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Where your heart is, there will be your treasure
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| Redemptorist Newsletter | Number 38 |
Rome, Italy
June 16, 2008
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FROM THE EDITOR
Condolences to Father Enrique López
24th General Chapter Preparatory Commission news
Deepening Redemptorist roots and spirituality
Last Request for unit photos for Orbis
NEWS FROM THE PROVINCES:
Crucifixion painting on loan to our Vienna Church
Formators, students and postulants of Southern Europe meet in Madrid, Spain
Nigerian Redemptorists rejoice over a new Church and Orphanage
Dublin Redemptorists enrich their knowldege of Redemptorist history and spirituality
ACTIVITIES OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT:
General Chapter Preparatory Committee reports on the results of the questionnaire
VITA APOSTOLICA:
The Spirituality Center continues its series on Religious Life
REPORTS FROM THE SECRETARIATS:
Secretariat for Formation launches Website: www.fcontinuacssr.com
PHOTO GALLERY:
Photos from around the Redemptorist world
FEATURED MEDIA:
Internet streaming of Masses and homilies for the deaf
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pilgrimage Tracing Redemptorist Roots through Germany, Austria and Poland
TRANSITIONS
Professions, Ordinations, Anniversaries, Deaths, Electoral News
The entire Congregations offers its deepest prayers and sympathy to General Consultor Father Enrique Lopez whose mother, Carmen Olmedo de López, unexpectedly passed away on May 25, 2008. Father Enrique was in route by plane to attend the meeting of the North American Brothers in Canandaigua, New York, USA. American Redemptorists met Enrique at the New York airport to offer their support and facilitated his quick passage straight to Paraguay to be with his family at this time of loss.
From May 16 to 19, the Preparatory Commission of the 24th General Chapter met in Rome to synthesize the returned questionnaires. A report already sent to all units from the Commission´s president, Jacek Dembek, is reproduced in this edition of SCALA for anyone who may have missed it. The Commission also welcomed the writers of the Instrumentum Laboris, Sean Wales and Manuel Rodríquez to give them input into their serious task. Father Larry Kaufmann was also present to offer insights into the work and deliberations of the Restructuring Committee, whose proposals will play a large part in the next General Chapter. Representatives of the Commission also visited the Salesianum, the site of the 2003 General Chapter, which will once again be the site of the 2009 General Chapter with its excellent facilities.
The year 2009 will be an important year for the Congregation. Besides the General Chapter, there will be the Centenary of the Canonization of St. Clement Hofbauer in Vienna, Austria in May. Don´t miss the articles in this edition of SCALA on past and future Redemptorist tours that aim to inform us of our roots and deepen our spirituality.
Finally, this is a LAST REQUEST for any unit to send me photos of their unit´s ministry for inclusion in the 2007-2008 anniversary edition of ORBIS. I will need your photos by June 30th to be able to include them in the edition, which should go to print in August and be delivered to you by the November 9th close of the anniversary year. You may send me those photos in .jpg format, perferably in high resolution, at GaryZ@cssr.com.
Grace and Redemption for all!
Gary Ziuraitis, C.Ss.R.
Vienna
Crucifixion
Martin Leitgöb C.Ss.R.
Recently, a contemporary painting was hung in our church of Maria am Gestade (St. Mary's on the Banks), Vienna, Austria, entitled "Crucifixion." It invites the visitors to meditate on Christ, the Redeemer. It was painted in 2005 by the artist Eva Kaiser and left to the church on loan. It will hang in the Church until October of this year.
Eva Kaiser comes from Salzburg, Austria, and initially worked as a designer and a commercial artist. She calls her present-day work an "expressive action painting." In her whole oeuvre she deals with explicitly religious topics over and over again. Several paintings are devoted to Jesus Christ, whom she depicts in her expressive way as the suffering Servant of God, and, at the same time, as the life-giving redeemer. Once asked why she keeps dealing with the figure of Jesus Christ so much, she responded quite spontaneously, "Because I simply love Him!"
In the church Maria am Gestade the painting "Crucifixion" is displayed on the parapet of the organ gallery (see the photo gallery), thus being in a prominent place of the church. It comes across to the viewer as a modern reflection of the historically depicted cross that hangs opposite above the High Altar. In addition, the organ gallery is above the west entrance of the church. Thus, the painting invites the visitor to raise his/her eyes once again and look at Christ, the Redeemer, before leaving the church.
Europe South
Meeting of Formators and Formandi
Victor Chacon, C.Ss.R
A meeting of formators and formandi of Europe South was held in the Provincial House of Perpetual Help, Madrid, April 30–May 4. We numbered 24 people: 4 from the Province of Lisbon (one student, two postulants and their formator), 2 from the Province of Strasbourg (one postulant and his formator, a Peruvian Redemptorist), 11 from Italy (one student and one postulant from the Roman Province; five students and one postulant from the province of Naples together with their two formators and one Lebanese Redemptorist from the St. Clement Province) and 7 from the Madrid Province (five students with their two formators).
There were two reasons for our meeting in Madrid and among our Provinces. The first reason was to study formation in the light of Alphonsian Moral Theology and being Redemptorists and the other reason was to avail ourselves of the opportunity to fraternise and to strengthen our relations with the neighboring provinces.
The meeting began informally on Wednesday April 30 by welcoming our visitors and making a tour of the House and Church of Perpetual Help. Later we visited the city of Madrid as it was the first time many had been in our country. On Thursday, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, we began the meeting with a lecture by Fr. Marciano Vidal, C.Ss.R on Alphonsian Moral Theology. In the afternoon he spoke of Fr. Bernard Häring as a witness and promoter of our traditional moral theology. Afterwards there was time for questions and a discussion on moral problems. We finished at 7 o'clock and then celebrated the Eucharist presided by Fr. Provincial, Fr. Pedro López. After supper we enjoyed a walk in Madrid that was celebrating the eve of its special Feast.
Friday was no less busy. After prayers and breakfast we went to the Moral Institute to hold our meeting there. We were accompanied in the morning by Fr. Alberto de Mingo, C.Ss.R who gave a reflection on the Redemption as the key to elaborating Alphonsian moral theology. Afterwards we had an opportunity to visit the library with Fr. Vicente Garcia, C.Ss.R and to have a discussion with Fr. De Mingo who joined us for the celebration of the Eucharist in the community oratory.
We visited the church and parish of the Most Holy Redeemer and had lunch with the confreres there. In the evening we had the pleasure of visiting the Redemptoristines in Carabanchel, Madrid. Then we visited the church and the community of the St. Gerard studendate and the college where we enjoyed a game of football in a very relaxed climate.
On Saturday we confronted the theme of Bioethics under the guidance of Fr. Javier Elizari, C.Ss.R from the perspective of Redemptorist moral theology. We had also a lecture and discussion in the morning. In the afternoon we had a visit to Toledo where we saw the cathedral, the synagogue and the church of San Juan de los Reyes. On our return to Madrid in the evening Fr. Provincial hosted us in a restaurant for supper.
On Sunday, departure day, we celebrated the Mass of the Ascension presided by the Italian formators and the gospel made us once again feel that we are sent to the world to proclaim the good news as future moral theologians in the Congregation. All agreed that these days enlightened us on our Redemptorist, identity.
Vice Province of Nigeria
Redemptorists rejoice in new Church and Orphanage in Abuja
Wilfred Chiwetalu, C.Ss.R.
On April 26, 2008, the Vice Province of Nigeria witnessed the handing over of St. Fabian's Catholic church-building, EFAB, Abuja, to the Archdiocese of Abuja. St. Fabian's Church falls under the jurisdiction of the Redemptorist as an outstation of St. Anthony's parish, Jabi. Until the handover ceremony, the outstation had been known as St. Gerard's Church under St. Anthony's parish.
In 2004, St. Anthony's parish was given to the care of the Redemptorists. The parish church was a make-shift building, with a leaking roof. The floor was just bare ground and no walls. The parishioners were the poorest of the poor of Abuja, the Capital city of Nigeria. Such was the place we got at Abuja, but we labored on and enjoyed the challenge of our work.
For two years St. Anthony's Jabi had two priests and a pastoral year student who toiled tirelessly among the poor and the abandoned of the Abuja metropolis. Masses were often said in vacant lots, hotel rooms and even near garbage dumps. Once I said Mass in an empty, roofless arena, and on a cloudy day, constantly implored the Lord to keep the rain away. I was not drenched, but some others were not so lucky. Such are the conditions of our work in Abuja, a work full of anxieties and uncertainties.
The inevitable happened in 2006. The dreaded bulldozers of the Federal Government approached the neighborhood and church and the entire slum was demolished. The buildings, including the church, were said to not be in the city development plan and had to go to pave the way for new construction. Household items and numerous other properties of the church and the entire neighborhood were destroyed and vandalized. It was doomsday for our poor neighbors and us.
We then rented a property that could house three persons. The rented house was at a newly constructed housing estate, the EFAB Estate. But we still had no parish Church. The mission continued in vacant lots and make-shift churches as usual. Often we were subjected to ferocious winds and heavy downpours. It was not easy at all. The challenges continued.
Then one day the developer of the EFAB Estate informed us that he would like to build a church and an orphanage in the Estate. The man is Chief Fabian Nwaora, a Catholic.
By individual effort Chief Fabian Nwaora began the construction of the buildings in 2006 and completed them in 2008. On April 26, 2008, the church was dedicated. Numerous confreres attended. The keys of the Church were handed over to the Archbishiop of Abuja, who in turn handed them over to Fr. Anthony Orjih, C.Ss.R, the parish priest. Among the confreres present were Fr. Callistus Nwachuckwu, C.Ss.R, the Vice Provincial Superior as well as Fr. Celestine Okah, C.Ss.R, the second Consultor.
The construction of St. Fabian's church has made us heave a huge sigh of relief. We feel we have come to Abuja to stay. The entire structure contains a church building that can sit 200 persons comfortably, a rectory, and an orphanage. The church was furnished with pews, and, at the donor's request, named after St. Fabian. Above all, we now have a tabernacle inside our Church in Abuja. We thank God for his care and mercies.
Ireland
Dublin Province on Pilgrimage
Anthony McGrave, C.Ss.R.
Editor's note: In the coming year, the celebration of the centennary of St. Clement and the 24th General Chapter in October will offer many confreres an opportunity to visit Redemptorist sites. This article will give you a preview of what you might see. Also, see under "Announcements" information about a land tour of Redemptorist sites being organized by the North American Region for next year.
During the weeks following Easter 2008 about 80 members of the Dublin Province travelled as pilgrims to the Holy Land. This was the culmination of an initiative envisioned by Fr. Con Casey after his election as provincial in 1999 and who this year hands over the baton of leadership to a new provincial.
As provincial Fr. Casey was keen that collectively we, the province, should get 'in touch with our roots'. To this end he and his council organised a pilgrimage to the Alphonsian places, this eventually turned out to be the first of three pilgrimages, the others being in the Steps of St. Clement and in the Steps of the Saviour - the Holy Land.
Due to the number of confreres travelling on the pilgrimages, for logistical reasons as well as providing for the apostolates at home, it was necessary to travel in two groups.
The pilgrimage to the Alphonsian places took place in 2000, that in the Footsteps of St. Clement in 2003 and finally the Holy Land in 2008.
As the pilgrimages got under way Fr. Provincial emphasised three critical elements, namely: prayer, togetherness and telling our story and it can be said the confreres respected his wishes. It is worth acknowledging the gratitude of the province to Fr. Casey and the others charged with the organising whose unsparing energy and efforts ensured that everything went smoothly.
As one confrere remarked about his visit to St. Benno's in Warsaw, "It was a very special occasion that I, for one, often wished for but never thought would come my way." This sentiment was voiced by many others who never dreamt that they would have an opportunity of visiting any of these places associated with the founding and spread of the Congregation, or of visiting the Land of the Saviour.
The Alphonsian Places
The Alphonsian pilgrimage took us to the important places associated with the foundation of the Congregation, namely Scala, Ciorani, Pagani, Castellamare and Naples. We also visited Foggia where we celebrated Mass in the Redemptoristine monastery and prayed at the tomb of Venerable Maria Celeste Crostarosa. Journeying from Foggia to Materdomini we visited Deliceto (Iliceto) founded in 1744. This was St. Gerard's residence for five of his six and a half years in the Congregation. By our visits to Deliceto in 2001 we broke new ground by going to this early Redemptorist foundation because, until then, it did not feature on the itineraries of visiting Redemptorists. These pilgrimages concluded with a brief visit to Rome to celebrate Mass at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at Sant'Alfonso.
In the Footsteps of St. Clement
This pilgrimage took place in 2003. During his lifetime St. Clement's travels took him to many countries so this pilgrimage had varied itineraries. The common thread on both pilgrimages was (i) the focus on the places connected with St. Clement's early years in Moravia, Czech Republic and (ii) the places in Vienna, Austria associated with the last 12 years of his life.
Our goal in Moravia was his birthplace, Tasovice (Tasswitz). Here we celebrated the Eucharist in the church built on the site of Clement's family home, which had to be demolished in 1932 because it was structurally unsound. Afterwards we visited the Church of the Sacred Scourging at Mühlfraun (Dyje) where Clement was for a time a hermit. This church is in danger of collapse. Later we travelled to Znojmo (Znaim) where Clement worked as an apprentice baker and then to nearby Klosterbruck, the former Norbertine (Premonstratensian) Monastery, where Clement plied his trade and went to school.
In Vienna our visits included the cemetery of Maria Enzersdorf where Clement was first buried in 1820 and the Church of Maria am Gestade where his remains now repose. In the city centre we made our pilgrimage to the various locations on foot. Our first stop was at the Minoritenkirche (Church of the Friars Minor) where Clement and Martin Stark, after their expulsion from Warsaw in 1808, had a two-bedroom apartment. Clement worked here as an assistant priest and heard confessions. It was also in this church that Clement would celebrate his last Mass on 9 March 1820.
A brief visit was made to St. Annakirke und "Normalschule" (St. Anne's Church and "Normal School") where Clement and his friend Hübl attended a course on catechetics.
Our walking tour then brought us to Ursulinenkloster (St. Ursula's Church and Convent) where Clement was rector of the church and confessor for the Ursulines from 1813. Here a statue of the "Pieta" stands where St. Clement's confessional once stood. In this church St. Clement preached many of his famous sermons. This church now serves as a University for Music.
Opposite the back door of the convent is the Wohnhaus der Ursulinen (the apartment house of the Ursulines) where Clement had two rooms on the second floor. The larger room was a reception room, study, dining room and at times a bedroom. It also served as a chapel and as an assembly room for a number of famous personalities of the "Romantic School". It was also a meeting place of young people whom St. Clement attracted like a magnet.
Other sites, plaques and statues, were noted as we walked around the city before gathering at Dom zu St. Stefan (St. Stephen's Cathedral). We all know the story associated with this cathedral of how Clement's kind gesture to three ladies one rainy Sunday was rewarded by their supporting him financially to continue his studies.
On March 16, 1820, St. Clement's remains were carried into the cathedral through the Riesentor, the 'great door', which is rarely opened and only on solemn occasions. To the bewilderment of everyone, this main door opened, no one ever found out who had arranged this unusual honour.
Itineraries diverge
The visits to Tasovice and Vienna formed the common component of our pilgrimage, after this the itineraries diverged. The first group focused on Fr. Joseph Prost, Bl. Kaspar Stanggassinger and St. John Neumann with group two focusing on the Polish element of Clement's apostolate.
Group One
Group one travelled first to Attnang-Pucheim to honour the memory of Fr. Prost, who was the leader of the first Redemptorist mission in Ireland. This mission was preached in Limerick in 1851. At the cemetery chapel we celebrated the Eucharist and thanked God for Fr. Prost and the early pioneers who established the first Redemptorist community in Ireland. In the evening we joined with the Redemptorist community in Attnang-Pucheim for Evening Prayer and a gaudeamus.
Next we traced some of the steps of Blessed Kaspar Stanggassinger visiting Berchtesgaden (Bavaria, southern Germany) where he was born, baptised and celebrated his First Mass. On arrival at Kaspar's birthplace we received an effusive welcome from his grandniece.
Later we visited the Redemptorist community in Gars, where the mortal remains of Blessed Kaspar repose in a special shrine. At our Eucharist the homilist was Schwester Anneliese Herzig, superior general of Mission Sisters of the Holy Redeemer (commonly known as the Gars Sisters).
While in Gars we visited the community cemetery and sang the Salve Regina for our deceased confreres among whom are our former Superior General, Fr. Josef Pfab and Fr. Bernard Häring.
Our next stop was at the Marian shrine in Altötting where St. Clement once went on pilgrimage. Here Blessed Kaspar discovered his Redemptorist vocation and it was here that the first German foundation was established in 1841.
After our sojourn in Germany we returned to the Czech Republic, this time to Bohemia. Here we visited the Marian shrine of Svatá Hora (Holy Mountain), in Příbram. The shrine has been under the care of the Redemptorists since 1861 where they remained until April 13, 1950 when they were violently removed during the suppression of monasteries under communism. Then after 40 years they returned to Svatá Hora on March l, 1990. On the concluding day of our pilgrimage we followed in the footsteps of St. John Neumann visiting his birthplace in Prachatice and the graves of his parents, Filip and Anežka. We also visited České Budějovice, more familiarly known to most of us in the Western world by its Germanic name, Budweiser. The former seminary where John studied for the priesthood is located here but was confiscated by the communists, and at the time of our visit had not been returned to its original owners.
Group two
The second group began its pilgrimage in Poland finishing with the visits to Tasovice and Vienna. This pilgrimage besides visiting places associated with St. Clement could not but be affected by the evils perpetrated in this country during the Second World War.
For the first few days the group bivouacked at the Niepokalanow retreat centre, part of a mighty complex known as the City of Mary, the Immaculate, run by the Conventual Franciscans and was built by St. Maximilian Kolbe.
Following a tour of old Warsaw we headed for what we had all looked forward to seeing - St. Benno's. It was not the musty old church that some of us expected, but a beautiful, if simple, church. We celebrated Eucharist here. Afterwards we travelled to the other Redemptorist house in Warsaw, St. Clement's, where we received a warm welcome and a sumptuous meal. In St. Clement's we had Evening Prayer at the shrine of Fr. Bernard Lubienski whose cause for canonisation is being promoted in Rome. Lubienski was the name of a Polish official who pushed for the expulsion of Clement from Warsaw. Subsequently his family moved to England and his grandson, Bernard, joined the Redemptorists in London. Bernard was keen to undo the work of his grandfather and return the Redemptorists to Poland. Through his efforts the Congregation was in fact re-established in Poland in 1883.
In 1944 thirty members of St. Clement's community were shot dead with the men, women and children who were worshipping in the church at the time. This was a Nazi reprisal against the Warsaw uprising of 1st August 1944. The superior had to witness the execution of each confrere with a bullet through the back of his head before being shot himself.
With these sombre images still fresh in our minds we set off for Kraków. On the way we stopped and prayed before the famous image of the Black Madonna at Jasna Góra, Częstochowa. In Krakow our interpreter and witty guide was the Rector of the local Redemptorist community, Fr. Jacek Dembek. We didn't realise then that within a month, at the up-coming General Chapter, he would be elected a General Consultor.
In Kraków we celebrated Evening Prayer in the church of the Dominicans. Why here? Because it was here that the authorities imprisoned Clement on 21st April 1798. His crime? Kidnapping! At the request of some parents in Tasovice he had taken their sons back to Warsaw to educate them and he did so, not realising that he violated the so-called Emigration Act of 1784. About two years later he was stopped at a checkpoint near Krakow and arrested. Having spent 106 days under house arrest he escaped; let it be said with the help of one of the Dominicans.
In Kraków we were in the 'home territory' of Pope John Paul II and so we visited Wadowice, his birthplace and from there travelled to Auschwitz. At least one Redemptorist died in Auschwitz - Fr. Casimir Smorenski (born 1889). His prison number was 29706 and Maximilian Kolbe's 16670. We left this place of evil in somber mood and returned to our quarters in Kraków where Evening Prayer was grim and solemn as befitted the mood of the hour.
On day five we travelled the long journey from Kraków to Vienna. Today's first stop lifted the gloom of yesterday. It was at the Redemptoristine convent of Bielsko-Biała. What a huge joy it was for us to see so many happy and young people prepared to give their lives to God. There were 25 in the community; ten other sisters were out of the house in various places and some at the convent in Kazakhstan.
From Bielsko-Biała we continued to Vienna where we arrived twelve hours after setting out. Then, over the following two days, we followed our pilgrim way in Vienna and Tasovice.
In the Steps of the Saviour
Our first two pilgrimages saw us getting in touch with our Redemptorist roots; this third pilgrimage was aimed at our Christian roots. This pilgrimage wasn't solely about a physical visit to the homeland of Jesus but had been preceded by a serious programme of prayer and study. For almost two years all confreres, whether they intended going on pilgrimage or not, were asked to participate in the preparatory programme. At community level this involved monthly scripture study followed by Lectio Divina. At province level we had two 'Province Days' for deeper study, and a one-week 'bible school'. Then a few months before departing we had three study days at which Islamic and Jewish scholars gave us an understanding of these two great religions that are so prominent in the Holy Land.
On the pilgrimage itself we, like all pilgrims to the Holy Land visited the sites connected with Christ's birth, death and resurrection, but we will confine comment to a few places that we considered special. At all times during our stay we were conscious of the tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians and of difficulties caused by the physical barrier of 'the Wall'. We also learned that the Israelis discourage visits to places such as Bethlehem, Bethany and Emmaus that are within areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. We further learned that insurance companies are loath to cover visits to these places. But we were determined to visit them and did so, even though it involved some difficulties including detours. We wished to show solidarity with the oppressed Christian minority. It is worth bearing in mind that just sixty years ago Christians accounted for 80% of the population of Bethlehem but today represent only 16%. Faced with this dramatic decrease of Christians in Our Lord's homeland Fr. Con Casey suggests that the Church needs to make a preferential option for this dwindling group or soon the only Christians there will be pilgrims.
Most of us, if not all, were unaware of Redemptorist connections with Jerusalem but thanks to research by Fr. Brendan McConvery we learned that Fr. Bernard Kavanagh, an army chaplain with the British during World War I was shot dead by a Turkish sniper on the Mount of Olives on 21st December 1917. He is buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery on the Mount of Olives. Though an Irishman from Limerick, Fr. Kavanagh opted to stay in the English Province when the Irish Province was erected in 1898.
The second Redemptorist is Fr. Antonio Dressino of the Roman Province. Fr. Dressino was proclaimed a "Righteous Gentile" on 17th March 1996 for his efforts in hiding and saving Jews during the Nazi occupation of Rome during World War II. He is commemorated in the Italian area of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem.
In Capernaum, by the Sea of Galilee, a few of our confreres by means of a little drama commemorated the call to discipleship by Jesus of Andrew and Peter, James and John.
During our pilgrimage we were pleasantly surprised to find Our Lady of Perpetual Help in two locations. In the Church of the Visitation in Ein Karem there is a picture of Perpetual Help on the ambo. The other location is Nazareth where the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is prominently displayed on the wall of the International Center of Mary of Nazareth (www.mariedenazareth.com). This is a newly opened center devoted to peace and to making Mary better known which has adopted Our Lady of Perpetual Help as patron.
The final stop of our pilgrimage was Naim. Here in the little church we had a short prayer service during which we read St. Luke's account of the raising of "the dead son of his widowed mother to life". At present the Christians represent just two percent of the population of Naim, the remainder is Muslim.
ACTIVITIES OF THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT:
24th General Chapter Central Preparatory Committee
Sharing the Results of the Questionnaire, May 21, 2008
Jacek Dembek, C.Ss.R., Chairperson
Dear Confreres,
The Central Preparatory Commission for the XXIV General Chapter held its second meeting in Rome, May 16-20, 2008. At this time, we carefully considered the responses to the Questionnaire submitted from the units.
The Central Preparatory Commission would like to thank you for these thoughtful responses. As you know, the Questionnaire was sent to each community in the Congregation. From 87 Units (Provinces, Vice Provinces, Regions, Missions), we received 47 responses. We are grateful to those who synthesized all the responses for their unit. This was a great deal of work. Thank you for your cooperation and participation in the preparation of our next General Chapter.
We would like to share the most significant concerns and issues which were contained in the syntheses we received. These concerns and issues may be grouped under the following headings:
Redemptorist Identity
- Credibility of our Apostolic Life and prophetic witness in a rapidly changing world
- Individualism, Consumerism, Secularism, and their impact on our Redemptorist identity
Mission
- Ministry to migrants and the abandoned poor (internal migrants, refugees and immigrants). This includes ministry to families separated by migration.
- Presence among the poor and our relationship with the poor
- Apostolic Priorities in the units
- New apostolic initiatives and the sacrifices they entail, both individually and communally
Apostolic Community
- The impact of individualism on apostolic community life
- The challenge of community conversion
- The lifestyle of our communities
- Community prayer and the spirit of contemplation
- Aging and dying, both individually and communally
Formation
- Emerging issues in both initial and ongoing formation
- Decline of the intellectual formation of confreres, especially post-graduate studies
- Specific formation for missionary life in international communities
Cooperation and Collaboration
- International Communities and questions of culture
- The tension between inculturation and counter-cultural witness
- Cooperation between units
- Lay collaboration and cooperation as essential to our Missionary life
Restructuring
- Diverse responses and challenging comments and suggestions
- The relationship between restructuring and mission
- The perceived confusion between restructuring and reorganization
- The tension between authority and subsidiarity
- Restructuring entails a new solidarity
Theme of the 2003-2009 Sexennium
- There was a varied response and diverse impact of the theme in the units of the Congregation
Each of these major issues and concerns appeared in more than one Region of the Congregation. Many of them were expressed in reports coming from all Regions. These issues and concerns will be taken into account in the preparation of the Instrumentum Laboris which will assist the General Chapter in its work.
It is the intention of the CPC to prepare a draft of the Instrumentum Laboris for discussion at the Pre-Chapter Regional Meetings which will take place from January to May, 2009.
Once again, thank you for your contribution to the developing process of preparation for the XXIV General Chapter. It is our hope that the dialogue begun through the Questionnaire will continue and deepen so that the General Chapter might respond to the real concerns and longings of the Congregation and the abandoned poor as together we give our lives for plentiful redemption in the world of today.
Vita Apostolica
Religious Life 7: The Vows: Our response to God's love.
Félix Catalá, C.Ss.R.
I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations (Jer. 1, 4).
The vows are presented in our Constitutions in the context of the Charism of the Congregation, for the mission (of Christ). This, far from being a pragmatic approach to the vows, is a theologically rooted access to the unity of the various dimensions of our life style. Pastoral charity gives soul and unity to the life of the members (Const. 54). The focus on the Charism gives intent and focus to the living of the vows. The apostolic character of our Institute is not a second, least of all a secondary, aspect of our vocation. It configures and defines our religious life style.
Our Congregation, in the historical line of apostolic Institutes, seeks to bring together, from its very origins, the giving of self totally to God and the giving of self to the poor into a coherent style of religious life in the proclamation of the Good News. Alphonsus writes that our way to holiness lies in the constant intertwining of contemplation and activity. The mixed life, that is to say, a life that intertwines prayer and action, is the most perfect for such was the life of Jesus Christ (Alphonsus, 1749).
We had no official written Rule at the beginning. Many heads and hearts came together to shape the life style of the new Institute. And the poor were most significant here. One could say that they were a sort of sacrament to the Congregation: signs of God's will that mediated the grace of founding and of its perseverance in history.
In his contact with the shepherds in Scala Alphonsus was moved to praying that God send a child of Abraham to attend to them. He had already experienced the neglect of the poor in the city of Naples and, particularly, in the surrounding areas outside the city. But what he encountered in Scala overwhelmed him. These poor were totally abandoned. Celeste Crostarosa helped him clarify his ideas and moved him to act. She played a significant role in the opening of the doors to the new that God was bringing about. So also did Monsignor Falcoia and Alphonsus' close friends. One can't help but think of Sportelli, Mazzini, Mannarini, Sarnelli – friends who were fundamental in bringing about and shaping the new Congregation. Once Alphonsus made up his mind with the help of spiritual directors, so many who had been close to him laughed at him and maligned his project. Alphonsus responded with simplicity and clarity to all who considered him a fool or out of his mind: I want to simply live the Gospel!
Tannoia describes, in his own peculiar style, the significance of the moment.
Once Alphonsus was sure that it was God's will, he went ahead and strengthened his courage. He offered Jesus the total sacrifice of the city of Naples. He determined to live the rest of his life in sheepfolds and hovels and to die there among country folk and shepherds (Tannoia, IV, p. 66).
Alphonsus' passion for God and for the poor came together, through a profound conversion, through a radical change in life style, into a new way of life dedicated to following Christ in the preaching of the Good News to the most abandoned. The vertical dimension (God) and the horizontal (the poor) came together through the Gospel of Jesus Christ to shape a new community of religious. There was no Institute around that he could join to go about what he considered was urgent. No existing Rule seemed to give expression to what he came to see as God's will for a new community of religious. Celeste Crostarosa gave him and the early community the instrument needed. Alphonsus and the first Redemptorists worked on the Rule she provided to express what they discerned God asked of them.
As the first Redemptorists went out to respond to God's will, they were also giving shape to our religious life style and the living of the vows – in direct relation to the mission or Charism. They set out to structure the life of the community in such a way that it lived and witnessed to the fire that burned inside them. He who loves the Lord very much will not be content with being the only one in loving him; he will want to bring all to his love (Alphonsus, 1749). The deep experience of the love of God moved them to let go of all in order to respond to that love in mission. One can ascribe to them what our present Constitutions affirm about our religious life: They express this response in the profession of the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience (Const. 56).
In reading Alphonsus' letters and some of his writings one realizes how busy our first Redemptorists were in going about the mission of the Congregation. One also sees how important the prayer and mystical dimension was in order to sustain this life style. The personal relationship with God and the personal relation with the poor went hand in hand always. One detects how important it was to keep reminding the community of the importance of means and instruments that kept them focused on the Charism – the practice of mental prayer that kept them in contact with the love of God and in continued discernment of his will, the meditating on the virtues that empowered them to be faithful to the mission, the necessity of study to give to the poor the best that the Church had to offer, etc. Alphonsus was very much concerned and insistent about not giving scandal to the poor.
As one looks at the early life of the Congregation one sees that the vows were not an imposition or a juridic necessity – they were assumed as a way of articulating their giving themselves totally to Christ and his mission. Our whole life style, everything we are and do as Redemptorists, is directed to proclaiming God's Redemption in Jesus Christ. If every day we strive to love more deeply as chaste men, to be poor and dependent on God's mercy, to be ever attentive to the voice of the Spirit in obedience, we do it with the passion and generosity of one sent by God himself.
General Secretariat for Formation
A New Website for Redemptorist Formation
Luis Alberto Roballo, C.Ss.R.
The General Secretariat for Formation has organized a new Web Site for Redemptorist Continuing Formation with texts in English and Spanish at www.fcontinuacssr.com. Some sections such as the Common Room, Photo galleries and Blog can be translated on-line into different languages and therefore accessible to everyone. Come visit us and share in the communications about and collaboration in formation. We can also link to different Redemptorist web pages and upload pictures, texts and videos you want to share about formation issues. Thank you for supporting the work of Redemptorist Continuing Formation on-line. For more informations email: luisroballo@fcontinuacssr.com
1. The contemporary painting "Crucifixion" by Eva Kaiser, on loan to our Church of St. Mary's on the Banks, Vienna, Austria, and on display until October 2008.
2.A closeup of the "Crucifixion."
3. Father Bernhard Häring, C.Ss.R. was honored on the 10th anniversary year of his death with a special presentation by Father Bruno Hidber, C.Ss.R. in the Aula Magna of the Alphonsian Academy on May 17th.
4. The Sant'Alfonso community listens intently to Father Hidber's lecture on the life of Father Bernhard Häring and his contributions to Moral Theology.
5. The Eucharist was celebrated honoring Father Häring, presided over by Father General, who also preached the homily. Later, photo boards of Father Harings's life and displays of his moral theology works were on display in the common room. A festive cena and gaudeamus concluded the day's festivities.
6. 24 Confreres comprising the formators, students and postulants of the Provinces of Lisbon, Madrid, Strasbourg, Rome, Naples, and St. Clement met at the Provincial House of Perpetual Help, Madrid, April 30 -May 4.
7. The new Church and Orphanage building in Abuja, Nigeria
8. Confreres of the Dublin Province gathering to go to the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) of the Temple in Jerusalem.
9. Confreres of the Dublin Province following in Jesus' footsteps along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem.
10. Mosaic of St. Clement in the ceiling of the Austrian chapel in the Dormition Basilica, Mount Zion, Jerusalem.
11. The 24th General Chapter Preparatory Committee met from May 16 to 19. Some of the members of the committee visited the Salesianum to tour the facilities in preparation for the October 2009 chapter: From left to right, Manuel Rodríquez, one of the writers of the Instrumentum Laboris; Gary Ziuraitis, Brendan Callanan, Michael Brehl, Jacek Dembek, members of the 24th General Chapter Preparatory Committee; and Larry Kaufmann of the Restructuring Committee.
12. The entrance to the Salesianum, site of the 24th General Chapter in October 2009.
What's playing on WWW.CSSR.TV
Standing in front of a blue backdrop, Redemptorist Father Rich Luberti signs the Gospel and gives a homily. Father Luberti has spent most of his priestly ministry serving the deaf community. "It's a very creative project. It's great outreach," he said. Organizers believe it is the first time the liturgy will be available to deaf people by using Web camera technology in a sign language experts believe is used by close to 500,000 people.
Clementine Centenary Pilgrimage in 2009
Spirituality Commission, North America
The Spirituality Commission of North America is planning a pilgrimage for the centenary of St Clement Hofbauer's canonization. Confreres from around the world are invited to join the land portions of the pilgrimage beginning in Gars, Germany on Thursday, May 14, 2009 and finishing in Warsaw, Poland on May 23, 2009. The tour will include participation in the Clementine Centenary in Vienna during May 19 and 20. The trip will include stops in Munich, Fussen, Budweis, Bratislava, Vienna, Taswitz, Catowice, Cracow, Czestochova, and Warsaw.
Land only price is $2,199 (U.S. dollars), which includes hotels, all transfers, porterage, tour escort throughout, deluxe motor coach and driver, all sightseeing and entrance fees as per itinerary, 9 breakfast and 5 dinners. Price is per person, single rooms may be extra.
For more information contact Father John Murray, C.Ss.R. at MurrayCSsR@aol.com
Recent noteworthy events in the Redemptorist Family. For a complete record of Transitions visit the Officialia site
Profession of Perpetual Vows:
Brou, Hervé Ange Brou, Mission of Ivory Coast, April 6, 2008
Michel Kadjeli Yao, Mission of Ivory Coast, April 6, 2008
Ordination to the Priesthood:
Pedro Magallanes Torres, Vice Province of Perú-South, March 29, 2008
Justo Antonio Miranda Zavala, Vice Province of Peru-South, April 12, 2008
José Roberto Miranda Ramos, Vice Province of Bahia, April 26, 2008
Hryhorije Palyha, Province of Lviv, April 28, 2008
Ihor Stelmakh, Province of Lviv, April 28, 2008
Paul Dinh Dau Luyen, Province of Baltimore, May 9, 2008
Thomas William McCluskey, Province of Baltimore, May 9, 2008
Francis David Mulvaney, Province of Baltimore, May 9, 2008
Prem Prakash D´Souza, Province of Bangalore, May 14, 2008
Episcopal Ordination:
Bryan Joseph Bayda, C.Ss.R., Province of Yorkton, ordained and installed as Bishop of Saskatoon (Ukrainian), Canada, June 27, 2008.
Deaths:
Rev. Bernhard Jestl, 81, Province of Vienna, April 27, 2008
Rev. Francis Gerard Jennings, 88, Vice Province of Richmond, April 30, 2008
Br. José (Julio) Langa Garcia, 66, Province of Madrid, May 5, 2008
Rev. Franz Xavier Urban, 101, Province of Munich, May 15, 2008. * Father Urban, the Congregation's only centenarian at this date, died just four days short of his 80th anniversary of profession and 41 days short of his 75th anniversary of ordination.
Rev. George John Keaveney, 67, Province of Baltimore, May 23, 2008
Rev. Donald Christopher Fraser, 87, Province of London, May 23, 2008
Rev. Hubertus (Huub) Cox, 75, Province of St. Clement/Region of the Netherlands, May 28, 2008
Rev. Armando Fieni, 84, Province of Rome, May 30, 2008
70th Jubilee of Ordination:
John Doherty, Province of Baltimore, June 19, 2008
60th Jubilee of Ordination:
Sylvester Edward Feeley, Province of Baltimore, June 20, 2008
George Henry Bridge, Province of Baltimore, June 20, 2008
John Gerard Barry, Vice Province of Richmond, June 20, 2008
Karel Zeman, Province of Prague, June 20, 2008
Frantisek Hurina, Province of Prague, June 20, 2008
Henry Joseph McKeever, Province of Denver, June 29, 2008
50th Jubilee of Ordination:
James Joseph O'Blaney, Province of Baltimore, June 22, 2008
John Devin, Province of Baltimore, June 22, 2008
Richard Knappik, Province of Baltimore, June 22, 2008
William Spillane, Vice Province of Richmond, June 22, 2008
Edward Gray, Vice Province of Richmond, June 22, 2008
Robert Straub, Province of San Juan, June 22, 2008
Alfonso Amador, Province of San Juan, June 22, 2008
Desmond Joseph Scanlan, Province of Edmonton-Toronto, June 22, 2008
Jean-Paul Gauthier, Province of Saint-Anne de Beaupré, June 24, 2008
Jean-Paul Labonté, Province of Saint-Anne de Beaupré, June 24, 2008
Paul-André Bouchard, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, June 24, 2008
Gerard Ernest Siebold, Province of Denver, June 24, 2008
Martin Alphonse Stillmock, Province of Denver, June 24, 2008
Monroe Gerard Perrier, Province of Denver, June 24, 2008
Vincent Humbert (Noé) Aggeler, Province of Denver, June 24, 2008
Most Reverend George Yot Phimphisan, Bishop of Udon Thani, Thailand (Vice Province of Bangkok), June 24, 2008.
25th Jubilee of Profession:
Sagaya Arokiaswamy, Province of Bangalore, June 27, 2008
Ranjit Kumar Beck, Province of Bangalore, June 27, 2008
Fulgence Michael Guria, Province of Bangalore, June 27, 2008
Gaspar James D'Costa, Vice Province of Mumbai, June 27, 2008
Paul Julius Irudiaraj, Vice Province of Mumbai, June 27, 2008
Joseph Ivel Mendanha, Vice Province of Mumbai, June 27, 2008
Sebastianus Ani Dato, Province of Indonesia, June 28, 2008
Barnabas Bili Ngongo, Province of Indonesia, June 28, 2008
Thomas Wungo, Province of Indonesia, June 28, 2008
25th Jubilee of Ordination:
Patrick McLaughlin, Province of Dublin, June 4, 2008
Ciaran Fergus O´Callaghan, Province of Dublin, June 4, 2008
Matthew (Matías) Ryan, Vice Province of Fortaleza, June 4, 2008
Wiesław Poradzisz, Province of Munich, June 5, 2008
Wiesław Majewski, Province of Warsaw, June 5, 2008
Bogdan Bańdur, Province of Warsaw, June 5, 2008
Stanisław Karaś, Province of Warsaw, June 5, 2008
Andrzej Szczupał, Province of Warsaw, June 5, 2008
Janusz Dołbakowski, Province of Warsaw, June 5, 2008
Kazimierz Mikulski, Province of Warsaw, June 5, 2008
Andrzej Żylak, Vice Province of Resistencia, June 5, 2008
Zdzisław Kamiński, Vice Province of Bahia, June 5, 2008
Kazimierz Strzępek, Province of Bolivia, June 5, 2008
Gérard Riblier, Vice Province of Burkina-Niger, June 19, 2008
Miroslav Čajka, Vice Province of Michalovce, June 25, 2008
Michel Mercier, Province of Saint-Anne de Beaupré, June 26, 2008
Electoral News:
Sixto Benigno Guerrero Vásquez elected Vicar Provincial of the Province of Quito. Confirmed on May 11, 2008.
Jovencio Ma re-elected Provincial Superior of the Province of Cebu. Confirmed on May 12, 2008.
Alphonse Peter re-elected Provincial Superior of the Province of Strasbourg. Confirmed on May 20, 2008.
Maurice Girardin elected Vicar Provincial of the Province of Strasbourg. Confirmed on May 20, 2008.
Dominic Ðinh Minh Hải re-elected Vice Provincial Superior of the Vice Province Extra Patrium. Confirmed on May 23, 2008.
Dominic Nguyễn Phi Long elected Vice Provincial Vicar of the Vice Province of Extra Patrium. Confirmed on May 23, 2008.
Sebastianus Ani Dato elected Provincial Superior of the Province of Indonesia. Confirmed on May 23, 2008.
Barnabas Bili Ngongo elected Vicar Provincial of the Province of Indonesia. Confirmed on May 23, 2008.
Luís Rodrgius Batista re-elected Provincial Superior of the Province of São Paulo. Confirmed on May 24, 2008.
Peter Burns re-elected Vicar Provincial of the Province of Dublin. Confirmed on May 27, 2008.
Henricus (Henk) Erinkveld re-elected Vicar Provincial of the Province of St. Clement. Confirmed on May 29, 2008.
Suppression of Houses:
Domus "Holy Redeemer Center", in the city of Oakland, California, USA. May 13, 2008
Domus "Convento Nossa Senhora da Glória", in the city of Rubiataba, Goiás, Brazil (diocese of Rubiataba-Mozarlândia), May 13, 2008.
Erection of Houses:
Domus "Convento Divino Pai Eterno", Bairro Santuário, in the city of Trindade, Goiás, Brazil (Archdiocese of Goiânia, canonically erected May 13, 2008.
Domus "Convento Nossa Senhora do Perpétuo Socorro", in the city of Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil (in the archdiocese of Goiânia, canonically erected on May 23, 2008.
Domus "Seminário Redentorista Pe. Pelágio", in the city of Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil (in the archdiocese of Goiânia, canonically erected on May 23, 2008.
Domus "Saints Peter and Paul, in the city of Chernigiv (in the archdiocese of Kiev, canonically erected on May 23, 2008.
Erection of Novitiate House:
Sub Region Novitiate "San Alfonso", in the city of Piedecuesta, Santander, Colombia, canonically erected on May 23, 2008.