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

From the Editor

News doesn’t go on vacation, but people do! The next SCALA will appear in October to allow our staff and translators, full-time and part-time from around the world, to take their vacations. We will issue a special SCALA if events make it necessary.

SCALA truly is a worldwide, international effort. The summer break is a good opportunity to thank everyone involved by name. Especially the translators, who besides generously giving their time to SCALA features, also do much work for the other areas of the General Government: Portuguese: José Vidigal (Rio de Janeiro); Spanish: Porfirio Tejera (Madrid); French: Gabriel Boudreault (Tokyo), Jean Beco (Brussels), Hervé Gendron (Ste-Anne-de-Beaupre), Yves Morvan (Lyons-Parish); Italian: Sergio Campara (Pilar), Serafino Fiore (Generalate); English: Tony Mulvey (Dublin); German: Hermann Schmid (Switzerland), Heribert Koger (Vienna); Polish: Jan Cygnar (Warsaw), Andrzej Wodka (Warsaw).

I thank also Father General and the General Council for placing confidence in me to fulfill their wishes for Redemptorist Communications. I thank the Secretary General, Joe Dorcey, for his assistance, as well as Wilfried Lienesch (Cologne) and John Vargas (Denver) for on-site technical assistance. I also want to thank Ron Ziuraitis, my brother, who assists us from the United States with the monthly design and fulfillment of SCALA and designed our new CSSR-IM messenger service. We use it quite regularly here around the General House. You can learn more about it and subscribe to it at CSSR-IM .

And of course, I need to thank you, the readers of SCALA, for your contributions, suggestions and comments throughout this first year. It is you who make SCALA interesting and a record of our efforts in these days to bring plentiful redemption to a seeking world. This may be a good place to mention that we are planning a printed 2005 yearbook, to be called “ORBIS,” continuing a name that has a rich tradition in Redemptorist Communications. It will contain feature length articles in seven languages and a color photo layout that will come your way sometime by the end of the year or the first of the new year.

If you start to miss us during the summer, you can always go into the SCALA archives on cssr.com and catch up on past issues you may have missed. Enjoy your vacations too! See you in October, if not sooner, with SCALA#10. Don’t forget to send us your news!

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

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

First Profession of Temporary Vows:
Jonel César, Region of Port-au-Prince, February 7, 2004
Enel Constant, Region of Port-au-Prince, August 15, 2004
Viller Constanvil, Region of Port-au-Prince, August 15, 2004
Kristoffenson Alea y Soriano, Vice Province of Manila, May 15, 2005
Hernando Perez, Province of Cebu, May 21, 2005
Leomel Jong Puerto, Province of Cebu, May 21, 2005
Shaun Silagan, Province of Cebu, May 21, 2005
Dominique Dang Tran Thien Thanh Tra, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Thomas Ho Duc Cuong, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joseph Luong Van Long, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joseph Nguyen Cong Minh, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Pierre Nguyen Luong Bang, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joseph Nguyen Manh Thuong, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Antoine Ngyuen Tan Hung, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Dominique Nguyen Van Huyen, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Dominique Nguyen Van Phuong, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Michel Pham Gia Lam, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Paul Touneh Han Tu, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joseph Tran Dinh Phuong, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Vincent Vu Ly Bang, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joseph Vu Van Tien, Province of Vienam, June 27, 2005

Profession of Perpetual Vows:
Nickson Prédélus, Region of Port-au-Prince, August 7, 2004
Jean Eddy Louis, Region of Port-au-Prince, August 7, 2004
Arsenio Cuervo Vega, Province of Madrid, May 24, 2005
John Thanapoom Manamuti, Vice Province of Bangkok, May 28, 2005
Francis Somkiet Munsub, Vice Province of Bangkok, May 28, 2005
Peter Montri Onthale, Vice Province of Bangkok, May 28, 2005
John Mathee Srivorakul, Vice Province of Bangkok, May 28, 2005
Joseph Dinh Van Cao, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joseph Do Tuan Anh, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joseph Duong Cong Dinh, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Jean Baptiste Le Trung An, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joachim Le Van Chinh, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Jean Baptiste Mai Minh Manh, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Paul Ngo Van Phi, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joachim Nguyen Chi Cong, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Jean Nguyen Ngoc Hai, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Joseph Pham Quoc Giang, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Pierre Pham Xuan Loc, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Dominique Tran That, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Jacques Vo Minh Quang, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005
Thomas d´Aquin Vu Quan Bang, Province of Vietnam, June 27, 2005

Ordination to the Priesthood:
Fritz Abellard Thomas, Region of Port-au-Prince, February 8, 2004
Gilbert Peltrop, Region of Port-au-Prince, February 8, 2004
Jean Max Walter Souverain, Region of Port-au-Prince, February 8, 2004
Nickson Prédélus, Region of Port-au-Prince, January 30, 2005
Jean Eddy Louis, Region of Port-au-Prince, January 30, 2005
Arockia Sagaya Seelan Carvalho, Province of Bangalore, April 16, 2005
Siluvai Muthu, Province of Bangalore, April 30, 2005
Robert Russell Harrison, Jr., Region of the Caribbean, May 7, 2005
James Kumar, Province of Bangalore, May 7, 2005
Patras Mundu, Province of Bangalore, May 8, 2005
Carlos Félix Tchimbowe, Vice Province of Luanda, May 8, 2005
Mateo Tancio Jr. Butlig, Province of Cebu, May 10, 2005
Jesus Sanito Umbac, Province of Cebu, May 10, 2005
Copernicus Jr. Perez, Province of Cebu, May 10, 2005
Joseph Royan, Province of Bangalore, May 14, 2005
Sarath Chandra Sagar Maddineni, Province of Bangalore, May 18, 2005
Maximiliano José Goytia, Province of Buenos Aires, May 29, 2005
Joseph Nguyen Van Phuong, Province of Vietnam, June 11, 2005
Pierre Do Minh Hien, Province of Vietnam, June 24, 2005
Benedikt Kisters, Province of Cologne, June 26, 2005

Electoral News:
Rev. Luís Rodrigues Batista elected Provincial Superior of São Paulo.
Confirmed on June 8, 2005.

Rev. Glenn Michael Cecil de Cruz elected Vice Provincial Superior of Ipoh.
Confirmed on June 13, 2005.

Rev. Vicente de Paula Ferriera elected Provincial Superior of Rio de Janeiro.
Confirmed on June 15, 2005.

Rev. José Augusto da Silva elected Provincial Vicar of Rio de Janeiro.
Confirmed on June 18, 2005.

Rev. João Pedro Fernandes elected Vice Provincial Superior of Luanda.
Confirmed on June 18, 2005.

Rev. Michal Zamkovský elected Vice Provincial Superior of Bratislava.
Confirmed on June 23, 2005.

Rev. Peter Slobodník elected Vice Provincial Vicar of Bratislava.
Confirmed on June 23, 2005.

Rev. Joy Poonoly re-elected Vice Provincial Vicar of Alwaye.
Confirmed on June 27, 2005.

Nominations:
Rev. Thomas Mulanjananikal nominated Regional Superior of Colombo.
June 14, 2005.

Rev. Christopher Rohan Perera nominated Regional Vicar of Colombo.
June 14, 2005.

Rev. Sanath Kumara Fernando nominated Second Consultor of the Region of Colombo.
June 14, 2005.

Rev. Dominic Dinh Minh Hai nominated Vice Provincial Superior of the Extra Patriam.
June 15, 2005.

Rev. Dominic Tran Quoc Bao nominated Vice Provincial Vicar of the Extra Patriam.
June 15, 2005.

Rev. John Baptist Pham Quoc Hung nominated First Consultor of the Vice Province of the Extra Patriam.
June 15, 2005.

Rev. Peter Ngo Dinh Thoa nominated Second Consultor of the Vice Province of the Extra Patriam.
June 15, 2005.

Erection of Houses:
Blessed Methodius Dominik Trcka in the city of Stará L´umbovna, Slovakia.
June 27, 2005.

Seelos House in the city of A. Hangdong, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
June 30, 2005.

Supression of Houses:
St. James the Apostle in the city of Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
June 27, 2005.

Las Matas de Farfán, Dominican Republic.
June 27, 2005.

Novitiate House Transferred:
The novitiate of Vietnam was transferred from the house of Mai Thon to the house of Can Gio both within the city of Thanh Pho Ho Chi Minh (Hochiminhville).

Deaths:
Rev. Thomas Francis O’Toole, 81, Province of Baltimore, June 19, 2005
Rev. William Gerard Ratcliffe, 84, Province of London, June 21, 2005.

   Index

News from the Provinces

Dublin, Ireland
The Redemptorists Gather
Rev. Tony Flannery, C.SS.R.

(editor’s note: These are excerpts from a column that originally appeared in the June 2005 Reality, a Redemptorist Publication of the Dublin Province.)

We Redemptorists will be meeting in Dublin for what we call our Assembly Chapter. This is an event that takes place every three years. All Redemptorists living and working in Ireland – with the exception of those who are too sick or old – together with representatives from our foreign missions, come together for a week. We elect the people who will govern us for the next three years and discuss and try to make decisions about some of the pressing issues that face us at the moment.

There will probably be close to one hundred at the Chapter. Needless to say, our average age is high. At 58, I will still be in the younger half of the gathering. That in itself will dictate a fair bit of the agenda. Most of our members are now retired, in so far as a priest and religious ever retires. They are no longer able to carry out our main work, which is conducting missions, novenas and retreats in the parishes and other centres around the country. This is difficult work, which has got increasingly more difficult as they years have passed and it needs a fair degree of physical and mental energy. Over the years the income from this work kept us financially afloat, so inevitably with fewer working and more to support, financial matters will concern us during the week. At this stage, the old age pension is the most substantial income in our monasteries.

Another big issue we will discuss is what to do with our buildings. We have seven large properties, three in Belfast and one each in Dundalk, Dublin, Limerick and Esker, outside Athenry, which is our only country house. By now all of them are too big for our purposes. Since most are old, the upkeep is difficult. Recently, the Health and Safety people examined one, and concluded that up to €2million would be needed to bring it up to standards required today. A number of big and difficult decisions need to be made.

Along with these practical matters, our Chapters usually spend time discussing what we call our apostolate. We were founded over 250 years ago to be “extraordinary preachers of the Word of God, especially to the poor.” We will inevitably hear speeches on this topic, calling us back once again to what we refer to as our original charism. These speeches are ones that are heard at most conferences, reminding people of the particular flame of which they are keepers. They are given a respectful hearing, but are not taken too seriously. At this stage in our lives most of us feel that trying to retain whatever bit of momentum we have is enough of a challenge without thinking of any new or daring initiatives.

Something the same will apply to our living together or “community life” as we call it. We have a very idealistic set of statements in what we call our Constitutions, which outline a life together built on mutual love and respect, deep sharing of life and faith, and constant prayer. These will be read out at the Eucharist and at the beginning of meetings, reminding us of what we are about.

Most of us have lived the religious life for 40 or 50 years, and we were initiated into it in a time when personal relationships and human closeness were frowned upon. We have learned our ways of coping. We don’t have too much stomach for deep sharing at any level with the other members of the community. By and large, the life in our monasteries is pleasant. We generally get on well with each other, and there is a relaxed atmosphere. The days of tight structures and heavy handed authority are long gone, and people mostly get on with their own lives.

Twenty five years ago, Chapter meetings were intense and passionate gatherings, with deep, strongly held feelings expressed on many issues related to our life and work. Election of our leaders could also be a tense and fractious affair. Our Chapter Assembly this year is unlikely to be that way. People will be more detached, and the atmosphere will be more relaxed. But still some sparks may fly over issues like whether we should dispose of our property to the highest bidder, or dispense with it in some way that might be more in solidarity with the poor. Should an ageing group of religious put money aside to care for themselves in their sickness and old age, or should they, in the words of Jesus, “sell what they have and give the money to the poor”?

Baghdad, Iraq
Rebuilding from terror and war
Fr. Ed Vella, C.SS.R.

Major John Stone, of the US Army Civil Military Operations, coordinates the rebuilding of a new parish school in a Baghdad parish staffed by the Redemptorists (cf. photo gallery). Major Stone is the first cousin to Redemptorist Father Edward Vella of the Denver Province. Recently Major Stone arranged for FOX NEWS to interview Fr. Bashar over lunch with the local military chaplain.

Redemptorist Father Bashar Matti Warda was born in Baghdad in 1969, ordained a Chaldean priest in 1993, and joined the Redemptorists in 1995. He made his novitiate in Ireland and studied Moral Theology at the Louvain. Back in Baghdad in 1999, he taught moral theology at Babel College for Philosophy and Theology. In 2001, the Chaldean Church asked the Redemptorists to look after St. Elya parish, which is the second largest parish in Iraq (2500 families). He has been pastor since then.

Fr. Bashar states “Since the liberation of Iraq the Redemptorists have tried to work with the U.S. Army to help all the people of the area, Muslims and Christians alike. We live in a suburb of Baghdad which has many very poor families. On August 1, 2004, (ironically the Feast of Saint Alphonsus Liguori), a car exploded at the gate of St. Elya Church after the Sunday Mass. It was the first church to be attacked. In September 2004 we decided to open a school for the children of the neighborhood. It has become a way to help build a peaceful future for Iraq, and a channel to preach the good news for the Iraqi people, Muslims and Christians alike.”

Rev. Peter Sousa, C.SS.R. is a member of the Vice Province of Richmond, USA and an ordination classmate of Father General. He is currently on active duty as a chaplain in the U.S. Military. He writes: “Greetings from the Middle East. I'm currently in Kuwait and just getting to Abu Ghraib I will send you some information on what we are doing there. I know, ethically and morally, we are being held to the highest standards and part of my job will be to visit the hospital -- announced during the early morning hours -- just to be a presence and to prevent any mistreatment of the detainees. Our hospital has the primary care of all the detainees. Please keep me in your prayers.”

Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
St. Gerard Majella Congress

Editor’s note: In this year of St. Gerard, here is a report from Brasil about their Congresso Geraldino. Materdomini also held a conference in June and we will be bringing you a report about that conference later.

The St. Gerard Majella Congress has now become a part of Redemptorist history in Brazil. A total of 198 participants (priests, brothers, professed students, other seminarians and Redemptorist lay missionaries) gathered from May 9-13, 2005. All nine Redemptoris Units in Brazil were represented. It was held at the recently renovated and inaugurated St. Joseph Retreat House in Belo Horizonte, where a third floor has been added and all the rooms have been made into apartments with solar energy. The house was great!

The theme of the Congress was holiness and every day life: the mystery and the mission, the sanctity of open doors. The speakers at the Congress set a positive and serious tone. Fr. Carlos Palacio, S.J. and the theologian, Dr. Maria Clara Binguemer, created enthusiasm among the participants.

Father Carlos spoke of the challenges of religious life. Just as all ways of life are demanding, so too is religious life and Gerard developed his sanctity with great effort. We can perceive in that time and even today that Gerard's model for faith was and is Jesus, his person, his charisma, his mission. The root of any development that proposes to be religious needs to be ruled by the life and person of Christ.

Gerard’s story is an attractive saga; it enchants and surprises. Such intimacy with mystery leaves the heart thirsty for more. This was how everyone felt after the presentation by theologian, Dr. Maria Clara Binguemer. How to imagine that there could be so much divine presence in such fragility? On the tablets of Gerard’s flesh the Divine Master wrote the law of love: love for neighbor, for the poor, for children, for widows; here affection found its strongest expression. The “craziness” of the saint was the fruit of an intimacy written in his body, in his acts, in his whole life, for he was, above all else, a friend of God.

Guided by Fr. Márcio Fabri dos Anjos, C.Ss.R., who spoke about the ideas of holiness in the evolution of religious life, we perceived that Gerard’s holiness was very much in tune with the times in which he lived. However, the essence of St. Gerard’s spiritual journey lies in the search, and all of us are called to progressive spiritual growth, following the same path.

Fr. Noel Londoño, C.Ss.R., from the Province of Bogotá, Colombia, scrutinized the life of St. Gerard, inciting both curiosity and controversy. He spoke to us about the socio-historical context in which Gerard lived. The formation of the legend, of the name, of the marvelous events around the person of Gerard is intimately connected to the mind-set of the time, when the saint belonged very much to the people, for Gerard was very much one of his own, a product of his time and place. A time when faith needed a body, when it was the face of the poor, when it was the total giving of one’s life through self-denial and penance. Gerard was of God because he was of the people -- or he was of the people because he was of God? Once again it was Fr. Noel Londoño who explained the dimension of Gerard’s holiness in terms of the relationship between the people and the saint. Gerard’s body was a source of grace, even after death. The penitential holiness of Gerard was such that his body acquired value. It was a dwelling-place for the divine. It was a blessing for the people of his time.

The mini-courses within the Congress were also a nice surprise and pleased the participants with their competency and positive atmosphere. They emphasized the various dimensions of pastoral work, of holiness and daily life, of the question of the feminine and the sacred and the mission of the Church in the contemporary world. Our participation in the construction of the Reign of God here and now, in our history, in our homes, in our times was an important point for reflection.

A cultural night was held on the 10th: musicians from the Baroque School of Belo Horizonte performed these works of St. Alphonsus, “Cantata of the Passion” and the “Dialogue between the Soul and Jesus”, with instruments proper to the time, as required by the original score: clavichord, violin, cello and trumpet, with tenor and soprano voices. The soprano voice was performed by the very competent singer of opera, Silvia Klein. To the great surprise of the majority of confreres, Bishop Lélis Lara, C.Ss.R. was the director, and an ex-Redemptorist, Luciano Mendes, was the conductor. This was the first live audition for Redemptorists in Brazil. Most had never heard this particular work of our Founder.

On the night of the 12th the participants of the Congress went to the absolutely packed church of St. Joseph in the center of Belo Horizonte for the concelebration of the Eucharist, presided by Archbishop Walmor Oliveira de Azevedo. He did not squander the opportunity to lavish the most generous of praises upon the Redemptorists in Belo Horizonte since the founding of the city itself. This 105-year-old parish was created in the city’s infancy and from the beginning has been under the care of the Redemptorists.

The last day of the Congress was dedicated to a pilgrimage to Curvelo, 155 kilometers from Belo Horizonte, where everyone was directed to the Basilica of St. Gerard, the one and only dedicated to St. Gerard in the entire world. About 1,000 people joined students from the five municipal schools and the mayor of the city in a walk for solidarity and peace. The Archbishop of Diamantina, Paulo Lopes de Faria, presided at the celebration of Eucharist, during which he emphasized the importance of the Redemptorist presence in his archdiocese. Immediately afterwards all were invited to gather in the internal garden of the Redemptorist house, where representatives of each (Vice-) Province were encouraged by Fr. Dalton Barros de Almeida to plant a tree, called ipê, as a memorial of the pilgrimage.

Fr. Dalton, the Provincial Superior at the time and the soul of the Congress, commented that the whole atmosphere was extremely positive, enthusiastic and friendly. Many confreres have often heard mention of Gerard, but in fact know very little about him. The story of Brother Marcel Van, a Redemptorist brother in Vietnam, written in illustrated form, a first class text, was launched along with the Visits to the Blessed Sacrament by St. Alphonsus, recently re-written by Fr. Noel Londoño in Spanish and translated into Portuguese by Fr. Dalton.

Fr. Vincent de Paula Ferreira, the recently-elected superior of the Province of Rio de Janeiro also gave his impressions of the Congress: “the whole itinerary of the week was very special with its celebrations, lectures, mini-courses, cultural activities and all this imbued with the fraternal conviviality of Redemptorists. In every moment there was the sweet taste of being a Redemptorist. Enlightened by so many good things, we were inspired to also live our daily holiness and to sow the seeds of a new era for our Church and Congregation. The Union of Redemptorists in Brazil deserves praise for the unity, the Province of Rio de Janeiro for hosting and coordinating such a grand event and Fr. Dalton for the brilliant coordination of the whole organizational process of the event.

In the appreciative words of Anna Paula, a Redemptorist lay missionary from Juiz de Fora, the St. Gerard Congress was a unique time of grace, rich in experiences, prayer and sharing. We relived in one week the story of a people and their saint, detailed memories of the steps taken by Gerard in his simple and enchanting passage through the world. To relive the life of a saint is a gift. To relive the steps of Gerard, to be able to comprehend his world, his context, was a unique experience of love. It makes us understand that faith and life are intimately connected. For this very reason we were able, in this Congress, to also relax, laugh with one another, sing, play and live together as brothers and sisters.

Index

In Spiritu Redemptionis

In Spiritu Redemptionis
A New Creation
Sean Wales, C.SS.R.

There is an expression in Italian “traduttore traditore” : “the translator is a traitor” ! Even using our own language we are often made aware of how words betray us. We do not need to be preachers to realize how inadequate even our most subtle words are, although it does help. In the realm of human relationships we have often found to our cost how even innocent words can cut or hurt; likewise we have learned how irretrievable are our words.

When it comes to the mysteries of faith we are prepared to accept the limitations of language. True, some of the greatest theological minds have refined religious discourse into a very precise tool, but we know that all language has to fall short of the mysterium tremendum et fascinosum. Because we cannot think outside categories of space and time, we cannot express those things which lie beyond our ken. Wittgenstein famously acknowledged this at the conclusion of his Philosophical Investigations: that whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.

We must however proclaim the mystery of faith. We must find some words to hold together what we can grasp of the wonderful works of God. Theology is always trying to frame a language for Easter, a language for the New Creation. While we are disposed to think and speak in a linear and temporal sequence, e.g., birth, life, death etc., when we try to speak of Jesus such an approach cannot do justice to the faith experience. Durrwell speaks of “an eternal birth in death” to express the insight that in his resurrection Jesus did not leave his death behind. He was glorified in his dying and he remains in that Passover state, being redemption for us. “The begetting of Jesus demanded that he remain in the mystery of his death, in his dying toward the Father, and in the Father receiving him” (p.32).

A consequence of this insight that Christ’s death and resurrection are one is that any encounter with Christ today is always an encounter with Christ “in his death as he is being raised up”. We relate not just to Jesus our Redeemer, but to Jesus in his act of redeeming us.

In the Eucharist we receive Jesus as he sacrifices himself “for us and for our salvation”. In his Word we listen to the one who is redeeming us. This is a new language for a new creation. It may well be that Christian art (especially in the Byzantine tradition) has found ways to express this mystery more convincingly. Perhaps, too, Christian music can bring together death and life in a more evocative way.

Whatever the medium, what is important is that we enter into this mystery ourselves: “And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God’s work” (2 Cor 5:17). Our music, our art, our language, our symbols, our relationships, all are aglow with the spirit of the new creation. As Paul adds “in him we become the goodness of God” (v.21).

A truly dramatic consequence of the Paschal Mystery is that in the redeeming Christ we are called not only to restore what was lost or damaged in the past, but to transform everything in creation. We are not looking back to a status quo antea hoping to be restorative of all that was good; we are called to look forward to a new creation, a world transformed in its very being.

Our “Way of Life” (Constitutions & Statutes) call us “to share more intimately in the paschal mystery” (C. 50). This requires (C.41.1) that we give all our attention “to putting on the new self, created in the image of Christ crucified and risen from the dead, so as to purify their motives in judging and acting”. We must therefore, “become signs and witnesses before the people of the power of his resurrection, proclaiming the new and eternal life” (C.51).

It is to be hoped that we continue to learn the language of the new creation in our communities, that we bring the values of the ‘new and eternal life’ to our Province meetings, Chapters, Assemblies as well as into our ministry. We need to be signs and witnesses of the resurrection before one another.

Index

Redemptorists in the News

Bolivia
Cardinal Julio Terrazas C.SS.R.
From the London Tablet

Church intervenes as peacemaker in Bolivia. BOLIVIA’S bishops are this week trying desperately to bring together the warring parties in a conflict that threatens to tear their country apart. Their chances of success appear slim, despite a call from Pope Benedict XVI for all sides to show a sense of responsibility and engage in “open and sincere” talks. Cardinal Julio Terrazas, Archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, and the bishops’ conference have agreed to mediate between the embattled Government of President Carlos Mesa, on the one hand, and militant ethnic, political and regional groups on the other. The cardinal held his first meetings with government and congressional leaders over the weekend of 4-5 June, but little progress seemed to have been made. On 6 June, President Mesa offered his resignation for the second time in three months, and left it up to Congress to decide whether to accept it. Congress was expected to meet on Thursday to decide whether to accept the offer.

Dublin, Ireland
Traditional Catholic magazine attacks cool Limerick Redemptorist
Brendan Halligan, Limerick Leader, May, 21, 2005

Are the Redemptorists – perhaps more synonymous with Limerick than with anywhere else on earth, even Naples, home of their founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori – facing eternal damnation in the media? The question is prompted by an attack in the current issue of the traditionalist Catholic magazine “The Bradsma Review,” which is avidly read in Glenstal. And the target is Limerickman Fr. Gerry Moloney – son of Breda and Michael of Doon and brother of Margaret, Mary, Rodger and Tom.

He is director of Redemptorist Publications and edits Reality (a monthly Redemptorist publication in Ireland). But it is as editor of the hip teen magazine “Face Up” that he has attracted flak.

An anonymous columnist in Bradsma – referring in a nasty little piece to a written confession by Fr. Gerry that he is a “stresshead,” quotes the man from Doon as saying: “I’m a terrible worrier. I stress out about every little thing – like getting the magazine out on time, or whether my jeans are in fashion, or whether Liverpool will qualify for the Champions League this season.”

And Bradsma declares: “It’s no longer possible to parody those Redemptorists. They do a funnier job on themselves than Dermot Morgan could ever have achieved.”

It seems that whatever they do, “The Fathers” can do nothing right in the past. They have not always been without sin, not least in Limerick, but on balance they have done and are doing an enormous amount for good in this city, this county, this country. For years they were accused of conservatism, not least in Limerick. Now their alleged sin is liberalism. They just can’t win.

The self-righteousness of Bradsma makes little sense except perhaps in terms of professional envy. But if Fr. Gerry, an exemplary priest and a brilliant popular journalist, is to be condemned for communicating with contemporary youth in their own idiom, what next? An assault on the communication strategy of Our Lord, who also spoke in the idiom of his day, parables?

Index

Vatican News as seen from Via Merulana

Pope Benedict’s First Redemptorist Appointment
The Vatican
Father Sabatino Majorano

On May 21st, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, appointed Father Sabatino Majorano (Naples), current president of the Alfonsianum Academy, a consultor to the Congregation for the Cause of the Saints. He has been appointed for a five year term.

Fathers Giuseppe Orlandi (Rome), and Adam Owczarski (Warsaw), both of the San Alfonso community, are also consultors to this dicastery. Father Antonio Marazzo (Naples), as Redemptorist Postulator General, also works closely with this Dicastery.

Other Redemptorists involved as consultants with the Vatican are: Fernando José Monteiro Guimãraes (Rio de Janeiro), who is capufficio of the Congregation for Clergy; Réal Tremblay (Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré), is a consultant to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and Father General is a member of the “Council of the 16,” which meets three times a year with the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

  Index

Monthly Picture Gallery (  for online viewing only)

1.The Redemptoristines of Merrivale, South Africa with Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Archbishop of Durban: |Back Row: Sr. Eleanor, Prioress; Cardinal Napier; Sr. Alice. Front Row: Sr. Anne Marie; Postulant (now novice) Mary Ann; Sr. Alphonsina Mary, Postulant (now novice) Veronica; Sr. Joan Culver visiting from Liguori, USA.

2.The chapter members of the four merging provinces of Cologne, Flanders, Amsterdam and Helvetica met simultaneously in the spring to prepare for the new province of St. Clements, to be inaugurated August 1st. We hope to bring you a full report in the fall.

3.Cardinal Julio Terrazas C.SS.R. of Archbishop of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The mediation undertaken by Cardinal Terrazas on behalf of the bishops’ conference failed to resolve Bolivia’s political crisis and the country’s president ultimately resigned.

4.June 26th was the Feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Following are photos taken of the celebration and procession at Via Merulana at the conclusion of a nine day novena. The Italian, Polish and English communities of San Alfonso gathered together to honor the original image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help enshrined in San Alfonso.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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Activities of Father General and the General Council

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

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

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

Justice and Peace

Executive Summary
Ending Hunger – How Far Can We Go?
The United Nations Millenium Development Goals

The author, Dr Bruce Duncan, is a Redemptorist priest who has studied economics and political science at the University of Sydney. He has lectured in social justice and development studies at Yarra Theological Union in Melbourne since 1986.

This booklet argues that by strongly supporting the UN Millennium Development Goals, Australia can help
·save the lives of 30 million children
·rescue 250 million people from hunger
.and lift 500 million people out of the most dire poverty (living on less than US$1 a day).

The two key ideas in the booklet are that
1.the world can indeed eradicate hunger, if it has the political will; and
2.we can do this relatively quickly with our abundant resources, even by diverting a small fraction of arms spending into development assistance. Currently the world spends 20 times more on the military than on development aid.

For years leading economists and development thinkers have lamented that hunger and extreme poverty are unnecessary in the world today. Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University wrote that for the first time in history, ‘the world is within striking distance of ending global poverty.’ What is lacking, he said, is the political will to do this.

Along with other world leaders and religious figures, Pope John Paul II repeatedly urged all people of conscience to respond vigorously to the plight of billions of impoverished people, and to ‘make their cause our own’. He called for a mobilisation of social conscience to rouse the political will to eliminate hunger and poverty.

The Millennium Development Goals aim to halve the number of people afflicted by hunger and extreme poverty by 2015. The UN plan called for close cooperation between rich and poor countries, with developing countries doing most of the work. The Goals intend to
·achieve universal primary eduction for boys and girls, promote gender equality and empower women;
·reduce under-five child mortality by two-thirds, and maternal mortality by three-quarters;
·reverse the spread of infectious diseases, especially HIV/Aids, malaria and TB;
·sustain and improve the environment, and halve the number of people without potable water.

Goal 8 called for a new global partnership to double international aid, and open markets to allow the poorest countries into a system of fair trade. Goal 8 also required improvements in governance of developing countries, debt relief, and access to affordable drugs.

Australia’s overseas aid over the last five budgets was the lowest over 35 years at 0.26% Gross national Income, compared with the UN target of 0.7%. Australia must at least double its aid.

The generous response to the Asian tsunami by the government and public indicates that Australia could do much more to eradicate hunger. A 2001 News poll reported that 85 per cent of Australians supported giving overseas aid, with nearly 60 per cent being strongly in favour.

With Britain, Australia could help ‘make poverty history’.

How Can Redemptorists Support the Campaign Against World Hunger & Poverty?
Bruce Duncan CSsR

Bruce Duncan lectures in history and social ethics at Yarra Theological Union in Melbourne, Australia. He has recently written a 38-page booklet on the UN Millennium Development Goals, Ending Hunger – how far can we go? (Sydney: Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, 2005).

Redemptorists around the world have been greatly concerned about the plight of hundreds of millions of people suffering from hunger and grinding poverty, and have strongly supported efforts to lift living standards, sometimes in very difficult and dangerous situations.

We can hardly avoid connecting this drama of world hunger today with Matthew’s Last Judgment scene, when God demands an account of how people responded to the hungry, sick and homeless around them. In this passage, piety alone without an active concern for the afflicted and those suffering counted for nothing at all in God’s eyes.

Solidarity with the poor and marginalised was a message constantly reiterated by Pope John Paul II and Church leaders over many years, and emerged as a central theme even in our revised Redemptorist Constitutions. This demanded a reappraisal of our life and work, since many of us saw our vocation as being at the more evangelical end of the spectrum, especially through mission preaching and popular devotion.

The question is: how can we give stronger support to the current campaign to alleviate world hunger and the severest poverty, as articulated especially by the United Nations in its Millennium Development Goals? What could be dearer to the heart of a believer than this, and especially for us in religious life?

Moreover, leading economists for years have been telling us that with our abundant resources, no people should be living in hunger or extreme poverty today. Hunger and poverty persist not from economic necessity, but for political reasons, war and disorder.

Millennium Development Goals
In the year 2000, 189 countries signed the Millennium Declaration committing them to halve the number of people in hunger and the most acute poverty (living on less than US$1 a day) by 2015. This reflected intense planning and research over many years by hundreds of development experts coordinated through the United Nations. The eight Millennium Development Goals set clear targets to achieve. Each country was to draw up its own detailed planning on how to achieve these goals.

The UN Millennium Goals are grouped under eight headings:
1.To halve the number of people in hunger – currently about 800 million - and extreme poverty by 2015.
2.Achieve universal primary education for both boys and girls.
3.Promote gender equality and empower women, especially in secondary schools.
4.Reduce under-five child mortality by two-thirds.
5.Improve maternal health, and reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters.
6.Halt or reverse the spread of infectious diseases, including HIV/Aids, malaria and TB.
7.Sustain and improve the environment, and halve the number of people without potable water.
8.Develop a global partnership for development with
·open trading and financial systems
·good governance
·debt relief or cancellation for impoverished countries, more generous aid and trading opportunities
·access to affordable drugs
·and the benefits of new technologies.

Just imagine the difference it could make to international relations and the dialogue among the major religions if the whole world, with the vigorous support of the richer countries, focused its energies and resources on alleviating hunger and poverty everywhere. This would send a much more humane and appealing message than any pre-emptive strikes or wars for democracy.

How Redemptorists can help
We Redemptorists are keenly aware that though we are an international organisation, we are relatively few in numbers and our resources very modest. Nevertheless, we should be helping the whole Church and the wider body of opinion to make a resolute response to the Millennium Goals. No doubt, there will be critics of aspects of the Goals and perhaps room for improvements, but the general intention behind them is profoundly moral, and an astonishing sign of the times, of practical solidarity on a world scale. We have never seen anything like this before in history.

However, this effort to reduce hunger and poverty rapidly is likely to fail unless public opinion swings more strongly behind the Millennium Goals, and forces governments in richer countries to make available the needed funds and resources. Most of the work must be done in developing countries themselves of course.

This is where our preaching and networking comes in. The message that we must carry is amazing good news. Many leading economists and international organizations tell us that we have the resources and know-how to reduce the extent of hunger and inhuman poverty relatively quickly throughout the world. Never before has the world been in such a fortunate position to say or do this.

If this is so, it is morally obligatory on us. Hence we must do our best to inform people about these astonishing opportunities, and to rouse the public conscience to ensure widespread political and economic support for governments to do what is necessary.

As Pope John Paul II said on World Food Day, 16 October 2003: ‘How can we keep silent when confronted by the enduring drama of hunger and extreme poverty, in an age where humanity, more than ever, has the capacity for a just sharing of resources?’

In his World Day of Peace message in 2000, Pope John Paul insisted that the poverty of billions of mean and women is ‘the one issue that most challenges our human and Christian consciences’. He repeatedly called for a vast mobilisation of social consciences so that the world will support the effort behind the Millennium Goals.

It is not easy to see how we Redemptorists should respond. On the one hand, we can recognise that this issue of global hunger and poverty is of such immense historical importance as to rival or perhaps overshadow the abolition of slavery. On the other hand, we Redemptorists are spread throughout the world, and our response must vary according to circumstances.

However, is it possible for us as a Congregation to highlight the Millennium Goals as a practical response that we can make in our preaching and work? Can we help arouse the social conscience of people we are in contact with?

Indeed, might the Millennium Goals offer a fresh way to embrace a corporate objective in our work as Redemptorists, not by all doing the same works, but by responding as a complex body of people to promote the same goals using our varied skills and opportunities?

Featured Redemptorist Website

Our featured website this month is from the Lyons-Paris Province:
http://perso.Wanadoo.fr/redemptos

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Announcements

This fall we will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the General House in Rome. We would like to compile as complete a list as possible of those who have lived here over the years, but there are gaps in information. In order to complete the list of those who have lived in this House we are appealing to SCALA readers for help. If you ever lived at the General House it would be of great assistance if you were to send to Fr. Jean Beco (jbeco@tiscalinet.it) the date of your arrival and departure from Rome, what office you filled and/or studies pursued. If you know of someone who lived here and don’t think they have seen this message, please pass it along! Thanking you in advance.

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