YEAR I n 2015 01 FREE DISTRIBUTION THE MIND AND HEART 2014 OF THE GENERAL FACTS GET TO KNOW MORE ABOUT IDEIAS LIFE THE CANADIAN WHO LEADS THE REDEMPTORIST MISSION AROUND THE WORLD Fr. Michael Brehl ISLAM THE OUTSKIRTS 40 Testimony of an 22 Redemptorists in African confrere Street Ministry 1 Redemptorist Church Tacloban, Philippines l Families occupied the Church after typhoon Yolanda passed in November, 2013. l The typhoon affected more than four million people in thirty-six Filipino provinces. l The winds of this powerful storm reached 300 kms. an hour, with even stronger gusts. 2 Redemptorist Church Gospel solidarity, which makes the Congregation commit itself to the poor, the needy and the oppressed, finds concrete expression in our community. 3 production staff Publication of the Congrgation of the Most Holy Redeemer Superior General Fr. Michael Brehl, CSsR General Council Fr. Enrique López, CSsR Fr. Jacek Dembek, CSsR Fr. João Pedro Fernandes, CSsR Fr. Juventius Andrade, CSsR Fr. Alberto Esseverri, CSsR Br. Jeffrey Rolle, CSsR Missionary Communication Service Fr. Rafael Vieira, CSsR Fr. Biju Madatakunnal, CSsR Photos da República Ricardo Stuckert / Presidência Files, CSsR COVER Collaborators Simone Borges 6 MICHAEL BREHL Fr. Rafael Vieira Silva, CSsR Documents and letters reveal what the superior general of the Br. Diego Joaquim, CSsR Br. Michael Goulart, CSsR Redemptorist missionaries thinks, how he feels and foresees the future of the Congregation. Translators Fr. Joseph P. Dorcey, CSsR Fr. Porfirio Tejera, CSsR Ms. Annalisa Pinca MISSION Website ACTUAL www.cssr.com 20 JOHN NEUMANN Editing Report of the treasurer +39 (06) 49-490-608 general about the [email protected] missionary work being done in Philadelphia, USA today Printing Scala Publications Rua Itororó, 144 Bairro São Francisco 74455-370 Goiânia-GO (55) 62 4008-2350 ALEC REID 14 TRIBUTE Ireland says good-bye to a Via Merulana, 31 great missionary of 00185 – Rome, Italy reconciliation and [email protected] peace 4 REFLECTION THE BIG PICTURE 28 ENRIQUE LÓPEZ 36 ANTONIO DE LUCA The vicar general of the An Italian Redemptorist bishop Congregation asks questions speaks of the urgente need for about the current situation of the a new evangelization of the ISLAM Institute and calls for a deeper European continent understanding of its mission Icon 40 DIALOGUE A Redemptorist from Niger highlights difficulties and challenges faced when living together with Muslims ABANDONMENT 22 STREET-DWELLERS Brazilian Redemptorists are committed to serving those who find themselves at the extreme limits of poverty ALBANIA 46 THE BEGINNING ICON APP Confreres from three European Units begin missionary work 16 CAMPO GRANDE 13 BREAD4TODAY in the eastern part of the International Congress The Australian continente and the community in Brazil discusses devotion Redemptorists offer a free being assisted grows in a to Our Lady of digitial app for daily signifcant way Perpetual Help meditation 5 cover THE MIND AND HEART OF THE GENERAL Letters and special messages to the confreres and Units reveal dreams, ideas and convictions of the leader of the Redemptorists on all continents n Scala News Friendly, generous, lively, playful, serious, deep, an excellent me- mory and, above all, one hundred percent Redemptorist. These ad- jectives could be the colors of one of the photographs that one might take of the superior general of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, Father Michael Brehl. He was born in Toronto, the most populous city in Canada and the capital of the province of Ontario. 6 7 And before coming to know the members of the Congregation, SAINT ALPHONSUS he had already become a devotee “Let us recall the apostolic zeal of our of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. founder, the passion for Jesus that marked Last January 7th, he completed his prayer, the charity and understanding 59 years and has already lived with which he built the apostolic community. 38 years of religious profession How he always heard the pleas of the and 34 of priesthood. Son and abandoned and the poor, and how brother of journalists, he speaks we too would like to respond to the neediest in our days. May his spirit with simplicity, in a direct way inspire us to give our lives and always with clear summa- for Plentiful ries and fantastic images in order Redemption, so that we too to speak of the way of being and can preach the Gospel in a way the mission of the sons of St. Al- that is always new.” phonsus Liguori in the Church. Elected four years ago, he has traveled to the four corners of the earth to encounter Redemp- torists in their places of mission- ary work. And he has written to the confreres quite frequently. SUPERIOR GENERAL “It is a great privilege to be the superior general of the Congregation, because it is an act of confidence by my Redemptorist confreres who asked me to take this position. Indeed, the support, love and all the help I have received have made it possible to carry out this work. I feel very good because my brothers are with me on this journey.” 8 “It is a great privilege to be the superior general THE WORLD of the Congregation, “God dreams of a world where no one prepares for war, but all because it is an act of are disarmed. God longs for a world where people sit together confidence on the at the same table and every tear is wiped away. God promises a part of my world in which justice reigns and love unites people of all Redemptorist races, languages, beliefs and lifestyles. The lion and the confreres who lamb will lie down together, and a child shall lead them. God asked me to take speaks to the world with images and a language of hope this position.” that move the human heart.” Michael Brehl P. Michael with the members of the General Council at the closing of the visit of the General Government THE ABANDONED The Redemptorists “A life of missionary dedication does not His letters and messages re- people can understand, so that necessarily put us in the veal what he thinks and feels it can touch their hearts and in- spotlight. It calls us to in the work of affirming and troduce them more fully to the explore new ways and means to proclaim the encouraging Redemptorists plan of God, which is that King- Gospel, often on the margins “We are Missionaries. This is dom of justice, love and peace and fringes of society. The our fundamental identity as proclaimed by his Son. (...) It is a Redemptorist missionary is followers of Jesus Christ in the challenge for the whole Church. not just an effective and spirit and tradition of St. Al- As Redemptorists we are re- dynamic preacher in the pulpit! Redemptorist phonsus and our Congregation. minded of a reflection by Father missionaries also work in Like St. Clement Hofbauer, we Francis Durrwell: our charism, alleys and slums, in areas and are deeply aware that we must which places us at the heart cities in the hinterlands, learn to preach the Gospel ever of the Church is missionary wherever the abandoned anew in every age, in a way that by its very nature (Const. 1).” and the poor are found.” 10 NECESSITIES develop its vocational ministry. which aims to evangelize the poor. They ‘aim at the libera- “The Congregation faces many This includes the promotion difficulties in some areas, such as: of our missionary vocation, tion and salvation of the who- missionary initiatives, urgent as well as the accompaniment le human person’ (Const. 5). pastoral needs, formation, of candidates. Thirdly, each Therefore, all these works are administration of temporal goods, very important for the vitality the service of leadership, the community must find specific development of projects, the ways to celebrate the Redemp- of our charism, but above all mediation and resolution of torist missionary vocation.” we believe they are necessary conflicts, technical skills and for the livelihood of so many competency, etc. Many of these cannot be undertaken due to the Restructuring brothers and sisters who need lack of personnel in the Unit or in “Restructuring is a slow pro- them so desperately. Thus, the the Conference. Experience has cess. But, as we are a con- social works developed by a shown us that some initiatives Redemptorist Unit seek to care have failed for this reason. On the gregation with members all other hand, there are other around the world, this is no for the dignity of the human positive experiences of confreres surprise. After all, it takes a person who has been redeemed working in different Units, helping long time to reap the fruits of by Jesus Christ.” to respond to these needs.” this work. We need to restruc- ture and we are working on it. Shrines Nevertheless, greater collabo- Vocational “Shrines have several special ration between Redemptorists features. The first is to be a me- “We are Redemptorist missio- from different countries, from eting place for people from di- naries: priests, brothers, sis- different parts of the world, is fferent parishes and different ters and lay men and women, needed.” THE ABANDONED parts of a country to gather for sent to preach the Gospel ever prayer and devotion. They are anew. Above all we are sent to Commitment meeting points that go beyond the abandoned and the poor. “Redemptorist social works are the parish or the diocese and Secondly, each Unit must disco- an expression of the missionary remind us that we belong to a ver concrete steps it can take to charism of the Congregation, larger Church.” “Marian shrines have a special role, because a mother is always happy to gather together her children from everywhere.” 11 open letter Communicate in a renewed way When the last general chapter asked Redemptorists to ac- cept the sexennial challenge of a new evangelization, this did not mean to say that current ways of evangelizing by the sons of St.