The National Redemptorist Youth Gathering II was held in the historic city of Huế on September 27–28, 2025, was a powerful moment of grace, renewal, and missionary commitment. Gathering under the theme, “100 Years of Mission in Grace – Redemptorist Youth Following in the Footsteps of Our Forefathers,” this Gathering marked a significant spiritual milestone, celebrating a century of Redemptorist presence and missionary service in Vietnam.
Approximately 500 young people from four regions—Hanoi (North), Huế (Central), the Central Highlands, and Saigon (South)—came together, not merely for an event, but for an encounter: with God, with one another, and with the missionary call rooted in the Redemptorist charism.
A Missionary Encounter in the spirit of St. Alphonsus
Faithful to the charism of St. Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorists, the gathering centered on the call to “proclaim the Good News to the poor,” especially those most abandoned and in need of hope. Every element of the gathering was infused with Redemptorist spirituality: joyful, prayerful and mission.
Through Eucharistic celebrations, moments of Adoration, catechesis, testimonies and small group sharing, the youth were invited to experience Christ the Redeemer personally and communally. In doing so, they deepened their understanding of their baptismal call to be missionaries of mercy and hope, just as the Redemptorists have been for the past 100 years in Vietnam.
Living the Redemptorist Charism Today
The youth brought to the gathering a vibrant energy, filled with missionary zeal, dynamism, creativity, and joy. Through cultural expressions, interactive sessions, and spirit-filled liturgies, they expressed their desire not just to remember the past, but to step boldly into the future, carrying the missionary flame entrusted to them by generations of Redemptorist fathers, brothers and sisters.
The climax of the Gathering came at the closing Mass, where Father Provincial Dominic Nguyễn Đức Thông presided over a moving sending out ceremony. With hands outstretched and hearts on fire, the youth were commissioned to go forth to be missionary disciples in the spirit of the Redemptorist charism. They were sent not as individuals, but as part of the Redemptorist missionary family united by a common call: to preach the Gospel ever anew, in word and in witness, with boldness, compassion and joy.
Fr. Augustine Phi Le, CSsR.
RYVM VIETNAM
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