The Council of the Federation of North-west Europe of Redemptorists met for the first time at the Redemptorist community in Attnang-Puchheim, Austria, on May 26-27 of this year. The members of the Council include Redemptorists Brendan O’Rourke, Gerry O’Connor, Richard Reid, Elias Gweme, Jan Hafmans, Ian Niron, Martin Leitgöb and Anton Wölfl. Ciaran O’Callaghan, CSsR, and Mr Eric Corsius served as moderator and secretary respectively.
During the first hours of the meeting, the members had the opportunity to get to know each other better, sharing their experiences of life and ministry. Afterwards, the group discussed how to focus the work of the Council and the methodology to be adopted, with the aim of initiating activities and clarifying the competences of the FC in relation to those of the four provinces.
During the brainstorming, several key areas requiring attention were identified, including pastoral care and mission, formation and vocations, community life, spirituality, shared mission, and relations with the General Government. Other areas of concern include finance, ownership, governance, communications and public relations, guardianship and protection, emergencies, and open issues from the units.
The Council will use this list to guide discussions and decision-making, while clarifying the specific role of the FC in relation to the provincial government.
The meeting also considered the upcoming gathering of the European Conference and the message that the Federation Council intends to bring to the mid-sexennium meeting in Salzburg, scheduled for the end of September and the beginning of October. The dates for the upcoming meeting of the brethren under 50 and for the next two meetings of the Federation Council were set.
The participants of the meeting celebrated the Eucharist every day and, on Tuesday evening, prayed in the church with the faithful.
On August 1st, the Solemnity of St. Alphonsus, in the broader context of the European Redemptorist Youth Congress 2025, the celebration with Father General for the inauguration of the new Federation will be held in Limerick.
The Federation Council sent greetings and asked for prayers for the four provinces – Dublin, London, St. Clement and Vienna-Munich – at this significant moment in their history.
The report was compiled based on information provided by Eric Corsius, the meeting secretary.
