Fr Provincial writes 31st May 2016...
Feast of Our Lady of Foggia, 31st May, 2016
Dear Confreres and friends,
As you can see from the above date, thanks to the assistance of Fr. Dickinson, I discovered that my recollection of this feast day from my Hawkstone days was correct. I am grateful to the many others who wrote and gave a date in March which is of course the feast of our Lady of the Seven Veils and a feast with which St Alphonsus was closely associated.
In Foggia on 18th June, Sr. Maria Celeste Crostorosa will be beatified. This is a very important day for the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer - our nuns - but also for our Congregation since she was so instrumental in its foundation. I will be present at the beatification as a member of the Redemptorist Secretariat for the Sisters and Fr. Richard will represent the Province. As you can imagine, Redemptoristines from throughout the world are making a pilgrimage to be present at this occasion. I ask that each community participates in its own way in this ecclesial and Congregational event, and that information about the beatification be communicated to our parishes.
I know that the perceptions of Maria Crostorosa vary from that of outlandish mystic, to that of co-foundress. Neither of these extreme perceptions is accurate.
What cannot be dismissed is the profound effect that this woman had on our founder Alphonsus and on his spirituality and his vocation. Coming as he did from a background of anxiety and fear, he encountered this free spirit of a woman who so manifestly spoke to him of the gratuitous love of the Father in Jesus. Alphonsus had been used to serving and even fearing God: and it was in a great measure due to the friendship that developed between them, that Alphonsus became free enough to found the Congregation. He himself tells us, "I did not know God until I was 36". This was in 1732 when, aged 36, the immensity of God's love for him and for humanity finally found a place in his deepest being. From then on, the desire of Alphonsus was only to share this realisation, especially with all who seemed furthest from God, those who were abandoned either socially or spiritually, or even those who appeared to be maginalised by the institutional Church. And thus, we have the Redemptorists.
Books have been written about these early years. All I can acknowledge in this letter is the hugely significant influence of Maria Celeste Crostorosa on our founder and also on our Redemptorist spirituality.
Her Christocentric life and her desire to be a living memory (viva memoria) of Jesus in the world found its way into our Rule and into our way of living in which Alphonsus invites us to be 'other Redeemers' in our missions, and in our communities to be "true experiences of redemption". If I may, I quote from Consideration 13: “The Salvation of Souls" by Alphonsus:
“The one who is called to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer will never be a true follower of Jesus Christ if he does not become holy, if he does not seek to fulfil the purpose of his vocation, and if he does not have the spirit of the Institute, which is to save souls most destitute of spiritual help.”
This beatification, if we reflect on it, can be a source of renewal for each one of us, for our Province and for our Congregation.
The Congregation continues to grow and develop throughout the world and I am happy that we have younger life in our Province. Last week I was in Clapham and I was very struck by the fact that although at times I tend to think of this as an older community, there were in fact seven people under 45 in the common room - Dominic O'Toole, Richard Reid, Peter Morris, Charles Randall, Chris Reynolds, Mark Chikuni and David Heuser our German volunteer who is working in the Ace of Clubs.
As you will know Charles will make his Perpetual Profession on 11 th June and be ordained deacon by Bishop Ralph on 12th June. Plans for his priestly ordination in December are also in place.
Fr. Charlie Corrigan will go to Toronto this week to meet with our two novices and the Formation team. The reports on both novices have been received, and the OPC will meet later this week. A provisional date of 15th August in Bishop Eton has been arranged for the First Profession. Please do keep on praying for our men in formation and in transition to ministry, and also for vocations to the Province and the Congregation.
In mid-August, Fr. Peter Morris will move to Kinnoull where he will be principally engaged in preaching popular missions. Bro. Charles Randall will exercise his diaconate ministry in Bishop Eton. Both will join a Transition to Ministry programme which will be run by the three members of the OPC. We wish Peter and Charles fulfilment in their ministry.
Fr. Elias Gweme will return to Zimbabwe on 3rd June after completing his year of training at Saint Anselm's Institute. He has done well there and was invited to stay for a second year. However the Region has already made a commitment to Erdington for the next 12 months, so Elias will immediately work on obtaining his Tier 2 Visa which will enable him to return and exercise ministry in Birmingham.
Fr. Mark Chikuni is completing his Masters degree at Heythrop College and will work for some weeks in Erdington before returning to London to complete his thesis. He has been appointed Vice Dean of Holy Trinity College and ideally should be back there by mid or late August. I thank Mark for his presence in the Province. The confreres have enjoyed having him as a member of the Clapham community.
Fr. Martin Gay will move temporary to Kinnoull in mid-June or early July and will assist in running the business side of the retreat centre. I am very grateful for his services especially since he continues to work also for the General Government as Vice Economo.
Fr. Dominic O'Toole received a positive medical report and is going to Vienna for two months to study and update his spoken German.
There is also more news from Zimbabwe but it can wait until next month. Fr. Raymond Mupandasekwa will be preaching the Nine Days Prayer in Clapham with Fr Peter Morris.
I wish everyone many blessings for the Feast, especially during this jubilee year.
This coming week we have the AGM of Redemptorist Publications at Chawton. This always gives me the opportunity not only to review the ministry there, but to express the gratitude of the Province to those who work there and contribute so much to the life and support of the Province. Particular thanks to the leadership team of Father Denis McBride, Nicole Barber and Sylvia Perrins.
We also have an EPC meeting on Wednesday when we will review the Province Plan and the various initiatives that are taking place in the Province. This will be followed by an OPC meeting.
The Finance Secretariate was postponed as we discovered that Tony and Kate Barrance were celebrating the Golden Jubilee of their marriage. I have written to both to congratulate them, to assure them of our prayers and thank them for the work they do for our Province. God bless them and their family.
The Clapham community continues to be a hub of hospitality and this month there will be Redemptorists from Poland, Slovakia, Thailand, Ukraine, Italy and many other countries. I really wish to record my gratitude for the kindness of our confreres in welcoming so many guests.
Fr. Richard and I were able to visit the Birmingham community and also to have a meeting with Archbishop Longley who expressed his gratitude for the ministry of Frs. Maguire and Dickinson at the Abbey.
The work of installing en-suite rooms for our elderly confreres in Bishop Eton has gone out to tender and we be should in a position to begin the work in the not too distant future. Like Clapham, Bishop Eton is full for the summer and is also hosting guests, including a student from Slovakia. Father Kevin Callaghan is now well settled.
I have spoken several times with Fr. Maurice O'Mahony, and his sabbatical is proceeding well. He hopes to be present at the RPTC AGM this coming week.
Michael Duxbury and Michael Henesy continue to be guardians of Hawkstone, and are upbeat about the service they are giving the Province. The proposed sale moves slowly forward. I continue my novena to Father Edward Douglas for this sale.
Father Desmond Keegan has been given permission by the OPC to continue his ministry in the Motherwell diocese and the Bishop has written to express satisfaction with this.
In Kinnoull, the end - or should I say the beginning - is in sight. A larger lift, going from the basement to the very top of the house is now in operation and we are hoping that we will be able to move in by the beginning of July. It will be a mammoth task refurbishing all the rooms. We hope to receive our first retreatants in midAugust. Please remember the Province gathering scheduled for September when you will be able to see the splendour of the newly refurbished monastery! Just to remind you that the dates are: arrive Monday evening September 19th , the gathering and input on Tuesday and Wednesday, and depart on Thursday morning, 22nd.
And also please do not forget the celebrations to honour Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Clapham on the 2nd July which will be graced by Cardinal Nichols, the Papal Nuncio and Bishop Ralph.
Birthdays this month: E. Hone 2nd, P. Morris 15th , T. Molloy 18th , A. Zindonda 20th G. Sidinga 21 st.
I wish everyone a very blessed summer, and good holidays for those who are taking vacation.
In Christ the Redeemer,
Ronald J. McAinsh, C.Ss.R.
Provincial Superior
