Fr Provincial writes 30th May 2014...

30th May 2014

Dear Confreres and friends,

Today we begin the Novena to the Holy Spirit upon which St Alphonsus laid such emphasis. I hope that in these days the gifts of the Spirit will come down upon each confrere, co-worker, and friend, as well as on our Province and Region.

As you know, we begin our Province retreat on the evening of 9th June. Sr. Anneliese has been working hard on her input and I feel confident that our time together under her guidance will be very blessed.

Hawkstone hosted a Royal visit this month by HRH the Duke of Gloucester and several of us as trustees were able to be present on this occasion. The Duke was aware of our future plans for Hawkstone but sadly declined to purchase the property! It was a lovely visit. Negotiations continue about the future, and when anything definite emerges I shall communicate it to you.

This month also saw the AGM of Redemptorist Publications. I am happy to say that in these days of aggressive marketing, when so many Christian publishing houses are closing, Redemptorist Publications continue to produce new material and remain a serious player in the market. The recent staff re-structuring has proved to be successful and a good financial contribution to the Province was made at the end of the fiscal year.

In May I have been blessed by being able to spend most of the month in Kinnoull with just a few visits to Hawkstone, Chawton, Edinburgh and Clapham. I did attend the AGM of the Conference of Religious of England and Wales, and at this year's meeting I resigned as President of the Conference. Having completed four years in the Executive and two years as President I felt it was time for new blood in the Executive.

Fr Barrie O'Toole continues to make good progress. At present he is undergoing a course of chemotherapy and is in good spirits. We are immensely grateful to his sister Pat for the care and devotion she has shown to Fr Barrie. I also saw Fr Terry Creech recently, who is recovering from an eye operation and will undergo further treatment at Moorefields.

Fr Michael Creech is retiring from serving in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton, where he has been a successful parish priest at Heathfield for many years. Fr Michael will enjoy a mini-sabbatical from 1st September until the Nominations, during which time he will be attached to the Chawton Community.

Fr Tony Hunt has asked to return to the Province after an absence of well over forty years. During these years he served the people of the Diocese of Rustenburg faithfully, and latterly has worked in Cape Town. Fr Tony hopes to return to England in early June and spend some time with his family after which he will take up residence in Bishop Eton, again pending appointments at the Nominations next year. Welcome home Fr Tony!

We also welcome back to England Bishop Ralph. His appointment to the See of Hallam was announced recently and I know that accepting this appointment was an act of obedience for Bp Ralph. As the pastor and bishop in Gibraltar he is enormously popular with priests and people and will be greatly missed by them. We congratulate the people of Hallam on the appointment of their new bishop. The Installation will take place at St Marie's Cathedral in Sheffield on 10th July - the anniversary of both Bp Ralph's and my ordination.

I indicated last month that Fr Dominic O'Toole will be moving to the new initiative in Albania. Archbishop Smith of Southwark has appointed Fr Michael McGreevy as interim parish priest until the Nominations, and Fr Joseph Musendami will work full time in the parish for that period of time. Many thanks to Frs Michael and Joseph for accepting these roles.

In the season of Pentecost when the Word was proclaimed with such vigour and enthusiasm I would refer you to chapter 3 of Evangelii Gaudium - "The Proclamation of the Gospel". there are so many powerful sections and I would highlight two of them: "Words which set hearts on fire" and "Person to person". In a later chapter, Pope Francis reminds us, however, that our external ministry must always be a seamless garment, speaking of 'fidelity to the gospel lest we run in vain'. I hope that Pentecost is a very special feast for each one.

Birthdays this month: 2nd Fr Ed Hone, 15th Br Peter Morris (who is due back in June from Zimbabwe after a successful pastoral year) and 18th Fr Tom Molloy.

In Christ the Redeemer,

Ronald J. McAinsh, C.Ss.R.

Provincial Superior