News and Events
News and Events... Updated regularly
CSsR Provincial Letter October 2023
CSsR Provincial Letter October 2023...
Online Truiduum Feast of St Gerard Majella CSsR...
Online Truduum Feast of St Gerard Majella CSsR...
On the 16th of October we, the Redemptorist family celebrate the feast of St Gerard Majella. On this occasion, we have an Online Triduum preached by Fr. Ivel Mendanha, CSsR, General Consultor for the preparation of the feast. So, each of these three days in preparation for the feast we will reflect on one important theme dear to St Gerard.
The Themes are:
- Day One: Love for the Crucified Lord
- Day Two: Love for the Eucharistic Lord
- Day Three: Love for Our Blessed Mother
- Feast Day: His love for the Poor
Followed by a Prayer to St Gerard and a Special Prayer: For the Gift of Children.
We will hear each day how St Gerard lived the Will of God as a Redemptorist Brother and Missionary. Each day will be uploaded before the start of the Triduum (from the 11th evening) so that the registered members will have access to the video at any time of the day.
One can view the recorded videos uploaded each day on Social media platforms:
Website: www.cssr.news
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@scalanews8920 (Scala News)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CSsR.en/ (C.Ss.R. – Redemptorists English)
Scala News
Homily on the Occasion of the Episcopal Ordination of Msgr. Alfonso Amarante CSsR Preached by Joseph Cardinal Tobin, CSsR
Homily on the Occasion of the Episcopal Ordination of Msgr. Alfonso Amarante CSsR Preached by Joseph Cardinal Tobin, CSsR
6th October 2023
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
In this beautiful liturgy, the Church celebrates the faithfulness of God who once again keeps his promise to give shepherds after his own heart who will guide us with science and intelligence. The appointment of Father Alfonso Amarante has undoubtedly raised in him prophetic protests that take their cue from the words of Jeremiah: “Alas, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak”- our beloved Alfonso dares to add “because I am young?” To comfort him – and confirm our gratitude for his generous assent to the call of the Holy Father, I propose the testimony of one of his elder brothers, a canonised saint who found holiness as a bishop.
Some years ago, a Redemptorist historian, working in the Secret Archives of the Vatican found a rather negative report on a Redemptorist bishop in the United States named John Neumann. The document had been filed by a special envoy of Propaganda, the department of the Roman Curia that dealt with the Church in so-called “mission countries”. In the mid-19th century, the United States fell into this category. The name of the envoy was Gaetano Bedini, an Archbishop, later a Cardinal, who was sent by Propaganda to examine the life of the US Catholic Church. After an eight-month visit, he submitted a report dated 12 July 1854. Having worked in the Curia, I smiled reading Bedini’s words. Clearly, he does not want to expose himself by criticising the US bishops, and reassures his boss by stating that the Prefect is already sufficiently informed about these Americans. He notes that “in fact they are very respectable in every way and worthy of their high position”. But Bedini’s diplomatic caution disappears when he speaks of Monsignor Neumann. He writes as follows: “And yet, I dare mention the Bishop of Philadelphia, who does not live up to the importance of that great city. The question is not doctrine or zeal or piety, but rather his personal scruffiness and his disdain for fashion. The truth is that he is evidently holy and zealous, but more as a missionary than as a bishop. One must not forget the very modest ways of the Institute to which he belongs, and Philadelphia being a populous city, rich, intelligent, full of life and of an importance that clearly requires a different style of bishop.” Bedini concludes his portrait of Neumann with a judgement: “I am convinced that he could gladly accept being transferred to a Diocese in formation and considerably poor, as this would be more suited to his ways, including his genuine and heartfelt humility.”
Catholic Social Teaching and much more...RP...
Catholic Social Teaching and much more...RP...
Looking for some good solid material? Go to
A "Postcard" from Tuchów, Poland...
A "Postcard" from Tuchów, Poland...
The Provincial wrote to the Province and all our friends from the 3rd Phase of the XXVI General Chapter...
"This email is more like a postcard from Poland!
The Mass at 7.30am with organ and full singing!
The beautiful icon, where I spoke to Our Lady about you!
Blessed Kaspar Stanggassinger CSsR...2023
Blessed Kaspar Stanggassinger CSsR...
Dear Confreres, Formandi, Lay Associates of our Mission, Oblates, and Redemptorist Family!
Greetings to all!
We are celebrating the feast of Blessed Gaspar Stangassinger… Gaspar entered the Congregation with the intention of preaching the Gospel to the most abandoned. Instead, his superiors assigned him to train future missionaries.
Besides teaching, he always gave pastoral assistance in the churches of the neighboring villages, especially by preaching. Although very busy, he was always available, especially to the students, who saw him more as a friend than as a superior.
In his preaching, he invited everyone to have recourse to the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist in times of need and distress.
On 26 September 1899, at the age of 28, he made his Passover to the Lord, due to illness. On this day I would like to remember and thank all Formators of the Congregation. Forming people and Redemptorist missionaries is a hard and beautiful task, an important mission that the Congregation asks of each one of you. Courage in this mission!
Personal formation, Redemptorist spirituality with its solid foundations, dialogue, listening, and discernment are important for this. Discernment is a very important word, both in formation and in our missionary and pastoral work.
On this day of Blessed Gaspar, I exhort each confrere in his different missionary works and the formandi to intensify their ongoing formation.
Ongoing formation is for life.
Progress Report Tuchów September 2023...
Progress Report Tuchów September 2023...
The meeting of the European 3rd phase of the XXVI Redemptorist General Chapter continues in Tuchów, Poland
Forty redemptorists and lay people meet these days in Tuchów, Poland, for the deliberations of the third, European phase of the XXVI General Chapter of the Redemptorist Congregation.
The second, canonical phase of the General Chapter for the entire Congregation, which concluded a year ago, made decisions in the areas of understanding Redemptorist identity, Redemptorist mission,consecrated life, formation and governance. The task of the third phase, which takes place on each continent in so-called conferences, is to translate the decisions into concrete terms and prepare implementation in the lives of Redemptorists and lay co-workers in mission.
The first few days of the meeting in Tuchów were devoted to deepening the methodology of the work and the decisions taken, as well as plenary and group discussions on how to put them into practice. This is also done partly using the synodal method - with an adequate time to listen in silence to the Holy Spirit in God's Word and how it is understood and received by the other members of each group.
The fruit of the work so far is a draft of the Action Plan for the Conference of Redemptorists in Europe for the next six years (2023-2028), which will be discussed and clarified in the next days of the meeting.
The chapter deliberations will conclude probably on Tuesday, while Wednesday and Thursday will be devoted to the Assembly of the Conference, which will deal with, among other things, reports on the past years of its work and the election of candidates for its coordinator, who will be presented for appointment to the General Government.
A nice break in the proceedings was a Sunday whole day trip to Krakow with a tour of the Wawel Royal Castle and the Old Town. And earlier that morning, we prayed together with the faithful at the Shrine of Our Lady of Tuchów, entrusting to her also, according to the local tradition, the matter of priestly and religious vocations to our Congregation.
Fr. Mariusz Mazurkiewicz CSsR, Tuchów
CRE 3rd Phase of XXVI CSsR General Chapter…
CRE 3rd Phase of XXVI CSsR General Chapter…
The London contingent,
the Provincial Superior, Fr Richard Reid CSsR,
Fr Maurice O’Mahony CSsR, Vocal
and
Br Michael Duxbury CSsR, representing our Brothers,
here photographed with all
the Provincials and Vocals of Europe
as they gather for the
(European) 3rd Phase of the General Chapter
in our Monastery and Shrine in Tuchów, Poland 🇵🇱.
Present:-
Fr Rogério Gomes CSsR - General Superior,
Fr Zdzisłak Stanula CSsR, Vicar General,
Fr Edward Chacón Diaz CSsR, General Secretary
St Pope John Paul and Blessed M Celeste Crostarosa OSsR
St Pope John Paul and Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa OSsR...
On 11th September was the Memorial of the Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa O.Ss.R., we present an article on the Blessed from the a12.com portal where Saint John Paul II bequeathed to the Redemptorist Nuns an affectionate message on the life of Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa.
On that occasion, 31 October 1996, the third centenary of the birth of the nun, founder of the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer (1696 – 1996), was celebrated. Until then the nun had not been beatified and who would have ever imagined that the Pope would become a saint for the Church.
In his speech, Saint John Paul II left seven messages for religious women, which can also be useful for Christian life. In some of them, the holy Pope indicates characteristics of the blessed’s spirituality, which he has carefully removed from his writings. Here are the messages:
CHRIST AT THE CENTRE
The spiritual proposal of Mother Celeste is profoundly Christocentric.
«It is articulated around the mystery of the incarnate Word that the Spirit incessantly actualizes in us, transforming our life into his: Christ can thus be reborn in the world in the souls of his loved ones» (see Autobiography).
TRANSFORMATION IN THE EUCHARIST
He constantly refers to the Eucharist as a source of transfiguration.
«In fact, it indicates the full Eucharistic transformation as the point of arrival of every spiritual journey: ‘I approached Holy Communion and you changed me in youbecause I entered the humanity of your divine Word and I began to sacrifice myself for the Father for all” and to savor “merits and graces” which, through his passion, Christ has spread to “all the souls of the faithful”, uniting them and glorifying them in their “humanity united to the Word” (see Sister Maria Celeste Crostarosa, Retention of the soul with the Groom Jesus [unpublished manuscript], 147).
LIKELINESS TO THE REDEEMER
Sister Celeste adds another equally important characteristic: living memory necessarily arises from imitation.
“The Redemptorists must impress upon themselves ‘the life and true likeness’ of the Redeemer, becoming ‘a living and lively portrait’ (see Spicilegium Historicum). It should never be forgotten, however, that it is a participatory imitation carried out by the Spirit, who never tires of tracing in us the fullness of the likeness of Christ”.
Read more: St Pope John Paul and Blessed M Celeste Crostarosa OSsR
