From May 13 to 22, 2026, thirty delegates from all over the world gathered in Poland under the motto “Missionaries of Incarnate Love”
On the 295th anniversary of the Order’s founding, the Sixth General Assembly of the Redemptoristine Nuns opened on May 13, 2026, in Tuchów, Poland. Thirty delegates from monasteries across the continent gathered at the Redemptorists’ religious house, next to the shrine of Our Lady of which they are custodians, for ten days of work, prayer, and shared discernment.
The Assembly
Every seven to ten years, the delegates of the autonomous monasteries meet to review the Order’s Constitutions, consult on important issues, and strengthen the shared vision of the charism and unity. This Sixth General Assembly, scheduled for May 13-22, 2026, will focus on revising the Constitutions with the aim of adapting them to the Holy See’s most recent guidelines on contemplative life. The sisters will also discuss the internal norms regarding the formation of nuns and the current situation of the Order’s three Federations, with forty monasteries spread across the world.
The participants
The Assembly brings together delegates from Italy, Ireland, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Austria, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Brazil, Peru, Canada, Haiti, Angola, Burkina Faso, and Poland. The nuns, dressed in dark red habits—a sign of God’s love and Redemption—work under the guidance of the Superior General of the Redemptorist Congregation, Fr. Rogério Gomes. The motto chosen for this Assembly is “Missionaries of Incarnate Love.”
The first day: the spiritual retreat
The first day of the Assembly was dedicated to a spiritual retreat. In the morning, reflection was led by Fr. Piotr Chyla, CSsR, who presented the contemplative life of the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer as an authentic mission rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation. He emphasized that the incarnate love of God in Christ is the foundation of every Redemptorist mission, both active and contemplative.
The Holy Mass of the opening
During the morning, Fr. Rogério Gomes, Superior General of the Redemptorist Congregation, presided over the opening Mass of the General Assembly. In his homily, he placed the figure of the Holy Spirit at the center, recalling the upcoming solemnity of Pentecost: just as the Spirit then transformed the group of disciples into a community capable of proclaiming “the works of the Lord” to the world, so too today He brings together women from every corner of the world to renew the gift of the Redemptorist contemplative charism.
Fr. Rogério emphasized that this Assembly is not simply a working session, but above all a time for listening:
This Assembly is not simply a working session for the renewal of the Constitutions, the Ratio Formationis, and the Procedural Norms. It is above all a time of listening: listening to the Word, listening to reality, listening to the Sisters, listening to the experiences of the Federations, and, above all, listening to the Spirit.
Father General acknowledged the diversity of situations experienced by the communities present—from secularization to poverty, from war to social instability, from young communities to those facing a decline in vocations—underscoring how the Holy Spirit knows how to unite all these realities in a single common quest: how to live today, with fidelity and hope, the contemplative vocation as Missionaries of Incarnate Love.
Finally, he recalled that the world profoundly needs the witness of contemplative life, called to be a prophetic proclamation that God remains the essential reality. The greatest challenge, he concluded, is not to change structures, but to keep alive the fire of first love, the joy of vocation, the beauty of fraternal life, and the centrality of Christ the Redeemer.
The Order: historical notes
The Order of the Redemptoristine Sisters was founded in Southern Italy in 1731 by Blessed Mother Maria Celeste Crostarosa, who had already received a revelation of new rules from God in 1725. It is the female contemplative branch of a dual institute, along with the Order of the Redemptorists, and today numbers over 300 perpetually professed nuns in forty monasteries around the world.
Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, the future founder of the Redemptorists, was charged with verifying the authenticity of Crostarosa’s revelations. He recognized them as God’s work and contributed to the approval of the Rule. The two branches share the same mission: while the Redemptorists are missionaries, proclaiming abundant redemption to those most in need, the Redemptoristines remain cloistered to spread love and prayer throughout the world.
Fr. Mariusz Mazurkiewicz CSsR, www.redemptor.pl / Scala News ed.
Homily of Father Rogério Gomes CSsR, Superior General, on the Occasion of the General Assembly of the OSSR
Dear Sisters, Confreres, Novices and Students,
- With joy we begin our General Assembly with this retreat and this Eucharistic celebration, at a very special moment in the life of the Order. You have come from different countries, cultures, languages, and realities. Some have travelled many kilometres to arrive here, leaving behind your communities, your monasteries, your rhythms of prayer and silence. Yet all of you have come bringing something in common: the desire to listen to the Holy Spirit and to walk together as a contemplative Redemptorist family.
- During his meditation, Fr. Piotr Chyla presented to us the contemplative life of the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer as an authentic mission rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation. Beginning from the image of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, it was emphasised that the incarnate love of God in Christ is the foundation of every Redemptorist mission, both active and contemplative. The cloister is presented not as an escape from the world, but as a place of profound missionary fruitfulness, where prayer, intercession, and the offering of one’s life become a silent proclamation of God’s abundant redemption, especially for the poor and the abandoned.
- In his reflection, he insisted that the cloistered contemplative participates in the very heart of the Church’s mission, bearing witness that God exists, that God is enough, and that human dignity does not depend on productivity. At the same time, recognising today’s challenges, such as the decrease in vocations and the need for greater integration between the active and contemplative dimensions of the Congregation, he proposed a theological, spiritual, and communal renewal that values contemplative wisdom as an essential gift for the entire Redemptorist family. Mary appears as the perfect model of this union between contemplation and mission, showing that love concretely lived is the true mission of the Church.
- What do we wish to contemplate during these days? What fruits will come from our contemplation? What is the truth we are seeking together through discernment? This will only be possible if we allow the Spirit to speak to our hearts and if we set aside our fears in order to look at the world and the reality of our monasteries with the contemplative gaze of God. And the contemplative gaze only becomes possible when the Spirit speaks within our hearts and minds. What is the Spirit saying to us? What truth is He showing us that we do not want to hear? Coming from different parts of the world, with diverse cultures and languages, the Spirit is calling us, in this Assembly, to live a true experience of Pentecost.
- At Pentecost, the disciples were gathered together in the same place, “constantly devoting themselves to prayer” (cf. Acts 1:14), carrying fears, questions, expectations, and hopes. And the Holy Spirit transformed that group into a community capable of speaking every language and proclaiming “the mighty works of God” (Acts 2:11) to all peoples. Today, here as well, the Spirit gathers women from many parts of the world to renew the gift of the contemplative Redemptorist charism and to be a living memory of the Redeemer for the world.
- The Gospel (cf. Jn 16:12-15) brings us a beautiful promise from Jesus: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
- Jesus knows that the disciples still do not understand everything. They are on a journey. We too are on a journey. The Church is on a journey. Consecrated life is on a journey. And the Order itself continues on its path of discernment, fidelity, and renewal. When we fail to renew ourselves, we risk slowly dying, closed in upon ourselves. Renewal is always born from the capacity to dream. Whoever loses the ability to dream also loses the ability to see new horizons and new paths. And when we stop looking ahead, we can fall into narcissistic self-contemplation and a paralysing inertia that prevents change and traps us in the false security of our comfort zones. The Holy Spirit, however, opens doors, unsettles the heart, and urges us to walk with courage and hope in search of the truth that stirs our hearts.
- The truth of which Jesus speaks is not merely a set of ideas or rules. The fullness of truth is Christ Himself. Therefore, this Assembly is not simply a working session for the renewal of the Constitutions, the Ratio Formationis, and the Procedural Norms. Above all, it is a time of listening: listening to the Word, listening to reality, listening to the Sisters, listening to the experiences of the Federations, and above all, listening to the Spirit.
- In the first reading (Acts 17:15, 22-18:1), we see Saint Paul in Athens. He arrives in a different and plural environment, full of questions and diverse visions. Paul does not begin by condemning or closing doors. First, he observes, listens, seeks to understand, and only then proclaims the unknown God whom human hearts were already searching for.
- You too, dear Sisters, come from very different contexts: places marked by secularisation, situations of poverty and war, young communities, ageing communities and declining vocations, contexts of violence or social instability, as well as new cultural and technological challenges. Yet the Holy Spirit unites all these realities in one common search: how can we live today, with fidelity and hope, the contemplative vocation as Missionaries of Incarnate Love?
- Perhaps there are no ready answers for everything. And this should not frighten us. Jesus Himself said to the disciples: “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” Spiritual life is a journey. Discernment requires patience, humility, openness, and daily conversion.
- The Spirit leads slowly, not through violence and fear, but with fidelity and trust. For this reason, this Assembly must be lived with deep interior freedom. Freedom to speak, to listen, to recognise weaknesses, and also to give thanks for the many signs of life, the green and flourishing shoots present in the Order.
- Today’s world deeply needs the witness of contemplative life. In a society marked by noise, speed, superficiality, and interior exhaustion, contemplative life becomes a prophetic proclamation that God continues to be the essential reality.
- Monasteries are called to be places where the incarnate love of God remains alive, where prayer silently sustains the mission of the Church, and where the most abandoned are carried before the Lord.
- Dear Sisters, the Holy Spirit does not lead the Order backwards, but forwards. He calls us to charismatic fidelity, but also to have the courage to discern the new paths that God is opening before you in the new reality of the Order, especially through the Federations. The greatest challenge is not the changing of structures, but keeping alive the fire of first love, the joy of vocation, the beauty of fraternal life, and the centrality of Christ the Redeemer. With this living flame, it becomes possible to find the light needed to change structures and to pass through the night of crises.
- The experience of Pentecost did not eliminate the differences among the disciples. The Spirit did not create uniformity, but harmony and communion. And harmony does not mean thinking in exactly the same way, but walking together in listening to the same Spirit, who is the Master of this charismatic and melodious symphony that unites different gifts, cultures, sensitivities, and experiences into one single journey of faith and mission.
- Let us ask today for this grace: that the Spirit of truth may guide this Assembly. May he grant us wisdom in reflection, serenity in decisions, and hope in the face of challenges. And may Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, woman of silence and listening, together with Blessed Conchita, accompany each one of us in this Assembly. Mary remained with the disciples in the Upper Room, waiting for the Spirit. May she also remain in the midst of this Assembly, helping us to recognize the voice of the Spirit and to renew, with joy, the contemplative Redemptorist vocation for the good of the Church and of the most abandoned.
Tuchów, 12 May 2026.
