Imagine this: You’re packing away your summer shorts back home in Asia, thinking you’re done with the heat — then bam! — you land in Italy where summer’s only getting started. Double summer? Yes, Mama Mia!
But don’t think we were just lounging around sipping espresso or limoncello. This wasn’t your usual holiday. This was a once-in-a-lifetime spiritual adventure that kicked off in Rome last June 16, where Fr. Piotr Chyla CSsR (yes, the legend himself!) and Fr. Krzysztof Dworak CSsR (our amazing Director) welcomed us with wide arms at the Redemptorist Generalate.
Right from the first Mass with Fr. Ivel Mendanha CSsR, our General Consultor, we knew we weren’t just here to sightsee. He hit us with a challenge: Be Pilgrims of Hope. Not someday but right now. Live this bold, restless Redemptorist spirit that St. Alphonsus dreamed up.
So we didn’t waste a second. We wandered through the catacombs of St. Calixtus, traced the hidden paths St. Alphonsus walked, and soaked up every holy corner of Rome. But the real adventure began when Fr. Piotr turned every Redemptorist landmark into a living classroom.
Ciorani, Deliceto, Sant’Agata, Scala, Muro Lucano, Materdomini, Pagani — each place was more than a stop on a map. It was a wake-up call. Not just to get up early — but to wake up our hearts to what it really means to be Redemptorist.
After three unforgettable weeks of praying, laughing, learning, and swapping stories, one thing sticks with all of us: deep gratitude. Gratitude for this brotherhood in the Redemptorist vocation. For the coffee-fueled mornings and late-night ‘evening chapels’. For the sacred silence and the belly laughs. For the chance to stand where St. Alphonsus and the Redemptorists trailblazers once stood — and to dream our own dreams in the same holy halls. Living at our Casa Madre in Ciorani reminded us that we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.
We didn’t just get stuffed on pasta, pastries, and of course gelato. We were fed with big questions too: What does it mean to be a Redemptorist today? How do we carry hope to the abandoned and forgotten? Are we ready to say yes, wherever we’re sent? (Constitution 20).
As we pack our bags — stuffed with souvenirs, memories, and maybe a few extra kilos — we know we’re not just flying home. We’re bringing back a fire in our hearts. A mission to keep St. Alphonsus’ dream alive — in Asia, Africa, war-torn Ukraine, Latin America… wherever the Spirit calls.
Longest summer ever? Yes. Best summer ever? Absolutely. All in the footsteps of our founder. All for Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
Pray for us — every single one of us on this epic Redemptorist road trip: Frs. Amila Pathum and Jude Perera (Sri Lanka), Fr. Mhel Dacillo, Fr. Mario Yolus and Br. Rey Regan Gatdula (Manila), Ms. Portia Awayan and Fr. Ferderiz Cantiller (Cebu), Frs. Ginu Cletus and Glen Jose (Bangalore), Fr. Isaac Wanyoike (Kenya), Frs. Anthony Patipon Sub-ananchai and Peter Somchai Chojan (Thailand), Fr. Henry Nwokoro (Nigeria), Fr. Tran Huu Hoan (Vietnam), Sr. Alfonsa Karapata MSSR (Ukraine), Br. Tan Chye Hian Francis (Singapore), Frs. Jobin Joseph and Bijo Joseph (Liguori) — pray that we may truly be Pilgrims of Hope for our world today.
Thank you and ci vediamo di nuovo!
Fr. Ferderiz Cantiller, CSsR.
Redemptorist spirituality course 2025
