Missionaries. digital continent. to the REDEMPTION

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1 Volume 4, number 3, Fall 2012 A Publication of the Redemptorist office for mission advancement REDEMPTION Missionaries to the The Good News is timeless. Our methods of communicating it have changed, but the message remains the same. Today, Redemptorists use new media to evangelize online and on-the-go. digital continent

2 PROVINCIAL S PREFACE Dear Friends, As we celebrate the 280th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, popularly known as the Redemptorists, and the 180th anniversary of our arrival in the United States, I find myself thinking of an expression that has been used around the world to describe the ministry of the Redemptorists: They are men who are always close to the people they serve. We Redemptorists, as pastors and missionaries, have consistently treated our people as part of our family. Wherever we have worked, people invariably speak about us as priests and brothers who loved them and showed that love in the Plentiful Redemption 2012 Plentiful Redemption is distributed quarterly to friends and collaborators of the Redemptorists. We aim to tell the story of God s bountiful love and inspire our readers to partner with us to continue spreading the Good News to all people, especially the poor and most spiritually abandoned. Redemptorist Office for Mission Advancement 107 Duke of Gloucester St. Annapolis, MD Toll free: redemptorists.net Editor: Stephanie K. Tracy editor@redemptorists.net service we gave them. It is worth noting that this relationship of brotherly love has frequently continued even long after we ve left a given parish or ministry. How did we get this tradition of being so sincerely interested and close to our people? It comes from our very beginnings, with our founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori, who was himself a man who reached out in love to the people he served, especially the poor, and the most abandoned. He set the example for what Redemptorists were to be. His life and witness to what loving ministry should be has seeped into every Redemptorist since the beginning, for the full 280 years of our history. I remember, in my 26 years in Puerto Rico, how we Redemptorists served in any ministry that could bring us close to our people the Legion of Mary, the Daughters of Mary, Cursillo, the Charismatic Movement, Marriage Encounter, youth movements, young adult movements, etc. Name the movement and we were almost always a part of it. Why? Because we wanted to serve our people, to help them to be better. This is our living tradition and it continues quietly even today. Here are some simple examples. The late Father Frank Browne, when he was stationed in Enfield, CT, got a license to drive a bus so that he could bring the migrant workers in the area to Sunday Mass. Father Russ Piedra, in his 70s, started a legal aid office in Brooklyn to help immigrants with the many legal problems that they face in New York and in other cities. He even went to law school to become certified. Father Norm Bennett who, when he learned of the severe shortage of Chinese-speaking priests in the Brooklyn Diocese, learned Cantonese himself so he could serve the community around Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish and elsewhere. Father Kevin Murray who reached out Our confreres have reached out to people of every culture and nationality. Why? Because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. to the street people of Philadelphia, gave 15 years of his life to them and founded Sarnelli House to provide service that continues to this day. Father Tony Russo has dedicated his entire life to the deaf and hearingimpaired community in Philadelphia and throughout the country so that they can have the Word of God available to them through American Sign Language. Brother Raphael Rock followed in the footsteps of Father George Wichland and started a soup kitchen and food pantry to help the poor and needy in Baltimore. Our confreres have reached out to people of every culture and nationality. Why? Because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. In any parish or ministry that we have left, people always say: It is not the same without you. You were really part of our lives, and we miss you. I believe St. Alphonsus is very proud of his sons. He says to us: Be close to your people, love them and make them your people and family as God does. And we are faithful to those words. May you, our dear family and friends, be blessed! Thank you for being part of our lives and for letting us be a part of yours. Sincerely in Christ and Mary, Very Rev. Kevin Moley C.Ss.R. 2 Director: Rev. Daniel Francis, C.Ss.R. dfrancis@redemptorists.net

3 ADVANCING THE MISSION In the rectory where I live in Annapolis, we have a binder no different from one found in every Redemptorist house throughout our Baltimore Province. Some communities read from it at morning prayer; others during evening prayer. Here, we open it before supper each evening. Three large rings hold pages of photos and facts about our confreres who have passed away. The binder is entitled Cherished Memories and, thanks to Father John Murray s efforts, it holds dear the facts and faces of thousands of my brothers. For example, as I m writing this in late June, we re approaching the 22nd anniversary of the death of Father James Max Pauli, who died here at St. Mary s at the age of 49. I remember how Father Patrick Woods (then my seminary formation director), called me during my summer assignment in the Dominican Republic to inform me of this sad news. Earlier this June, sadder still, Deacon Kevin Bellot died at age 29, just eight weeks short of being ordained a Redemptorist priest. (You can read more about him on page 10.) What s unfortunate is that our Cherished Memories do not include the names and deeds of the many women and men who have been part of our ministries, who helped us advance the mission, who spent plentiful years making redemption reachable. But, I am proud to say, we Redemptorists are recognizing people today who selflessly help us in ministry. At the closing of the Neumann Bicentennial celebration this year, the first Excellence in Ministry Award was presented. The award is for a lay person or vowed religious who exemplifies our charism through active ministry with or alongside the Redemptorists. While a number of outstanding candidates were nominated, this inaugural award went to Sr. Rosalia Federici, a School Sister of Notre Dame who has served as principal of St. Peter the Apostle School in Philadelphia for the last 24 years. The school is part of the parish served by the Redemptorists and also is home to the Shrine of St. John Neumann. We re also creating a special program for lay people called Partners in Mission. This program of spirituality and commitment to ministry will celebrate and encourage both the people who have been part of our mission for years, as well as those who want more active participation in years to come. Ten binders aren t enough for the names of so many cherished people who, without the Redemptorist habit but with the Redemptorist charism, have and will help us bring God s abundant love to the forgotten. You can share in our work simply through your prayers and by becoming a monthly donor. At a recent Advisory Council meeting, one of the members challenged the rest to make a monthly gift, even a small one. May I extend that same invitation to you? You can sign up securely and quickly online at redemptorists.net/donate or by calling toll-free , and become a Friend in Mission. Whether ten dollars or one hundred, your automatic monthly gift speaks to your commitment to help sustain our ministries and create more cherished memories. In gratitude for the ways you are a faithful partner with and advocate for the Redemptorists! Rev. Daniel Francis, C.Ss.R. The Redemptorist presence lights this place In June, our Advisory Council had an opportunity to visit our parish in the Kensington section of Philadelphia. Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish is situated in one of the most impoverished areas of the city (and was profiled in the spring edition of Plentiful Redemption ). One of our council members shares her reaction to the trip: Father John Olenick, the pastor, inspired our group with his clear passion for the ministries under his care. This amazing church offers hope and redemption not only sacramentally, but also educationally, emotionally and physically. The community worships in three languages: English, Spanish and Vietnamese. They celebrate the sacraments both in the larger upper church and a lower church that has been artfully repaired and restored by the Vietnamese community. The school has a diverse and engaged student body and longtime staff devoted to learning. A third and essential ministry is the Community Center that serves the physical, mental and emotional needs of parishioners and the local community. It s obvious that the Redemptorist presence lights this place. That light extends hope to an entire community. Genie Moreno 3

4 Divided but unbroken By Rev. Matthew Allman, C.Ss.R. In September 1832, the six Redemptorist pioneers to America were divided and scattered. The superior of the American mission, Father Simon Saenderl, was in the tiny town of Green Bay with Brother Wenceslaus Witopil. The senior missionary of the group, Father Francis Haetscher, was in Detroit, in the midst of a cholera epidemic. Brother Aloysius Schuh had left Detroit to accompany the diocesan missionary priest and former disciple of St. Clement Hofbauer, Father Frederick Baraga, up to Arbre Croche (modern day Harbor Springs, MI), where he was working in a Native American settlement. Meanwhile, Father Francis Tschenhens and Brother James Kohler were still back in Cincinnati. Father Tschenhens was riding a circuit reaching out to European immigrant Catholic settlers, and Brother James was growing increasingly frustrated with a lack of community life and the fact that he was treated like a servant at the seminary. Father Saenderl wanted to get the missionaries together again and get settled in a lasting Redemptorist foundation, but the realization of that dream would be years in coming. In fact, the Redemptorists would not find their first permanent foundation in America until 1839, when they moved south to accept a German-speaking parish in Pittsburgh. But that is getting far ahead of the story. In 1832, the Diocese of Detroit had not yet been split off from that of Cincinnati (that division would occur in March 1833), yet imagining the two areas separately is helpful in picturing early American Redemptorist ministry. Generally speaking, the men worked more with Native Americans (the Menominee, Ottawa and Ojibwe/Chippewa) in the parts of the diocese that went to Detroit, and worked with German-speaking immigrants in the areas that remained with Cincinnati. In both territories the Redemptorists also ministered to French-speakers, who were the original European pioneers in the region. In September 1832, after he had been there less than a week, Father Saenderl decided Green Bay would make a good home for all of the missionaries. He was wrong. Perhaps the warm weather fooled him about how harsh life would become in the shanty town along the Fox River. He called the missionaries to Green Bay from Detroit and Ohio, but was lucky that they all did not come at once. Father Haetscher made the journey in October, but it took Brother James until the next July when he arrived along with a new brother candidate from Europe, Joseph Reisach. Brother Aloysius remained in Arbre Croche, as did Father Tschenhens in Ohio. A book of religious instructions and sermons written by Fr. Simon Saenderl in the Ottawa (Chippewa) language. By the time the two new brothers arrived, the situation in Green Bay had become untenable. The poverty was simply too dire and financial support from Europe never materialized. So despite real and rapid missionary success among the local Native Americans, the Green Bay community had to break up. Father Saenderl went to Arbre Croche along with Brothers James and Wenceslaus, while Father Haetscher and Brother Joseph remained in Green Bay before they too eventually separated. The dream of a single, strong foundation remained unrealized, but fine missionary work was done nonetheless. Divided but unbroken, Redemptorists served the Diocese of Detroit in a remarkable way for the next several years. They shared the gospel in French, English, and a variety of Native American languages in Arbre Croche, Green Bay, and Mackinac-Sault Ste. Marie. We will hear about their work down in Ohio in our next issue. Father Allman directs heritage preservation projects for the Baltimore Province and is associate pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Church/Shrine of St. John Neumann in Philadelphia, PA. He recently completed a master s in Church history and library and information science from Catholic University of America. He professed vows as a Redemptorist in 1994 and was ordained in Baltimore Province Archives 4

5 From teaching to preaching Redemptorist professes final vows in the Caribbean I now freely choose the Christian life sealed by the evangelical counsels, by making for life the vows of chastity, of poverty, and of obedience, together with the vow and oath of perseverance, according to the spirit and way of life proper to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. With those words, Elton Letang, 37, from Giraudel, Dominica, professed his final vows as a Elton Letang with Fr. Mark Owen, regional superior of the Redemptorists in the English-speaking Caribbean. Redemptorist August 7 during a Mass in Newtown, Dominica. Having grown up in a Redemptorist parish, joining the community was easy once he made the decision. Elton is scheduled to be ordained a deacon in October, and looks forward to priesthood ordination in I ve always had the desire to become a priest, but I didn t act on it until I got into a major traffic accident in 2002 that made me take the leap of faith into the Redemptorists, Letang said. I was the only male teacher in a Catholic school for 12 years, and some of my students felt I should move from teaching to preaching! They were another group that made me listen to this desire and choose to pursue the extraordinary. We, the Redemptorists and the Church, need some extraordinary men. NEWS & NOTES Elton Letang professes his final vows as a Redemptorist. Stephanie K. Tracy/ROMA Sisters continue hunt for new home Contact the sisters Mailing address and telephone number remain the same: Redemptoristine Nuns PO Box 220 Esopus, NY redemptoristinenunsofnewyork.org facebook.com/rednuns.esopus rednuns.esopus@gmail.com New physical address: Cabrini West Park 2085 Route 9W West Park, NY The Redemptoristine Nuns, whose cloistered convent home was located on the property of the now closed Mount St. Alphonsus Retreat Center in Esopus, NY, have found a temporary new home just down the road. But their journey is far from over. The nine sisters, whose order was founded in 1731 by Venerable Maria Celeste Crostarosa, a friend of St. Alphonsus Liguori, have temporarily moved into part of the administration building on the grounds of Cabrini West Park along Route 9W. There were great hopes that a former friary in an urban area of New Jersey might make a suitable permanent home. Unfortunately issues involving deteriorating infrastructure made it necessary to withdraw from the purchase contract at the end of April. The Redemptoristine Nuns of Mother of Perpetual Help Monastery will be taking some time to recuperate and formulate a plan for the next stage of their journey. They pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their discernment, and count on the continuing supportive prayers of their brother Redemptorists and many friends. 5

6 In the beginning was the word Redemptorists have always appreciated and used the printed word to share the gospel, from their founding to their arrival in the U.S. and into the 21st century Redemptorist students (right) studying in the library at Mount St. Alphonsus Seminary in Esopus, NY, circa 1950s. The house library (far right) at Most Holy Redeemer Church on Third Street in Lower Manhattan. By Patrick J. Hayes, Ph.D. Redemptorists today seek out new modes of reading. Father Frank Jones, the provincial vicar, is part of this trend: I take my Nook everywhere. It is so convenient. When I traveled overseas I would always take three books with me in my backpack because one never knew whether it would be possible to read something in the English language at the end of a busy day. Now I can take a whole library. The impulse to have the written word close by reveals a long and deep heritage, leaving an indelible imprint on Redemptorist training and ministries. The act of reading leads to inspiration and zealousness; it makes them better preachers. The first Redemptorists to arrive in the United States in 1832 brought with them this love of the printed word. Father Simon Saenderl, the leader of the American mission, learned the Ottawa and Chippewa languages well enough to produce a dictionary, a catechism, and a book of sermons for use by the Native Americans and future missionaries. The handling of books was often a moment of personal engagement with a text, such as when St. John Neumann inscribed his name on a fly leaf or entered notes in the margin next to a particularly interesting passage. Redemptorist students have been given a steady diet of the best in theology, literature, history, and biography. Many went on to make the apostolate of the pen a central aspect of their lives as Redemptorists. Following the footsteps of their founder, St. Alphonsus Liguori who published more than 100 books in his lifetime, they wrote books and articles as well as poetry and plays. Names like Michael Müller or Joe Manton, Ed Molloy or Joe Duffy join more contemporary writers like Dennis Billy and Andy Costello in this apostolate. Redemptorists freely shared their love of knowledge. Take the case of Father Joseph Jacobs who in September 1864 went from St. Michael the Archangel in Baltimore, where he was stationed, to another Redemptorist parish, St. Mary s in Detroit. Jacobs remained there for the next several months giving missions, and his fame quickly grew. A gifted orator, Jacobs previously taught rhetoric and dogmatics to the Redemptorist students. While Jacobs was in Detroit he offered a series of public lectures on the topic Germania. Throngs of people paid to hear these lectures and when all the proceeds were added up, enough money was collected to purchase 400 books. These were placed in a room of the old Capitol High School and formed part of the original collection for what became the Detroit Public Library. Its doors opened the following spring on March 25, In the late 19th century, Redemptorist houses began to gain notoriety for their own libraries. Credit must be given to Father Elias Schauer, provincial from 1877 to 1890, who carried on a campaign with an Alsatian confrere, Father Francis X. Reuss ( ). He was in the Redemptorist general government in Rome for much of his career (c ). A skilled linguist, Reuss procured scores of crates of books for shipment to the United States formation houses and the larger communities in Baltimore, Ilchester, and Annapolis, MD, as well as for Most Holy Redeemer in Lower Manhattan, which at the time had a threetiered house library containing more than 10,000 volumes. Some of Father Reuss letters to the provincial survive in the Baltimore Province Archives. In June 1885, Reuss wrote that he was sending four large crates of books to Schauer for St. Clement s College in Ilchester, including the entire set of works (24 volumes) of St. Albert the Great, the great medieval scholar; a set of the works of Albert s pupil, St. Thomas Aquinas, in 18 large folio volumes; and, among other items, a set of splendidly engraved lives of the popes and cardinals, also in folio, by the Spanish Dominican Alphonsus Ciaconius. Schauer had sent more than 3,000 francs (about $15,000 today) for the purchase and shipping of these books, though the thrifty Reuss managed to assemble the crates and still have 1,706 francs remaining. With this he promised to purchase the Bollandists dozens of volumes on the lives of the saints printed by the Jesuits in Belgium. Reuss conveyed the contents through the American consul in Rome, and made a point to say that, because the volumes were ancient, they should not be charged any duty. Reuss sometimes tantalized ROMA Inscription of a book owned by Br. Aloysius Schuh, one of the pioneer Redemptorists who began the American mission in Schauer with his ability to locate bibliographic treasures, as when, in January 1877, he wrote the provincial about a great find in the Library of Salerno, Italy collections largely amassed through the plundering of religious houses. In the library there was the Processus manuscriptus Beatificationis et Canonizationis Alphonsi de Ligorio 25 big volumes. These processus volumes were used by the old Congregation of Rites, the precursor to the Congregation for Saints Causes, to make the case for the canonization of St. Alphonsus. They contained all the eye-witness accounts of the saint and served as an important biographical collection on this future doctor of the Church. Father General allowed me then to make a trip to Salerno and there I could observe the precious manuscript and also the other works which would be useful for us. Not knowing the outcome of their procurement, Reuss confided that he recommended the matter to St. Alphonsus whose glory is interested in this affair. Soon Redemptorist house collections bulged and librarians catalogued and stamped each acquisition. When the massive library at Mount St. Alphonsus Seminary was assembled in Esopus, NY, the contributions from house libraries throughout the Province was evident, especially in the rare volumes provided by Redemptorists in Rochester, NY and North East, PA. Gradually, the Esopus treasures included 19 rare books dating before the 15th century and a 14th-century scroll of immeasurable value depicting scenes from the passion and death of Jesus. Preserving these books is daunting. In 2009, nearly 1,100 boxes of more modern tomes were sent from the Mount to St. Alphonsus College in Bangalore, India, to aid in the development of the seminarians there, spreading the Province s trove of learning and love of reading. Patrick J. Hayes, Ph.D., is archivist of the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. Baltimore Province Archives 6 7

7 Mission forward Istockphoto.com/digital illustration by Stacy Rausch By Elizabeth Góral-Makowski How do you make something fresh? How do you take the basics and make them exciting, relevant, alive? Having spent almost 30 years in higher education, it s been my privilege to see and interact with exceptional faculty. You know who I m talking about the ones who think outside the box, who reach students in creative ways and engage them where they are while at the same time challenging them to respond and grow. These teachers are true missionaries of their subjects. Likewise, as a missionary congregation, the Redemptorists question is and always needs to be, Where else and how else does God s Word, God s promise of plentiful redemption, need to be proclaimed and heard? Responding to the signs of the times, the Redemptorists are reaching out broadly to the global community to seekers and to people of faith. How? Well, if you are holding this newsletter in your hand, did you know that more than 400 people are reading this online at our website, redemptorists.net? Each day, hundreds of people visit redemptorists.net to listen to daily audio homilies in English and Spanish, and each week many come to watch a video homily preached in honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Through the seasons of the Church year, such as Advent and Lent, the Redemptorists feed souls with daily and weekly spiritual food for thought, not just on our website, but through social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. People everywhere are hungry for God. Certainly, the Redemptorists will continue to use traditional media, such as this newsletter and other printed devotionals, but it is important to move the mission forward and to reach people where they are. Right now. On the web Visit redemptorists.net/donate to become a partner in our mission to preach the living Word of God in all places. Many of them are searching the Internet and social media. They are looking for websites, for blogs, for a smartphone app to help them on their journey in faith, and in the case of the seekers, toward faith. The Redemptorists are committed to preach the living Word of God in all places. Please consider contributing generously as these men tirelessly move the mission forward, reaching out to souls in need of love and mercy wherever they may be. Become a partner in mission. Elizabeth Góral-Makowski is director of development for the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province. 8

8 Junk food versus Gospel fruit VOCATION VOICE On the web Visit redemptorists.net to view photos from recent celebrations including Elton Letang s final profession, and the diaconate ordinations of Elton and of Alistair Elias. Courtesy By Rev. Richard Bennett, C.Ss.R. My doctor s advice to me every medical visit is always the same, diet and exercise. For me, it s much like getting stuck on the It s A Small World ride at Disney World, listening to the chorus play over and over until the engineers arrive to fix the problem. My doctor is perpetually encouraging me to change my eating habits and make healthy food choices. That s hard to do. It s practically an invitation to change my whole lifestyle. Some days I feel I m ready to meet the challenge head-on. Other days, I d much rather snuggle in to watch a good movie with chips, soda, and an ice cream sandwich. My doc doesn t seem to truly appreciate how difficult a change of lifestyle can be. I guess the same could be said of someone considering the possibility of a religious vocation. With each passing year, I have come to see my role as vocation director as one who invites interested disciples to a deepening conversion of life to a change in their lifestyle. For many, making the choice to explore a religious vocation can be much like making a healthy choice for themselves and their future. It s a kind of peeling away of a lifestyle and value system that is me-centered, in order to enjoy the sweetness of a new way of living that is other-center. For some the call is to the married life, and for a treasured few, it is a call to the vowed religious life. This is easier said than done. The average psycho-social diet of the contemporary candidate is filled with unhealthy things. Social pressures, both spoken and unspoken, that stick to a person s psyche and show themselves in attitudes such as: I am what I do; I am what I have; success is acceptable, failure unacceptable; I have to have all my ducks in a row first; are family and friends going to understand and support me, or reject me? This is just a sampling of the emotional junk food modern society often feeds the contemporary candidate. I have seen it served in such a way that it can be the poison meatball that harms the very spirit of a young man s soul. The challenging task of breaking through that tough outer shell is at the forefront of vocation work. I often share with candidates how Alphonsus, the attorney, rose from the ashes of a failed law case to pursue a childhood dream of priesthood. He founded the Redemptorists, and this man, who may have been seen as a washed up failure, was later named bishop by the Holy Father. I like to speak to them of how God might work through them merely being at the right place at the right time. For instance, when St. Clement Hofbauer made a pilgrimage to Rome with a good friend, they pledged to visit the first church they heard ringing its bells the next morning. Fortunately, that church was a Redemptorist one, and the community there welcomed the two men. Years later, both professed their vows in our beloved congregation. In the vocation story of St. Gerard, it may have been the zeal of his faith, coupled with an impulsive naiveté to run off and become a saint, that lead him to crawl out a window and chase after the Redemptorists when they finished preaching a mission in his home town. All of these men bore the brunt of negative critiques from society as well as from a select number of family and friends. Nevertheless, they chose to fill themselves with a consuming love of God and service to his Church. These ordinary men desired to feast on the one thing that could truly feed their innermost hunger a hunger for God, a hunger to serve others through the ministry of the Church. A skilled spiritual director or seasoned vowed religious can help a candidate peel away the common superficiality of our day and make a spiritually healthy choice. The choice for the religious life is a God-centered, othercentered choice, one that by its very nature brings about a change of lifestyle a life of prophetic witness, nourished by the fruit of the gospel and a life lived in faith. Fr. Bennett is vocations director for the Baltimore Province. 9

9 THE BEAUTIFUL CROWN Deacon Kevin Bellot, C.Ss.R. Born: January 7, 1983 Professed: August 8, 2007 Diaconate Ordination: October 8, 2011 Died: June 10, 2012 Deacon Kevin Bellot, remembered as a kind person with a big heart, was suddenly cut short in his brief religious life when he died June 10 while serving his diaconate assignment in St. Lucia, West Indies. He was 29. Kevin was born on January 7, 1983 in Roseau/Loubiere in the Commonwealth of Dominica, and was scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood on August 8, He earned a bachelor s in philosophy from St. John s University in New York City in May In December 2011, he completed a master s in divinity from Boston College, having begun graduate work at the Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C. Beyond the academic year, he spent his summers studying Spanish and working in Redemptorist apostolates in the Caribbean. His cousin, Redemptorist Father Peter Hill said, Kevin went out of his way to be hospitable to others, to make them feel welcome and at home. This was the real motivation that came from his heart. And this care and concern extended to strangers and family alike. Father Joseph Krastel, one of Kevin s summer supervisors, called him a go-to confrere, the kind of person we used to call a minister because of his practical expertise in carpentry and all things electrical. But he was also gifted academically and a scholar in the Creole language. Deacon Kevin preached at Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi just three days before he died. Avril Palton, the president of the chapel committee in Dierre Morne listened attentively as he spoke. Deacon Kevin preached wonderfully about the body and blood of Christ, she recalled. His words were most comforting to me. Three days later he was gone. I don t understand. Ten years ago, at the age of 19, he wrote about his spiritual journey and the mystery of embracing God s will even when we can t comprehend the pain that comes into our lives: I have learned to love Christ more and I am getting closer to understanding his will when things take place. I can safely say that I have developed spiritually in a number of ways, by understanding myself and God s plan for me, learning to cope, and how to deal with situations that may be oppositions, and in understanding the true meaning of God s love in my life. Let us not lose the beautiful crown which I see prepared for everyone who lives in observance and dies in the Congregation. (St. Alphonsus Liguori) 10 Redemptorist missionary, Father Pierce John Kenny, remembered as a dignified priest who never lost the common touch, died June 25 at St. Joseph s Hospital in Towson, MD under the care of his religious confreres at St. John Neumann Residence, Stella Maris in Timonium. He was 68. His first assignment after ordination was to the foreign missions in Brazil at Telemaco Borba, Parana and Bela Vista. He returned to the Baltimore Province as vocation director from 1974 until 1978, and was then appointed to St. Gerard s Parish in Lima, OH. The following year he returned to the then Vice-Province of Campo Grande, Brazil where he worked for six more years in Ponta Grossa and Paranagua. He returned to the States in June 1986, serving in his native Brooklyn for a year, and then for the next five years at St. Clement s Mission House in Ephrata, PA. From he served at St. Clement s Parish in Saratoga Springs, NY. He then returned to the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooklyn where he remained for the next 14 years. When we were in the seminary, I remember him as a terrific athlete, said his classmate, Father Gordon Cannoles. But I believe his real strength was his community spirit which he carried with him to the foreign missions. I was assigned to Paraguay, just across the river from Pierce, when he was stationed in Brazil. In those days there were no Masses on Sunday evening so both communities would get together for a meal and a card game and to chat about the ministry. He could have watched TV but Pierce preferred to spend time with the confreres and this was the spirit that kept us all going. You have to understand that we were in the boondocks, so these community get-togethers became a real lifeline for us. I will always be grateful for his presence and joyful spirit at a time when our ministry was a physical challenge and we were all so far away from home. Rev. Pierce Kenny, C.Ss.R. Born: November 28, 1943 Professed: August 2, 1963 Ordained: June 22, 1969 Died: June 25, 2012 For complete obituaries, please visit redemptorists.net/departed.cfm.

10 IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ALPHONSUS Missionary holiness and us The following is an excerpt of the homily delivered by Archbishop Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., during the Neumann Year Closing Mass celebrated June 23 at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, PA.... We venerate people like Mother Teresa or Jean Vanier or John Neumann a trifle too easily, ignoring or pretending to ignore the fact that a superficial or detached admiration absolves us from thinking how their lives might invite us to change ours. The celebration of a jubilee year risks remaining simply a stroll through a sort of celestial Hall of Fame, where we have paid some attention to a dusty exhibit adorned with faded photographs and quaint mementos of a small man with a strange accent who, at the age of 49, died suddenly of a heart attack on a Philadelphia street. Wait a minute you retort John Neumann was a saint! He accomplished many important things. But we can admire Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton or Mike Schmidt without ever feeling the call to swing a bat or throw a pitch. And, even if we had such an urge, unless we have tendencies toward megalomania, we would quickly convince ourselves to forget it. After all, these guys were pros. If we believe that Baptism is a true entry into the holiness of God through incorporation into Christ and the indwelling of his Spirit, it would be a tragic contradiction to settle for a life of mediocrity, seeking only to get by, while living a shallow veneer of religiosity. Instead, (Blessed) John Paul taught that the Church s task is to reflect the light of Christ in every historical period, to make his face shine also before the generations of the new millennium. As the Second Vatican Council explained, this ideal of perfection must not be misunderstood as if it involved some kind of extraordinary existence, possible only for a few uncommon heroes of holiness. The ways of holiness are many, according to the vocation of each individual. If there is a Hall of Fame of saints, all of us are called to prepare a personal exhibit. The missionary holiness of St. John Neumann is evident in (his) many pastoral initiatives, but for us today, I believe it important that we recognize his care that the Catholic faith be transmitted to new generations. The creation of a diocesan school system, his support for religious engaged in teaching and his general concern for the structures of the diocesan Church were motivated by the challenge of transmitting the faith in a cultural atmosphere that was frequently hostile to Catholic Christianity. In many regions of the world, the Church faces a similar challenge today More than simply a problem with schools or CCD programs, this crisis is the growing failure of Catholics to transmit the Gospel from one generation to the next. This emergency can only be met by a Church of missionaries, a community that is more concerned with announcing the fullness of life that is possible because of Jesus Christ than any sort of factionalism or ideology. A Church in which all the baptized realize that we hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us (2 Cor. 4,7). A Church whose structures are unmistakably missionary, humbly reflecting the mission of the Son, whom the Father has sent because he so loved the world. Archbishop Tobin is the secretary of the Vatican Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, and is the immediate past Superior General of the Redemptorists. Stephanie K. Tracy/ROMA 11

11 The Redemptorists OF THE BALTIMORE PROVINCE Redemptorist Office for Mission Advancement 107 Duke of Gloucester St. Annapolis, MD redemptorists.net NONPROFIT US POSTAGE PAID MERRIFIELD, VA PERMIT # 6203 MINI MEDITATION The 10,000 meter runner By Rev. Andrew Costello, C.Ss.R. Running wasn t his first dream. Running wasn t his answer when asked at 5 or 10 or 15, What do you want to be when you grow up? It hit him when he was 19, a sophomore in college, kind of late according to the college track coach. He simply walked into the coach s office and said, I d like to try out for the track team and I d like to be a 10,000 meter runner. The coach took off his reading glasses, pushed back his chair, and folded his arms over his head. He took a good look at this young man standing in front of him. Have you ever run track before? Nope! There was something in the young man s bearing, something in his stance, something that triggered an inner, Maybe! He was tall and lean, and had that long distance look in his eye. Okay, let s go out and see you run. It was two weeks before tryouts and regular practices, so the coach had time to look at this young man to see if he could run. They came to the oval track and the coach said, Okay. istockphoto.com Run. Let me see you go around the track two times and I ll time you. And run he did. Three years later, at the Summer Olympics, there were his coach, his parents, his two sisters in the stands to see their student, son and brother win the silver medal in the Olympics. The coach cried. He sat down. He pushed back into his seat and stretched out his arms up over his head. Everyone else was still standing and cheering. He was wondering those deep thoughts parents and teachers and coaches think at weddings and graduations and moments like this: What would have happened if I said no that day? What would have happened if I said, Forget it! that day when this tall 10,000 meter runner wasn t able to get around the track even once that first time? To read more of Fr. Andy s work and some homilies, visit his blog at