Prot. No. 0000 220/2024
Rome, November 9, 2024
292nd Anniversary of the Founding of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
Missionaries of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer
YEAR DEDICATED TO FORMATION FOR MISSION
The Lord who instructs us to revive the gift of God that dwells within us
Const. 77-90, Stat. 050-085; Mt 10:5-15, Lk 9:1-6, 2 Tm 1:6
Dear Confreres,
FORMANDI,
Our Redemptorist lay missionaries, associates and Oblates,
Redemptorist Missionary Youth (RYVM),
Former Redemptorist Seminarians and
others belonging TO our Redemptorist Family:
- From the 21st to the 24th October of this year, I attended the meeting of the Commission for the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer in Scala and stayed in the house where the Congregation was born. During some breaks, I took the opportunity to visit the grotto of Scala and contemplate the mountains that surround the small town. In those moments, several questions arose in my mind: how did Alphonsus and his companions live in this place in their time? What were their dreams, both as individuals and as missionaries? What concerns and longings did Alphonsus have as founder? What were his dark nights and his experiences with the Beloved Redeemer? What would he feel when he saw a Church distant from the poor, as he struggled to bring it closer to them? What emotions would fill his heart when his little Institute was approved by Rome? And what words would he have for the Congregation today?
- With these questions in my mind and in my heart, I thought of every confrere and formandi I have known, both in person and through the Internet; of the diverse realities I have witnessed while visiting Redemptorist communities in different countries; of the great missionary work being done and of the valuable collaboration of our laity. After two years and a few months of service in the animation of the Congregation, I would like to share some impressions of the journey travelled.
- Currently, the Congregation is present in 85 countries and has 4,551 confreres. This missionary presence in different contexts should make us rejoice and make us aware of our multicultural and international face. This diversity is a great richness and should not become a factor of dispersion. Perhaps the world teaches us to fear the other, but the Gospel calls us to be Samaritans within our own communities and in our daily apostolate (cf. Lk 10: 25-37), and to welcome diversity, as 1 Cor 12: 4-13 reminds us: “There is a diversity of gifts, ministries and services, but it is the same God who works all things in all persons.” If this is true, the fact of being a missionary body (cf. Const. 2) in diversity makes us credible to proclaim and witness to the Gospel in an ever-renewed way, with living hope, to be a sign and light of the world (Communicanda 1/2024).
- With appropriate self-criticism, we should have a healthy pride and a deep sense of belonging to a Congregation that, since its foundation, has never ceased to proclaim the Gospel. The Congregation has expanded and continues to proclaim abundant redemption today. Although we confront many weaknesses, I firmly believe that our potential is much greater. If we row in the same direction, we will be stronger, even with diverse perspectives, which is extremely healthy for an institution. Weaknesses are not obstacles that should fill us with pessimism or discouragement, but lessons that allow us to glimpse new horizons with hope. Pessimism, discouragement, and complaints get us nowhere. For this reason, our vision of the Congregation must go beyond the borders of our (Vice)Provinces, Regions, and Missions. This allows us to recognize the dynamism that exists in the Congregation, to strengthen our hope, to renew our sense of belonging, to foster solidarity among ourselves and to sharpen our missionary disposition. Restructuring and reconfiguration invite us to this!
- On this 292nd anniversary of the Congregation, I invite every professed confrere, student and lay person to remember, to review in their heart the journey they have made since their first contact with the Congregation until today: joys, sorrows, challenges, crises, achievements, changes… It is about remembering one’s vocation and asking oneself: what brought me here? How does the Redeemer continue to send me on mission? In what ways do I need to take qualitative steps in my Redemptorist missionary commitment? I trust that, at the end of this review of our personal history, each one will find deep consolation in his or her heart, will hear the voice of the Redeemer saying: “Go forward into deeper waters” (Lk 5:4) and will see the face of St. Alphonsus saying: “My children, go forward; I am with you to the end”.
- I believe that some elements can strengthen the missionary dynamism of the Congregation: not neglecting vocation promotion, initial and ongoing formation; renewing our sense of belonging every day; praying for our vocation and asking the Lord for the grace of perseverance in our vocation; intensifying our community life and nourishing our spirituality, both personal and communitarian, without losing sight of the richness of our spiritual sources: the Scriptures, the Constitutions, Redemptorist Saints and the writings of many confreres today. It is essential to continually renew our conversion of heart and mind, to free ourselves from our comfort zones, to preserve our pastoral zeal and missionary passion, and to reaffirm our missionary availability before the Lord. May we never lack commitment to the poorest and most abandoned, the reading of the signs of the times, and the renewal of our missionary methods, seeing the world as an opportunity to evangelize and not as a threat that limits us. Always communicating the joy of the Gospel from our consecration and fostering a culture of care, both within our communities and in our apostolic environments, are also essential aspects of our mission.
- Even in contexts where the Congregation is facing difficult times, this should not be a reason for discouragement for the members of the Congregation or for the lay people associated with our mission. The Congregation is alive, with 292 years of history, maturing with the passage of time, enriched by the reading of the signs of the times, with the strength that comes from the Gospel and the joyful face of being missionary in each confrere, sustained by the prayers of the People of God and guided by the Holy Spirit as a work in progress. Let us carry forward this redemptive work with joy, for we are “Missionaries of Hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer”!
- Together with Mary, our Mother of Perpetual Help, and accompanied by our Saints, Blessed, Martyrs and Venerable, as well as by the dedication of every confrere, student and lay person, we prepare to celebrate the 300th anniversary of our beloved Congregation.
Fraternally,
Fr. Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R.
Superior General
Original: Spanish
