August is a special time for Redemptorist seminarians for vacation practices and for leisure time with family members. It is in August that we once again kneel before God and profess to live the evangelical counsels. Some do it for the first time, others renew it, and still others do it for life.
We began our preparation for the religious profession with a day of retreat. It was led for us on August 13, 2024, by Fr. Wacław Zyskowski CSsR. Our spiritual guide focused our attention on the three religious vows.
What do vows convey to us? One aspect of religious vows, according to Fr. Waclaw, is that they free us from the “I possess for security” approach.
- The vow of chastity teaches us to look at beauty and not to have the desire to possess it.
- The vow of poverty teaches us to seek security, foundation, and stability in our relationship with Christ and not in material things.
- The vow of obedience teaches us to take responsibility for ourselves. Obedience is not blindly following orders, but devotion to God.
The next day we focused on preparing for the celebration of the renewal of temporary vows and the perpetual profession of Br. Łukasz Malinowski.
In the afternoon we went to Lubaszowa to attend the beginning of the novitiate of our three youngest confreres: Jan, Marcin and Artur.
The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a memorable day for many Redemptorists of our Province. Many of them gave themselves to God by religious profession on August 15. On this day, August 15, 2024, two brothers made their first religious vows in Lubaszowa.
In the chapel of our religious house, 9 brothers renewed their religious vows and in the afternoon Br. Łukasz professed his perpetual vows during the Eucharist celebrated by the Provincial Fr. Dariusz Paszyński, CSsR, at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Krakow.
On the same day, we welcomed new formators into our community. Fr. Wacław Zyskowski CSsR became prefect and Fr. Marek Urban CSsR became rector of the Seminary. We would like to thank our previous formators for their great contribution to our formation: Fr. Adam Kośli CSsR and Fr. Jacek Zdrzałek CSsR.
Ferragosto (August Holiday) is always a time of rest, of calm and of preparation for the next step towards total dedication to Christ. We are very happy that there are more young people ready to give their lives to God and to others in service. Please pray for all the brothers in formation, so that the next year of vows will be a step towards Christ, towards holiness.
Fr. Bartłomiej Laskowski CSsR, Redemptorist Major Seminary in Krakow
(source: www.redemptor.pl)
