“Together in Mission” is a project that unites different communities engaged in evangelization together with the Redemptorists of the Warsaw Province of the Redemptorists. From 21 to 23 June 2024, the fourth meeting of lay leaders of the communities and Redemptorists involved in this work was held in Toruń. The communities and environments represented were: Krakow, Warsaw, Grodno (Belarus), Gliwice, Elbląg, Wrocław, Amsterdam and the participants from Toruń home.
The theme of the meeting was “Called to the mission.” Father Cristian Bueno CSsR, executive secretary of the General Secretariat for Evangelization at the General Curia in Rome, shared his reflections and his experience of collaborating in the Redemptorist mission with the laity.
The Holy Trinity is the source of the vocation to proclaim the Gospel, and this gift is given to different individuals, groups, and environments. The Redemptorist missionary vocation is recognized and embraced both by the Redemptorists, who neither possess it nor dismiss it, and by the laity, who most of the time discover it and live it through collaboration with the Redemptorists. They all share the same charism, given by God. Lay people, on the other hand, are not “subcontractors” but co-responsible. Both groups must not stop learning the charism, developing it and, above all, practicing it in evangelization.
Father Cristian presented the structure and spirit of the document of the Secretariat for Cooperation in Mission of the General Government, “Directory for Cooperation in Mission.” Father Pawel Drobot CSsR presented further elements of the training of Redemptorists and lay people for joint evangelization “Together in Mission,” developed by a similar secretariat at the level of the Warsaw Province of the Redemptorists. In particular, he spoke about direct preparation for the ministry of lay missionary of the Most Holy Redeemer. Some people shared concrete testimonies, how they discovered and accepted the invitation to live this vocation.
Each day of the meeting began with a common prayer. The Eucharist was celebrated every day. Participants also went on a pilgrimage to the shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary Star of the New Evangelization and St. John Paul II, and took a guided tour of the Gothic city of Toruń. There was also time to share experiences and build personal relationships.
Fr. Mariusz Mazurkiewicz CSsR
Photos contributed by the participants of the meeting
(redemptor.pl)
