From 30 June to 10 July 2026, Youth Monastery Kirchhellen, a ministry of the St. Clement Province, welcomed a group of Redemptorist students and young confreres from the Indonesia Province. Their visit was a tangible expression of the vibrant partnership between the St. Clement Province and the Indonesia Province, lived out through the collaboration between Youth Monastery Kirchhellen and the House of Formation Wisma Sang Penebus in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. For everyone involved, it became a powerful experience of the universal Church, genuine fraternity, and our shared missionary vocation.
At the heart of the visit was community life. Shared prayer, meals, recreation, and countless conversations fostered a spirit of genuine fraternity. For many of the Indonesian students, it was their first journey outside their home country. Everything they encountered was new, but what touched them most was the warm and generous welcome they received. Their arrival at the airport, where they were greeted with a large welcome banner, immediately made it clear that they were not simply visitors but confreres belonging to one worldwide Redemptorist family.
The programme extended far beyond the monastery itself. The young Redemptorists were introduced to many aspects of ecclesial life, society, and professional life in Germany. Visits to local farms and businesses, meetings with parish communities, and encounters with many committed people from the region offered valuable insights into the many ways the Church lives its mission today.
The guests repeatedly emphasized how meaningful it had been not only to visit the Redemptorist communities but also to experience everyday life in Germany and engage in conversation with people from different walks of life. These personal encounters helped them gain a deeper understanding of both German society and the pastoral reality of the local Church.
One of the highlights of the programme was a presentation by Dr. Michael Schlagheck, former Director of the Catholic Academy Die Wolfsburg in Mülheim an der Ruhr. He reflected on the current situation and future of the Catholic Church in Germany in the context of profound social and ecclesial change. Issues such as secularisation, synodality, safeguarding and the response to cases of sexual abuse, as well as new pastoral challenges, were discussed openly and honestly.
The Indonesian confreres took full advantage of the opportunity to ask numerous questions and gained valuable first-hand insights into the pastoral realities facing the Church in Germany today. At the same time, they experienced how new forms of shared leadership are already being lived at Youth Monastery. The close collaboration between religious and lay people, Partners in Mission, women and men, as well as paid staff and volunteers who together share responsibility for the monastery’s mission, was especially inspiring to the visitors. They regarded this model of collaborative leadership as a hopeful and forward-looking expression of the Church’s future.
The programme also included visits to the Redemptorist community in Bonn and to Collegium Josephinum, where the guests gained insights into the history and present- day life of the Congregation in Germany. A particularly moving moment was the time of prayer at the graves of former missionaries. Remembering these confreres, whose witness helped shape the relationship between Europe and Indonesia, reminded everyone that today’s partnership is rooted in a long tradition of missionary commitment and mutual support.
Another highlight was a pilgrimage to the shrine of Blessed Peter Donders in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Together with members and visitors of the Youth Monastery, the Indonesian confreres visited the birthplace of the renowned Redemptorist missionary. His lifelong dedication to people who were poor, sick, and marginalized became a powerful reminder of the Redemptorist charism and inspired all who took part in the pilgrimage.
The annual monastery festival provided a joyful setting for the celebration of several important jubilees. Fr. Aloys Daniel, C.Ss.R. celebrated the Golden Jubilee of his priestly ordination, while Fr. Fransis Da Cunha, C.Ss.R. marked the 25th anniversary of his religious profession. During the same celebration, new altar servers were commissioned for their ministry, offering a visible sign that young people continue to assume responsibility and actively participate in the life of the Church.
The celebration also marked another significant anniversary. For eighty years, the Redemptorists in Kirchhellen have dedicated themselves to serving with and for young people, as well as those who are wounded or living on the margins of society. What began as a ministry primarily focused on youth has gradually developed into a broad range of social and pastoral initiatives.
Today, together with numerous employees, volunteers, and Partners in Mission, Youth Monastery Kirchhellen has become a place of prayer, hospitality, encounter, and social responsibility. The monastery seeks to accompany people in different situations of life, offering spiritual guidance, community, and practical solidarity. In this way, it continues the Redemptorist mission of proclaiming the Gospel where hope is most needed.
The visit proved to be a profound enrichment for everyone involved. The Indonesian confreres spoke with great appreciation about the generous hospitality they experienced, the excellent organisation of the programme, and the openness with which they had been welcomed. They expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to represent their Province and emphasized how deeply these two weeks had strengthened their awareness of belonging to one international Redemptorist family.
The community at Youth Monastery likewise looks back on these two weeks with deep gratitude. The joy, openness, and missionary enthusiasm of the young Indonesian confreres became a source of encouragement for many. In a Province that is often marked by structural change and the ageing of its communities, their presence was experienced as a powerful sign of hope for the future of the Congregation.
The visitors especially impressed their hosts with their openness, genuine curiosity, and thoughtful questions about pastoral ministry, social issues, and cultural differences. Conversations about safeguarding, ministry with children and young people, data protection, and the influence of different cultural contexts demonstrated how enriching mutual learning can be within an international religious congregation. The encounter became a true exchange in which everyone had something to share and something to learn.
The partnership between Youth Monastery Kirchhellen and the House of Formation Wisma Sang Penebus—established within the wider partnership between the Indonesia Province and the St. Clement Province—continues to grow and deepen. Today, ten Indonesian Redemptorists are already living and serving in the St. Clement Province, contributing their gifts and enriching the pastoral life of the Province in many different ways. In addition, young Indonesians are serving as volunteers at Youth Monastery, strengthening the bonds of friendship and intercultural cooperation through their commitment.
What began as a partnership has developed into a living exchange that promotes mutual learning, intercultural dialogue, and shared missionary service. It is a relationship founded not only on cooperation but also on trust, friendship, and a common commitment to proclaiming the Gospel in today’s world.
The visit vividly demonstrated that the international Redemptorist family truly comes alive whenever people from different cultures share their faith, learn from one another, and live their missionary vocation together. Such encounters strengthen the bonds that unite the Congregation across continents and cultures, reminding all involved that the Redemptorist mission is enriched by the diversity of its members and by the witness of communities that walk together in faith.
The partnership between the House of Formation Wisma Sang Penebus in Yogyakarta and Youth Monastery Kirchhellen stands as a hopeful and inspiring example of
international missionary collaboration. It demonstrates how the Church grows through encounter, mutual support, and shared responsibility for Christ’s mission. Above all, it reminds us that the Gospel is proclaimed most authentically when it is lived together— in fraternity, solidarity, and joyful service to young people and to those who are poor, wounded, and marginalized.
Hildegard Kückelmann
