The First International Meeting of Redemptorist Brothers, held in Rome from April 22 to 26, 2026, concluded on April 26, Good Shepherd Sunday. Seventy participants from 25 countries, gathered for the first time in the congregation’s history, celebrated the 300th anniversary of the birth of Saint Gerard Majella, an emblematic figure of the fraternal charism in the Redemptorist family.
A historic meeting
For five days, Rome hosted 62 Redemptorist brothers and eight priests from 26 provinces and vice-provinces across five continents. This is the first time the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer has organized an international gathering specifically dedicated to the brothers, a move intended to enhance and renew this vocation in Redemptorist life and mission.
The occasion was offered by the three hundredth anniversary of the birth of Saint Gerard Majella (1726–1755), the Redemptorist brother raised to the altars by Leo XIII in 1904, who in the tradition of the congregation represents the most popular and beloved face of the fraternal vocation: a man of profound faith, total abandonment to Providence and concrete love for the poor.
The entrance in procession and the final Mass
The final celebration took place Sunday morning at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Rome. The brothers entered in procession carrying an image of Saint Gerard, a gesture that gave the rite a sense of pilgrimage and dedication.
The Mass was presided over by Father Rogério Gomes CSsR, Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, who meditated on the theme of the Good Shepherd applied to the specific vocation of the Redemptorist brother.
The Homily: The Brother as Good Shepherd
Taking inspiration from the Sunday readings, the Father General outlined a spiritual portrait of the Redemptorist brother in four essential traits, constantly intertwining the Gospel with the figure of Saint Gerard.
The first trait is that of a man of faith and prayer. The Redemptorist brother is, above all, a consecrated person who listens to God’s voice within himself, cultivating a profound intimacy with the Redeemer. It is this intimacy—Father Gomes emphasized—that allows him to understand his vocation as a gift, to live it as the fulfilment of God’s will, and to entrust himself to Providence even in times of difficulty. “It was precisely because of this trust in God that Gerard was called ‘God’s fool.'”
The second trait is that of the disciple on the journey: the brother places Christ the Redeemer at the center of his life and follows Him with an attitude of constant learning, walking alongside Him. Only in this way can he become a shepherd of the community, promoting relationships of brotherhood and communion in view of the mission.
The third trait is closeness to the poor and abandoned. As the Good Shepherd knows his sheep by name, so the brother accompanies, cares for, and guides—not with authoritarianism, but with witness and dedication. Father Gomes recalled Gerard’s concrete gestures: giving alms to the beggars at the convent door, writing spiritual letters to the nuns, and guiding simple people toward the knowledge of God.
“Finally, being a Good Shepherd Brother means being able to generate life, helping others discover their vocation and creating environments of faith, welcome, and brotherhood, capable of reflecting the beauty of Christ. It means living as missionaries of hope.”
The General Commission’s thanks
Before the final blessing, Brother Larry Lujan, CSsR, General Consultor, spoke on behalf of the General Commission for the Brothers. In a heartfelt speech, he thanked Father General and all those who contributed in organizing the meeting, emphasizing its significance as a meaningful and fraternal celebration: a moment that has left its mark on the history of the congregation and on the lives of each participant.
The delivery of the Redemptorist cross
At the conclusion of the celebration, a moving moment: Father Rogério Gomes personally presented each of the brothers present with the Redemptorist cross, a sign of their belonging to the congregation and their mission. A simple yet profound gesture, it transformed the celebration into an act of mandate: to return to their communities and countries, bringing the charism renewed by the encounter.
An anniversary, a prophecy
The significance of the coincidence did not escape the participants: the first international meeting of the brothers concluded on Good Shepherd Sunday, when the Church unites in prayer for vocations, and in the context of the 300th anniversary of the birth of the man who was—and remains—the model of this vocation in Redemptorist history.
The meeting in Rome sought to gather this legacy and pass it on: sixty-two brothers now return to their communities scattered throughout the world, bringing with them the cross received from the hands of the Father General and the renewed certainty that their vocation is a gift for the Church and the world.
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