Moving season (page 6) IN THIS EDITION: Provincial s Preface page 2 Mission Schedule page 3 Monthly Giving page 8 Seminarian Summer page 9

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1 VOLUME 1, NUMBER 3, FALL 2009 A PUBLICATION OF THE REDEMPTORIST OFFICE FOR MISSION ADVANCEMENT Moving season (page 6) Frater Jim McCabe (right) will be among the Redemptorist seminarians moving into the rectory at Mission Church in Boston this fall. Around the same time, Fr. Francis Mulvaney will help welcome a group of elderly Redemptorists to new assisted living rooms at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Brooklyn. Stephanie K. Tracy/Redemptorists IN THIS EDITION: The Redemptorist Office for Mission Advancement promotes the apostolic work of the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province as they follow in the footsteps of the Redeemer so they may more effectively preach the Gospel to the poor and abandoned. The Office achieves this by presenting ways of partnering with people and inviting mutual stewardship of God s gifts for our formation, retirement and ministry needs. Provincial s Preface page 2 Mission Schedule page 3 Monthly Giving page 8 Seminarian Summer page 9

2 PROVINCIAL S PREFACE 2 I always enjoy visiting with my niece, Chrissy, her husband Tom, and their three children, Thomas, Michaela, and Brendan. Tom is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Special Forces, yet one of the gentlest men I know. When we are getting ready to leave the house, for a trip to the mall, the ballpark, or to a restaurant, Tom announces to all of us, Mount up and move out! I suspect his troops respond far better to his commands than does the family since it is often the first of many calls to get going before we finally leave. Mount up and move out, has been a theme of the Baltimore Province over this past summer. These last few months may hold the record Plentiful Redemption 2009 Redemptorist Office for Mission Advancement 7401 German Hill Road #2 Baltimore, MD editor@redemptorists.net fax: Editorial Board: Rev. Matthew Allman, C.Ss.R. Rev. Andrew Costello, C.Ss.R. Rev. Daniel Francis, C.Ss.R. Elizabeth Góral-Makowski Rev. Robert Pagliari, C.Ss.R. Stephanie Tracy Kathy Wagner for the most men moving during any one period in the history of our province. These changes were made for several reasons: 1) to give a sharper focus to our mission of preaching the Gospel to the most abandoned, especially the poor; 2) to provide a new vision of healthcare for our sick and infirm members; and 3) to implement programs that might provide better stewardship of our province assets to better serve the future of our Congregation. The following changes have occurred this summer: We closed our skilled nursing care facility at the St. John Neumann Residence in Saratoga Springs, NY, and moved our infirm men to a newly renovated wing, also named the St. John Neumann Residence, at the Stella Maris facility in Timonium, MD. This move involved transporting 20 Redemptorists, some of whom were bed-ridden and wheelchair-bound. Six men moved into a newly created assisted living wing at St. Clement s Mission House in Ephrata, PA. Five confreres moved into newly created assisted living rooms in Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Brooklyn, NY. Four men moved from St. Michael s/st. Patrick s Rectory to Sacred Heart Rectory, both in Baltimore. This community now provides pastoral care for all three parishes and forms one Redemptorist community. Eleven college seminarians and two staff members moved from the St. Alphonsus Formation Residence in Mount up and move out, has been a theme of the Baltimore Province over this past summer. Whitestone, NY, to Immaculate Conception Rectory in the Bronx, NY. While continuing their studies at St. John s University, this move puts the students in the midst of a very active parish. As a result of this move, five other confreres had to move from the Bronx and Whitestone to other communities. Four graduate school seminarians and the superior moved from Holy Redeemer College in Washington, D.C., to attend Boston College and live at Mission Church rectory. These students also are living in a very pastorally active parish. Two Redemptorists are starting a new apostolate, serving Spanishspeaking people in the Diocese of Metuchen, NJ. Our men have mounted up and moved out. We are a missionary order and many of these men served in foreign lands when they were younger. It is not easy for an elderly, sick confrere to move several hundred miles and leave all that is familiar. Their commitment to the Redemptorists and their trust in God both inspires and humbles me. I ask your prayers for all our men who are beginning new assignments. God bless all these missionaries, young and old, as they serve the Lord. Very Rev. Patrick Woods, C.Ss.R. Our Apologies In the summer edition of Plentiful Redemption, the name of Brother Gilbert Hunter was inadvertently absent from a list of Redemptorists who had served at St. Cecilia s Parish in New York. We regret the omission.

3 Advancing the Mission Say a prayer for me, Father. The mother who leaves the confessional and calls back to me; the college student home on vacation who winces about homework and dating and the summer job; the businessman who is out of work, on unemployment and low on milk and patience. Pray for me. How many times have I heard this in my eighteen years as a priest? A number of years ago I had the privilege of preaching the Novena to St. Anne at her shrine in Quebec, run by the French Canadian Redemptorists. Numerous services throughout the day included the rosary, Mass, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, procession with the monstrance, Stations of the Cross and confessions. Tens of thousands of pilgrims arrived, and some camped out for part or all of the nine days leading up to June 26, the feast of Good St. Anne. One particular group from the U.S. brought many physically disabled people, including Corinne. Zipping about in her wheelchair with a smile as strong as her faith, I came to know the struggles and joys of a woman in her mid-40s, born with cerebral palsy and filled with a determination not to let that diagnosis define her life. But when she called out, Pray for me, Father, as her group headed back home, I remember feeling moved that this woman of great faith would ask me to pray for her. I called out, You pray for me! Every day in Redemptorist communities throughout the Baltimore Province, we pray for you: family, friends, and benefactors; the sick, the dying, and the discouraged; in our parishes, at our missions and on our retreats; the rich, the poor, the young and the old. We pray for all of you. At our Masses, while thumbing our rosaries, during morning and evening prayer, your intentions are ours. Years ago, when someone asked me to pray for them, I could say nonchalantly, Sure. Most times I would remember. But now, praying for people is not something I take for granted. Twice a week here in the Office for Mission Advancement, the staff and I gather to pray for you. We read aloud intentions that accompany your donations and calls. We honor prayer requests we receive from worried or weary people. We print out the petitions that come through our Web site, I invite you, whether or not you offer a donation to the Redemptorists, to fill out the enclosed envelope with names and/or intentions you would like us to remember. You can be confident that the Redemptorists honor your prayers and concerns as if they were our own. People like Corinne make me realize what a privilege it is to be a Redemptorist that I meet so many people who trust in our prayers. And may I ask you to pray for us, too? Rev. Daniel Francis, C.Ss.R. We invite you to experience God s love and Redemptorist preaching firsthand! Mission Preaching September to December 2009 Starting Sept. 13 St. John the Evangelist Church New York, NY Fr. John Murray Starting Sept. 19 St. Matthew Winder, GA English & Spanish Fr. Alex Ortiz & Fr. Mark Wise Starting Sept. 19 St. Joseph Church Fitchburg, MA Fr. Kevin MacDonald Starting Sept. 26 St. Clement Church Baltimore, MD Frs. Gerard Brinkmann & Sean McGillicuddy Starting Sept. 27 St. Michael Church West End, NJ Starting Sept. 27 St. Edward Church North Augusta, SC Fr. John Murray Starting Oct. 3 Blessed Sacrament Tampa, FL Bilingual Frs. Alex Ortiz & Sean McGillicuddy Starting Oct. 4 St. Columba Church Bloomsburg, PA Starting Oct. 5 Our Lady of Czestochowa Chicago, IL Our Lady of Perpetual Help devotions Fr. Lenin Delgado Starting Oct. 11 St. Mary of the Assumption Glenshaw, PA Fr. Daniel Francis Starting Oct. 18 St. Edmond Church Rehoboth Beach, DE Starting Oct. 18 Our Lady of Mount Carmel Kenosha, WI Fr. John Murray Continued on page 11 3

4 Clement s Closeness to People (Third in a four-part series) By Rev. Ray Corriveau, C.Ss.R. One of the Redemptorist themes, formulated by the 1985 General Chapter, is to evangelize the poor and to be evangelized by the poor. Clement, with his peasant beginnings in Moravia and his own experiences of poverty, already had this Redemptorist stamp imprinted on him, which made him so much at home with the Redemptorists. Closeness to people and love for the poor marked Clement s apostolate throughout his lifetime. At his beatification process, one of Clement s disciples testified: He associated more gladly with the poor and little people as with the wealthy and those highly placed. He sought out the poor while the distinguished sought him out. He was always among the poor as one of their own. It was said of him that in Vienna, he worked among the great to gain permission to work among the very poor. Especially responsive to the poor, his rooms in Vienna became known as the convent for the beggars. In the midst of a war-torn era, he made it a special ministry to care for the sick and the dying. From the time of St. Benno s, the Redemptorists parish in Warsaw, the sacrament of penance was a principal pastoral focus for him and his community. Once in Vienna, Clement gradually became a spiritual director and counselor for people from all social classes. Believing in the basic goodness of people, he loved sinners and approached them with compassion. He always strove to encourage the guilty people and to awaken noble sentiments in them. His pastoral work in the confessional and his one-on-one conversations had a broad and indepth effect. It is said of him that he brought about the majority of conversions as confessor. Again, in testimonials at his beatification process: His While listening to sinners he seemed entirely lost in God such that his counsels came from the depth of the heart to reach the heart. knowledge of human nature in the confessional was wonderful; it was not a result of art but rather a gift from above. While listening to sinners he seemed entirely lost in God such that his counsels came from the depth of the heart to reach the heart. May St. Clement continue to keep us, as Redemptorists, faithful to our mission, nurturing in us a closeness to people, especially the marginalized and the most abandoned. Fr. Corriveau is associate novice director at the Redemptorists North American Novitiate at Villa Redeemer in Glenview, IL. 4 Stephanie K. Tracy/Redemptorists

5 Blessed Seelos cause for sainthood advances Baltimore Archbishop Edwin O Brien (left) speaks with Mary Ellen Heibel. Redemptorist Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos could be one step closer to sainthood after the Archdiocese of Baltimore opened its investigation into a miracle attributed to the 19th-century priest s intercession. Mary Ellen Heibel, 71, a parishioner of St. Mary s Church in Annapolis, credits the former pastor of St. Mary s for her healing from cancer. If her cure proves to be miraculous, Blessed Seelos could be declared a saint. Blessed Seelos was born in Bavaria Jan. 11, He made his profession in Baltimore in May He served as pastor of St. Alphonsus Church in Baltimore, Sts. Peter and Paul in Cumberland, Md., and St. Mary s. He contracted yellow fever in New Orleans and died Oct. 4, He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Courtesy Photo Conference talks youths, vocations In July, Redemptorists and lay people who minister to youths and young adults gathered at Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua, NY, for a weekend conference. The Redemptorist Youth and Vocation Ministry gathered participants from around North America to learn and share ideas about the best ways to communicate God s love to young people and how to cultivate vocations. PROVINCE NEWS & NOTES ROMA President Obama presented Pope Benedict with this stole that once dressed the relics of St. John Neumann. Redemptorists prepare to celebrate 150th anniversary of Neumann s death On a January day 150 years ago, the Redemptorists and the people of Philadelphia mourned the sudden loss of their saintly bishop. John Neumann the first Redemptorist to profess vows in the United States had collapsed on a street corner and died of a heart attack at the age of 49. January 5, 2010, will mark the 150th anniversary of Neumann s death, and in 2011, the Redemptorists will celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth. Ahead of these anniversaries, and at the beginning of the year dedicated by Pope Benedict XVI to the priesthood, Neumann has already made headlines. In July during a meeting in Rome, President Barack Obama presented Pope Benedict with an appropriately priestly gift a stole that once dressed Neumann s earthly remains at his shrine in Philadelphia. Parishioners lend a hand On June 27, the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, members of Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Philadelphia, armed with brooms and trash bags, spruced up the neighborhood around the church. The block cleanup was part of a larger outreach organized by the Redemptorists to deter the violence and drug dealing that plagues the area. Fr. John Olenick/Courtesy Photo 5

6 By Stephanie K. Tracy Fr. Jerome Murphy (left) receives Communion during a Mass celebrating the blessing of the St. John Neumann Residence at Stella Maris in Timonium, MD. Stephanie K. Tracy/Redemptorists It was a summer full of packing tape, cardboard boxes and road trips for close to 50 Redemptorist priests and brothers. But these nomads embraced their journeys, knowing their efforts were just another step toward bringing the Gospel to all people. The great exodus began in mid-may when five seminarians packed up their belongings at Holy Redeemer College in Washington, D.C., and made their way north to Boston. In September, they returned from their summer assignments to settle into new living quarters and a new school. For more than 20 years, Redemptorist theology students studied at Washington Theological Union and lived alongside other Redemptorists pursuing post-graduate degrees. The academic setting was ideal for these Redemptorists-intraining, but it was time for a change. So this fall, instead of a homecoming in the nation s capital, the students returned to a new home at Mission Church in Boston and began classes at nearby Boston College. Another 11 seminarians and their formation directors moved into the rectory at Immaculate Conception Parish in the Bronx, NY from the St. Alphonsus Formation Residence in Whitestone, NY. They will continue to study philosophy at St. John s University. The order of the day at Holy Redeemer and at St. Alphonsus Residence was really geared around their spiritual formation, said Father Denis Sweeney, who oversees the theology students formation. Not that that changes a whole lot, but now we re in a parish setting. Father Sweeney said the new living arrangements will expose the students to the day-to-day rhythms of innercity parish life. 6

7 They ll be able to be here with people going to work or the elderly who come for morning Mass, he said. If they want to get involved with some of the parish work, or help with religious education classes or participate in the Marian devotions, they can. The students moving to the Bronx will have a similar experience living in an active inner-city parish, seeing firsthand the Redemptorist vocation lived out day-to-day. They ll be seeing both the charism and the ministry, not for an hour a week, but when they wake up in the morning, come home for dinner, go to bed at night, said Father Richard Bennett, vocations director. That fraternity, that cooperation and collaboration all have the terrific potential to serve our students in formation well. But the men in school weren t the only ones on the move this summer. With the help of a small army of Redemptorists and professional caregivers, 20 retired and infirm priests and brothers relocated from the St. John Neumann Residence in Saratoga Springs, NY, to the new St. John Neumann Residence at Stella Maris in Timonium, MD. Several other Saratoga Springs residents and a handful of other less infirm Redemptorists, 11 in all, relocated to new assisted living rooms at Redemptorist communities at St. Clement s Mission House in Ephrata, PA, and Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Brooklyn, NY. The move has gone very well, especially considering most people hate to move, said Father Gerard Szymkowiak, superior of the St. John Neumann Residence. But I think it went over very well. They re happy here and it s a beautiful place. The move has also brought a welcome change a flood of visitors. When I was in Saratoga with them, we d have visitors every three weeks or once a month, Father Szymkowiak said. Since I ve been here, we ve had visitors every day. They come from as far as Paraguay, Boston, New York, New Jersey, Florida. And the Redemptorists serving in and around Baltimore have been very good. Father Alfred Bradley, vicar provincial, who orchestrated much of the summer comings and goings, said relocating was necessary to help the congregation adapt to changing times and circumstances. Among the men, this situation, consciously or unconsciously, elicited a missionary response, Father Residents of St. John Neumann Residence attend the opening Mass. Bradley said. At heart there s a missionary spirit that drives the province and the congregation. When the chips are down, they re willing to accept whatever for the common good to allow the province and the congregation to continue its work. Stephanie K. Tracy is the communications manager for the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. Fr. Virgil Caskey offers the final prayers during the blessing of the new assisted living space at St. Clement s Mission House in Ephrata, PA. Courtesy Photo On August 4, Elton Letang professed his first vows as a Redemptorist at Our Lady of Fatima Church in the Commonwealth of Dominica in the West Indies. Very Rev. Patrick Woods, provincial of the Baltimore Province, received Elton s vows. He will renew his temporary vows for three to five years before making his final profession. Elton is a second year theology student who will resume his studies this fall at Boston College. 7

8 Stephanie K. Tracy/Redemptorists A gift in Philadelphia On June 13, Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali enthroned an icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Basilica Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul. The icon, as well as the side altar it was placed on, were gifts from the Redemptorists and parishioners of St. Boniface Parish, which recently closed. After being cleaned and restored, the icon was returned to Philadelphia and placed on the altar by the cardinal himself, a devoted son of the Mother of Perpetual Help. around the province Monastic Experience Weekend with the Redemptoristine Nuns of New York A SPECIAL INVITATION We invite you to support our ministries through an online giving program, which gives you the opportunity to support the mission of the Redemptorists by making secure, manageable, and regular donations. Your decision to provide a sustaining gift ensures that the work of the Redemptorists continues. Your contribution allows you to actively participate with the Redemptorists in their ministry throughout the Baltimore Province and the world. In joining this program, you: save time and postage as your gift is automatically transferred; help us cut administrative costs associated with mailings and processing checks and credit statements; and provide us with the means to make sure more of your gift goes directly to supporting the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. Individuals who choose this form of support can increase or decrease their contribution levels at any time. A record of each contribution will appear on your credit card or bank statement. You can discontinue recurring contributions at any time by contacting the Redemptorist Office for Mission Advancement (ROMA) at Monday through Friday or by ing donate@redemptorists.net. The intentions of those participating in this program are remembered in weekly prayer services at the ROMA office in Maryland. Please go to and click on Donate Now to begin contributing. Thank you for your consideration and for your kind support as the Redemptorists continue the mission begun by St. Alphonsus. ROMA Friday, Oct. 16 to Sunday, Oct. 18 Esopus, NY Come continue your search for God in silence and solitude, a living memory of God s love in the Church and the world. For more information write to contemplativecall@hotmail.com. To learn more about the Redemptoristines, visit www. redemptoristinenunsofnewyork.org.. 8

9 Summertime graces By Rev. Richard Bennett, C.Ss.R. Like students everywhere, Redemptorist seminarians swap their own stories about their summer assignments as they start another academic year at St. John s University in New York City and at Boston College. The break from the books was a time full of new experiences and growth in understanding of the Redemptorists and their mission. Calvin Auguiste, a third year philosophy student, was stationed at Our Lady of Fatima Parish on the island of Dominica. Calvin s home visits and Communion calls to the shut-ins made the biggest impression on him. I visited an elderly married couple who were sick at home and never left the bed they shared. The sight of someone from the church who was coming to visit them and bring them the Eucharist almost seemed overwhelming for them, he said. They were so glad to receive Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. I was honored that I could contribute in a small way to being an instrument of God s presence and grace. Calvin also spent the summer meeting with and training the leaders of the youth groups from the parish s surrounding chapels. Building up the self-confidence of the youth and training them in leadership and pastoral skills was one of the main goals of my internship there, he said. Calvin said one of the greatest blessings of his pastoral assignment was living and working with the Redemptorists seeing the charism in action. Jacky Merilan, who recently entered the Redemptorists North American Novitiate program in Glenville, IL, spent his summer in Holy Cross Parish in Christiansted, St. Croix. Jacky worked in the summer camp, which serves more than 200 youths each year. Participants experience Catholic values, and learn how those values can assist them in achieving their goals. Jacky really appreciated how he was respectfully treated, like a peer, by the other Redemptorists and staff members. I truly enjoyed being given my share of responsibilities. I could see my pastoral identity deepen and grow in me as a Redemptorist seminarian, he said. Back in the United States, Anthony Michalik spent his summer internship at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Boston. My main work was at the New England Baptist Hospital, visiting the sick and bringing holy Communion, he said. It was deeply gratifying. Life in the community at OLPH was also a very good experience. I felt very much at home there and it was a little sad the day I left. I miss them all! Fr. Bennett is vocations director for the Baltimore Province. VOCATION VOICE around the province In June, parishioners of St. Michael/St. Patrick Parish in Baltimore, led by their pastor, Fr. Robert Wojtek (right), traveled to Washington, D.C. to pray for immigration reform. The vigil was scheduled to coincide with a meeting between President Barack Obama and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Latinos make up the majority of St. Michael/St. Patrick s congregation. Redemptorists welcome two new seminarians Two young men began their journey this fall toward becoming Redemptorists in the Baltimore Province. Garvey Blanc, 20, is originally from St. Joseph's village on the island of Dominica, West Indies. He is beginning his first year of philosophy studies at St. John's University in New York, and is living at Immaculate Conception Parish in the Bronx. He is studying for the Caribbean Region. David Verghese, 29, is originally from Leonardtown, MD. He is beginning his third year of theology studies at Boston College. Before coming to the Redemptorists, David studied theology for two years at Mount St. Mary s Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD, as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. He is living at Mission Church in Boston, and studying for the Baltimore Province. Please keep Garvey, David and all the Redemptorist seminarians in your prayers. Courtesy photo 9

10 THE BEAUTIFUL CROWN "Let us not lose the beautiful crown which I see prepared for everyone who lives in observance and dies in the Congregation. I am certain that Jesus has prepared a beautiful place in Paradise for those who die in the Congregation." -St. Alphonsus Liguori Very Rev. Frank Browne: A fine priest By Very Rev. Patrick Woods, C.Ss.R. The day of the funeral was heartbreaking and one tinged with great sadness. Yet the homilist, Frank s good friend, Father John Hamrogue, focused on the words that described this fine priest: joy, passion, and courage. As their pastor/shepherd, Frank drove a bus so that Spanish-speaking migrant workers could attend a Mass he celebrated for them in their native language; he renovated the Shrine of St. John Neumann and St. Patrick s Church in Enfield, CT; he prayed outside abortion clinics and comforted teens in crisis; he prepared seminarians for the religious life and priesthood; he gave retreats to Born: July 17, 1942 Professed: Aug. 2, 1962 Ordained: June 23, 1968 Died: June 18, 2009 Assignments: St. Cecilia s, East Harlem, NY; Holy Redeemer, Manhattan; prefect of students, Suffield, CT; St. Peter the Apostle and the Shrine of St. John Neumann, Philadelphia; Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Brooklyn, NY; St. Patrick, Enfield, CT; Sacred Heart, New Smyrna Beach, FL. priests; and as a young priest, he sang in a group called The Collar Men. Frank was a great mimic, imitating provincial superiors. He would call innocent confreres and tell them they had been transferred to all sorts of places. As the poor confrere sat in stunned silence, Frank would eventually break into laughter and the confrere could only say, Brownie, you got me again. His last assignment was a large parish in New Smyrna Beach named Sacred Heart. As was true for all his other assignments, the parishioners loved him. As I looked out on the congregation at the funeral Mass, I thought this was only a snapshot, a mere glimpse of the countless lives Frank, by the grace of God, touched in his Redemptorist life. As the Mass was closing, I asked the congregation to stand and applaud a life well-lived. They clapped long and enthusiastically. In spite of the great loss so many suffered at the death of Father Browne, I am proud to belong to a Church and our Redemptorist Congregation that can bring forth such a man. I was blessed to have him as a friend and confrere. Fr. Woods is the provincial of the Baltimore Province. Rev. Leo Dunn Born: Oct. 1, 1916 Professed: Aug. 2, 1939 Ordained: June 18, 1944 Died: June 19, 2009 Father Leo Dunn, who spent the first 16 years of his priesthood as a missionary in Brazil, died June 19 at the St. John Neumann Residence in Saratoga Springs, NY, at the age of 92. After returning from the missions, Father Dunn spent nine years at St. Joseph Church in Rochester, NY, where he helped build and teach at a new high school there. In 1970 he began his ministry of preaching and directing retreats, particularly at Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua, NY, where he was assigned in Father Dunn was known for his generous spirit, his love for the Redemptorists and his avid love for reading. Fr. Alfred Holland Born: Nov. 21, 1928 Professed: Aug. 2, 1951 Ordained: June 17, 1956 Died: July 26, 2009 A native of the South Bronx, Father Alfred Holland died July 26 at the St. John Neumann Residence at Stella Maris in Timonium, MD, at age 80. After his ordination, Father Holland spent almost 20 years serving in Puerto Rico. When he returned to the United States in 1974, Father Holland continued to use his Spanish skills to minister at Holy Redeemer in Manhattan and Immaculate Conception in the Bronx. After a few years at Our Lady of Lourdes in Seaford, DE, he returned to Holy Redeemer. He was assigned to the St. John Neumann Residence in Saratoga Springs, NY a few years ago to better address his healthcare needs. Last June, he moved with his fellow confreres to the new nursing facility in Maryland. 10

11 IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ALPHONSUS The Power of Props By Rev. James Szobonya, C.Ss.R. In the Alphonsian tradition it s known as simple apostolic preaching everyone must understand the homily: the rich, poor, professionals, laborers, housewives, etc. The whole purpose of preaching is for the listeners benefit; if they don t understand, no matter how theologically superb the homily, it s a failure. My priesthood began three years ago at St. Martin of Tours in Bethpage, NY. My first pastor, Father John Tizio, a former school chaplain, introduced me to children s homilies and the use of props. The props were so successful (we more than doubled the attendance at our family Mass), I began using them at all the Masses. It s amazing how powerful a prop can be. Jesus constantly used props to reveal profound truths and mysteries bread, fish, seeds, weeds, salt, sheep, fig trees, coins. How could the Apostles ever forget the powerful visual image of being called fishers of men, or that God s Kingdom was like a mustard seed? Let me give two examples of modern props: Using a vacuum to describe how easy confession is just go over the dirty spots of our lives. Sin is like dust that must be regularly vacuumed or confessed to prevent dirt buildup and sickness. Life is like riding a bicycle, only we re always going uphill we must constantly keep pedaling to do good. The higher we pedal up the mountain of goodness, the more beautiful the view. Coasting downhill is temporarily fun no pedaling until we crash. People grab on to the prop s image and don t forget. I ve had people come into the confessional and say, Father, I haven t vacuumed in a while, or I ve stopped pedaling to do good. I love my priestly duties: prayer, confessions, hospital and home visits, wedding preparation, consulting. But I especially love preaching. Preaching has become an exciting adventure for both the congregation and me; we never know what the next prop will be. It takes a lot of work and creativity to tie the props into the Scripture readings, but it s a fruitful way to continue our Alphonsian tradition of simple apostolic preaching in our visually minded, modern world. Fr. Szobonya was ordained in He is associate pastor of St. Martin of Tours Parish in Bethpage, NY. around the province New City Press/Courtesy Photo Just in time for the Year for Priests, a new book on the Eucharist, written by Fr. Dennis Billy, is scheduled for release October 5. The Beauty of the Eucharist: Voices from the Church Fathers explores the thoughts and teachings about the Eucharist from some of the Church s earliest writers. The book may be purchased online at or by calling Mission Preaching September to December 2009 (from page 3) Starting Oct. 25 Our Lady of Fatima Church Baltimore, MD Starting Nov. 1 St. Clement Hofbauer Rosedale, MD Fr. John Murray Starting Nov. 8 Immaculate Heart of Mary Philadelphiha, PA Starting Nov. 8 Our Lady Queen of Angels Opelousas, LA Fr. Daniel Francis Starting Nov. 15 St. Theresa Church Briarcliff Manor, NY Starting Nov. 22 St. Emeric New York, NY Bilingual Frs. Alex Ortiz & Gerard Brinkmann Starting Dec. 3 Our Lady of Czestochowa Chicago, IL Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe Fr. Lenin Delgado Starting Dec. 6 Corpus Christi Church Willingboro, NJ Starting Dec.13 Our Lady of the Lakes Deltona, FL Fr. John Murray To schedule a Redemptorist mission in your parish, please have your pastor contact: Rev. John Murray, C.Ss.R., at murraycssr@aol.com or

12 The Redemptorists OF THE BALTIMORE PROVINCE Redemptorist Office for Mission Advancement 7401 German Hill Road, Second Floor Baltimore, Maryland MINI MEDITATION Hearing Aids By Rev. Andrew Costello, C.Ss.R. She was his hearing aid that is, till she needed one herself. He hated the idea of having to wear a hearing aid. Losing one s hair was a tough enough sign of getting old. So for about 7 years he was missing the little stuff in life those over 70 love words and sounds. He didn t mind it especially when he was driving and she was sitting next to him chatting away and giving directions and saying, You re too close to that car in front of you! However, if something was important very important if it had to be heard by him, if he had to be in on the results of her decision about doing something or going somewhere, she had her way of getting him to hear. She would stand behind him while he was eating his morning bran flakes and bananas, put both her hands on both his shoulders, and yell into his right ear, Next Sunday we are going to Susan s because our first great-grandchild is going to be baptized. She was so good at this method of communicating that he got the message every time without saying 3 times, What did you say? Well, both got their hearing aids and surprise he liked it but she didn t at first. But when she caught him listening to music, classical music How about that? for the first time in his life she would sit down next to him, adjust her hearing aid, and reach for his hand. And surprise, the two of them started talking to each other again actually for the first time since their early 20s when their first kid came and wow were they joyfully surprised at what each other s take was on all the key things they had seen and experienced in their life together. And surprise surprise one day they began praying together, which totally surprised both of them, and that is happening more and more as well. To read more of Fr. Andy s work and some homilies, visit his blog at