. Passwords for the members section can be obtained by e-mailing a request to the Secretary General’s office. If you don’t think you are on our list to receive SCALA, please send us your e-mail address.

The Pope’s recent illness was watched closely by us. You can be sure that if there is any breaking news that is above and beyond what the other secular and religious media report, we will do our best to get it to you promptly. Especially if it has a Redemptorist slant to it.

Happy Easter! Until next month…

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:

José Alfredo Vargas Borrero, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005
Jimi Francisco Salamanca Vanegas, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005
Miguel Angel Castro Páramo, Vice Province of Caracas, January 5, 2005
Victor Edumar Pinto Rodriquez, Vice Province of Caracas, January 5, 2005
Mário Luiz Campos Fereira, Province of São Paulo, January 23, 2005
Sebastião Fernandes Daniel, Province of São Paulo, January 23, 2005
Reges Rodriques da Silva, Province of São Paulo, January 23, 2005
Wiliam dos Santos Betônio, Province of São Paulo, January 23, 2005
Alan Patrick Zuccherato, Province of São Paulo, January 23, 2005
Pablo Iván Paredes Mora, Vice Province of Pilar, February 2, 2005
Igson Monteiro da Silva, Vice province of Manaus, January 29, 2005
Leonardo Valdez Ibarra, Vice province of Asunción, February 2, 2005
Seni Ferreira dos Santos, Vice province of Manaus, February 2, 2005
Guido Crisman Abán Quispe, Province of Bolivia, February 2, 2005
Hugo Martínez Regifo, Province of Bolivia, February 2, 2005
Ernesto Eduardo Mostajo Terrazas, Province of Bolivia, February 2, 2005
Ivert Zurita Valverde, Province of Bolivia, February 2, 2005
Hector Manuel Opazo Valenzuela, Province of Santiago, February 2, 2005
Carlos Humberto Pérez Treviño, Province of Santiago, February 2, 2005
Gonzalo Ernesto Vilches Grandón, Province of Santiago, February 2, 2005
Aloíso dos Santos Mota, Vice province of Bahia, February 13, 2005
Devaldo Vieira de Menêz, Vice province of Bahia, February 13, 2005

Profession of Perpetual Vows:

Aly Argenis Villegas Suárez, Vice province of Caracas, Feburary 22, 2004
Abel Sinini, Vice Province of Burkina-Niger, January 5, 2005
Mateo Tancio Jr. Butlig, Province of Cebu, January 28, 2005
Copernicus Jr. Perez, Province of Cebu, January 28, 2005
Sony Sanito Umbac, Province of Cebu, January 28, 2005
Wolney Augusto de Souza Mourão, Vice Province of Manaus, February 2, 2005
Francisco de Assis Martins Pinheiro, Vice Province of Manaus, February 2, 2005
Manuel Antonio Arroyo Castilla, Vice Province of Perú Sur, February 6, 2005
Yuri Castillo Calixto, Vice province of Perú Sur, February 6, 2005
Nelson Salvador Heredia Vera, Vice province of Perú Sur, February 6, 2005
Waldir Pérez Salinas, Vice province of Perú Sur, February 6, 2005
Jorge Luis Ypanaqué Taboada, Vice province of Perú Sur, February 6, 2005

Ordination to the Priesthood:

Philippe Bationo, Vice Province of Burkina-Niger, July 3, 2004
Jean Rolan Congo Ousséni Kiswendsida, Vice Province of Burkina-Niger, July 3, 2004
Juan José Ferrero de Paz, Province of Madrid, July 25, 2004
Dominic Pham Trong Phúc, Vice Province of Extra Patriam, January 1, 2005
Aly Argenis Vellegas Suárez, Vice Province of Caracas, January 15, 2005
Ronaldo Antonio Ocampos Villalba, Vice Province of Asunción, February 19, 2005
Juan Alberto Villasboa Verón, Vice Province of Pilar, February 26, 2005

Ordination to the Permanent Diaconate:

Neville Arul Sinnappah, Vice Province of Ipoh, January 31, 2005

Electoral News:

Rev. Sean Wales re-elected Provincial Superior of South Africa.
Confirmed September 2, 2004.

Rev. Lorenz Walter Voith, elected Provincial Superior of Wien.
Confirmed February 1, 2005.

Rev. Andreas Hiller, re-elected Vicar of Wien.
Confirmed on February 10, 2005.

Rev. Francisco Arias Magallanes, elected Vice-provincial Superior of Perú-Sur.
Confirmed February 2, 2005.

Rev. Chrstian Frésard re-elected Provincial Superior of Bolivia.
Confirmed on February 6, 2005.

Rev. Waldo Ruben Barrionuevo Ramírez elected Vicar of Bolivia.
Confirmed on February 6, 2005.

Rev. Sylwester Cabala, re-elected Vicar of Warsaw.
Confirmed on February 6, 2005.

Rev. Maurice Dionne, re-elected Provincial Superior of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré.
Confirmed on February 16, 2005.

Rev. Guy Pilote, elected Vicar of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré.
Confirmed on February 17, 2005.

Rev. Arturo Martínez Soto, re-elected Provincial Superior of Mexico.
Confirmed on February 19, 2005.

Rev. Cornelius J. Casey, re-elected Provincial Superior of Dublin.
Confirmed on February 21, 2005.

Rev. Hikaru Thomas Kashirajima, re-elected Vice-provincial Superior of Kagoshima.
Confirmed on February 22, 2005.

Rev. José Jesús Brito Olivares, elected Vicar of Santiago.
Confirmed on February 22, 2005.

Rev. Vincent Pham Trung Thánh, elected Vicar of Vietnam.
Confirmed on February 22, 2005.

Rev. Petro Baran, elected Vicar of Lviv.
Confirmed on February 25, 2005.

Deaths:

Rev. Myroslaw Dzurman, 77, Province of Yorkton, December 15, 2004
Br. Néstor (Hilario) Calle, 72, Province of Quito, January 14, 2005
Rev. Thomas Claveaux, 87, Province of Amsterdam, January 18, 2005
Rev. Humberto Jorge Rafaeli Pieroni, 89, Province of São Paulo, January 24, 2005
Rev. James Ryan, 88,Vice Province of Manila, February 3, 2005
Rev. Stanislaw Ciurey, Vice Province of Resistencia, February 5, 2005
Rev. Eugene John Staub, 77, Province of Denver, February 9, 2005
Br. John (Malachy) Diamond, 83, Province of Edmonton-Toronto, February 10, 2005
Rev. Jacobus (Jac) van der Linden, 85, Province of Amsterdam, February 15, 2005
Rev. Joannes (Jan) Vinkenburg, 77, Province of Amsterdam, February 17, 2005
Rev. José Jáñez Casado, 92, Province of Madrid, February 27, 2005
Rev. Izydor Siedlik, 74, Province of Warsaw, February 27, 2005

   Index

News from the Provinces

Spain
Province of Madrid
Statistics & News

Excerpts from the 500th edition of NER Spanish Redemptorist News (Noticiario Español Redentorista)

MEETING OF CONFRERES INVOLVED IN PARISHES AND SANCTUARIES
Manolo Matute, CSsR

The confreres working in our parishes and shrines held a meeting in the House of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Madrid on January 24 and 25. It was convoked in order to reflect, share and to make proposals to be decided by the next Provincial Chapter as part of the process of discernment that our province has initiated.

There was very good participation and the following objectives were proposed. We share with others the ‘proposals to be decided by the Provincial Chapter’.

In the area of Evangelization
1.Given the scarcity of personnel it is necessary to designate special houses for promoting and forming adequate teams to improve the quality rather than the quantity of pastoral work.
2.That the Secretariat for Parishes and Sanctuaries should organise two annual meetings, one with laypeople and the other with Redemptorists only. In addition, it should organise a common pastoral evangelization project every year. (For example, in the style of the Meetings of St. Alphonsus)
3.To have a Web page on evangelization dealing with Redemptorist activities.

In the area of Inserstion in the World of the Poor
1.It is important that our being poor is shown by the austerity of our lives, our availability and that readiness to be of service that enables us to draw near the world of the poor.
2.It is necessary to work in a determined way with Caritas and in the Association for Solidarity.
3.We have to make a clear and enthusiastic option for justice with particular reference to the poor (those who are sociologically poor, the separated, divorced, immigrants, alienated from the Church…).

In the area of the Situation of the Province
1.We have to establish priorities as to where we should allocate the personnel that we still have.
2.New foundations must be temporary ones taking the future into consideration and they must be in poor areas.
3.It is necessary to incorporate the laity decisively in our provincial organiztions.

May God grant that we make the necessary decisions and carry them out in a generous and hopeful spirit!

Once again we thank the Community of Perpetual Help for their welcome and the kindness shown each time we meet there.

MEETING OF THE PROVINCIALS OF EUROPE – SOUTH
José Luis Bartolomé

The meeting of the committee of the Plenary Assembly of the provincials of Europe-South took place in Lisbon on January 29 and 30. Those present included Fr. Antonio de Luca (President and Provincial of Naples, recently elected for a third term), Fr. Faustino Ferreira (Secretary and former Provincial of Portugal), Fr. José Luis Bartolomé (Provincial of Spain, member of the Commission). Taking part as well were Fr. Antonio Gómes (new Provincial of Portugal), Fr. Danilo Bissacco (Provincial of Rome), Fr. José Palos (Portugal), collaborator with Fr. Alberto Eseberri in the production of the New Ratio of the Noviciate. Fr. Alberto on account of the illness of his father who is in hospital in Pamplona could not attend.

During the sessions they made a study of the reports and suggestions that the various Secretariats of Formation had contributed to the Ratio. They finished the final edition that is to be presented to the Plenary Assembly for its approval and to the General Government. They discussed other matters as well submitted by the General Government in reference to restructuring and they decided on the date and agenda for the next meeting of the Plenary Assembly for the whole Region of Europe South. On Sunday we had time to visit the parishes in the suburbs where our confreres work. They are very active parishes. We also visited the Oblates and met Mother General and another member of the General Council. We are most sincerely grateful for the cordial and fraternal welcome always given us by the confreres of the Provincial House in Portugal..

London, England
Year of St. Gerard Majella
Brother Michael Duxbury, C.SS.R.

A beautiful and unique portrayal of St Gerard has been specially commissioned by the London Province, in memory of this extraordinary man to celebrate his centenary year. The background to the commission of this portrayal is that, early last year, I came into contact with a man, who, not being a professional artist, clearly had an impressive talent for painting. After talking to him at length and seeing some of his work, an idea began to form in my mind's eye, and I brought up the subject of Saint Gerard’s Centenary Year and asked him if he would be willing to paint his own portrayal of Saint Gerard for me. Although I knew that he had recently been at a vu1nerable time in his 1ife, I thought he might be willing to help, and my request arose spontaneously. In hindsight I had no idea of the magnitude of the task I had asked of him!

Several months passed, and I was filled with mixed feelings: those of trepidation and excited anticipation of the finished result, and a little anxiety that the task might be just too much to ask of one man. He was doing this , after all, as a favour to me. When I eventually saw the finished painting, I was lost for words and astonished at it's beauty and attention to detai1. At the same time, I felt very honoured for all the time and effort the man showed in every brush stroke. Both myself, and the artist were visibly relieved. Me with the finished result, and for him, I found out that all my thoughts about the scale of such a task had been justified. He confided that it had been a “roller coaster journey” of toil and emotion, which turned into a labour of love.

The painting has been admired by people throughout England. It is planned to distribute copies of it in various forms to people in other parts of the world over the coming months. On behalf of the London Province, and the many people who have admired the painting, I give sincere thanks to the artist, who wishes to remain anonymous in this story. His work will help bring faith, peace and hope to many people.

A number of mementos have been made available to commemorate this year, including framed paintings, t-shirts, teddies, simple bookmarks and prayer cards. Following in the wishes and work of St Gerard, it is hoped that a few people can be helped by any donations received. The proceeds will go to the local Children's Hospice in Middlesborough, and far away, to help provide support for our region in Zimbabwe.

We have been helped in this goal by the local prison. It has printed hundreds of prayer cards for the St Gerard’s Guilds of Tafara and Mabuku in Zimbabwe.

The Redemptorist Publications published a special “Year of St Gerard Newsletter.” It is hoped this will result in an increase in the membership for The League of St Gerard, where every member will receive information about the Saint’s forthcoming Feast Day.

Plans are also being made, although still at the early stages, for a Saint Gerard’s Day celebration, which will be by open invitation to all members with the opportunity to meet and talk with other members from all parts of the UK.

All inquiries regarding the St. Gerard painting and the above information can be made by contacting:

Brother Michael Duxbury C.Ss..R
The John Paul Centre
55 Grange Road
Middlesborough
TSl 5AU
England

BANGALORE PROVINCE
TSUNAMI RELIEF WORK
REDEMPTORIST THEOLOGIANS
Bro Mathew Abraham C.Ss.R and Bro. John Mathew C.Ss.R

We, the Redemptorist Theology students of the Bangalore Province, heard about ‘Tsunami’ for the first time, in the scullery while washing dishes after supper, on the 26th of December. Some of us wanted to respond immediately and get involved in the relief work. But it came in the midst of the Christmas holidays. There were other hurdles too. What about the classes that were to resume on the 3rd of January? If we went to help, where would we go? Who would help us to go? What about the finances? What about our own security?

For the time being, these hurdles were too much for us to deal with. So we buried our desire to help the ‘tsunami’ victims. But the TV and the newspapers stirred up our consciences. Some of us found it extremely difficult to remain in the Seminary without getting involved in the relief work. There was a moral pressure building up amongst ourselves. We started discussing about the possibility of getting involved. We started exploring the options. By the time we reached the last day of vacation (29th December), the ‘Capo team’ was under pressure to call for a student body meeting. During that meeting on the 30th December, we realized that most of us wanted to get involved in the relief work. The student body appointed a team of three brothers to work out the logistics.

We already had the support of our prefect. Then the team met the members of the seminary council and they too were very glad about our decision. They extended their support and made the necessary arrangements for our involvement. We contacted Fr. Tom Kocherry C.Ss.R., who was already in the field, involved in the relief work. Fr. Tom made the necessary local arrangements and one group left for Nagapattinam the same evening and the second group to Kanyakumari, the next evening. We spent about two weeks in the affected areas.

The group in Kanyakumari divided themselves into teams of two or three and were working in 6 relief camps. They worked with the Kottar Social Service Society (KSSS). Some were involved in the villages, clearing the debris and making the houses suitable for living. Some of them were involved in organizing the activities in the relief camps. Some were involved in helping people to overcome their emotional trauma and some were helping the medical team of the KSSS. In Kanyakumari district, the church, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the government worked hand in hand. The relief activities were managed quite efficiently, so much so that the post tsunami deaths due to communicable diseases in the district were zero. This was in the context of the World Health Organization’s prediction of double the number of post tsunami deaths due to water borne diseases.

In Nagapattinam, the situation was different. Some of the relief camps had an excess of relief materials; other camps had nothing. Our immediate task, therefore, was to get the relief materials to the most needed and affected places. For this purpose, an NGO coordination center was set up at the collector’s office. About 275 NGOs came together under the center to take up the three ‘R’ works (Rescue, Relief and Re-habitation).

Some of us were involved in data collection from the camps and villages and sending it to the coordination center on a daily basis. The relief materials were distributed based on this data. It was also updated on the Internet web page on a daily basis. We worked in 7 villages and covered 14 relief camps. We were also actively involved in clearing the debris, houses, roads and most importantly we participated and shared in the suffering of the victims.

Our presence in the affected area made a difference in the lives of at least some of the victims. At the same time this experience enriched us in many ways. In order to help us to internalize this experience, Fr. Assisi Saldhana, C.Ss.R, who accompanied us to Kanyakumari organized two group reflection sessions for us on the 21st and 29th of January 2005. These group reflections helped us to theologize and integrate our experience.

We are grateful to the seminary council, our Provincial, the parish clergy and the people of our parish for their generous support for this initiative.

On December 26th, 2004, as the majority Buddhists of Sri Lanka were getting set for their monthly worship day, "the Poya day" (which is normally a full moon day), and as most of their Catholic brethren were partaking at the Sunday mass (it was the feast of the Holy Family), something unprecedented happened: due to an earthquake in the sea close to Sumatra, in Indonesia, a tsunami, a massive tidal sea-wave, swept across the Indian Ocean destroying many lives and property, in several countries bordering the Indian Ocean rim. Within a space of only 20 to 30 minutes, it swept away entire villages. It violently hit almost three fourths of the Sri Lankan coastline. Although tsunamis are said to be common in certain parts of our planet, this is not only unprecedented in the recorded Sri Lankan history, but it was also unique in that none of the Sri Lankans were prepared to face such a calamity simply because there was no prior warning as such. The tsunami that took place on that fateful 26th of December is supposed to be one of the biggest ones ever, recording a maximum degree of nine points in the tsunami monitoring international indicators.

To-date, here in Sri Lanka, some 40,000 bodies have been recovered and it is believed that a few more thousands are buried beneath the massive heap of sea sand that came along with the tidal wave. Within 20 minutes or so, more than a million people (of our total of 19 million population) lost everything they had; homes, possessions, and near and dear ones. For a few days, Sri Lanka resembled one massive funeral house!

One positive characteristic seen in the aftermath of this terrible tragedy was the unity displayed by our badly divided nation. What all the people with good will and their good intentions could not do in so many years, tsunami seemed to have done within just 20 minutes! But then, at what cost! Almost all the Sri Lankans, irrespective of their political, ethnic and religious affiliations, gathered together to come to the aid of the victims. Even the LTTE, the notorious terrorist group which claims to be fighting for a separate Tamil homeland, agreed initially to work together with the rest of the country, though later, they decided that in the areas held by them, they would not allow "outsiders" to get in.

What is amazing is the way the rest of the world rallied to help the tsunami victims in countries of the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka alone has been the beneficiary of millions of dollars from all over the globe. We only hope that the authorities would use the money in a sensible and accountable way so that the real tsunami victims would really benefit. Not only foreign governments, but also NGO's (non-governmental organizations) and many other welfare groups vied with their respective governemtns to come to our assistance with massive plane loads of goods, medicine, and man-power. In addition to the financial support, it was also very heartening to see so many foreign volunteers coming on their own to help, in the form of cleaning the debris, removing dead bodies, etc. Among them was one Australian member of parliament belonging to the Green Party who was working like a labourer in clearing the debris. It was a wonderful show of human solidarity which is so rare in our present day. For awhile, one could heave a sigh of relief that humanity has still got a lot of what it means to be human.

As far as we, the small group of Redemptorists in Sri Lanka, are concerned, we were lucky that none of our confreres nor their families were affected. On that fateful day, three of our young confreres were on their way to take a swim in the sea close to Negombo, without knowing what was about to come! As they reached the beach, they were turned away by the Police, as by then, tsunami had already done its devastating job. In retrospect one would say, if tsunami were to come an hour later or if our confreres were to enter the sea an hour earlier, things would have been quite tragic for us. Though there were no serious casualties with regard to priests or religious in general, there was one exception: A nun, Sr. Bernad Koelmeyer of the Sisters of Charity, was swallowed by the tsunami, while she was distributing communion at the well known Shrine of Our Lady at Matara, in the south of Sri Lanka. There are thousands of pathetic stories of victims, especially of those survivors, whose families are either halved or fully wiped out due to this fatal tidal wave.

A word must also be mentioned about the way our confreres from all over the world rallied round to stand by us. E-mail messages began to pour in from various CSsR Units from various parts, sympathizing with us, inquiring after our safety and promising to pray for our battered nation. Moreover, a few Units voluntarily decided to send financial assistance for tsunami victims, to our bank account. We are very grateful to all these confreres, for their sense of solidarity with us. It was a unique moment when we experienced what it means to be a big international family (congregation) that cares for one another, especially, when one is in need.

Some of us have been doing our best in getting material goods and other basic needs for the survivors. Now almost a month after the tsunami, we are into the second stage of the relief work, i.e., to build some shelter (homes) for the displaced survivors. It is precisely here that we Redemptorists hope to pitch in ourselves. We hope to do so in and through the available diocesan structures like the SEDEC and the SETIK, the local branches of the Caritas International. Although our contribution will be very small compared to the demands for new homes, we are happy to note that with the help of the CSSR units, we will be able to shoulder the cost of at least a few homes.

According to some of our bishops and those in SEDEC and SETIK, there is also the need to find ways and means of finding some income-generating opportunities for the survivors so that they can start their lives all over again. Since most of the victims are fishermen, and since more than 80% of their equipment, like boats, were washed into the sea, there is a move to help them to get some of the equipment to begin their work again. We may be able to do something in this area too, through the available diocesan structures.

Another important area which we need to attend to in these second and third stages of relief and rehabilitation of the tsunami survivors has to do with the programs to help overcome the psychological trauma of the survivors. There are many, of course, who are displaced, who have lost all that they had, all that they cherished as their possessions. Then, there are those who have lost most of their family members; there are families where only one member had survived this catastrophe. There are kids who have lost both their parents and there are fathers or mothers who have lost their entire families, and so forth on so on! All these people badly need help to listen to their pathetic stories, and then, to accompany them in overcoming their psychological trauma before they can think of starting life afresh. It is here that most of us religious and priests, and trained laity can step in. Already the diocesan SETIK is in the process of meeting this need and we the Redemptorists hope to get ourselves involved in this area also.

While we mourn the deaths of so many of our fellow-citizens and the immense damage to property, we also see a silver lining in this dark cloud of tsunami;  i.e., there seems to be an unprecedented sense of unity and solidarity in our nation. If this can be a new beginning in re-building a united, peaceful nation of Sri Lanka, perhaps, this tragedy may be interpreted as another way of God using crooked lines to write straight in His own way!

Index

News from The Alphonsianum

Alphonsianum
Rome, Italy

Here is a breakdown of the makeup of the student body of the Alphonsianum this 2004-2005 Academic Year:

Continent of Origin:

Europe 139
Africa 53
Asia 52
North America 33
South America 29

According to Nationality:

Italy 80
India 24
USA 14
Mexico 13
Brazil 13
Ukraine 12
Poland 9
Nigeria 8
6 – Tanzania, Philippines, Democratic Republic of Congo
5 - Colombia, South Korea, Peru, Romania, Slovakia, Spain
4 - Cameron, Egypt, Indonesia, Madagascar
3 - Benin, Burundi, Croatia, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Sri Lanka,
2 - Canada, China, Ecuador, Kenya, Malaysia, Portugal, Rwanda, South Africa, HungaryVenezuela
1 - Belgium, Bosnia, Burkina Faso, Chad, Chile, Congo, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Guatemala, Guinea. Haiti, Honduras,      Lebanon,Lithuania, Malta, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine, Paraguay, Slovenia, Sudan, Switzerland,Thailand, Vietnam, Zambia

Index

In Spiritu Redemptionis

V.Rev. Joseph W. Tobin, C.SS.R.
Superior General

As the days of Lent dwindle and the celebration of our redemption draws near, I am thinking passionate thoughts. It is fascinating to note how our way of life is frequently linked with passion. Last November, together with 850 religious from 130 countries, I took part in a congress whose theme described consecrated life as “Passion for Christ, passion for humanity”. While it does not use the exact terminology, the theme of this sexennium communicates a similar fervor and zeal, since giving one’s life is not an act of indifference but a conscious decision that is rooted in the deepest convictions a person can hold. At this holiest time of the year I am wondering how can contemplation of the passion of Jesus help us understand our own passion, which leads us to give our very lives?

The passion of Jesus cannot be reduced solely to his sufferings between the night of the Last Supper and his death on Calvary. In Jesus mission and passion are identical, so his whole life is an ardent effort to announce the arrival of the Kingdom. Because he is conscious of being sent to do the will of his Father (Hb 10:5ff), the centrality of God and God’s dream for humankind are the project for which Jesus is willing to sacrifice everything. The great temptations of his life are always the same; whether fasting in the desert or abandoned in Gethsemane, Jesus must constantly resist the lure of replacing the values of the Kingdom with his own program or otherwise reduce the radical beauty of God’s plan for humanity. Fidelity to the will of his Abba marks every day of his life and finally leads him to the cross, where he shows “the fullness of the beauty and love of God” (Vita Consecrata, 24). His mission is identified with his passion (Jn 12, 27) and his passion is the most eloquent expression of his mission.

It is clear that without mission, Redemptorist life makes no sense at all. By mission, I am not speaking simply about performing some pastoral service, since evangelization is much more than that. We are called to announce to the world the meaning of everything that we are: what we are committed to live for and that for which we are willing to die. The copiosa redemptio for which we give our lives is nothing less that the God of Jesus Christ and God’s dream for humanity. Just as there is no room for indifference on Calvary, our commitment to mission demands all that we are. Much more than jobs or assignments; we have a mission, since we are “sent as helpers, companions and ministers of Jesus Christ in the great work of redemption” (Constitution 2).

I believe that the Congregation is frequently tempted to replace the centrality of God and God’s dream for humanity with other concerns as the principal motivation in its life. Such enticement takes many different forms. Over the last two months I visited confreres in Australia as well as three African countries, Burkina Faso, Congo and Angola, and each context presents a unique challenge to Redemptorists. A highly secularized society, in which the Church has lost credibility and where consecrated life is often viewed as an alien life form, can lead aging confreres to question the sense of their life commitment even as physical strength and personal authority wane. In a similar way, Redemptorists struggle to survive in situations where Christianity toils in the shadow of other great religions or where a history of colonization and the present reality of war have devastated the society. In such circumstances, worry about self-preservation can become the defining value that captivates our attention.

The Cross invites us to face with courage the suffering that inevitably comes because of our passion for God. It is a call to self denial, which is really a surrender to God and to God’s dream for humanity. It is a reminder of the self discipline we must acquire in order not to reduce mission to simply what we feel we can do -- or worse -- only what we want to do. The Cross invites us “to burn with the same fire which consumed our God” (Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ, I, 12)!  

Index

Monthly Picture Gallery (  for online viewing only)

1.Painting of St. Gerard commissioned by Brother Duxbury for the Year of St. Gerard.

2.(from left to right) General Consultor Jacek Dembek with jubilarians Andrzej Wodka (Warsaw), Luis Antonio Rojas López (Bogotá) and Marian Sojka (Warsaw) celebrating their 25th anniversary of profession at the General House.

3.The opening Mass for the visitation of the General House. General Consultors at the altar (from left to right): Enrique López, Juventius Andrade, Serafino Fiore and Jacek Dembek. (Longshot,mediumshot from above,and closeup from floor level)

4.Rev. Igor Mychalyak, who was killed December 10th in a pedestrian-car accident in Spain. He served the Ukrainian people there. His body was brought back to the Ukraine and buried in Lviv.

5.Services at Father Igor’s home parish and birthplace of his Redemptorist vocation: Novojavorivsk.

6.The parents of Father Igor.

7.The funeral celebration for Father Igor in Lviv.

Index

Activities of Father General and the General Council

Australia: Fr General “Down Under”
Canberra Province
Fr. Des Fitzgerald, C.SS.R.

After a day and a night in the air, Fr Tobin arrived in Australia from Europe on January 20th, 2005, landing in Sydney. He was met at the airport by Australian provincial, Fr. Michael Gilbert, and taken to the provincial house located at Kogarah. Fr. Tobin spent a few days acclimating before proceeding to Galong, a Redemptorist retreat center in prime wheat and sheep country about 100 kilometers west of the national capital of Canberra. A few kangaroos and their numerous raucous feathered friends, galahs and white cockatoos, were among those to greet him.

More than fifty confreres gathered prior to the Chapter for an assembly of the Australian Province from January 23-25, to review the challenges facing the Congregation in Australia and canvass responses. The assembly was well organized and confreres were pleased with the process and reports. They particularly considered how the Congregation might restructure in this part of the world, sharing resources and expanding cooperation between units. Everyone greatly welcomed Fr General’s presence and conviviality and his willingness to listen as a brother. His interventions were few but encouraging, and spiced with telling experiences and stories from other parts of the Redemptorist world.

Though enjoying steady prosperity, Australia is a very secularized country, with Mass attendance falling to about 18 per cent of Catholics who number slightly more than 25 per cent of the population. As in other western countries, vocations have fallen away sharply, and the standing of the Church has been damaged by disaffection from institutions.

The Australian Province includes the Region of Aotearoa-New Zealand, and has a mission in China, in association with the Province of Vietnam. The Australian Province has been reduced greatly in numbers by deaths and departures, and now includes 86 in Australia itself, 15 in Aotearoa-New Zealand, and one in China. Of these confreres, only 43 are under the age of 70. There was one ordination in 2004, and only one is in the 2005 Novitiate (in Manila). Two Australians are on the staff at the Alphonsianum in Rome, and another works in Burkina Faso in Africa. The vice-provinces of Singapore-Malaysia and of Manila (northern Philippines) are largely independent.

The Chapter itself met from January 26 to February 1, receiving reports, including those from the vice-provincials of Singapore-Malaysia (Fr Glen de Cruz), Manila (Fr Joseph Echano), and from the regional superior of Aotearoa-New Zealand (Fr John Airey). The Chapter discussions concluded with the elections, with Fr Gilbert returned as provincial.

Following the Chapter, Fr Tobin traveled eight hours by car to Melbourne on the southern ocean. Like St Alphonsus, Fr General managed to break a seven-year drought, with 150 mm of rain, the heaviest rainfall in 130 years - on his first day in the city. Road signs on the trip had warned of koalas and kangaroos crossing the highway, but Fr Tobin caught a passing glimpse only of some emus.

During his few days in Melbourne, Fr Tobin was able to meet the other confreres at Kew and the publishing house at Brighton, and visited confreres in nursing homes in Melbourne and Ballarat, a provincial city about 100 kms north-west of Melbourne and where the studendate used to be located. From Melbourne, he returned to Sydney and then back to Rome.

The Australian Province greatly valued Fr General’s friendly presence at this extremely difficult period in its history, and especially appreciated the trouble he had taken to travel such a distance.

Featured Redemptorist Website

This edition our featured websites are from Sao Paulo, Lebanon and Russia

The province website:  
http://www.missoesredentoristas.com.br/

Our Lady of Aparecida Shrine site for Prayer Intentions: 
http://www.santuarionacional.com/index.php?id_canal=51

The Mission in Siberia:
http://www.redemptor.ru/

The Mission in Lebanon featuring Christ the Redeemer Center:
http://perso.infonie.be/marcel.vdb

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Announcements

With over 80 members, the General House community in Rome is ready to quickly fulfill any Mass stipends that you have on hand and do not have an opportunity to do yourselves. If you would like to send Mass stipends to the General House, you may contact the Rector to make arrangements:
Father Sergio Campara, C.SS.R.
s.campara@libero.it

Casa Generale,
Via Merulana, 31,
Roma, 00185
Italia

The English-speaking Redemptorist Parish Mission Preachers of North America will be gathering for a conference...three days of reflection, discussion and fellowship...at the Redemptorist Retreat House in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, USA, August 30 - September 1, 2005. The keynote speaker at the Conference will be John Shea, noted author and professor of Homiletics and Scripture. All conferees are welcome to join us. Additional information can be obtained by writing MurrayCSsR@AOL.com or Daniel_H_Andree@MSN.com.

Our MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP is our Virgin of the Missions. This Icon is a rich patrimony of the Congregation which we should know, preserve and make known. Personally I am interested in items about Our Lady of Perpetual Help, celebrations, feasts, publications, associations etc. in order to inform our people about them in our monthly magazine. I would be very grateful for any data sent to me from any part of the world. My e-mail address is: amagarpa@hotmail.com and my postal address is: Adelino Maria Garcia Paz, C.SS.R. C/San Jerónimo 35. Granada, España.

Thanking you in anticipation,

Adelino Garcia Paz, C.SS.R.

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