Amidst the Texas heat, the North American Conference of Redemptorists held their annual Student Gathering from 19 to 23 of May in Houston. This year we were hosted by the Vietnamese Extra Patriam Vice Province at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center. Fr. Matt Allman, Socius of Novices in Tlapizahuac, Mexico, organized the entire conference with the theme: “Redemptorist Missionary Priorities in North America: 1832 to the Present.” We sat through a week’s worth of presentations that offered various perspectives on how the Units within the Conference have lived out the mission of preaching the message of hope to the poor and most abandoned.
Each group spoke about who they identified as the poor and/or most abandoned in their communities. On the first day we heard from Fr. Gary Lauenstein, who spoke about Denver’s mission priority. He gave us a comprehensive presentation on how the beginnings of the Redemptorists in the United States were marked by an emphasis on reaching out to immigrants who fled their homelands in search of better opportunities.
They did this following the Catechism’s teaching that prosperous nations have an obligation to welcome foreigners. We heard about the mission’s plethora of multi-lingual preachers who ministered to the Germans, French-Creole, Czech, Irish, Ukrainians, Portuguese and Hispanics, among others. One notable Redemptorist he high- lighted was Bishop Bruce Lewandowski, who worked closely with Hispanics as missionary priorities in the United States shifted toward Hispanic ministry.
Fr. Roberto Morales Guerra of the Mexico Province highlighted ministry with indigenous groups in Mexico. He noted how difficult it was in the beginning, because it took them 15 years to understand the language. With respect to embodying the mission, he emphasized that to be true Redemptorists, el estilo de vida C.Ss.R. tiene que llegar a ser el de ellos (the C.Ss.R. lifestyle must become their own.) Mission, then, is an encounter between the mission and the person, which allows the Redemptorists to be transformed by the people to whom they minister.
The Baltimore Province, as presented by Dr. Ramon Luzarraga, discussed the beginnings of ministry in the Caribbean, emphasizing efforts to combat the feelings of colonialism prevalent in the region. He started off by talking about a “forced context” in which the people who live in the Caribbean came primarily as a result of slavery, indentured servitude or economic ambition. Similar to the Redemptorists in Mexico, the Baltimore Province initially faced difficulties with the culture, and noted that some confreres did not want to minister in the Caribbean. Ultimately, the mission has evolved into what it is today.
Fr. Santo Arrigo and Dr. Anne Walsh spoke about Canada’s Youth and Young Adult Ministry, sharing how the Province of Canada identified youth as part of the poor and most abandoned. Anne spoke about the history of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and how the youth and young adults became a mission priority. She highlighted how their initial ministry flourished into a group that aimed at training Youth Ministry Teams.
With an ever-growing ministry, they had to expand their staff to include lay people. Towards the end of the presentation, both Fr. Santo and Anne highlighted how the Youth and Young Adult Ministry gave many young people an avenue to the Redemptorists and brought many vocations.
The Extra Patriam Vice Province, presented by Fr. Dominic Long, provided us with an overview of the challenges faced by the older and younger generations of Vietnamese. There was much emphasis on this generational gap and how it related to their pastoral challenges. Much of this is due to the difference in values held by the two generations, which leads to a cultural gap that creates some level of difficulty when working with Vietnamese immigrants.
We ended the gathering with small group discussions modeled after the Synod’s Conversations in the Spirit, with some time spent in quiet reflection and then in dialogue. Finally, we reconvened as a large group to share the fruits of our discussions.
The Student Gathering culminated with students from the San Antonio theologate renewing their vows to their respective Provincial Superiors: Denver, Canada, and Extra Patriam. Congratulations! Fr. Dominic Long, Vice Provincial of the Extra Patriam Vice Province, emphasized the importance of listening to the Word of God and fully discerning what it is that God is asking of us in his homily.
Just like in years past, the Student Gathering was an opportunity for students around the Conference of North America to get to know other students and professed Redemptorists. One group visited the famous Texan rest- stop chain Buc-ee’s and enjoyed various types of ice cream. Extra Patriam students ended each day with a small soccer match, followed by an intense Vietnamese card game.
It was a wonderful time to get to know all the students and professed Redemptorists, and learn more about what it truly means to be united in mission. Despite our different backgrounds, we all serve the same mission of preaching Christ’s message of hope to the poor and most abandoned.
Adam Tran-Chung
(Source: denverlink 05-30-25)
