The Interprovincial Month of Spiritual Renewal for Europe took place from July 10 to August 5, 2025. It was a time for students preparing for perpetual vows and for confreres celebrating the tenth anniversary of their profession to deepen and renew their Redemptorist vocation. It was an opportunity to focus and reflect on the history, tradition, and heritage of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, to find one’s place in this rich mosaic, and to seek ways of living this charism today.
Thirteen confreres from Italy, Spain, Ukraine, and Poland participated in the renewal, which took place mainly in Poland (Krakow) and Italy (Ciorani). Six confreres were present before their perpetual vows, six were celebrating their tenth anniversary, and one was a newly ordained priest.
The month was divided into two parts, one in Poland and the other in Italy, with visits to the Czech Republic and Austria. The entire meeting was conceived as a rediscovery of the Institute’s purpose in current conditions and as a concern for our profound relationship with God, which must lead us, like the first confreres, to those who most need Christ today.
The stage in Krakow focused on conferences and helped to deepen the spirit. The pilgrimage, for its part, aimed to allow participants to learn about the places where the Congregation began, the work of the early Redemptorists, and to understand some of the specificities of the local mentality and culture.
The participants had the opportunity to participate in meetings and conferences on topics such as cooperation with the laity, the role of conscience and its formation, perseverance in religious life, reading the signs of the times in the Church and the Congregation, and the need for spiritual direction and discernment of God’s will. The trip to Italy began with a visit to Tasovice, the birthplace of Saint Clement Hofbauer, and to Vienna, where he served. Then, using the motherhouse in Ciorani as a base, the confreres visited sites near Naples associated with the life and work of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Saint Gerard Majella, and the early Redemptorists.
It was an extraordinary opportunity to participate in the celebrations in honor of Saints Alphonsus and Gerard, both in Ciorani and Pagani. The encounter with the Redemptorists in their convents linked to Saint Alphonsus and Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa contributed greatly to spiritual renewal.
The participants were deeply moved by their visit to these places and by experiencing the celebrations related to their Redemptorist identity.
Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the Redemptorist communities that welcomed participants in this year’s month of renewal.
Fr. Wacław Zyskowski, CSsR.
Krakow
