January 16, 2005

From the Editor

In this edition we read more about the conditions in Redemptorist areas struck by the Tsunami. Redemptorists are once again responding to the most critical moments of people’s lives. Here in Rome during the Christmas season there was an exhibit of crèches. One of the featured crèches showed the familiar image of the stable situated in a jagged crevice of a broken globe of the world. I thought how appropriate this image was. Despite the tragedies of this world, The Word truly has, as St. Alphonsus wrote in his hymn,”scenda delle stelle” into our broken world to be our Peace and Light!

I’ve asked the members of the General Council and Curia to talk to us about their impressions during their first year of service. Some of those impressions are presented in this issue. Others will follow in future editions.

We just received word that the mother of Consultor General Jacek Dembek passed away suddenly in Poland. I know you all join me in extending our deepest condolences and prayers. We also want to remember in prayer the brother-in-law of Econome General Patrick O’Keefe, a friend and occasional guest here at San Alfonso who also passed away.

As in the case of the Tsunami, SCALA Special Reports will be issued as needed.

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:

Ivan Datsko, Province of Lviv, August 19, 2004.
Andrij Dobrovetskyj, Province of Lviv, August 19, 2004
Bohdan Heleta, Province of Lviv, August 19, 2004
Roman Kuzyckyj, Province of Lviv, August 19, 2004
Vasyl Melnychenko, Province of Lviv, August 19, 2004
Apolinariy Nikalayev, Province of Lviv, August 19, 2004
Mukola Senkiv, Province of Lviv, August 19, 2004
Volodymyr Tuhaj, Province of Lviv, August 19, 2004
Andrij Yurkevych, Province of Lviv, August 19, 2004
Lùcio Marcos Bento, Province of Rio de Janeiro, December 8, 2004
Maikel Pablo Dalbem, Province of Rio de Janeiro, December 8, 2004
Ronaldo Sèrgio de Faria, Province of Rio de Janeiro, December 8, 2004

Profession of Perpetual Vows:

Josè Carlos Meneguzzi, Province of Porto Alegre, August 1, 2004
Igor Bezkostyj, Province of Lviv, August 15, 2004
Mykhajlo Ivanyak, Province of Lviv, August 15, 2004
Roman Kvasnytsia, Province of Lviv, August 15, 2004
Vitalij Oleschchuk, Province of Lviv, August 15, 21004
Ruslan Pikh, Province of Lviv, August 15, 2004
Andrij Rak, Province of Lviv, August 15, 2004
Taras Svirchuk, Province of Lviv, August 15, 2004
Yurij Zhdyans´kyj, Province of Lviv, August 15, 2004
Anatolij Zhyvchak, Province of Lviv, August 15, 2004
David John Hore, Province of Canberra, August 29, 2003
Desius Kaki, Province of Indonesia, October 16, 2004
Yohanes Berchmans Notan Watun, Province of Indonesia, October 16, 2004
Giovani Don Bosko Wora, Province of Indonesia, October 16, 2004
Asterius Zangu Ate, Province of Indonesia, October 16, 2004
Francis Xavier Nghia Zuan Cao, Vice Province of New Orleans, November 19, 2004
Neville Arul Sinnappah, Vice Province of Ipoh, December 5, 2004

Ordination to the Priesthood:

David John Hore, Province of Canberra, June 12, 2004
Dmytro Novosad, Province of Lviv, July 14, 2004
José Roberto de Oliveira, Province of Goiàs, December 4, 2004
Rafael W. Carillo Poma, Vice Province of Perù Sur, December 12, 2004
Mario Genaro Isla Chàvez, Vice Province of Perú Sur, December 12, 2004
Marco Antonio Navarro Mendizàbal, Vice Province of Perú Sur, December 12, 2004.

Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate:

Nghia Xuan Cao, Vice Province of New Orleans, November 20, 2004

Oblates:

Ferdinand & Gertrud Derrenbecher, Province of Koln, November 18, 2004
Hans Lessel, Province of Koln, November 18, 2004

Electoral News:

Philip John Trenchard, re-elected Provincial Superior of London. Confirmed December 7, 2004.
Edward Hone, Vicar Provincial of London. Confirmed December 7, 2004
Zdzislaw Klafka, re-elected Provincial Superior of Warsaw. Confirmed December 7, 2004
Vasyl Ivaniv, elected Provincial Superior of Lviv. Confirmed December 9, 2004.

Erection and Supression of (V)Provinces/Regions:

Province of Belgium-South suppressed January 1, 2005.
Region of Belgium-South erected January 1, 2005

Erection of Communities:

Domus “St. Gerard’s”, in Daravaloor, Punaloor, Kerela, India erected on December 20, 2004.

Deaths:

Father James Kennedy Muthu, 40, Vice Province of Ipoh, November 16, 2004
Father William L. Jacob, 84, Province of Baltimore, November 26, 2004
Brother Norman (Peter) White, 95, Province of Canberra, December 2, 2004
Father François Fortè, 85, Province of Sainte-Anne de Beaupré, December 7, 2004
Brother Ludwig (Augustin) Rath, 86, Province of Munich, December 9, 2004
Father Igor Myschaliak, 35, Province of Lviv, December 10, 2004
Father Afonso Paschotte, 59, Province of São Paulo, December 16, 2004
Father Paul Henderson, 80, Province of Baltimore, December 17, 2004
Father Julius George Deimel, 91, Province of Baltimore, December 19, 2004
Brother Siegmund Stockl, 80, Province of Munich, December 21, 2004
Father Hermanus (Herman) de Groot, 79, Province of Amsterdam, December 21, 2004
Cl. Student Henrique Samba Katumba, 31, V-Province of Luanda, December 23, 2004
Br. Joseph (Majella) Pham Van Thuyet, 94, Province of Vietnam, December 24, 2004
Father Matthias Harren, 83, Province of Koln, December 26, 2004
 

   Index

News from the Provinces

Sri Lanka

Thank you very much for writing via e-mail, condoling, inquiring about our confreres and their families, assuring of your prayers, financial help,....etc. I am sorry that right now I am not in a position to write to you individually for your fraternal concern for us. At this moment of national grief, your messages have not only strengthened us but they also give us a sense of CSSR family solidarity, especially at an hour like this. We appreciate your concern very much.

I am sure as most of you have mentioned already in your e-mail messages, your TV screens have vividly informed you as to what damage Tsunami did to our little island. We were already struggling as a nation in our efforts to achieve peace in the country and also economic/political stability, even before this disaster hit us; and with this natural disaster, now, most of our citizens seem to have lost all their hopes! The figures of calamity are terrifying: nearly 30,000 bodies already recovered (many more will never be recovered, as they are believed to be buried under the mountains of sand that the tidal wave brought along with it!). More than a million have lost their houses and all their belongings, all washed into the sea, in just a few seconds! The entire country is in a state of mourning, and as a matter of fact, yesterday was a national day of mourning. There seems to be one blessing in disguise amidst all this calamity: our nation which was divided badly, seems to have now come together at this hour of need! We are not the same nation that was before this calamity! Hope we will be different especially in uniting ourselves in re-buildinig from the scratch, so to say, in many areas of our lives! The international sense of solidarity too, is tremendous; so many have come forward to assist us.

All our conferes are safe though three of our younger confreres had a narrow escape that fateful day! They were on their way to the sea to have a swim! But an hour before they could reach the spot (Negombo), Psunami had already done the havoc! And so they escaped! If it were to come an hour or so later ( or if they were to go there an hour or so earlier!), we could well imagine what would have happened! We thank God for this miracle! Two of our confreres, Frs.Sanath and Shiran had their families (who live very close to the sea) evacuated by the security forces; but now they have returned to their homes. No serious damage was caused to any of them.

Some of you dear confreres had asked me the details of our bank account so that you could send some relief aid to be used in the rehabilitation of our people. At the moment some of our confreres are busy with their individual efforts, along with the massive relief and rehabilitation programs that are already afloat. But, we the Region of Colombo hope to do something solid and lasting (like building a few houses), rather than immediate relief (which are coming in massive loads). We hope to do this through the different diocesan structures. So, as some of you had asked for details, if you wish to send any assistance, here are the details of the Redemptorist account to which you may send what you wish, and we will transfer it to the respective diocesan relief funds:

Account Number: 0180559817
Name of Account Holder: D.V.A.Tirimanna
Name of the Bank: Hatton National Bank
No:1, Dalada Veediya,
Kandy,
Sri Lanka

Please do continue to pray for our dear nation; what we really need now is peace of mind, esp. for those who have to start their lives all over again. No financial help can do this! Only prayer can. Please do continue in praying for the thousands of families who see no hope in the horizon!

Once again, thanking you for your concern and also wishing you a happy, peaceful New Year 2005,

I remain your confere in the Redeemer,

Vimal Tirimanna, CSsR

India

Fortunately none of our redemptorist houses or redemptorists are affected in the areas on the south east coast and islands of our country, india. But one of the most important Marian Shrines in our country was badly hit with over 2000 pilgrims losing their lives there. We have closed our theologate in Bangalore and the 25 theology students have gone as volunteers to help in relief work for 15 days. It is our way of showing solidarity with our devastated brothers and sisters and country. The theology students and their prefect and dean of studies have gone to help out as what is needed now is relief work and assistance to help clear the corpses, and rehabilitate the affected. It is a very tough situation for our students to go into but a wonderful oppurtunity to show how we Redemptorists can be of service to our brothers and sisters in need.
Ivel Mendanha

Brazil
Bahia,
Redemptorist Lay Missionaries

Carlota Ferriera, Redemptorist Lay Missionary
On December 18, 2004, 35 persons received a certificate of completion, having finished the Course of Formation for Lay Missionaries, in the Redemptorists Province of Bahia, Brazil, organized by Padre José.Grzywacz . On December 30, 2004, the lay missionaries of the Shrine of Bom Jesus da Lapa made their first public commitment. On February 13, 2005, we will celebrate the First 10 years of Commitment of the first lay missionaries of Bahia.  

The First Ten Years
On February 5, 1995, in the Church of Nossa Senhora das Candeias, in the barrio of Pituaçu, a great celebration occurred.  It was the profession of perpetual vows of three Redemptorists, profession of temporary vows of two Redemptorists, and, for the first time, the public commitments of 22 lay missionaries who, “led by the Spirit of God, consecrated their lives to Christ the Redeemer in love and apostolic zeal, promising for one year, to live as Lay Redemptorist Missionaries of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, engaging themselves in the work of evangelization of the poor and marginalized.”  For some, this renewal of “one more year” will occur for the tenth time, and in this is found a great grace.  Our perseverance is a sign that what continues is that “flame in our hearts and the arrow in our souls” (this was the entrance song on that unforgettable day). To look at the last ten years is to see that many things have happened, and that there have been comings and goings, but we have always moved forward, and we know that we come together faithfully for the same end, the same commitment

We thank Christ the Redeemer Who opened this way for us, and we ask Him that we never lack the inner strength and health to respond to His call, which makes us His instruments of evangelization.

We thank the Redemptorist Congregation which works so hard in the formation of lay missionaries, and we thank in a special way, those individuals who have dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to our formation, keeping us united and above all, making so much effort toward our growth because they believe in the laity.

May Our Lady of Perpetual Help always protect us and never cease watching over us as our Mother. Carlota Ferriera, Redemptorist Lay Missionary

For more than 15 years, the Redemptorist Studentate in Nigeria has been in the heart of Ibadan city, close to the Ss. Peter and Paul Major Seminary and about 4 kilometers away from the Dominican Institute where our students study philosophy and theology. The studentate consisted of rented houses scattered about the city, blocks away from each other. The main chapel, for example, was about 500 meters distance from some student quarters, and the kitchen and the library were at a distance too. Students would have to trek some distance to come to Mass, morning and evening prayers, meals and other social functions.

It was not easy living this way, both for students and for the student directors to monitor the students. So, when on December 11, 2005, we sixty strong departed the rented houses of Bodija for our newly constructed Redeemer House, located on the outskirts of Ibadan, the Regional Government, the students -- and in particular their directors -- heaved a sigh of relief.

The new Redeemer House is located at Kulodi village, some 16 kilometers away from the center of Ibadan. Kulodi village is along the inter-city highway of Ibadan and Ife. We call it: “Ife Road”.

History of the Ife Road property

In 1990, the Mission of Nigeria, which was under the former Oakland Province, began it’s formation program in the Ibadan Diocese. The bishop required that the Redemptorist build a befitting formation house. Consequently, a search began for property sufficient enough to build an adequate facility.

Initially, according to Fr. William Cleary, the intention was to buy about 10 acres for both the Novitiate and Student Houses. On later reflection, a property of roughly 52 acres, consisting mainly of tropical rain forest was acquired. Fr. Cleary gives credit to Fr. Gilbert Enderle, who advised him on the project, for the suggestion.

A decision was made to wall the property to prevent poachers and itinerant farmers, very typical of Ibadan dwellers, from encroaching, or even claiming absolute ownership of the land. To secure access to the property, Bro. Daniel Hall, C.Ss.R constructed an asphalt road, which links the property to the Ibadan-Ife highway. Since the construction of this road, there was a tremendous population shift towards the area. Neighbors began to develop their land.

Fr. Lasso Opens Ground Breaking Ceremony (1994)

Fr. Juan Lasso, the immediate past Superior General of the Congregation, on a visit to the New Nigerian Region, had the honor to open the ground breaking ceremony in January 1994. Many Redemptorists from different African countries and the General Government were on hand to grace the occasion. As the event ended, the next stage was the construction of the Novitiate House.

The Novitiate House

The construction of the Novitiate House began in 1994. The contract was awarded to an Italian Company, Ponti. Bro. Dan Hall, C.Ss.R oversaw the construction from the laying of the foundation to the finishing stage. The House came out a masterpiece, good for formation and conducive for retreat. The Novices later moved into the new complex in 1997. Fr. Richard Thiele, the Novice Director and Fr. William Peterson, the Pre-novice Director led the team. Bro. Dan Hall relocated as well. As the Novices and Pre-novices relocated with their Directors, their former residences in the city were consequently occupied by the students.

The Construction of the Studentate

The construction work of the new Redeemer House began in September 2003. Two major reasons owed to this. First, the number of students was and is still is on the increase and the rented residences were becoming more and more inadequate to house the students, the library, the computers, etc. Secondly, the owners of the rented properties kept on increasing the rent yearly, adding to our predicament. To get out from under this burden, a decision was made to build a studentate. Since the Ife Road property had sufficient space, it became the favored choice to build there. It is also believed that the student house can double as a retreat centre, especially when the students are on vacation.

Construction work started in September 2003. The estimated time for completion was twelve months, which meant that the complex would be ready by September 2004. As if often the case with construction, this was not to be. Ponti, the Italian firm that constructed the Novitiate House met up with many problems. The exigencies of an ailing economy, which influenced the cost of labour and building materials, coupled with incessant rains during the rainy season, affected the construction work grievously. Ponti was unable to meet the deadline, which is why our students moved into the Redeemer House on December 11, 2004, three months behind schedule.

The Future

As it is now, Ponti has only completed one phase of the work. The other hostel together with the landscaping is still in progress. It is hoped that by 2005, Ponti will eventually complete the work. But that is not the end. There is no chapel for the studentate. At the moment, the students will be using the Assembly Hall. A major capital campaign drive is underway in the Denver Province, U.S.A. to raise the funds needed to complete the campus.

   Index

In Spiritu Redemptionis

In Spiritu Redemptionis
From the Crib to the Cross and Beyond
Sean Wales

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

   Index

Monthly Picture Gallery (  for online viewing only)

Every seven years a celebration is held in honor of the Lord of the Miracles, an image of the crucified Christ that dates back to the 16th century and is under the care of the Colombian Redemptorists at the shrine church in Buga. As the name suggests, many miracles are attributed to Our Lord under this title.

During the preceding four months leading up to the celebration, the people of Columbia take the image on pilgrimage for peace in Colombia. This pilgrimage passes through more than 300 cities and towns. The participation of the Colombian people is enormous. Go to the picture gallery to see photos.

1. Closing Mass in honor of the Lord of the Miracles in Bolivar Plaza in Bogotá.
   To the left is the Cardinal`s residence.
2. Cardinal Pedro Rubiano Sàenz, Archbishop of Bogotá presiding in BolivarPlaza.
   In the background is the Colombian Congress building.
3. The Cardinal incenses the image of Our Lord of the Miracles of Buga.
4. Another view of the image with the Bogotá Alcaldá in the background.
5. Inside the Redemptorist Church of Saint Alphonsus in Bogotá for the reception of the image.

Slovakia
Redemptoristine Sisters
New Monastery Being Built

The new monastery of the Redemptoristine nuns in Kežmarok,Slovakia, is under construction. Completion date is set for sometime around Easter.

1. View of Monastery chapel
2. The Sisters seal a time capsule into the cornerstone.  

The Region of Nigeria:
Redemptorist Studentate Becoming a Reality

1. Fr. Bill Cleary
2. The Hostel under construction
3. The Refectory under constuction

Index

Activities of Father General and the General Council

Rome
From the General Council
Serafino Fiore.

The past year in retrospect.

This was the first full year for the new General Council working together. What can I say of my new companions? Considering that Fr. General and myself were the only two members of the former Council I wouldn’t want to make comparisons with the old Council. Those types of comparisons are always found wanting. Each person, each situation and each group is unique and distinct. I can certainly say that I am perfectly happy with the new companions with whom I live and work. We have spent some months learning to work together as a team and clarifying things and this was very worthwhile. I see there is every promise of giving good service to the Congregation despite our limitations and the difficulties inseparable from our mission.

What do I consider worth relating to you about this past year? In Italy there was a custom on New Year’s Eve, which still exists in some places, of throwing out old, useless and unwanted things that were displeasing. So I ask myself what should I throw out, jealously keep, or share with others?

What most hurt me during the past year was the death of relatively young confreres: Fr. Igor of the Lviv Province, accidentally killed in Spain, Fr. Harry of Flanders Province, Fr. Macrino of Mexico and Fr. Alfonso of Sao Paulo. I am certain that I have omitted some others. I have been upset by the news of the rebellion in the Ivory Coast and from the Philippines and Haiti ravaged by typhoons. Here, too, my list is incomplete but they are symbols of the distressing news that reached us during the year.

Yet I am consoled by good memories, especially of my visits to the Congo and to the Province of Bangalore, India. They were occasions to meet the confreres and in the latter case to see a country that I did not know and with which I fell in love from the start. I am also grateful to the Lord for my visit to southern Belgium. A special memory is that of my visit to Brazil when, with Fr. Athanase, I was present at the Aparecida Sanctuary on the Feast of Our Lady of Aparecida. There I had moving experiences of popular faith manifested in a beautiful, touching way while very respectful of the spirit of the liturgy. During the Novena I was able to understand an important aspect of the Redemptorist mission in Brazil today. Then it was on to the North east and the North of the country visiting Recife, Pernambuco, Paraiba, and Rio Grande do Norte and finally on to Manaus and Amazonia.

Let me conclude with an image of hope and joy. Together with Fr. General I took part in the European Meeting of the Redemptorist Youth and Vocation Ministry at Bonn in Germany. About 600 young people participated in a festive climate of faith. East met West in a spontaneous manner which only youth can achieve despite the differences of language and traditions. This was a beautiful moment for which I thank the Lord.

And now into Africa! During the early months of the New Year I shall travel to Burkina Faso, Niger, Kenya and Zimbabwe. There is also the Visitation of our community of Sant’Alfonso in Rome envisaged. In summer I am to go to Edmonton-Toronto in Canada. With God’s help I shall have many reasons to thank God for this New Year just beginning.

Rome
The General Council
Juventius Andrade, C.SS.R.

An Experience of International Community Living…

Rome Sweet Home - a Journey to Catholicism, is a book written by a couple Scott and Kimberley Hahn. They trace their journey in embracing the Catholic faith. In a location and not theological sense, could my move to Rome be so titled?! After being elected to the General Council, for me, it means now living in community at the Generalate. In that sense, it can be called ‘home’. That has meant for me, for now, a mental shift!

But how ‘sweet’ is Rome? Residents in Rome have ambivalent feelings in living here. As with any place, Rome can have sweet or bitter sides to it. However, living in Rome (the debate is how many months in the year!) also provides us with a setting, and a point of reference, at least as the General Council, to stay connected with the different Units. In practical terms also, no matter where our journeys may take us, it means returning to ‘Rome’ after a visit to a Unit of the Congregation!

On another level, living in Rome also means not just living in Rome (or just Italy) but so much more. It means living in and being part of an international community. In the General Council we have the richness and the variety of confreres from so many different nations and cultures and languages. The thrust towards having international communities was sounded at the last General Chapter. It would appear that this is going to be also the buzzword in the Congregation in the light of movements of peoples across the world and the need to minister to them. The parallels may not be perfect, but the fact of living in the General Council is a reminder of the reality of being involved in the mission of the Congregation as an international community.

Coming from the Province of Bangalore in India (where our confreres are involved in at least ten different languages!), has predisposed me to living in a multi-cultural and multi-lingual context. Living in Rome has added the international flavour to it and has put flesh to the concept of ‘brother’ across boundaries of nation and culture and language.

Visiting some of the Units firsthand and hearing or discussing about the others in the General Council, also is a reminder to me that the experience of International Community while having a renewed thrust in the Congregation is not a new concept. In a great sense, it was already visible when Mother Provinces cared or nurtured new units as they sought to foster local vocations. It is already happening when some Units are stepping forward to assist those Units in taking a new look at a Mission and committing resources so as to more effectively and creatively minister to people.

The first half of 2004 meant changing gears and getting into a new mode of existence as a Redemptorist. The second half involved a lot of travel and a first hand exposure to the reality of the confreres in their own setting. It took almost five months to get a Residence Permit and it was only after that was travel outside Italy possible. On August 14, 2004, I had the opportunity of being present for the Episcopal Ordination of our previous General Consultor, Emmanuel Cabajar in Cebu. His gifts were indeed recognised by the local Church in the Philippines and his artistic and musical gifts were easily recognised in the Liturgy and the symbols of the day. It was also an occasion to meet the confreres of the Province of Cebu. The stopover in Singapore enabled me to experience the hospitality of the confreres spread out in the various communities in Singapore. In fact, one confrere from this Vice Province of Ipoh is involved in the International Community based in Dalat, Malaysia, together with a confrere each from the Provinces of Cebu and Indonesia.

This sexennium has seen our Canonical Visits organised on the basis of a particular zone or Region. Our more recent visits in the month of October, to the north and northeast Units in Brazil as a General Council enabled us to see some of these confreres working together across different boundaries. The visit to the Vice Province of Fortaleza for me, was particularly inspiring with regard to the zeal and work among the abandoned. Our immediate forthcoming visits to the different Units in Africa in the first semester of this year, is also a reminder of the different nationalities already working within and with the different units of the Congregation in Africa. The need, presence and the shape of International Communities is something that the Restructuring Commission will be looking at in the light of our mission.

Globalisation has introduced us to new challenges and struggles, and therefore new possibilities. Indeed the times are calling for a kind and a type of international presence in situation that enables the mission of the CSsR to reach the poor who are forgotten and abandoned. The reality of the Incarnation is expressed in some way, through the dimension of inculturation. Would the need for International Communities call confreres to find, for the sake of the Mission, a home away from home? After all, we are professed not into the Unit we hail from, but into the Congregation that we belong to. Ideally, the glue that will hold us together is not a monocultural or mono whatever ethos, but the Mission which seeks to enflesh the charism. Living in Rome has been for me, a reminder of this fact!

Rome
From the General Council
Athanase Nsiamina, C.Ss.R

For me, a “Consultor” means being on mission and giving one’s life for Jesus and the Congregation.

It was on October 2, 2003, at the end of an elective session of the General Chapter that I accepted the position of General Consultor. I understood from the start that it was not going to be easy to perform this service in an international organization numbering 5.489 in 77 countries. I would have to gradually find my way in a new dynamic before getting to know my role and mission (Stat.0124)

The retreat-session of December 2003 marked the beginning of this journey. Our mission was to be carried out as a team. We are a group of Consultors from the four corners of the world with the same ideal and the same mission. We need to know each other and understand our mission as a team. We have to envisage the prospects for the future from the experiences of the past. In this way we are in a position to foresee, anticipate and respond as best we can to the demands of the Congregation. In this light a sketch of the programme for 2004 was outlined. It consists of visits to the (V)Provinces, attendance at (V)Provincial Chapters, responses to requests requiring the presence of Fr. General or one of the Consultors and being present at the celebration of certain events (sharing the joys and sorrows of the confreres).

We began our programme in February 2004 with the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Redemptorists in Angola/Luanda and a study of some financial planning there. Then followed visits to Lyons-Paris in April and May and afterwards to the Vice-Province of Recife in America in October 2004. All these visits enabled us to have concrete experience of our charism or mission as Redemptorists in its different aspects. We were able to admire the apostolic zeal, the joy, the faith and hope that animate the confreres and particularly their perseverance. Nothing can stop them! Neither wars, poverty, sickness, old age, their precarious situation or lack of vocations. All is accepted in faith and hope of which they give such admirable witness.

Expanding Horizons
Raymond Douziech

Our preacher this morning spoke about Redemptorists as Advent people who continually move to ever expanding horizons. To me this is a fitting image of the process we as a council have been on these last six months. Our June meeting began with a look at restructuring, Fr. General sent a letter to the Congregation on the topic and the first Communicanda eloquently addressed the issue as a dynamic outgrowth of our spirituality. In short the last six months have been a searching together, praying over, reflecting upon and struggling for a deeper understanding of what we mean by restructuring. This is not a new concept in the Congregation but restructuring, in my opinion, has become the key concept of our past six months and will shape the next six months and beyond.

The General Council has just finished our first joint meeting with the Restructuring Commission. I am grateful for an insight given by one of the members of the commission, Larry Kaufmann, who spoke to us about the imagination of St. Alphonsus as a key element to restructuring. In this perspective St. Alphonsus had a novel intuition that brought him to the shepherds of Scala and through his outreach he brought the Church to the most abandoned. He created structures for the people in response to their needs. He did not require them to enter into pre-established Neapolitan structures. One could conclude from this that fidelity to our charism in any restructuring would mean a “direct movement towards people who find themselves abandoned or alienated by the Church.”

Sometimes we get into polemical discussions about who are the poor and the most abandoned. Yet, in front of God we are all poor, all abandoned because we are all sinners in need of plentiful redemption. I believe St. Alphonsus’ intuition invites us to this broader reflection. In this light St. Clement went to the intellectuals and gentry of his time to sow the seeds of transformation and speak a Gospel of hope.

This intuition of St. Clement and St. Alphonsus appears to be evident in the efforts of many of our confreres throughout the Congregation. I think specifically of our growing efforts in North America to be present to immigrant peoples and migrant workers, to people in the inner city and those on pilgrimage to our shrines. In Canada we held a three day meeting in October to deepen our collaboration across two main linguistic realities and two Church rites. I was struck by our work in the inner city of Saskatoon as a missionary centre, our Byzantine confreres who work with First Nations’ People at Welcome Home in Winnipeg, and the work with multi-ethnic pilgrims coming to the shrine at St. Anne de Beaupré.

Restructuring was also evident at another meeting in October in Glenview, Illinois. The provincials from all the North American units looked at collaborating more closely in formation, not only at the Novitiate level but also at the Theology level. There was an expressed desire for greater collaboration in formation, the secretariats for the laity and spirituality, as well as our common history project.

A similar refrain was heard in Davao, in the Philippines where I attended a meeting of formation personnel and provincials from the ASEAN region last November. We had gathered to look at collaborating more closely in the area of formation. Novitiate and Theology are already joint ventures but there is an explicit wish for even greater cooperation.

Over the next semester the council will be making an official visitation of our African Region. I will be visiting Madagascar, Matadi (Zaire), Angola and South Africa. I know that one of the main topics will be restructuring and collaboration within our African units. In Africa, unlike other units mentioned above, the creative imagination of Alphonsus and Clement will have to dominate in order to effectively bring the goods news of compassion to this corner of the world. I pray that my understanding of Restructuring will be transformed by this expanding horizon!

Rome
From the General Council
Enrique Lopez

Special Experiences and Solidarity

I had the opportunity to be present at the sub-regional meetings of the Superiors from the North of Latin America, the Southern Cone and Brazil. I attended, as well, the Sixth Latin American Congress of Redemptorist Brothers in Ecuador. These visits and meetings have been special occasions for establishing personal relations and direct communication with the Major Superiors of Latin America and with many confreres. Without doubt these were special moments to share their life, hopes and challenges. They open up and strengthen the way towards solidarity.

In the coming years it is planned to have present at each sub-regional meeting the Regional Representative on the Commission for Restructuring and the General Consultor for the Region. It is felt that their presence at these meetings will foster regional cooperation and solidarity, promote greater communication, personal contact and help in the animation of the Units. This gives concreteness to the awareness that we are an international missionary community. In this way we can better carry out the objectives of the General Chapter and follow the orientations of the General Government. It also gives us the opportunity to be more aware of the anxieties, worries, plans and achievements of the Units as well as the challenges they face and to appreciate the ideas and suggestions coming from them.

It will be very important to maintain continuity in carrying out the objectives and projects begun in the last triennium for the sub-regions, even though there are some new superiors in 2005 due to the normal triennial changes. They must be a greater area of coordination in the future. This seems to me very positive and could serve as a possible model for restructuring that would strengthen interprovincial collaboration in carrying out common projects. Having more direct and continual communication will also ensure a greater spirit of partnership, collaboration, integration and communion.

During these visits I was very impressed by many things, but especially by the extraordinary spirit of fraternity and welcome from all of the confreres. We always felt at home, among brothers, as in a family. The confreres showed much interest in finding out how Redemptorists live and work in other parts of the world and what were their difficulties and achievements.

They were particularly interested in the subject of restructuring. “What is it?” “What for?” “How is it to be carried out?” Some were apprehensive. Others had great dreams. The great majority showed a spirit of cooperation and openness. They are most anxious to collaborate. Many look to the General Government for more direction. But not all. A number feel that restructuring should begin with formation while others think that there must be less bureaucracy in the Congregation.

There is interest in the subject of spirituality and the theme of the sexennium. Some have said that “to give one’s life” is nothing new as this has been our commitment from our first profession. There is concern about the future of the Brothers’ vocation. How do we more clearly and more enthusiastically promote this vocation? How can we better form brothers and priests as companions for the mission? How do we establish fruitful missionary links between priests, brothers and lay Redemptorists?

There is a high level of participation and much collaboration with the local church. Many see this as a clear sign of commitment and ‘inculturation’. For some, however, diocesan involvement is regarded as too easy a form of the apostolate and producing a rather bourgeois missionary spirit. For others this commitment to the local diocese is viewed as an expression of efficacious missionary dedication.

There is great dedication to the apostolate. Indeed, for some, missionary work is almost an obsession. Some describe this as “much work without reflection and running around without any sense of direction.” As a result no time is given for Redemptorists to have community reflection. There is not enough community planning, teamwork and evaluation together -- this is a challenge. Of course one cannot deny the apostolic charity and the dedication to missionary work that characterizes the majority of the confreres.

When there is discussion on the challenges of Evangelization all take part and are very attentive. The mission of the Redemptorists in today’s world stimulates much discussion among the confreres. “What is the mission of Redemptorists today?” “What does plentiful redemption mean in the context of present day society?” “How does one proclaim the Gospel to those marked by massive impoverishment, systematic injustice and exclusion?” “How is the Gospel to be preached to those living in a totally secularized social context and completely indifferent to religion?” Faced with these themes all feel challenged and stimulated. They have some experiences to share, reflections to offer and certain issues that call for greater commitment.

In general the conferes face the future with hope, though not without a certain fear. Our history stimulates us even though often we are the victims of our past. Some confreres feel they are useless. We feel threatened because the “clamour of those who seek some redemption|” is very great. A great number feel that the Redemptorist vocation is not exclusively clerical. The future calls for a different mentality, new forms of activity and a new style of individual and community living. We have to be open to what is new.

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Reports from the Curia, Secretariats, Institutes, and Committees

Fr. Joseph P. Dorcey, C.Ss.R.
Secretary General

It is one year since the newly-elected General Council nominated me to serve the Congregation as the Secretary General, a mission I did not seek, but one I accepted because I believe it was God’s call to serve the mission of the Congregation on the international level.

It has been a very busy year, full of activity and work. Besides trying to learn how to deal with the vast amount of “incoming” documentation on a daily basis, I was occupied with the publication of four major documents: the first Communicanda of the sexennium, “Giving our Lives for Plentiful Redemption” in seven languages, the Acta Integra of the XXIII General Chapter (I am especially grateful to Fr. Emilio Lage for his very generous help), Analecta 2002-2003 (I am especially grateful to Fr. Michael Kratz who actually did most of the work) and Inscriptiones C.Ss.R. 2004 (I am especially grateful to all the major superiors who sent data and to Fr. John Vargas who helped develop the database).

I have tried to facilitate communication between the General Government and the various Units of the Congregation. A Catholic Online e-mail account (@cssr.com) was assigned to each major superior, though to date only about half have been able to configure the account in their computers. I was able to help Fr. Danilo Bissacco, the superior of the Province of Rome, to successfully configure his account. With that success I felt confident to ask Fr. General for permission to travel the world to help the other major superiors who were having trouble configuring this account. And he actually said I could, but I don’t think he was serious! Fr. O Keeffe probably wouldn’t pay all the air fare! But I keep getting more work to do here in Rome, so I probably couldn’t get away anyway!

In the office itself, Fr. Joseph Wimmer, the Vice-Secretary General, and I busy ourselves with answering mail and dealing with all incoming documents, many of which go to Brother Placido who takes care of all the statistical information. We also make sure all the pertinent documentation circulates among the members of the General Council so that they are well-prepared before the consultations. After the consultations we prepare, sign and send out all the rescripts, decrees, etc. Fr. Vargas is also helping us develop a new system for archiving documentation, one that uses updated software and is compatible with the system currently in use in the General Archives. It will take some time to learn the new program and system and import all the data into the new system, but it should be an improvement.

I also record the acts and decisions of the General Council at its quarterly, extraordinary meetings. This is a bit tedious as my Italian is pretty bad. However, Fr. Serafino Fiore, the Vicar General, is kind enough to put it into something that passes for Italian.

I continue to help Fr. Ziuraitis, the communications director, with the official web site of the Congregation (www.cssr.com). Most recently I began to make the Ratio Formationis C.Ss.R. available online, with the document also available in downloadable Word or PDF formats. It is now online in English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. It should also be available soon in Italian and German. It will be made available in Polish as soon as we have a translation. I hope to soon make the Directorium Superiorum also available online in the same way. I believe these two documents, in seven languages, are important and will be useful to many confreres around the world. Like the Congregation, the web site is also in need of some restructuring. We hope to do some restructuring of the site in 2005, to make it easier to access important information more quickly.

I have been able to find a definitely spiritual aspect to this somewhat bureaucratic mission. I often find myself thinking of and imagining both the joy and the pain of the people whose names cross my desk, whether the occasion is profession, ordination, jubilee, death, leaves of absence, secularization, exclaustration or laicization. As I deal with the paperwork, I often turn my mind to God and pray for the person whose name passes over my desk. I hope my prayers are heard and that these confreres are blessed and will be a blessing for many others.

Fr. Rafael Prada, a Colombian Redemptorist and professor at the Alphonsian Academy, always says to me in his uniquely-pronounced English, “here comes the power behind the throne”. It always makes me laugh and I respond in my equally uniquely-pronounced Spanish, using the word “poder” for power, which also means “to be able to”. I say I know of no thrones but one, and there’s nothing too glorious about it! I am simply grateful to God that I am able (have the power) to work and to serve some good purpose, to make a contribution to the Redemptorist mission around the world today.

Commission on Restructuring in the Congregation
Report of the First Meeting

Tuesday, 14 December 2004

Dear Confreres,

In response to the directive of the XXIII General Chapter, the General Council appointed the members of the Commission on Restructuring which held its first meeting in Rome from December 10 – 14 2004. The Commission had joint sessions with the General Council as well as meeting on its own.

The Commission elected Fr. Lasso de la Vega y Miranda as Chairperson. The other members of the Commission are Cornelius Casey (Dublin), Guy Pilote (Ste-Anne de Beaupré), José Ulysses da Silva (São Paulo), Brendan Kelly (Cebu), Lawrence Kaufmann (South Africa).

From the very beginning it was clear that there is a real need for some restructuring of the Congregation to ensure apostolic vitality and effectiveness in a world of rapid change with changing human realities.

Initially our discussion centered on some projects of restructuring that are already underway.

• In some cases, in a Region or sub-Region, several Units of the Congregation have begun to organize together. A good example is the “Union of Redemptorists of Brazil”, (URB). The URB has no formal statutes, but it elects a President for a three year term and provides him with a travel budget. Its main field of common interest is formation. It also has a Secretariat for Spirituality and is involved in common planning for popular missions. It has two annual meetings. The URB helped the Vice-Province of Recife to regenerate and eventually to come under the wing Sao Paulo. At present confreres from three Units in the URB assist in Surinam and in Manaus. There are four Novitiates in Brazil, all open to each other, with a distribution of novices which allows for no less than six in a Novitiate.

From this example, what is of particular significance in terms of the Commission’s vision of restructuring, is the manner in which conditions are attached to responses to requests for help. It is never a question of propping up existing ministries but, as in the case of Recife and Manaus, a commitment to the mission of the Congregation as a whole, including formation and popular missions.

• In other Units a different process for restructuring has been employed. Some Units, declining in numbers to the point of crisis, invited confreres from other Units to help keep things going. Historically these have had mixed results. In many cases they did not flourish.
• In several instances, two or more Provinces have merged to form a single new Province.
• And there are other projects of restructuring and reorganizing of diverse kinds.

It was clear from this initial discussion that we needed a period of study, to reflect on existing and diverse efforts at restructuring, before formulating proposals.

Accordingly, beginning at the Regional level, we have adopted the following plan of action:

Plan of Action (Phase 1) 2004 – 2006

1.      January to July 2005

The Commission, with the help of the General Consultors, will gather information and review the various projects and/or experiments in restructuring already under way in the various Regions of the Congregation.

The Commission will also gather information on the functioning of the present six global Regions of the Congregation. In doing so it will seek to take account of what in each Region serves, or does not serve, apostolic vitality in relation to mission, formation, finance and governance. It will also include a review of the composition of each Region as to the effectiveness of this composition for apostolic vitality.

The review will be the responsibility of the Commissioner of that Region, working in dialogue with the General Consultor for the Region, and the (Sub) Regional Coordinator.

2.      The Commission will meet in late August 2005

At this meeting, the Commission will reflect on the review it has undertaken and seek to determine which projects are more successful than others. This reflection will seek to uncover criteria to make proposals to take restructuring further.

These proposals will be offered to the Congregation in a document which will present (a) a vision of where we want to be in 5 years, both at the General and the Regional levels, and (b) outline various strategies as to how to realize that vision.

3.      Discussion at the Regional Level

The proposals will be submitted to all the Regions for study and discussion.

Regions will be requested to submit their responses to the Commission by the end of 2005.

4.      Commission and General Council meet: December 2005

During a meeting of the Commission and the General Council in December 2005, concrete

proposals for action will be prepared for presentation at the mid-sexennium meetings in 2006.

5.      Phase 11: Mid-sexennium Meetings to General Chapter, 2009

The next phase, Phase II, will be from the mid-sexennium meetings to the General Chapter of 2009. It is expected that during this Phase the Commission will look more closely at the matter of restructuring of the Congregation from the global perspective.

We are aware of the seriousness of the issues involved in this endeavor and so we ask your cooperation and prayers as we seek to carry it through.

Juan Manuel Lasso de la Vega y Miranda
Cornelius Casey
Guy Pilote
José Ulysses da Silva
Brendan Kelly
Lawrence Kaufmann

General Secretariat for Formation

The General Secretariat for Formation met for the first time in this Sexennium in Rome from December 2-4, 2005. Members of the Secretariat are:
Jacek Dembek, C.Ss.R. – Chair and General Consultor
Raymond Douziech, C.Ss.R. – General Consultor
Ronald McAinsh, C.Ss.R. – Zimbabwe
Rafael Prada, C.Ss.R. – Bogota
Sahaya Arockiasamy, C.Ss.R. – Bangalore
Yaroslav Pryriz, C.Ss.R. – Lviv
Jacek Zdrzalek, C.Ss.R. – Warsaw
Michael Brehl, C.Ss.R. – Edmonton-Toronto

After introductions and a brief presentation on the general state of Formation in each of the six Regions of the Congregation, we began to discuss our mission for this Sexennium. We began this discussion by reflecting on the Orientations from the XXIII General Chapter concerning Formation. These orientations outline in large measure the work before us for this Sexennium.

This work will include:
study of the question of an Institute of Redemptorist Life and the Formation of Formators;
facilitating the ongoing formation of formators through workshops, resources, website, guide for formators, and effective communication;
promoting meetings of formators at the Regional level, and assisting projects of collaboration in formation;
preparing an instrument to help the General Council examine the formation programs of the (v) Provinces;

Since the General Ratio for Formation was completed at the end of the last Sexennium, each (v) Province has been asked to revise its own Ratio and submit it for approval to the General Government by December 31, 2004. The General Secretariat will have the responsibility of reviewing each Ratio and making recommendations to the General Council. Part of our meeting was devoted to a discussion of this process, and the preparation of a ‘tool for evaluation’.

Recognizing the importance of Formation in the life of the Congregation, there was a great deal of energy for the task among the membership of the Secretariat. Of particular concern to many formators is the question of ongoing formation, resources and support for their ministry offered in ways which make it available to them in their Regions. This will be a priority of the Secretariat in the years ahead. Our next meeting is scheduled for May, 2005, and this will be a priority item on the agenda

Members are of the General Secretariat for Partnership in Mission are Fr Raymond Douziech, chair and Consultor General; Mr Geraldino Loyola, lay missionary from the Manila Vice-Province, representing Asia; Ms Ageeth Potma, member of Scala in the Amsterdam Province, representing Europe North; Fr Michael Kelleher of the Dublin Province, also representing Europe North but acting as liaison with Europe South; Fr Gerard McCabe of the South African Province, representing Africa; Fr Jozef Grzywacz of the Bahia Vice-Province representing Latin America and carrying a special interest in Eastern Europe; and, Fr David Louch of the Edmonton-Toronto Province, representing North America.

There have been a variety of names used to speak of those who are involved with Redemptorists in their Mission. For a variety of reasons the use of words like collaboration, laity and even “lay” can convey in some cultures and context a pejorative meaning. Therefore, we would like to suggest that the present Secretariat be called: Secretariat for Partnership in Mission.

The meeting began with a prayer service in the Curia chapel invoking the Holy Spirit on our time together these days and throughout the sexennium. Afterwards Fr. Douziech welcomed each member and invited each one to present themselves to the group. Then each member gave an account of what is happening in their respective regions.

We concluded the first morning with Eucharist with Fr. Tobin.

The afternoon session finished with a review of lessons that we could learn from the previous Secretariat in setting new goals for this sexennium .

The main focus of Wednesday and Thursday was setting goals and objectives for this sexennial Secretariat. We also wanted to provide an outline for the General Directory of the General Government, which describes each secretariat, their membership, as well as their goals and objectives.

A brainstorming session on goals and objectives led to 32 suggestions

The next step was to group these into action plans. From the information gathered we proceeded to formulate three goals: Working in pairs, we developed a goal and objectives in each of the three areas; we also suggested specific tasks that could move us toward meeting the objectives.

1. Formation

Goal: To come to a deeper understanding of partnership between CSSR and lay and to share that vision throughout the congregation

2. Communication

Goal: Foster communication and sharing among the units of the CSSR regarding partnership between lay people and CSSR

3. Outreach

Goal: To promote new experiences of common missionary action in partnership by professed Redemptorists and lay people.

Some time was spent looking at membership in the secretariat. After much discussion the following was agreed upon:

The members of the Secretariat are appointed by the General Government in consultation with (v)provincials of the various units of the Congregation and the recommendation of the Chair of the Secretariat. The membership is intended to represent those involved in lay partnership in each of the six regions of the Congregation. Further since the working language of the Secretariat is English, each member must have some ease with the language.

The present Secretariat is composed of a layman and laywoman as well as priests involved in partnership in our Redemptorist mission. It is hoped that in the future a more equitable representation of lay men and women and Redemptorists would comprise the Secretariat. One suggestion made is that a Redemptorist and a lay person be appointed from each of the regions. Since each region is made up of a variety of sub-regions it is impossible for representation to come from all the corners of the Congregation. The Secretariat must be sensitive to this great diversity of partnership as well as endeavour to maintain contact with these groupings.

On Thursday morning Frs. Felix Catalá and Ivel Mendanha from the Centre for Redemptorist Spirituality spoke to the Secretariat about how the centre could be of help in developing the spirituality of Redemptorist associates and Lay Missionaries

The final element of our meeting involved a to-do list for members of the secretariat.

The next meeting of the Secretariat for Partnership in Mission will takeplace June 27 – 30, 2005 in Belfast, Ireland.

Respectfully submitted,

Raymond Douziech

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