The next XXVII General Chapter of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, will be held at the Redemptorist Center in Pattaya, Thailand, from September 11 to October 7, 2028.
11th June 2026
The General Council met with the Preparatory Commission for the XXVII General Chapter along with the 5 Conference Coordinators from the General Council Meeting Room. The meeting was held online with most of the members. Those present in Rom were Fr. Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R, Superior General, and the General and General Council, Fr. Edward Chacon Dias, C.Ss.R., the Secretary General, Fr. Anisio Tavares, C.Ss.R., and Fr. Grzegorz Ruszaj, C.Ss.R, Members of the Preparatory Commission.
Present online were the 5 Conference Coordinators, Fr. Piotr Chyła (Europe), Fr. Jerome Chavarria (North America), Fr. Cesar Torres Pantoja (Latin America and the Caribbean), Fr. Yoakim Ndelo (Asia Oceania) and Fr. Noel Sottima (Africa and Madagascar), along with the members of the Preparatory Commission, namely (Fr. Stever Rehauer, Fr. Richard Welch, and Fr. Lorenzo Gasparro).
The Meeting began with a welcome by Fr. Edward (Secretary General) explaining the purpose and agenda of the meeting, namely: To present a projection on the Place for the next General Chapter and to choose the place, to study the calendar and dateline for the Preparatory Commission moving forward, and to reflect on the Questionnaire for the congregation.
Fr. Ivel began with a Prayer to the Holy Spirit. Fr. General then welcomed the group and presented a message outlining the work of the Preparatory Commission in preparation for the General Chapter. He stressed on the need for renewing our Missionary Spirituality and Identity for the future. He also asked that the entire Congregation reflect on what type of Congregation do we want for the future? We need to discuss this in a very practical way with practical suggestions as we ask the Preparatory Commission to prepare a Questionnaire that will go out to the entire Congregation on the 9th November 2026.
Fr. Edward then presented a PowerPoint on the possible places for the XXVII General Chapter with detailed analysis of each place, costing and budget for each place. The Four Places were: Rome with two options (Divino Maestro and Sacrofano), Pattaya in Thailand (Redemptorist Centre), and Aparecida in Brazil with two options (Hotel Reina do Brazil, Hotel Reina dos Apostoles).
After the presentation, Fr. Edward opened the topic for suggestions, comments and clarifications. After a detailed discussion and sharing on the strengths and challenges for each place, the proposals were put to a vote, and with the vote, the General Council chose the Redemptorist Centre in Pattaya as the venue for the XXVII General Chapter.
The Other topics for discussion were the Dateline for the Preparatory Commission and its meetings in preparation for the XXVII General Chapter. There was also a detailed discussion on the nature of the questionnaire to be prepared, themes for reflection and discussion and preparation for the General Chapter. Each Council member and each Conference Coordinator expressed their opinions along with the members of the Preparatory Commission.
The commission will meet next online on the 7th August 2026 to prepare the questionnaire for the entire Congregation.
Joseph Ivel Mendanha, C.Ss.R.
General Consultor.
