On September 12, one day after the liturgical celebration of the memorial of Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa, founder of the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer, an online meeting was held between the Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, Fr. Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R., and several communities of Redemptorist nuns from the five continents.
Message from the Superior General
In a spirit of fraternity, the sisters joyfully received Father General’s message. He expressed the gratitude of the entire Congregation for their contemplative consecrated life, which he described as “a precious treasure for the Church and for us, the Redemptorist missionaries.” He emphasized that the Redemptorists’ prayer sustains the apostolic mission, strengthens evangelizers, and offers comfort to the poor and abandoned.
Valuing closeness and reciprocal contribution
The Order’s communities deeply appreciated this closeness, which makes them feel a living and recognized part of the greater Redemptorist family. The meeting was an opportunity to reaffirm the richness of their mutual contribution: while the Congregation brings the Word to the paths of the world, the contemplative sisters accompany this mission with the silent strength of prayer, intercession, and the witness of hope.
Challenge of restructuring
Father Rogério also highlighted the restructuring process the Order is undergoing through the federations of monasteries. This process should not be understood solely as an administrative adjustment, but as “a true time of the Spirit,” called to renew community life and foster communion among the various monasteries. The sisters recognized the importance of opening themselves to this dynamism of the Spirit, which drives them to keep the charism alive with creativity and fidelity.
Vocational promotion: a shared commitment
Another central point was vocation promotion. The Superior General emphasized the need to make the beauty of the Redemptorist contemplative life known to the new generations, utilizing modern means of communication without losing the essence of silence and the cloistered life. The sisters embraced this challenge as part of their mission, aware that the future of the Order also depends on their joyful, visible, and hopeful witness.
A light in the heart of the Church
The meeting produced a renewed spirit of communion between the Order and the Congregation. ALivinge challenges of the present, Redemptorist contemplative life remains a “living memory of the Redeemer,” a sign of hope and a source of strength for the Church and for those who suffer most.
Message for the Online Meeting of the Redemptoristine Nuns
Dear Redemptoristine Sisters, esteemed confreres present, and those who provide the service of translation:
1. On behalf of the entire Redemptorist Family, I wish to express our deep gratitude for your consecrated contemplative life. This meeting is a way to celebrate the memory of Mother Maria Celeste Crostarosa (1696-1755), whose feast we commemorate on September 11. You are a precious treasure for the Church and for us, the Redemptorist missionaries. Your prayer strengthens our apostolic life, consoles the poor, comforts those who suffer, and brings hope to evangelizers. If missionaries travel the world bringing the Word, it is because, at the heart of the Church, there are women like you who pray, intercede, and keep alive the flame of faith. “Without you, dear contemplative sisters, what would become of the Church and of those who live in human peripheries and work at the forefront of evangelization?” (Vultum Dei quaerere, n. 6).
2. Saint Alphonsus and Mother Celeste lived profoundly devout lives, marked by communion with God. Both faced times of great transformation and knew how to give new responses. Alphonsus founded a missionary congregation close to the poor and abandoned. Crostarosa understood that the Church needed a contemplative life that would be a living memory of the life of the Redeemer. Neither settled for comfort; both were docile to the Spirit and dared to take bold steps.
3. You are called to be a “living memory of the Redeemer,” that is, to make present, here and now, the life and mission of Jesus through silent witness, persevering prayer, and total surrender to God. “Therefore, it is necessary that the sisters allow themselves to be transformed by the Spirit into a living image of the Redeemer. This profound experience and intimate communion, lived on the personal level, allow the community to be a testimony that radiates hope for the whole Church, especially for those most in need. The spirituality of Mother Celeste seeks to live communion with Christ in such an intimate and transformative way that the lives of the faithful become a living proof of God’s redeeming love. It is a spirituality of deep contemplation, always characterized by the tension of radiating in a meaningful way the redeeming love of Christ, always present and active in the world.” (Letter of the Superior General to the Redemptoristines, on the occasion of the memory of Blessed Celeste Crostarosa, Rome, September 11, 2024, Prot. No.: 0000 167/2024). Contemplation and intimate union with Christ make prayer and silence expand for the sake of all humanity, even if they remain invisible to the eyes of the world.
4. In today’s context, marked by incessant noise, haste, and indifference, the witness of a life hidden in Christ becomes a prophetic cry capable of touching hearts and awakening consciences. This total dedication, inspired by the Spirit, reminds everyone that God alone suffices, that His faithfulness is unshakable, and that He must be the center of all existence. As the Apostolic Constitution Vultum Dei quaerere underlines, the contemplative life of women is not an escape from the world but a transforming presence that offers the Church and society the silent strength of prayer and of love without reserve. Remaining steadfast in the search for the face of God, you become visible signs of hope, constant intercessors, and instruments of reconciliation and peace. Through contemplation, you share in Christ’s redeeming mission, making contemplative life a light that never goes out, even in the midst of daily darkness.
5. Today, Mother Celeste continues to inspire every Redemptoristine sister. Her life was marked by uprootings, changes, challenges, and even persecutions, but she never lost the certainty that the Spirit was guiding her. That same trust is a gift for you today, when you too are called to live in times of change.
6. The world today needs hope. Many have lost faith in the future and live immersed in personal and social crises, viewing reality with pessimism and without color. You, sisters, are called to be a living memory of hope, testifying that it is worthwhile to give one’s life to Christ. The cloister is not a prison, but an open door to eternity, from which springs forth prayer full of hope for the world. Spe salvi n. 32 states: “A primary and essential place to learn hope is prayer. When no one listens to me, God still listens. When I can no longer talk to anyone, or call upon anyone, I can always talk to God.”
7. I believe that, through prayer, three essential dimensions of hope can be rediscovered: theological hope, anthropological hope, and hope in the world.
a) Theological hope is founded in God and His Word. “God is the foundation of hope—not just any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end: each individual and humanity as a whole” (Spe salvi n. 31). The contemplative life proclaims that our ultimate hope does not rest in human powers, riches, or scientific advances, but in the faithful love of the Redeemer, who transforms humanity and, with it, the world. Before the Lord, you repeat to the whole Church: “The Lord is my inheritance, in Him I put my trust” (Ps 16:5); “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Ps 23:1). Contemplative life reminds us that our hope is not a vague idea, but a living Person: Jesus Christ, risen and present among us. “In hope we were saved” (Rom 8:24). Spe salvi n. 27 states: “Those who do not know God, even though they may have many hopes, are ultimately without hope, without the great hope that sustains all of life” (cf. Eph 2:12). The true and great hope of the human being, which endures even in the face of disappointments, can only be God, the one who loved us and continues to love us “to the end” (Jn 13:1; 19:30).
b) Anthropological hope is the capacity to believe in the human person, even with their contradictions. Although wounded by sin, the human being retains the dignity of being sons and daughters of God. Your contemplative life sustains those who no longer believe in themselves, those who feel discarded, fragile, or without worth. In praying for humanity, contemplatives proclaim the goodness of God, who created the human person in His image and likeness, gave them freedom, and never abandons them, even when they sin and cease to recognize His voice (cf. Gen 1:26-27; Gen 3). This prayerful and hope-filled outlook is a prophetic testimony, especially in the midst of the culture of discard.
c) Hope in the world is the confidence that, despite suffering, injustice, violence, and death, the Spirit continues to act in history, renewing all things (Ps 104:30; Ez 37:1-14; Rev 21:5). Your prayer is like the oil that keeps the lamp of hope burning, even in dark and horizonless times. It also reminds us that the world is not lost, that creation remains the good work of God, and that the future is open to the Spirit’s newness. This hope impels us to resist, to believe, and to struggle for better days. As philosopher Byung-Chul Han affirms: “Hope presents itself as a movement of searching. Hope is an attempt to conquer, to reach, to occupy a position, and to find a direction” (Against the Society of Anxiety: Hope and Revolution, p. 12). You, Redemptoristine sisters, can sing to humanity the beautiful prayer of Teresa of Ávila: “Let nothing disturb you, let nothing frighten you, all things are passing; God never changes. Patience obtains all things; whoever has God lacks nothing. God alone suffices.”
8. The contemplative life is not alienation nor passivity before the world; on the contrary, it allows one to embrace deeply the joys and sufferings of humanity. It is not an isolated space within the Church but a living expression of its communion with mission. Therefore, in a world in constant transformation, contemplative life is also called to a process of renewal. This updating does not concern contemplative life alone but also touches active life and the entire Church.
9. The Order of the Most Holy Redeemer today is experiencing a strong movement of restructuring into Federations. Vultum Dei quaerere, n. 30 states that “the federation is an important structure of communion among monasteries that share the same charism so that they may not remain isolated. Federations have as their main purpose to promote contemplative life in the monasteries that compose them, according to the requirements of their own charism, and to ensure assistance in ongoing and initial formation, as well as in concrete needs, exchanging sisters and sharing material goods; and they will have to be fostered and multiplied in function of these purposes.”
10. This is not simply a matter of administrative adjustments but a true time of the Spirit, an invitation to inner and communal renewal. It is the Holy Spirit who drives consecrated life to update itself, to open itself to new forms of presence and mission, while remaining faithful to its identity and vocation. What words does the Spirit address to the Order today? What does He inspire in each monastery? How does He move the heart of each nun towards new paths of fidelity and surrender?
11. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 9:17: “New wine in new wineskins.” Contemplative life cannot settle into empty routines or meaningless repetitive gestures; it is called to continual renewal, letting the Spirit transform the ordinary into fruitful and meaningful life. This process is not only a challenge but also a grace: the opportunity to deepen communion with God, to radiate His presence to the world, and to witness to the beauty of consecrated life. Every monastery and every sister is called to open herself to this transforming action, so that contemplation may always remain alive, vibrant, and missionary, fruit of the Spirit who renews all things.
12. Just as Mother Celeste faced changes and challenges, so too you are being called today to embrace the winds of the Spirit with boldness, creativity, and trust. Do not be afraid to take new steps, even when the path seems demanding. Remember: what does not renew itself risks stagnation. Renewal is a sign of life, of fidelity to God, and of openness to the Spirit who transforms every community and every heart.
13. Finally, do not neglect vocations. Renewal also passes through vocational promotion. The world needs to rediscover the beauty of the Redemptoristine contemplative life: a precious gift, yet often hidden. Without losing the silence and intimacy of the cloister, it is possible to use modern means, such as social media, to bear witness to this vocation. It is necessary to make yourselves visible, so that young women may hear the call and fall in love with the charism. Contemplative life is not an escape, but a profound encounter with God and with humanity in its joys and sufferings.
14. Dear Sisters, Blessed Mother Maria Celeste teaches us that consecrated life is a journey of continual uprooting. It does not mean “remaining in the same place,” but letting oneself be guided by the Spirit with trust and surrender. The contemplative is never static: she is called to discover new dwelling places of prayer, to deepen union with God, and to radiate His presence in the world. May you always remain a living memory of the Redeemer, a sign of hope and light in the heart of the Church. May prayer, fruitful silence, and daily offering strengthen the mission of the Church and of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. So be it!
15. I conclude with this prayer: “Redeemer of the world, Lord of the harvest and Shepherd of the flock, we thank You for the gift of the Redemptorist vocation of sisters, brothers, and priests. Renew in us the ardor of the Spirit, so that we may be a living memory of Your love in today’s world. Grant us courage to be signs of hope and help us to live the creative fidelity that inspired Saint Alphonsus and Mother Celeste. May Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, always accompany us on this path of renewal. Amen.”
Fr. Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R
Superior General
Rome, September 12, 2025
