Letter from Coordinator 12 2013

Dear Confreres,
Dear Lay Missionaries of the Most Holy Redeemer,
Dear Partners in Mission,

The Secretariat for Evangelisation in CRE is searching for the new avenues of missionary activities in Europe. On the one hand it wants to offer completely new projects, and on the other, it is using experiences from the past. In this letter I describe two events which took place during vacation time. One of them was completely new: the activity of the interprovincial community in connection with St. James’s Way to Santiago de Compostela, and the another one continued our tradition: the 10th International Redemptorist Youth Congress.
The Pilgrim House in Astorga
According to the decision taken by the last Assembly of CRE, “the Pilgrim House on St. James’ Way to Santiago de Compostela” was opened in Astorga (Spain) during vacation time. The Province of Madrid, as the host, invited other Units from CRE to collaborate. This interprovincial community was established in one part of the Redemptorist house called “Casa San Alfonso”. This special area was dedicated totally to the pastoral care for pilgrims. This mission continued for eight weeks from 1st July to 25th August 2013. 
The international community was formed to develop a new style of Redemptorist mission for pilgrims. Twenty-two Redemptorist Missionaries (lay and religious) were involved in this project: 6 priests, 2 students, 2 postulants and 12 lay collaborators (two Irish, one Polish, one German and 18 Spanish).
The missionaries volunteered their time as hosts for the pilgrims, welcoming them on the streets, informing them of events and providing space and time for prayer and dialogue. The priests were available each day for
confessions, for celebrations of the Eucharist and for the Blessing of the Pilgrims. The community led Night Prayer and Benediction of the Pilgrims in many languages each evening at 9.00 pm. 1,306 pilgrims participated in these blessings during the eight weeks. During this time the community prayed and worked together and also relaxed together.

The evaluation of this mission- project was very positive. The members of this community found the climate of fraternity a real missionary experience. Likewise, the evaluation from the pilgrims was very positive. They testified that they found this a place where real encounter and dialogue took place. The participants also suggested what
could be improved in this project for the future. And with these experiences we will go on.

10th European Meeting of the Redemptorist Youth

The slogan: “Be Life, Believe, Be Love” accompanied the 10th European Meeting of the Redemptorist Youth. Over 500 young people gathered from 7th to 12th August in San Sperate (a small town located in the southern part of Sardinia). The Roman Province was the host, but it involved all the European Redemptorist Units in the preparation and in the celebration. In his opening speech, the Superior General expressed words of gratitude to all the young participants and said that the Mission of the Redemptorists in CRE continues to be a journey which offers the hope for future. He said: “The Paradise of God is the human heart”. With this conviction St. Alphonsus shows us that Jesus is the life, and He believes in us, and that His presence is for everyone true love, both on a personal and on a community level.”
The general agenda of this meeting was very similar to previous Youth Congresses. The most important moments were: prayers, Eucharistic and penitential celebrations, catechesis, sharing in linguistic groups, workshops, evening presentation. From the very beginning the meeting had also missionary and evangelisation dimensions. The inhabitants of San Sperate not only participated in prayers and evening presentations, but they conducted several workshops in which young people had the opportunity to know the local culture and tradition. In the hearts of the young people there will stay in a special way: the first Religious Profession of a Redemptorist Novice, the catechesis on the Redemptorist mission done by Father Michael Brehl in the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Bonaria in Cagliari, the penitential celebration and procession with the statue of the dead Christ (the traditional local rite of “Su Scravamentu”) and the final Eucharist presided over by the Archbishop of Cagliari. All the participants were delighted with the extraordinary commitment of the volunteers and the people of San Sperate who welcomed and accompanied the young people.
We are grateful to the Lord for this extraordinary time of joy and Christian witness, and we hope that this meeting will bring more spiritual fruits and will strengthen the faith.
Numbers of participants: Rome (103); S. Clemens (88); Naples (48); Dublin (48); Lviv (48); Madrid (26); Munich (26); Strasbourg (23); Lisbon (20); Michalovce (19); Baltimore (13); Bratislava (10); S. Gerard (9); Belorussia/Lviv (9); Warsaw (6); London (5); Vienna (4); General and CRE Councils (3).
I would like to say thanks to all who were involved in hosting the meeting, and also to those who participated in these events, for all the hospitality and work. I hope that these experiences will help us to find new ways of evangelising and the proclaiming God’s Word.
Fr. Jacek