Redemptorists, members of the General House and the International Community of Saint Alphonsus in Rome gathered for a Eucharistic celebration in the chapel of the religious house on November 9, on the occasion of the anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.
Fr. Zdzisław François Stanula, CSsR., Vicar General, presided over the liturgy and gave the homily. In the homily, he recalled the apostolic zeal of St. Alphonsus Liguori and his sensitivity to the pastoral needs of the Church. He said, among other things:
“The Founder left his family in the metropolis of Naples, “his comfort zone,” going to the village of Scala to live “with” and “among” the most abandoned, to announce the copiosa redemptio to the poor, left alone on the margins of society and the Church. In this way, Saint Alphonsus intended to respond to the most urgent needs of the Church.”
“In the times that will follow, other Redemptorists will do the same, men of the Church always “on the move,” always “going forth”: Saint Gerard, Saint Clement, Saint John Neumann, and then many other brothers. Moved by the Holy Spirit, during these almost three centuries, they courageously left their countries to set out on a mission to the unknown lands of America, Africa, Asia and Oceania, without pre-established “action plans,” going to meet the unknown, but loved by God.”
The anniversary of the foundation of the Congregation, which in its almost 300 years of history has experienced dynamic growth and has given the Church many zealous missionaries, pastors, theologians, as well as bishops, blessed and saints, is an occasion to give thanks to God, but it is also an occasion to question ourselves about the future.
“Today we are 4551 confreres present in 85 countries in the world. How many will we be and what will we be like in 10 or 20 years?” – Fr. Stanula encouraged the confreres to reflect and respond personally. He continued: “It depends on you and on me, on each of us, if we can allow ourselves a new Mission of announcing the good news in today’s “Changing” world, remaining joyful, available, capable of responding to the most urgent needs of the Church and of the times.”
After the homily, all the brothers present in the chapel renewed their religious profession, thus expressing their fidelity to the Redeemer and their willingness to continue the mission of the Congregation, begun by Saint Alphonsus and some of his companions in Scala, 292 years ago.
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