Fr. Sandeep Menezes shares his experiences from the first week of the 2026 Redemptorist Spirituality Course in Italy.
Day 1
The sights and sounds of Rome were breath-takingly beautiful for the 17 English-speaking participants of this year’s Redemptorist Spirituality Course. Fr. Krzysztof Dworak, the Director of the Spirituality Centre, invited the participants who represented many nations (Canada, Congo, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Zimbabwe) and a variety of vocations (15 priests, 1 brother, and 1 lay partner in the mission) to approach their journeys not as tourists, but as pilgrims transformed by what we see and hear. Fr. General Rogerio Gomes echoed this in his homily during the Inaugural Mass, challenging us to deep spiritual renewal through a renewed encounter with the love of the Redeemer. In the second session, Fr. Dworak helped us to situate the Redemptorist spirituality in the long stream of Christian spirituality beginning with the first Christians, leading up to St. Alphonsus and the early Redemptorists while being continued in us for our times.
The first day culminated with a guided historical walk through Rome, led by Fr. Derreck Da Cruz. The Church of Holy Mary of Victory, with its chapel dedicated to the mystical piercing of St. Teresa of Avila’s heart, recalled “the grandmother” of our Congregation; Via di San Basilio marked the simple lodging where Fr. Vilani and Bro. Tartaglione awaited papal approval of our Rule; Holy Mary of Monterone, a Redemptorist house established in the 19th century, fittingly located beside a street named Via Redentoristi, and; the Church of Holy Mary Over Minerva, where St. Alphonsus was ordained a bishop in 1762, gave us concrete images to correspond to words we heard during our Novitiates.
Day 2
On the second day, Fr. Joseph Royan guided us to St. Peter’s Square, where we were privileged to witness Pope Leo XIV draw close to where we were seated and bestow his apostolic blessing upon us, followed by a catechesis on the role of the Eucharistic liturgy in Christian life. This helped us to experience the joy of belonging to a global family of faith.
In the afternoon, Fr. Andrzej Wodka, professor at the Alphonsianum, invited us to become “a living exegesis of the Word of God” as Redemptorists, participating in the event of the divine Word who speaks to people of every age through the Bible. Fr. Wodka later celebrated Holy Mass, drawing on the example of St. Charles Lwanga, the saint of the day.
Day 3
Early the next morning, we set out with Fr. Christian Bueno, from the Secretariat of evangelisation, to the Catacombs of St. Callistus, where a priest guided us through two of four levels of catacombs constructed over several centuries, from the most persecuted Christians of the first and second centuries up to the eighth. He noted that the early Christians called these places not “necropolises” but “cemeteries,” namely, dormitories for the dead. Here they would “sleep” awaiting their final reward. We were blessed to celebrate Holy Eucharist in the Catacombs recalling that we are brothers and sisters with all those buried on this holy ground.
Back in Rome, Fr. Dworak reflected on how Redemptorists are called to respond to contemporary spiritualities, adopting the stance of fellow-pilgrims accompanying people of our times, rooted in Christ and guided by the vision of St. Alphonsus, while adapting to local conditions.
Day 4
The fourth day began with Holy Eucharist presided over by General Consultor Fr. Ivel Mendanha, who spoke of the Redemptorist vocation as participating in a dynamic that began with Jesus and his disciples by receiving the word, being transformed, and handing on the mission.
Three sessions followed. Fr. Christian Bueno offered the image of the Redemptorist charism as an ecosystem, likening our mission to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church-forests that sustain life in the middle of deserts. Brother Larry Lujan then spoke on the indispensable role of Brothers in our missionary congregation, recalling the witness of St. Gerard and Vito Curzio. Fr. Adrzej Wodka also took a brief session on the significance of the Alphonsian Institute of Moral Theology where we were attending these sessions.
Day 5
The final day brought a visit to the Alphonsian Museum and the Redemptoristine Sisters at St. Agatha of the Goths, the See of St. Alphonsus as bishop. Seeing his bed, study table, coat of arms, and worn episcopal vestments offered a tangible encounter with the Founder’s spirit.
We concluded with Mass celebrated with the Redemptoristine Sisters, followed by a warm Italian lunch of many courses. With the first week complete, the group then set out for the next stage of the pilgrimage. Now we would shift base from Rome to Ciorani, the Mother House of the Congregation, the place that St. Alphonsus, St. Gerard, and Bl. Sarnelli each called home at different points in their lives.
Fr. Sandeep Menezes, C.Ss.R.
