From Monday, 16th September till Friday, 20th September 2024, 22 Redemptorists under the age of 50 gathered in Gars, Germany, from the Provinces of Dublin, London, St Clemens, and Vienna – Munich to discuss the Federation and to spend time getting to know each other.
The gathering was a very fruitful one, and the group gathered with their four Provincial Superiors, Fr. Brendan O’Rourke C.Ss.R. (Dublin), Fr Richard Reid C.Ss.R. (London), Fr Jan Hafmans C.Ss.R. (St Clements) and Fr Martin Leitgöb C.Ss.R. (Vienna- Munich)
It was an opportunity for open dialogue about fears and even objections, as well as hopes and possible common projects and what they might look like when the Federation of the Provinces takes place on 1st August 2025.
On the first day, Fr Brendan O’Rourke C.Ss.R invited each person to introduce themselves, where they were born, their date of profession, something that brought them joy, something that made them sad in the last week, and during the season of creation, where do we find God? Mass was then celebrated at the Altar and Shrine of Blessed Stangassinger by Fr Richard Reid C.Ss.R., we were invited to remember and pray for all those involved in our formation. After lunch, we gathered again for a tour of the Monastery in Gars by Br. Wolfgang. We were guided through the history of Gars and the wonderful tradition that the Monastery holds for us as Redemptorists. We visited the community graves, one of which is Fr Bernard Häring, famous as a moral theologian with his three volumes, The Law of Christ. The work received ecclesiastical approval but was written in a style different from the manual tradition. It was translated into more than twelve languages, and as Br Wolfgang reminded us, he was a Redemptorist, and in the community grave, everyone is equal, no one has a special place, and he is buried next to his Redemptorist Brother who looked after chickens in the Monastery.
After the tour, we gathered again and broke into small groups to discuss the federation agreement, which we then brought back to the larger group. There were difficult questions and statements made by the group, but there was also a sense of openness and hopefulness to make the Federation work. One of the main challenges is that many confreres are part of very busy ministries, and some hold more than one role in their respective Provinces, but still, there came across a sense of openness from the group. In the evening, we visited the Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer (Sisters of Gars) and had a lovely tour of their convent. We joined the sisters for prayer in their chapel, praying in a special way for peace in Ukraine as their Mother General is from Ukraine and was present during our visit.
On Wednesday, we had a day out as a group, visiting the Marian Pilgrimage site in Altötting. “The heart of Bavaria and one of the hearts of Europe.” Fr Martin Leitgöb C.Ss.R. celebrated mass in the beautiful Chapel of Mercy. A wonderful place to celebrate the Eucharist as a group to give thanks for our Missionary Vocation as Redemptorists. On the way home, we visited the Birthplace of the Late Pope Benedict XVI.
Thursday, we gathered again for more discussion on the Federation and went into the breakout groups to continue to share and discuss the document, aided by questions given by the Provincials. Once again, it was an open and honest session of sharing. One of the areas looked at was common Formation. Currently, only two students are in the four provinces, so what would a common Novitiate look like as an example? The group then discussed ongoing formation for the confreres, and there was a sense that these gatherings would continue, in which a speaker would be invited to lead the group on various topics to help personally and in ministry and deepen our roots at Redemptorists looking at an Alphonsian Pilgrimage.
The group then broke for lunch, and in the afternoon, we were given a guided tour of the Monastery Garden Centre by Br Klaus, a qualified gardener who also manages the garden centre on behalf of the community. Br Klaus is very enthusiastic about the centre, and this was felt by the whole group when he gave us the tour. The garden centre provides the Monastery and the public with all the fruits and vegetables. Br Klaus shared that some people travel over two hours to buy plants and vegetables from the centre. In the evening, we gathered for the Holy Mass celebrated in English and German by Fr. Ryan Holovlasky C.Ss.R. (Dublin) and Fr. Jan Hafmans C.Ss.R. (St Clements). The preacher was Fr. Brendan O’Rourke C.Ss.R. After dinner, we gathered for the final session as a group, and Fr Brendan O’Rourke C.Ss.R. led us in a small closing ceremony and reflection on how we found the week together and the hope for the future as Redemptorist Missionaries.
Friday Morning, we joined the Gars community for mass bid our farewells and travelled home to our respective provinces. A special thanks to Fr Martin Leitgöb C.Ss.R., who, with the assistance of Fr Anton, translated the meetings from English-German and German to English.
Fr. Ryan Holovlasky, C.Ss.R.
