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

From the Editor:

We continue to listen to your suggestions for improving our newsletter. You will notice that this edition is shorter. Many of you have told us that you need to print it out in order to give it to confreres who do not have access to e-mail or internet. Our first editions were long. This is a testimony of how much is going on in the Congregation worldwide. But printing these out contributed to the deforestation of planet Earth! So we will try to be shorter in the future to be environmentally friendly and for the sake of keeping our newsletter easy to read and distribute to as many confreres as possible.

This will also help lighten the heavy load of our General Government translators. They are responsible for all translations coming out of the different departments of the General Government and the work load can become quite heavy. If there is anyone who would like to volunteer to do an occasional translation for SCALA from English into Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German or Polish please let me hear from you.

We are still seeking any and all e-mail addresses of confreres. We have over 1000 now. We recently "harvested" all the e-mails listed in the new Inscriptiones. But we know there are many more. Please send me the e-mail of any confrere who is not yet receiving Scala. Or you can sign up yourself by going to the sign up page at http://www.cssr.com/members/scala. I also want to ask you to check to make sure your spam filters are not filtering out our newsletter.

We also are seeking news from you. Please place us directly on your mailing list or e-mail list for any of your newsletters and information pieces. These can be mailed to:

Office of Communications,
Curia Generalis,
C.P. 2458, I-00100 Roma,
Italia.

If you and your province/vice/province/region has something important to tell the rest of the Congregation about your confreres, your life and ministry, please send me a one page summary and attach .jpg or gif photos to accompany it. You can send it to GaryZ@cssr.com It can be submitted in one of our seven major languages, but English or Spanish would be the easiest to work with.

We continue to look at our cssr.com website and evaluate how we can make it better. There are plans for some additions and improvements. Sometimes it may seem that nothing changes on it, but it is also a site for many resources about things Redemptorist. So please explore all the nooks and crannies of the menu. Many laity have written to us saying how much they have gained knowledge about the Redemptorists from it.

Finally, some have asked what the future is for the printed Communicationes. Because SCALA can be sent out in a much more timely and cost effective manner, including special news bulletins when necessary, SCALA is replacing Communicationes as the monthly newsletter of the Congregation. As mentioned above, we ask everyone to help distribute SCALA as widely as possible through e-mail and locally printed copies.

We are still planning on distributing some kind of printed magazine and/or book semi-annually or annually for the Congregation with articles containing more depth and breadth that come to us from around the Congregation. We will keep you informed on this project.

-Gary Ziuraitis, C.SS.R.

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

First Profession: Jozef Novak, Province of Bratislava, August 15, 2004
Ján Zoricák, Province of Bratislava, August 15, 2004
Peter Kocisko, Province of Bratislava, August 15, 2004
Carlos Humberto Andica, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005
Efraín Armesto Palma, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005
Oscar Darley Báez Pinto, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005
Luis Betancourt Díaz, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005
Juan Carlos Fracica González, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005
Christian García Cleves, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005
Diego Andrés Ramírez Ramírez, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005
Jimi Francisco Vargas Borrero, Province of Bogotá, January 5, 2005

Perpetual Profession:

Oleriano Barbosa de Andrade, Vice-Province of Fortaleza, December 2, 2004
Marcelo da Silva Sousa, Vice-Province of Fortaleza, December 2, 2004

Ordination to the Priesthood:

Efraín Canaviri Flores, Province of Bolivia, November 20, 2004
Marco Antonio Cruz Vedia, Province of Bolivia, November 20, 2004
Jhonny Daniel Flores Corrales, Province of Bolivia, November 20, 2004
Joseph Doan Van Bao, Province of Vietnam, December 2, 2004
José Carlos Meneguzzi, Province of Porto Alegre, December 5, 2004
Sang-Woo Paul Han, Region of Korea, December 8, 2004
Joachim Há Ngoc Phu, Province of Vietnam, December 17, 2004
Pierre Nguyen Huu Hanh, Province of Vietnam, December 17, 2004
Jean Baptiste Le Minh Trí, Province of Vietnam, January 20, 2005
Antoine Le Ngoc, Province of Vietnam, January 20, 2005
Paul Nguyen Van Cong, Province of Vietnam, January 20, 2005

Electoral News:

Rev. José Collado Luque, re-elected Vice-Provincial Superior of Burkina-Niger.
Confirmed on January 6, 2005

Rev. Brian Peter Holmes, elected Vice Provincial Superior of Fortaleza.
Confirmed on January 8, 2005

Rev. Antonio De Luca, re-elected Provincial Superior of Naples.
Confirmedon January 11, 2005.

Rev. Antonio Gomez Dias, elected Provincial Superior of Lisbon.
Confirmed on January 12, 2005

Rev José Palos Fernandes, elected Vicar of Lisbon.
Confirmed on January 12, 2005

Rev. Jeong Ho Rahael Lee, elected Regional Superior of Korea.
Confirmed on January 14, 2005

Rev. Jong Hoon Macario Lee, re-elected Vicar of Korea.
Confirmed on January 14, 2005

Rev. Manuel Rodríquez Delgado, re-elected Provincial Superior of San Juan.
Confirmed on January 14, 2005.

Rev. Gerardo Campbell, re-elected Vicar of San Juan.
Confirmed on January 14, 2005

Rev. Justo Ramón Correa, elected Vicar of the Buenos Aires Province.
Confirmed on January 18, 2005.

Rev Hideo Joseph Taniguchi, elecgted Vice-Provincial Superior of Tokyo.
Confirmed on January 18, 2005

Rev. Gerard John Pettipas, elected Vicar of Edmonton-Toronto Province.
Confirmed on January 18, 2005

Rev. Jerome Lewis Chavarria, elected Vice-Provincial Superior of Richmond.
Confirmed on January 19, 2005

Rev. Eric Nicolás Pérez Guerra, elected Vice-Provincial Superior of Caracas.
Confirmed on January 21, 2005

Rev. Pablo Cavero Vega, re-elected Vice-Provincial Superior of Perú-North.
Confirmed on January 27, 2005

Rev. Michael Gilbert, re-elected Provincial Superior of Canberra.
Confirmed on January 30, 2005

Rev. Paul Bird, elected Vicar of Canberra.
Confirmed on January 31, 2005.

Rev. Thomas Picton, elected Provincial Superior of Denver.
Confirmed on February 3, 2005

Rev. Peter Connolly, re-elected Vicar of Denver.
Confirmed on February 3, 2005

Doctoral Defense:

Father Marek Kotynski, of the Province of Warsaw, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on January 14, 2005 at the Teresianum, Rome. The title of his dissertation is: Uniformity to the Will of God as a Key Concept in the Christian Spiritual Life according to Alphonsus Maria de Liguori.

Deaths:

Rev. Albert Heeb, 71, Province of Helvetica, December 4, 2004
Rev. Harry Mattheessens, 51, Province of Flanders, December 6, 2004
Rev. Ján Kintler, 92, Province of Bratislava, December 9, 2004
Rev. Sylvio Dugas, 76, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, December 26, 2004
Brother Pierre Vu Minh Ngu (Bonaventure), 87, Province of Vietnam, January 5, 2005
Brother Willi Sauermann (Andreas), 91, Province of Cologne, January 10, 2005
Rev. Walter Blondeel, 85, Province of Amsterdam, January 13, 2005
Brother Ramón Cabeza Garcia (Leandro), 92, Province of Madrid, January 17, 2005
Rev. Georges Boisjoli, 78, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, January 18, 2005
Rev. Hubert-León Debruyn, 90, Region of Belgium South, January 19, 2005
Rev. André Calmels, 85, Province of Lyon-Paris, January 25, 2005
Rev. Ignacy Kalucki, 71, Province of Warsaw, January 31, 2005

  Index

News from the Provinces

Quito, Ecuador
Brothers’ Meeting in Quito
Final Message.

Dear Brothers,

1.The sixth Congress of Latin American Brothers took place in Quito, Ecuador from November 29 to December 4, 2004. Thirty-two Redemptorists took part in the Congress. They came from Mexico, Paraguay, Brazil, and Ecuador, as well as two representatives from the General Government: Fr. Enrique Lopez, General Consultor and representative of the Secretariat for the Brothers; and Fr. Félix Catalá, Director of the Centre for Spirituality.

2.The reflections centered around three main themes: Giving our lives for Plentiful Redemption; the identity of the Redemptorist Brother today; and the celebration of the Year of St. Gerard.

3.The priests and brothers who participated used the occasion to share their experiences of Redemptorist life in a very dynamic and emotive way. This was done by means of presentations, small groups, celebrations and prayer. The presentations gave a deeper dimension to the themes and reaffirmed the importance of the vocation of the Redemptorist Brother today in the Congregation and the Church.

4.We note that there is much vision and many things accomplished on our Continent. Without fanfare, many lives are devoted to establishing the Reign of God among our people. This is good news that reanimates and strengthens us on our pilgrim way. However we are aware also that in many Units little is done for the fostering vocations and for the formation of the Brothers. We see as well that in various Units the year of St. Gerard is passing unnoticed. Little or almost nothing has been done. Where there is no sowing there is no reaping.

5.As Redemptorist Brothers of this Latin American Continent, tainted with social sin and causing many deaths we are called and urged to ‘give our lives for Plentiful Redemption’. The challenge for us is to live our consecration with conviction and fidelity to Christ, being witnesses of joy and hope for the world as St. Gerard was.

6.Let us renew our commitment to promoting vocations to the Brothers and to their formation in our Units. We have organised Regional sub-Secretariats, entrusting to them the responsibility of giving more dynamism to the life of the Brothers, to vocation ministry, formation and other activities. There is much hope and good will to join forces for common action on our Continent.

7.The Latin American Congresses of Redemptorist Brothers have done much for Redemptorist life, especially for the Brothers. It has made us conscious that in the Congregation we form one missionary body with the common task of evangelising the poor. It has strengthened the conviction that we are Redemptorists by our religious profession and that we are all brothers in a fraternal community sharing our gifts by the faithful following of Jesus Christ in order to give our lives for Plentiful Redemption. Through these Congresses we have become more brotherly and more Redemptorist. With all this in mind we will hold the Seventh Congress in the Vice-Province of Resistencia, Argentina in December 2007.

8.As we joyfully celebrate this year of St. Gerard and, as he was, faithful to the will of God, we invite all Redemptorists of Latin America and the Caribbean to give thanks to God in this Jubilee Year and to help in facing our challenges with faith and missionary dynamism. May our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patron of Redemptorists and St. Gerard bless us all.

The Brothers of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Brazil
Interprovincial novitiate opens
Padre José Luiz Salles.

Today was an occasion of special joy for we Redemptorists of the North and North East of Brazil. In the St. Clement Centre at Campina Grande at 10 a.m., in the presence of various confreres, of the Diocesan Administrator of Campina Grande, of religious and lay missionaries, the first interprovincial novitiate was opened with 8 young men. They come from various Units:

From the Province of Port Alegre (community of Belém):

Marinaldo Lima de Lima, from Abaetetuba
Manoel Luiz Costa Balieiro, from Belém
José Ribamar Costa Silva, from Santa Helena

From the Vice-Province of Manaus:

José Amarildo Luciano da Silva, from Thaumaturgo
Raimundo Elson Rodrigues de Lima, from Codajas

From the Vice-Province of Fortaleza:

Washington Luiz Rodrigues Amaral, from Fortaleza

From the Vice-Province of Recife:

Edvaldo Monteiro da Silva , from São João
Erisson Roberto Monteiro da Silva, from Monteiro

With the blessing of St. Gerard, the Patron of this Novitiate, we undertake this initiative in collaboration, in order to proclaim Plentiful Redemption in our Brazilian land.

Campo Grande, Brazil
The NEW LIFE Community Association
Fr. William Tracy, C.SS.R.

Fr. Bill Tracy is one of those people who become great because they are able to learn from pain. Today he directs the New Life Community Association, in Curitiba, in the state of Paraná (Brazil), specializing in the treatment of alcoholism and addiction to other drugs, after having been himself an alcoholic. “Thanks be to God, I had a confrere, another Redemptorist, who was for me this Good Friend who pushed me toward treatment in 1978.” Fr. Bill, thanks to this help, was freed from the problem and, through his own experience was then able to recognize the existence of the same problem among priests and religious and to undertake a crusade to help them that has lasted already 20 years.

“I became interested in 1978, when I was affectionately pushed toward treatment myself. At that time, in Brazil, there was no adequate treatment for the problem of alcoholism – only in psychiatric hospitals that passed for nothing more than ‘warehouses for drunkards’. I had the grace of finding treatment in the United States, in a house specially dedicated to helping alcoholic priests, which, in 47 years, had helped more than 4,000 alcoholic priests to recover”, recounts the priest, explaining the source of the idea to construct the only center on the whole South American continent, especially prepared to receive religious men and women for treatment.

Recovery through faith

During its existence, more than 300 priests, including priests from African and other South American countries, have already been welcomed by the community, along with 35 seminarians, 30 women religious and 500 lay women and men. The treatment lasts four months and is closely monitored by Fr. Bill himself, by Sr. Terezinha Dias, who is also a psychologist, and two other psychologists, a medical doctor and volunteers from Alcoholics Anonymous. The program is based on the “12 Steps” of AA and begins from the premise that alcoholism is a disease and not moral weakness.

“No alcoholic, priest or lay person, wanted to be a slave to and abuser of alcohol; they simply wanted to ‘take a little drink’ as some manage to do. But trying ‘to take a little’ they discover that their reaction to the drug-alcoholic content is different from others who manage ‘to take a little’ and stop,” says Fr. Bill, remembering that the alcoholic has a greater tolerance for strong drink, and this ends up generating the dependency. “The sick person needs help, he says, because alone he or she is unable to break out of the dependency.”

Toward a new life

The people who are in treatment in the New Life Community Association have been referred to us by some priest, bishop or religious. Along with the referral, anyone interested in recovery can be accepted into the program if they agree to respect the religious environment. The process lasts 120 days in a half open regimen. A pay-by-installment plan facilitates payment when necessary and there is even assistance for their families, with help groups, taking place every 15 days. We have had priests from Bolivia, Peru, Argentina (5 Franciscans), Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay. One of these was a Redemptorist and two diocesan priests were sent by Redemptorist bishops.

Fr. Bill recalls that the first step is to recognize the problem. He cites the words of Fr. Gerald McSwigan, who died of diabetes, after 46 years of religious life: “My diabetes and your alcoholism are very similar: it is the DENIAL that kills……”

By means of Scala I hope to better spread the news of the existence of our Community – which really does give New and Paschal Life to priests and religious women and men who suffer from alcoholism. And I count on the confreres who know the pain of families that suffer because someone drinks too much or uses other drugs – in order to direct more patients to us. I know that the distances are very great, but to save a life, it is worth every effort.

Index

News from The Alphonsianum

Following is a statistical snapshot of the Alphonsianum this academic year (2004-2005) provided by the Secretary General of the Academy:

There is a total of 306 students at the Alphonsianum.

128 are studying for a Licentiate.
159 are pursuing a doctorate

188 are diocesan clergy
98 are religious clergy
20 are laity

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

53 are from Africa.
52 are from Asia
139 total from Europe, 80 of those from Italy
33 are from North America
29 are from South America

In 2003-2004, 50 Licentiates were awarded
In 2003-2004, 19 Doctorates were awarded.

In the next edition of Scala we will give you a picture of what countries all the students come from.

Index

In Spiritu Redemptionis

Excerpted from: Redemptorist Volunteer Ministries Newsletter.

A Scent of Hope

We met George a few years ago while on outreach. A few of the men on the streets told us where to find him. “Look for a bike over by the recreation center,” they said. “He will be sleeping nearby.” As we ventured toward the area, we saw the bike. George was within its reach – wrapped in a sleeping bag and a few blankets – ready for a night’s sleep in the cold.

As time passed, George moved to another spot. He took up residence in the shadow of a well-known monument in center city Philadelphia. Week after week, George would wait for us on a park bench near the monument. Always cheerful and pleasant, he would ask about various members of the Sarnelli House community. He enjoyed seeing us all. Every encounter with George ended with him saying, “Thanks for coming out,” and “See you next week.”

George was not in his customary spot a few weeks ago when we pulled up near “his” bench. I thought perhaps he had gone to bed early and we would see him when walking up the steps toward the monument he called “home.” Before wandering up, however, I asked one of his friends if he was already asleep. “No,” he said sadly, George died.” He then pointed to the bench and said: “That is why the flowers are there.” A simple yet beautiful arrangement of roses and carnations now occupied the spot where George kept his Friday night vigil.

Sadness befell all in the van as we realized our friend George was gone. In the midst of our grief, however, a scent of hope was offered by the bouquet of flowers – a presence that brought another perspective. Placed there by his friends on the streets, we were reminded once again of the love and respect commonly expressed by people who are homeless.

Often seen as friendless, the true identity of people on the streets goes far beyond anonymity. Known well to one another and best to God, people on the streets are far from the nameless nuisances many passersby may make them out to be. Rather, those who call local parks, benches, church steps, alleyways and doorways home form a community, who, in their simplicity and poverty, mirror the likeness of Jesus. In his image, they point to life in a better place: our true and lasting home in the Kingdom of Heaven.>

We came to know George because of the Christ-like concern expressed by his peers. That same care continued in death as the flowers brought new life in his memory and others gathered around them to mourn his loss. His spirit filled the air that evening. Although his body was absent, we found ourselves unexpectedly at his wake – listening to his friends recall his story. Together we expressed hope for his peace.

There is great value in having known George, one that can never be measured. He will be missed: by folks on the streets, the Sarnelli crew and others who came to know him at monument. His name will never be etched in the marble above where he slept, but those who knew him do not need an inscription to recall his memory. He will always be remembered for his kindness, gentleness and gratitude.

He has moved again – this time without his bike, blankets or sleeping bag. Yet, as in the past, the street community knows where George may be found. Their presence continues to point in that eternal direction.

Index

Monthly Picture Gallery (  for online viewing only)

Brazil Interprovincial novitiate opens

First Professed at the merged novitiate of Porto Alegre, Goiás, Bahia and Manaus standing with novice master Padre Fábio, who was also just elected Provincial of Goiás.

The beginning of the new merged novitiate of northern Brazil in Campina Granda, Pariaba joining the (V)Provinces of Manaus, Fortaleza, Recife and the area of Belém. Along with the novices are the Superiors of Recife, Fortaleza and Manaus.

Campo Grande, Brazil
The NEW LIFE Community Association
Fr. William Tracy, C.SS.R.

The headquarters of the Association in Curitiba, in the state of Paraná, where more than 900 religious women and men have been in treatment.

Fr. William Tracy, C.SS.R.

This mosaic in the entrance of New House. The trees in the lower corners represent the victims of alcohol and drug abuse dying; in the center is the Alchoholic and Addict in recovery, celebrating NEW LIFE and SOBRIETY.

Lay Redemptorist missionaries of the Denver Province

Ongoing lay missionaries in the back row: Michael Thomas, Alicia Von-Stamwitz and Craig Franklin. Newly committed lay missionaries in the front row: Beth Boykin, Gracie Hutchinson, Wendy Barnes, Jacque Crawford and Christine Bluett.

Quito, Ecuador
Brothers’ Meeting in Quito

Index

Activities of Father General and the General Council

It is difficult to summarize the past year in one sentence. But if I had to, I would say: This past year was a year of surprises.

I was not expecting to be elected to the General Council at our General Chapter. Yes, that was a surprise. Yet, that was just the beginning of the surprises in store for me.

It is true that I had previously studied in Rome and familiar with confreres who live and work in the various units of the Congregation. I had many opportunities to talk to the Consultors that served during my student days. And when I was the Provincial Vicar of the Warsaw province, I did visitations on a smaller scale. However, I did not realize what a challenge it is to be exposed to hundreds of situations, requests, and cases that come from around the whole Congregation contained in so called “green files”, containing documents that need study and discussion by the entire Council. “Green files” placed at your portal, smiling to you their green smiles and welcoming you home from international travel saying: “Hi, Buddy, here we are, did you miss us? You’ve got two days to read through us.” And saying it in several languages, as the documents in these files are often written.

I did not know what a challenge it is to try to learn new languages in a short time; to learn different cultures in a couple of hours; being in travel for more than forty hours at one stretch.

Yet, on the other hand, I knew, but never experienced on such a grand scale, how many great men there are in this Congregation. Confreres who do their jobs, live their vocation, give their lives sometimes in the most difficult areas and situations. Men of God, who are always ready to welcome you, a stranger, and make their homes your home, because there is this bond of our common vocation. Men with whom you bond as brothers during a very short time.

I knew all this in my head, but it is now as a General Consultor that I can experience it, touch it, see it, hear it and realize how much we are needed in the world and how much our presence is appreciated by the people we serve. People of various strata. Poor people who share with pride their simple, poor houses and those a bit richer, who claim that the Redemptorist presence has changed something in their lives, and given them an awareness of a void in which they had falsely believed they had filled . Our presence appreciated by those with whom you can communicate with only a smile or a handshake, and those who are learned and sophisticated.

Once you see all this, you know the Redemptorists are needed.

So, as the expression made famous in the movie “Forest Gump” goes: this last year was a very special “box of chocolates.” A special mixture of challenges, joys, difficulties and moments of basking in peace and friendship. Something I never expected in my life, yet, as it has unfolded, I am grateful for.

Finally, a very personal experience… This past year my Mother was very sick. Being her only son, it was tough being far away from her, especially when she was in the hospital. Then, when it seemed that everything was going to be all right, she unexpectedly passed away, on January 9th, 2005. God be praised in her life; in the good, she brought to this world and for the difference she made to so many people. God be praised in her death; as well as in her birth to eternal life.

In this world I have no other family now but you, Brothers. I am grateful to God to belong to and serve such a great family.

Profiles

From “The Collaborator,” Newsletter of the English Speaking Caribbean Region.

If success is measured by the impact that one has on the lives of people, then Fr. Albert Lamote has lived a pretty successful life. Born 91 years ago in St. Kruis Brugge, Belgium, the former Parish Priest of Grand Bay and still active member of the Redemptorist team currently there, Fr. Lamote has managed to forever secure a big part of the hearts of both young and old, not only in Grand Bay, but around Dominica, and show with clarity just what it means to live the Redemptorist way of life.

For Fr. Albert Lamote the journey began in 1934 when he became a professed member of the Redemptorist Congregation. However, his journey to religious life and priesthood was put on hold when he was called upon to join the Belgium army in 1940. During World War II he was captured and became a Prisoner of War. Nine months later he was released, with only his memories and a medal, in the form of “two cross swords,” which he received from his government, to serve as a reminder of this experience.

Six years after his release from a German prison, Fr. Lamote arrived on the shores of Dominica on his first mission in the Caribbean Region. Five years later, April 1974, after missions in Antiqua and Montserrat and parish priest of Mahaut/Massacre with Fr. Vandenburg, he was assigned to Grand Bay with Frs. Standaert and Francis during a State of Emergency in Grand Bay. No one knew at the time that Grand Bay was to become his home, and its people, his greatest joy.

Today, Fr. Lamote’s name has become synonymous with the village of Grand Bay. It is quite impossible to mention his name and not find someone whose life he had not touched by just being himself. Mention his name and the stories start flowing. For example, Fr. Francis tells of the time that Archbishop Kelvin Feliz, Archbishop of St. Lucia, made the trip back home for the sole purpose of attending Fr. Lamote’s Jubilee celebration, because he, in his youth, served as an acolyte for the beloved Parish Priest. For the people of Grand Bay he is a priest like none other; “unpretentious, easy to get along with, personable, welcoming, and easy to talk to,” and it’s not only the adults who share that view. He is well liked by young persons as well; a feat that Fr. Francis believes has to do with the fact that Fr. Lamote is “non-judgmental,” and “makes no distinction among people.” He is a Priest who approaches everyone with a smile, and refers to everyone as “my child,” his way of expressing his love and concern for them. He has contributed much to this village of Grand Bay. “All the people see in him a real good priest.” He showed Grand Bayrians that it was possible for someone to care for and about them, and put their needs, physical, spiritual, emotional, material, first, just by being himself. Not only do the people love him in return, but they see in him the quiet grace and dignity he brings to the Priesthood, specifically the Redemptorist way of life.

With his quiet disposition, and a smile that long time friend Fr. Francis Bogaerts describes as “disarming,” Fr. Lamote embodies the true meaning of the Redemptorist way of life. From the moment he joined the Redemptorist Congregation, where he was later professed in September 15th, 1934 in St. Truiden, he has remained true to his vow to go wherever he is needed. While he may have never served as a Superior, but always a “perfect second” he has always put his congregation first. Though there have been many issues that have threatened to destroy the Church, Fr. Lamote has never wavered in his faith, nor lost his desire to be a priest or Redemptorist. He has remained true and steadfast to his Church and to what he believes, and always maintained “ a sense of service in any field he was put;” the characteristic that Fr. Francis cited he would like to see emulated by the young and upcoming Confreres. Fr. Francis believes that Fr. Lamote’s contribution to the Church in Dominica is “his visibility” and that he is “a good priest, a saintly priest.”

At 91, it is not an exaggeration to say that all revere Fr. Lamote. Much can be said about the character of a man who is loved, not only by his parishioners, but also by his Confreres. He is indeed a man whose character is “fortified by his faith.”

Today Fr. Lamote still resides in Grand Bay, the place he has called home for so long. At 91 he is still going strong, still an active member of the Legion of Mary. Though his age prevents him from delivering homilies or conducting retreats, etc., he is still actively involved in the Church. His presence alone bolsters the spirit of his people. He is a living testament of dedication and commitment to the Church, to the Redemptorist way of life, and to an unwavering faith in his God.

If success is measured by the impact that one has on the lives of people, the Fr. Albert Lamote has lived a pretty successful life. In describing the life of a man well loved, I hope that I was able to achieve the task that his long-time friend and Confrere, Fr. Francis Boogaerts, gave to me: “To describe the life of a faithful priest who can be imitated not only as a priest, but as a person;” That priest, and that man – that is Fr. Albert Lamote.

Featured Redemptorist Website

Our featured Redemptortist websites this issue are:

Argentina    www.Redentoristas.org.ar

Japan         www.cssr.or.jp

  Index