ALPHONSIAN PILGRIMAGE 17th-22nd August 2014
The Pilgrimage to the places where our Founder St. Alphonsus lived and worked was held from 17 to 22 August 2014. It was prepared by Secretariat for Formation of CRE. The pilgrimage was prepared for our seminarians from various Units in Europe. There were various goals of this pilgrimage: not only to visit these important places for us but also to meet together, to share our experiences, to strengthen our religious vocation especially during the Year for the Promotion of the Redemptorist Missionary Vocation.
Each day we had the possibility to visit some “Alphonsian Places” but our main accommodation place was in Colle Sant’Alfonso (near Naples).
Monday, August 18: Most of us started our pilgrimage in Rome (San Gioacchino) and we went by coach to Colle Sant’Alfonso where the students from Poland and Ukraine arrived on previous evening. We were from Italy, Ireland, England, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Spain, Austria and also from Indonesia. That same day we went to pray to Pagani at the tomb of St. Alphonsus. The Mass was presided by the Coordinator of the Conference (Fr. Jacek Zdrzałek) and was animated by students of the Warsaw Province. During the homily, the Coordinator spoke about the choices made by St. Alphonsus for the poor and the most abandoned people and invited all to search for new ways of evangelization today. At the end of the Mass, Fr. Vicidomini told us the history of the church and the house in Pagani. Then we had possibility to visit the “Museo Alfonsiano” and to eat the refreshment prepared for us by the community of Pagani. That evening the youth from the RYVM of the Naples Province invited us for the time of amusement and common games.
Tuesday, August 19: We went to Scala, where our Congregation was born. The superior of the community in Scala, Fr. Vitiello, invited us to the community chapel with the original statue of S. Maria dei Monti. He gave us a talk about the history and the meaning of this place. Then we went to the cave of St. Alphonsus where our founder talked with Our Lady, then to the cathedral and to “Casa Anastasio”.
The second part of our visit in Scala took place in the monastery of Redemptoristines. Fr. Ronald McAinish spoke of the importance of that place, it’s meaning for Redemptorists, and also about mutual influences between Mother Crostarosa and St. Alphonsus.
After lunch offered us by the nuns we departed to Ciorani which is the Mother House of our Congregation and the place for Interprovincial Novitiate. We celebrated Mass in the Byzantine rite animated by the students from Lviv Province. There was the ceremony of the renewal of religious vows for our students from Ukraine and Spain. After the Mass, we visited the museum of St. Alphonsus in our community house.
Wednesday, August 20. We started our day with the Mass animated by the students of the Province of London and the Mass was presided by Fr. Ronald McAinsh, Provincial of London. During the homily Fr. Ronald said that we should “be Redemptorists that make a difference”, and he encouraged us to live joyfully as the Redemptorist missionaries. That phrase “to be Redemptorists that make a difference” became the unofficial motto of our pilgrimage.
After breakfast we had a meeting with Fr. Alfonso Amarante (vice-president of Alphonsian Academy in Rome). He gave us a lecture: “Alphonsus, Naples and missionary attempts”. Fr. Amarante gave us an explanation of the places in Naples connected to the life of St. Alphonsus. It was very important lecture because on the same day we went to Naples and visited those places so important for our history. We started our trip in Marianella where St. Alphonsus was born, then we went to the church of the Our Lady, where he was baptized. We stopped in the Chapel of S. Restituta in the Cathedral, where our founder was ordained a priest and we went to the places where he worked as a lawyer and where he took care of sick people in the Hospital of the Incurables. We also went into the church of Santa Maria della Mercede, where he left his noble sword, after deciding to become a priest.
Thursday, August 21, 2014: We visited the sanctuary of St. Gerard Majella in Materdomini. Fr. Perillo, as the superior of the community and the Rector of the Sanctuary, greeted us and he blessed us near the tomb of St. Gerard. We were divided into linguistic groups to visit various places and museums of the sanctuary. We celebrate the Mass in the old church, with the tomb of St. Gerard. Fr. Perillo stressed in his homily the holiness of St. Gerard and his will to become a true Redemptorist always obedient and faithful to the Gospel. After the Mass we ate lunch in the “Casa del Pellegrino”.
From Materdomini we went to Santa Agata Dei Goti where St. Alphonsus was a bishop for 13 years. We visited the very old and interesting cathedral and the bishop’s palace. Then we prayed vespers together with the Redemptoristines in their church and visited their monastery built by St. Alphonsus. After the refreshment in nuns’ garden we return to “Colle Sant’Alfonso”.
Friday, August 22, 2014: After breakfast we left the hospitable community of “Colle Sant’Alfonso” and we started our trip back to Rome. Along the way we made two stops: in Frosinone and in Scifelli. The Provincial of Rome Province Fr. Gianni Congiu was waiting for us in those places. In Frosinone, the Superior of the house Fr. Fiscante welcomed us to the sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie. That place was very important for us because St. Gerard and St. Clement lived there. It also houses the tomb of Fr. Francesco De Paola (Rector Major). Fr. Fiscante gave us a historical explanation of the church and the house. We saw the ancient refectory, where it was said that St. Clement, after his priestly ordination, served at the table, the old library, the room where Fr. De Paola lived and the room St. Clement lived in 1785.
The second stop was in Scifelli. There is very important house for our history. In this house the General Chapter in 1785 took place. One of the decisions of that Chapter gave the permission to Saint Clement to start the activity of our Congregation outside the Alps. After visiting the “Chapter–Room” and in other historical places, the Rome Province offered us the delicious lunch.
When we arrived to Rome, we went to our Sanctuary of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Via Merulana. It was officially the last moment of our pilgrimage. Vicar of the Superior General, Fr. Enrique López presided the Mass in the Sanctuary and our German-speaking students animated the prayers.
At the end of the Mass, Fr. Ronald McAinsh, on behalf of the Secretariat for Formation of the CRE, thanked all who prepared the pilgrimage and all the students who participated in it. Then in front of the original icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help we entrusted our religious vocation and the future formation of all Redemptorist students in Europe to Our Lady.
These were special days for us and we hope that we will have possibility to meet once again soon. It was really unique opportunity for all of us to get to know each other and to live our Redemptorist spirituality during that pilgrimage. The possibility to know our roots and the historical places where our Founder lived was marvelous experience.
Special thanks must be given to Naples and Rome Provinces for extraordinary hospitality and fraternal welcome. We felt at home not only because of Redemptorist historical places but also because of community dimension. Many thanks to all of you!
Thanks be to God who called us to be Redemptorists! Thanks to St. Alphonsus who founded our Congregation where we live and we can give witness to the Word of God!
Habib Badran
Student from Rome Province
