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Fr Provincial's Letter 31st Dec 2011...

provincialsletterhead

31^st December, 2011

Dear Confreres and friends,

As this year draws to a close, I have been giving thanks for the many good things that have occurred in our Province over the past year. It seems to me that all too often we can focus on that which is deficient or lacking, and forget the positive aspects. I give thanks for the Professions and Ordinations which have taken place in the Province and the Region, for the confreres who have gone to God in sure hope and in faith, and above all for the terrific work being carried out by our brethren in all of our communities.

In Kinnoull we have been using the big Church for prayer, and it is the place where so many men made their Profession or were ordained. Being in that Church made me ask many questions about our vocation as Redemptorists, and about our present reality, as well as our future. It is easy to be pessimistic. And yet people continue to enquire about our life and see the wonder of our charism. From time to time I know that any of us can be a bit downhearted. Perhaps we feel that at this time we are only doing maintenance work in our ministries. However, I was reflecting that in the social climate in which we live, I really rejoice that we are able to do this. It requires great courage and faith to keep on working at ‘the coal face’ when, in the eyes of many, we are regarded as marginal or unnecessary.

At times I know that there can be a tendency to look back to the era of bigger numbers or of many younger confreres. There can also be a tendency to wonder if there is any place for our charism in the post-modern world. However, I have to remind myself that the charism is not mine, or yours or the property of any individual. It is a gift to the Church and to the people of God. And our duty is first of all to live the charism, and also to continue to be willing to share it with others in all its richness. And this is the challenge I believe which lies before us as we enter 2012.

I know that at the Province meeting we will be receiving input and having discussion on new ways of evangelising. We will also have time to reflect on the quality of our presence to one another when we look at our Apostolic Life Statutes which focus on our life in community. I am happy to inform you that Fr. Jacek Zdrzelek, the Coordinator for Europe, will be present from Monday until the end of the meeting. And may I remind you once again that we are asked to gather at Hawkstone for supper on the evening of Sunday, 22^ndJanuary. It is anticipated that the meeting will end on Thursday which is set aside for Province business. The EPC will meet until Friday lunch time.

Our Canonical Visitation of the Province begins in Kinnoull on 4^th Jan and we will visit all the communities other than Chawton which will be visited at another time. It is our hope that we will be able to have some prayer with each community – a Eucharist where possible, a meeting and a meal. The Ordinary Provincial Council will also be available to meet with individual confreres. In addition, the Provincial Bursar will sign the financial records and the Mass books where appropriate, and where archives are kept, they will also be reviewed. The Visitation in Kinnoull will be conducted by Fr. O’Mahony and Fr. Richard Reid who is the first elected EPC member, since both Fr. Mulligan and I are members of this community. The Visitation in Hawkstone will be conducted by Fr. Mulligan and I for a similar reason. I enclose the Visitation timetable which was sent previously to each community. We very much look forward to meeting you all.

Fr. Martin Gay has returned to South Africa after a longish stay in the Province. Fr. Martin provided invaluable assistance over the months, both in the parish and in the community in Clapham, and on behalf of the Province, I express our gratitude. Fr. Gerard McCabe, whose mother died two weeks ago, has written to thank us for the support he received in his time of bereavement. I spoke with Fr. Gerard today and he returns to South Africa on 2^nd January. Several confreres were present at the funeral Mass for Fr. Gerard’s mother on 20^th December in Stevenson.

Please remember in your prayers the confreres in Zimbabwe who will have a Visitation from the General Government at the end of January. The final meeting for the Units of Kenya/South Africa/Zimbabwe will take place in Harare in early February with Fr. General presiding.

Birthdays this month: Fr Joe Doherty, 4^th, Fr Jim Casey, 17^th, Fr George Webster, 26^th.

This year I shall begin to send electronic copies of my letter to those who indicate that they are happy to receive it in this form. Please let me know during the Visitation, the manner in which you wish the letter to be communicated.

As we say our Te Deum for this past year, may I wish all of you, and also our relatives, friends and benefactors, a very blessed and happy New Year. I also wish you a happy feast for the commemoration St. John Neumann on 5^th and Blessed Peter Donders on 14^th.

In Christ the Redeemer,

Ronald J. McAinsh, C.Ss.R.

Provincial Superior

Cardinal Varkey C.Ss.R., RIP...

Father General, Michael Brehl,

is saddened to announce to the Congregation the death of

+Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, C.Ss.R.

Major Archbishop of Ernakulam Angamaly of the Syro-Malabar Church

Cardinal-Priest of Saint Bernardo alle Terme

Cardinal Varkey passed away today, Friday, April 1, 2011

Requiescat in pace

cardvark

Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, C.SS.R., was born on 29 May 1927 in Parur, India. He was ordained for the Redemptorists on 12 June 1954 and held a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome.

For 25 years he taught canon law at the Redemptorists' major seminary in Bangalore. He also served as Provincial for India and Sri Lanka (1978-84), President of the Conference of Religious, India (1984-85) and Apostolic Administrator of the Asirvanam Benedictine Monastery in Bangalore (1990-96).

On 11 November 1996 he was appointed titular Archbishop of Acrida (since 19 April 1997, of Antinoe) and Apostolic Administrator of the vacant see of Ernakulam-Angamaly for Syro-Malabars, receiving episcopal ordination from the Holy Father on 6 January 1997.

On 18 December 1999 he was appointed Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly for Syro-Malabars.

President of the Synod of the Syro-Malabar Church. He was also President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India (CBCI), from February 2008 to February 2010.

Created and proclaimed Cardinal by John Paul II in the Consistory of 21 February 2001, given the titular church of S. Bernardo alle Terme (St. Bernard at the Baths).

May Cardinal Varkey enjoy the eternal reward promised to the sons of St. Alphonsus and to such a faithful servant of the Church!

Redemptorists and Redemptoristines alive and well in Japan...

"As you are well aware, a strong earthquake, accompanied by a great tsunami, hit Japan Friday, mostly in the northeast part of the country but also felt in Tokyo. An e-mail message from Fr. Marcel Fortin from Maizuru, Vice Province of Tokyo, to former Japanese missionary Father Gabriel Boudreault at the General House, says that our Redemptorist confreres were not hurt and our houses in Tokyo and Maizuru did not have any damage. As of this notice, Father Fortin was unable to make phone contact with the Vice Provincial nor were we. But we can assume that they are busy with ministering to their people."

This comes from our Roman Confreres.

Redemptorists and Redemptoristine Sisters in Japan are safe and our houses undamaged.

Our thoughts and prayers go to all the victims and survivors.

Copiosa apud eum redemptio

(With the Lord there is plentiful redemption)

seal10 These words are the motto of, and incorporated into the seal of the Redemptorists. They were chosen by St. Alphonsus to guide the congregation he founded, as they expressed his own most profound experience of God.

In the Preaching and Prayer section of this website we hope to provide you with an understanding of Redemptorist Spirituality, the teachings of St Alphonsus and to provide a selection of prayers that you may find helpful.

If any of the Confreres looking in have anything they wish to add perhaps a homily or reflection, then please contribute by clicking here and sending an e-mail.

To access the categories in this section either use the drop down menu above or click on the links below:

The Pope's Prayer Intentions

Virtues

Words of St. Alphonsus

Redemptorist Prayer

Homilies and Reflections

Prayer Requests

Ministry

phoca_thumb_l_majella We honour our fellow religious of the past, our heritage and tradition, by continuing the gospel message of plentiful redemption for all. We do this through working directly with people searching for truth and love.

"His calling is a declaration of love. Your response is commitment, friendship, and love manifested in the gift of your own life."

Pope John Paul II - Valencia, November 1982.

In the UK we do this through pastoral ministry, in our preaching and sharing ministry, in inner city mission, in parish renewal through retreats and missions, in our life giving writing, in our dedication to study especially the ethical questions of our day, and the answers found in the good news of Jesus Christ. In the tradition of Alphonsus we are especially proud of our healing places; our international pastoral centres and places of renewal.

He longs to be known by you, to be loved by you, to be embraced by you. He is born in your flesh, to make himself like you. The infinite God has made himself a child, has made himself small and humble, so as to be loved and imitated by you. From love he is born in a stable and will die on a cross. Be silent, then, and wonder at such love.

Mother Marie Celeste Crostorosa O.Ss.R.

We believe that our unique identity is in the way we see things and in the different ways we reach out to people. There is no one path followed by all Redemptorists, but there is one goal: To defend our joy in Jesus Christ and to bring to others ‘Plentiful Redemption’.

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Many thanks.

Fr. Ronnie, Provincial

Redemptorists of the London Province

Many Thanks for your Donation.

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Regards

Fr Ronnie, Provincial

Redemptorists of the London Province

Fr General CSsR sends a message Consecrated Life 2026...

Words of Clarity from Fr General CSsR...

Read in full here

Rome, February 2, 2026
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Missionaries of Hope in the Footsteps of the Redeemer
YEAR DEDICATED TO MISSION
The Lord sends us as Missionaries and Pilgrims of Hope to a Wounded World
Lk 4:16-19, Mk 6:7-12, Lk 9:2-6, Ps 130:7 Const. 1-20, St. 01-020

Message on the occasion of the World Day of Consecrated Life

Dear Confreres and Formandi,

On the 2^nd of February we celebrate the liturgical feast of the Presentation of the Lord (cf. Lk 2:22-38), popularly known as Candlemas or Our Lady of Light. On this date, the Church commemorates in a special way the Day dedicated to Consecrated Life. In the Congregation, many confreres have taken their vows on this day, and in various communities, this celebration is an occasion for the renewal of religious vows.
The feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple is marked by great simplicity and profound beauty. It is a particularly illuminating key to understanding the dynamics of consecration and mission. The same Lord who is humbly presented to the Father, in fulfilment of the Law, is the One who sends us today, not as possessors of his Kingdom, but as his servants and witnesses. Sent as missionaries and pilgrims, we are called to walk with a wounded world, bringing not easy solutions, but the presence of the Light that Simeon recognized in his arms. Just as Mary and Joseph offered Jesus to the Father and to the world, so too are we sent to offer our consecrated life as a sign of hope on the way: a hope that does not ignore the wounds of history, but rather traverses them with compassion, fidelity, and trust in the One who is the salvation prepared for all peoples.
The Presentation of the Lord is marked by an encounter of covenants between the human and the divine, in which the promise finds its fulfilment in simplicity. Simeon and Anna, two figures marked by fragility (old age and widowhood) and perseverance, represent a faith that knows how to wait, a hope that perseveres, a wisdom that discerns, a witness that proclaims, and a memory that contemplates and welcomes the newness of God.
The action of Mary and Joseph is deeply paradoxical and theologically revealing: while offering only a pair of pigeons, an unmistakable sign of their poverty, in accordance with the Law (cf. Lk 2:24; Lev 12:8), they present the Child Jesus in the Temple, the offering par excellence, the One who belongs to God from all eternity. In the extreme simplicity of the sacrifice permitted to the poor, the superabundance of the divine gift is revealed: the eternal Son is given to the Father and to the world without reserve. In that silent gesture, Jesus is presented as the light to enlighten the nations, inaugurating an economy of salvation in which God’s greatness is recognized in the humility of the little ones and in the radical gift of himself.
This celebration reminds us, through memory and the heart, that consecration is a gift received from the Lord. One day we were presented to Him in our Baptism, and on the day of our profession, we freely said, “Here I am” (cf. Is 6:8; 1 Sam 3:4-10; Gen 22:1, 11; Ex 3:4; Ps 40(39):8-9; Heb 10:5-7). In this sense, our consecration is not an event of the past, but an offering that is renewed every day. It is realized in a very concrete way in our encounter with God, in community life, in mission alongside the poorest and most abandoned, in our human frailties, in persevering fidelity over time, in constancy in prayer, and in our missionary availability (cf. Lk 2:36-38).
Simeon proclaims Jesus as the Light of the nations. From this perspective, and recalling Communicanda 1/2024, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14), Redemptorist consecrated life, at the service of the Redeemer’s mission, is called to reflect that light, not to obscure it or keep it to itself. Today, more than ever, that light must shine. In contexts marked by wars, hatred of others, profound individualism, aporophobia, weariness and aging of consecrated life itself, scarcity of vocations, and fear, we are called to continue to shine with hope, for our light comes from the Light that never goes out…
I think that Simeon’s attitude resonates today as a strong and demanding challenge to our consecrated life. He calls us to enter courageously into those contexts of crisis of faith, where silent or declared atheism is experienced ad intra and ad extra, and where consecration runs the risk of being reduced to a mere functional role, indistinguishable from that of a social organization. Faced with these scenarios, we can ask ourselves: what witness are we offering to today’s world? What sign of God remains visible in our lives?
The scene of the Presentation of the Lord does not allow us to remain neutral. It confronts us directly with two decisive aspects of our consecration: first, what we present to the Lord today: our choices, our structures, our way of life, our mission. Second, what we are capable of seeing and contemplating in the reality that surrounds us. Moreover, it questions us about how we react to what we see: with accommodation or with prophecy, with fear or with hope, with closed-mindedness or with renewed commitment. Simeon’s response resonates eloquently: “Now, Lord, you can let your servant go in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before all peoples, a light to enlighten the nations and the glory of your people Israel” (Lk 2:29-32).
Redemptorist consecrated life is called to be a sign of hope when hope seems exhausted, to remain faithful when the fruits are scarce, and to discern God’s action in concrete history, especially where life is wounded, forgotten, and discarded. It is precisely in these places that the authenticity of our consecration is measured, for it is to these realities that we have been sent in the name of the Redeemer. In this sense, there is no consecration without mission. If consecration does not move us, disturb us, and send us forth, it runs the risk of becoming sterile, reduced to a mere task to be accomplished. Therefore, as Redemptorist Missionaries, we were consecrated to proclaim abundant redemption, not as an abstract discourse, but as a life given, a presence in solidarity, and a word that liberates, with a charism that is renewed without losing its essence.
Fidelity to the charism is not to be confused with the mere preservation of forms or structures. It requires courage to let go off what no longer generates life, freedom to transform structures, methods, and languages, and an evangelical audacity to respond to the signs of the times, remaining firmly rooted in the Gospel. Only in this way will our consecration continue to be a living prophecy and concrete hope in the heart of the world. Simeon, contemplating the newness of salvation before him, withdraws so that it may come to pass.
On this day, I express my deep gratitude to each confrere for his “here I am,” pronounced and renewed daily in the various places where the Congregation is present, and for all the generous service rendered to the poorest and most abandoned, making the Lord visible in the many “temples of the world.” I invite each one to remember with gratitude his own vocational journey, to recognize the value of the daily “here I am” and to give thanks to the Lord for the journey travelled to date, with all that it has entailed: joys, challenges, crosses, and missionary fruitfulness. I wish you all renewed courage, faithful perseverance, and a serene and confident heart to carry forward the mission of the Redeemer. I encourage our young men in formation, in a special way, not to be afraid to say their “here I am” day after day and, with evangelical courage, to consecrate their lives to the Lord in the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
May we, through our consecrated Redemptorist life, truly be apostles of robust faith, sustained by joyful hope, animated by ardent charity, and by a burning zeal that springs from a personal encounter with the Redeemer. Free from all presumption about ourselves and rooted in constant prayer, may we be apostolic men, genuine sons of St. Alphonsus, who joyfully follow Christ the Saviour, participate deeply in his mystery, and proclaim him with evangelical simplicity of life and word. Through self-denial, let us always remain available for hard work, taking on our mission without reservation, so that through our dedicated existence, Christ’s abundant redemption may reach everyone, especially the poorest and most abandoned (cf. Const. 20). And, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, let us always cross over to the other side… (cf. Mk 4:35; Communicanda 2/25).
May Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, totally consecrated to God, together with our Saints, Martyrs, and Blesseds, encourage us in our consecration, sustain us in our daily fidelity, and help us to persevere to the end. Amen.

Fr. Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R
Superior General

Original: Spanish

A word in your ear...

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It is my great privilege to have as my assignment in the province, the role of Vocation Director. This role gives me the time needed to speak with and pray for all those people who are asking the question, "could it be me?" or some similiar words.

Jesus calls!

Is he calling you?

If you feel that the Lord is calling you in some way - as a brother, or as a priest, or you are not too sure - get in touch with me,

Fr Royston Price CSsR,

the Redemptorist Vocation Director.

Know that you have a place in my prayers every day.

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Fr. Provincial's Letter - 31st Dec 2011

Fr Provincial's Letter 31st Dec 2011...

Cardinal Varkey C.Ss.R. RIP

Cardinal Varkey C.Ss.R., RIP...

Requiescat in pace

CSSR-OSSR Japan

Redemptorists and Redemptoristines alive and well in Japan...