Redemptorist confreres from throughout the North American Conference collaborated to animate parish missions in Vicariate III of the Archdiocese of Chicago in the days preceding the Holy Week. Fr. Waldemar Latkowski of the Province of Warsaw, pastor of Our Lady of Czestochowa & Charity Parish and dean of Vicariate III, coordinated the impressive initiative that was closely tied to the 2025 Jubilee Year theme, “Pilgrims of Hope.”
Bishop Robert Lombardo, CFR imparts a final blessing on the missionary preachers and the faithful; and Fr. Tat Hoang and Fr. Mike McAndrew, who participated in the mission.
“Missions are special times in the life of parish communities. Each of us needs to renew our relationship with God,” Fr. Waldemar explained. “Our parish missions during this special Jubilee Year offered the perfect opportunity for the faithful to renew these relationships.”
Noting that the Church of Our Lady of Czestochowa has been designated a 2025 Jubilee pilgrimage church in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Fr. Waldemar prepared a mission program for all six parishes (which includes 10 churches) for parishioners in their native languages: Spanish, English and Polish. A year of intense preparation preceded the missions.
“Delegations from each parish participated in planning meetings with leaders from each ethnic group, and actually went door to door throughout the neighbor- hoods to personally invite people to participate in the missions,” he said. “They built closer relationships with each other as they focused on renewing their covenants with Jesus Christ.”
Fr. Ryszard Bożek of the Warsaw Province led the first mission – in Polish − on March 30. The reflections were designed to help the faithful draw closer to God and experience His presence in the Eucharist. In the following days, participants had the opportunity to renew their relationships with God through confessions, reflecting on Christian hope, and ultimately declaring their commitments to Jesus. There also was a special moment for the renewal of marriage vows and the consecration of families.
Bishop José María Maldonado presided at a solemn Mass to usher in the Spanish and English missions. Concelebrants included many Redemptorists from the North American Conference – Provincial Superior Kevin Zubel and confreres of the Denver Province, as well as representatives of the Baltimore Province, the Province of Mexico, and pastors of the parishes in the deanery. Delivering his homily in both English and Spanish, Bishop Maldonado spoke of the unique relationship with Jesus that allows us to live as children of light and radiate that light to others.
At the end of the liturgy, Bishop Maldonado blessed all of the missionaries and sent them forth to proclaim the mission at parishes in the deanery. Throughout the week, the missionaries preached the Word of God, met with the faithful after Mass, and encouraged the formation of new groups in the parishes to help others renew their relationships with Jesus. Various religious souvenirs were available during the retreats, but the Redemptorist missionary cross was the most treasured.
The Missions concluded on April 11 with a solemn Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert Lombardo, CFR. Afterward, the missionaries gave everyone a special personal blessing, sending them forth to proclaim the Good News in their own neighborhoods as “pilgrims of hope” renewed in their covenants with Jesus.
“For each of us, this was a time of discovering God and His work in our hearts − a time of gratitude for the good we see and the good we hope to see; and a time of experiencing the love with which God surrounds and fills us. I expect the fruits of the missions to be visible for a long time,” Fr. Waldemar said.
“Not only was this a new experience for the faithful of Cicero and Berwyn in Illinois, but this mission offered a chance to experiment with collaborating around a common project. We took extensive notes on what we would do in the future to enhance the experience of both the parishioners and confreres,” Fr. Kevin said. “We all noted the great need and hunger for extraordinary preaching and the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered in the Redemptorist spirit. The local bishops were stunned to see the response, and one immediately asked if we could come to his Vicariate. Several of the confreres who participated told me that they found the mission a motivating sign of hope as we continue toward unification.”
Kristine Stremel, with contributions from Renia Obac
(source: Denverlink, issue of May 1, 2025)
