On Saturday, 7 February 2026, around 70 confreres gathered online with Father General, Fr. Rogério Gomes, and members of the General Council for a moment of thanksgiving and reflection on the missionary role of Redemptorist education.
The meeting, addressed to Redemptorist professors working in universities, faculties, institutes, major seminaries, and emeritus professors, was an opportunity to celebrate the academic service and educational mission of the Congregation. Father General, Fr. Rogério Gomes, opened the meeting by expressing gratitude for everyone’s participation.
‘Your presence is a concrete expression of your appreciation for our common mission and your sense of shared responsibility in the life and mission of the Congregation,’ said Fr. Rogério, highlighting the importance of a service that goes beyond the mere transmission of scientific content.
In his address, Father General offered a profound reflection on the role of the Redemptorist professor, who does not limit himself to teaching, but accompanies students in the integral development of the human person. The educational mission, he emphasised, is a formation of conscience, rooted in the Redemptorist charism and oriented towards values such as justice, solidarity and hope.
‘I believe it is essential to strengthen our institutional dialogue and make more visible the specific contribution of Redemptorist science that springs from our charism,’ said Fr. Rogério, encouraging professors to stimulate in young people a healthy intellectual curiosity and a solid formation, understood as an ethical, human, and ecclesial responsibility.
In a world marked by superficiality, fragmentation of information and loss of historical memory, Father General reminded us that formation is not merely an academic requirement, but a moral obligation for those inspired by the Redemptorist charism.
After the Father General’s speech, Fr. Andrzej Wodka, professor at the Pontifical Alfonsian Academy and moderator of the meeting, led the dialogue by inviting participants to share their experiences, concerns and hopes. Some confreres and a lay missionary took the opportunity to give their testimonies, enriching the dialogue with food for thought and concrete proposals.
Father General, who actively participated in the dialogue with great attention, finally thanked the participants for their generous service and commitment to the formation of people. He concluded the meeting with a short prayer and a blessing.
Below is the full text of Father General Rogério Gomes’ message.
Scala News
Message to The Redemptorist Professors
Dear Confreres, Our Redemptorist Professors,
- First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the presence of each one of you at this significant moment of encounter, even if it is taking place online. I am particularly grateful for your willingness and spirit of collaboration that has led you to set aside this time, even though it is a Saturday. I am well aware that, during the week, your numerous academic, pastoral, and community commitments make it very difficult to coordinate schedules. For this reason, your presence is a concrete expression of your appreciation for our common mission and your sense of shared responsibility in the life and mission of the Congregation.
- I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those who made this meeting possible: to the members of the General Council for their presence, to the Secretary General for his dedicated organization, to the Scala News Communication Service, and to the translators, whose work was essential for the smooth running of the proceedings. A special word of gratitude goes to Fr. Andrzej Wodka, professor at the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy, who agreed to moderate this meeting.
- This is a simple initiative, but one marked by a profound intention: to express recognition and gratitude for the work that each one of you carries out in many different areas: in Redemptorist formation houses, schools, institutes, faculties, and universities; in specialist consulting; in theological reflection at the service of various sectors; in administrative and management functions in institutions; as well as in secular contexts and in fruitful dialogue with other fields of knowledge. This is undoubtedly a true mission, carried out with competence, fidelity, and an apostolic spirit. I remember with affection and esteem all the professors emeriti for their work, as well as those who have dedicated their lives and are now with the Heavenly Father. I remember in a special way our confrere, Prof. Andreas Resch, C.Ss.R., of the Alphonsian Academy who left us for the Father’s house a days ago at the age of 92. To all, a heartfelt thank you.
- It is no coincidence that this meeting is part of the Congregation’s annual theme: “The Lord who sends us as missionaries and pilgrims of hope in a wounded world.” It is, therefore, an acknowledgment by the General Government of the importance and relevance of the service you perform. Academic work is often not fully appreciated, as it takes place in the silence of reflection, in patient research, and, not infrequently, in small groups. However, it is fundamental work, because many other vocations and professions depend on the mission of the professor, and through it, the Congregation continues to serve the Church and the world with intelligence, faith, and hope.
- The mission of the professor is to believe in the potential of human beings, even when the results are not immediate or visible. This brings to mind a scene from the film Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) [cf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gF_Zk9h5vug], in which Professor Mr. Holland, now at the end of his professional life, discovers that his greatest work was not a musical composition written on a music sheet, but the lives he helped to shape. Between the lines, the film tells the silent story of an educator who, with patience, dedication, and love, sows talents, inspires vocations, accompanies fragility, and transforms destinies, often without immediate applause.
- In an iconic scene, one of his students, Gertrud Lang, despite three years of effort, continues to play the clarinet out of tune and begins to think about giving up music. Faced with her frustration, and after a beautiful dialogue about music, the professor asks her, “When you look in the mirror, what do you like most about yourself?” She replies, “My hair.” “Why?” he insists. “Because my father always says it looks like the sunset.” Then the professor says to her, “Play the sunset. Close your eyes.” Starting from this simple and profound invitation, the student overcomes her difficulties, discovering that learning also means trusting, feeling, and believing in herself.
- As in the educational mission, the teacher’s true opus is measured not only by the content transmitted, but by the trust he places in his students and the hope he keeps alive, believing that every person can grow, change, and flourish through a humanized education. A humanized education goes beyond the simple transmission of content: it aims at the integral development of the person, articulating personal, moral, and social skills. It involves teachers and students together forging a way of living, studying, and acting inspired by humanistic solidarity; it promotes encounter and dialogue, values the diversity of talents, and opens up to social reality, generating solidarity, sharing, and communion (cf. Congregation for Catholic Education, Educating to Humanistic Solidarity. To Build a “Civilization of Love,“ 04/16/2017, n. 10). I believe that all of this is deeply connected with the very concept of Redemption.
- In light of these elements, we can affirm that the Redemptorist professor is inspired by academic ideals and the principles of an authentically human life (cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 15.08.1990, n. 22). He is an educator who teaches students to think in the light of faith, promoting a critical intelligence deeply united with evangelical discernment. His educational service helps students to seek the truth that sets them free (cf. Jn 8:32) and to integrate knowledge with a sense of life and mission. He educates the whole person, articulating academic knowledge, moral conscience, spirituality, and social commitment, forming men and women capable of combining professional competence, ethical soundness, and pastoral sensitivity. He does not limit himself to the transmission of content, but accompanies personal and formative processes with closeness and mercy, recognizing the potential and fragility of each student, with particular attention to the most vulnerable, in the manner of the Good Shepherd.
- As a missionary of hope, he transmits Gospel values such as justice, solidarity, responsibility, compassion, and hope, keeping the poor and abandoned, the privileged recipients of the Redemptorist mission, at the centre of formation. At the same time, it opens missionary horizons, helping students to read history and reality from the signs of the times, awakening a critical conscience in the face of injustice and a concrete willingness to serve. Aware that, in the Redemptorist charism, the life of the educator cannot be separated from his formative mission, he knows that it is an integral part of pedagogy itself and a concrete expression of walking, together with others, in the footsteps of the Redeemer.
- The Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana reminds us that professors, because of the special responsibility entrusted to them in the exercise of a true ministry of the Word of God, are called to be teachers of the faith for their students; for their listeners and for other faithful, witnesses of the living truth of the Gospel; and, for the entire ecclesial community, examples of fidelity to the Church (cf. John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution Sapientia Christiana, 15.04.1979, n. IV).
- We live in complex times, marked by rapid change and a multiplicity of discourses that often generate confusion and disorientation. This is our time. We must not fear it. It is precisely in this time that we are called to act, working with the categories we have inherited from our research, but also developing new ones, starting from a careful reading of the signs of the times and the times of the signs.
- In this context, the French thinker Edgar Morin challenges us, through his theory of complexity, to understand reality beyond fragmented and reductionist visions of both knowledge and society. His reflection helps us to overcome excessively Cartesian and dualistic approaches, typical of polarized thinking, opening us up to a more integrated reading of reality. Knowing, therefore, does not mean separating, but relating the different dimensions of reality to each other and to human life in society.
- As Redemptorists, in this horizon, a true redemptive mission imposes itself: the formation of conscience. To speak of the formation of conscience means going well beyond its strictly moral aspect. It is a matter of promoting and articulating different levels and types of conscience: a historical conscience, capable of understanding processes, ruptures, and continuities in reality ; a biblical conscience, deeply rooted in the Word of God and attentive to its interpretation in today’s history; a missiological conscience, sensitive to contexts, recipients, and new frontiers of mission; a liturgical conscience, capable of expressing and nourishing the faith of the Church, always highlighting the Paschal mystery of Christ; a moral conscience, guided by evangelical discernment and responsibility for personal and community action; a catechetical conscience, directed toward the meaningful transmission of the faith; and, finally, a conscience open to transdisciplinary thinking, capable of integrating knowledge, overcoming fragmentation, and fostering a broader, more critical, and wisdom-filled reading of reality and mission.
- Redemptorist professors perform a dual essential function: formation ad intra and ad extra. Internally, however, in some contexts the reality of formation reveals its fragility. Not infrequently, there is insufficient recognition of the specific role of professors in the life of the Congregation, tensions in the understanding of the mission of formation in relation to the direct pastoral mission, as well as a certain rigidity in the articulation between academic teaching and apostolic service. These dynamics end up impoverishing institutional life and favouring the isolation of the academic community from the life and mission of the Congregation as a whole. This situation calls us to make a conscious effort to improve and integrate. It is essential that local leadership and governing bodies recognize this constitutive dimension of the Redemptorist mission and be able to count on qualified people who are capable of contributing in an articulated and complementary way in the various areas of knowledge and pastoral practice. Only in this way will it be possible to strengthen the integral formation of our members, rooted in the charism, in dialogue with reality, and truly at the service of the mission.
- In the ad extra sphere, it is necessary to recognize and value the Redemptorist magisterium present in the five Conferences of the Congregation, inserted in different cultural, ecclesial, and missionary contexts. Through their academic service, Redemptorist professors offer a significant contribution to local Churches, participating in the formation of future priests, pastoral workers, and ecclesial leaders, as well as in the theological, biblical, and pastoral formation of the laity. This service strengthens the journey of Christian communities and contributes significantly to evangelization and theological reflection. In many contexts, it goes beyond the strictly academic sphere, taking the form of accompaniment, consultation, intellectual production, and formation processes that foster the maturation of faith and missionary commitment. For the most part, this work is carried out in silence, without visibility or explicit institutional recognition, but it eloquently expresses the missionary dimension of the Redemptorist charism and fidelity to the preferential option for the poorest and most abandoned, even in the areas of formation and thought.
- Dear Brother Professors, I believe it is essential to strengthen our institutional dialogue and make more visible the specific contribution of a Redemptorist science that springs from our charism. I encourage professors at every Redemptorist institute to cultivate constant dialogue both internally and externally, promoting partnerships for the joint production of articles, books, and pastoral aids. We are called to identify and pursue paths of greater institutional interaction and collaboration, moving beyond isolated initiatives. We also have significant tools for the dissemination of our academic knowledge, such as specialized journals and various communication and digital media platforms, which can broaden the scope and impact of our educational and missionary service.
- Please encourage our young people, especially those in formation, to be bold in cultivating a healthy intellectual curiosity, capable of scrutinizing knowledge with seriousness and depth. We live in a society marked by superficiality, fragmentation of information, and a weakening of critical reading, which often lead to a loss of historical memory and a sense of tradition. In this context, it becomes even more urgent to remind young people that a solid education is not merely an academic requirement, but an ethical, human, and ecclesial responsibility—indeed, a moral obligation for us. As professors in Redemptorist Institutes, other faculties, and seminaries, we are called to witness to and transmit the conviction that intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral preparation is indispensable, since we are dealing with concrete human lives and placing our contribution at the service of the Gospel and the mission of the Church. Thus, by forming clear consciences and ardent hearts, we follow in the footsteps of the Redeemer and work together so that hope may become a concrete and liberating proclamation in the lives of the people we are called to serve.
- Once again, I thank each of you for participating in this meeting and for the generous service you offer in forming people based on the Redemptorist charism. This commitment qualifies and identifies us through our own pedagogy, marked by closeness, hope, and missionary zeal. May the example and intercession of St. Alphonsus, doctor zelantissimus, (most zealous doctor) inspire and sustain each of you in this demanding and fruitful mission, so that, as true Missionaries of Hope in the Footsteps of the Redeemer, we may continue to form consciences, hearts, and lives in the service of the Gospel and of the poorest and most abandoned. May Our Mother of Perpetual Help be the great teacher who helps each of us to understand more deeply the mission of the Redeemer and to make it a reality in today’s world.
Fr. Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R.
Superior General
Rome, February 7, 2026
Original: Italian
