The pastoral visit of the Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, Fr. Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R., to Sumba, Indonesia, from June 29 to July 2, 2026, was a joyful and grace-filled occasion for the Redemptorists in Indonesia. This was his second visit to Sumba and came at a significant time as the Indonesian Redemptorist Province celebrates 69 years of missionary presence and service in the country.
Fr. Rogério arrived at Tambolaka Airport on June 29, where he received a warm and heartfelt welcome from the Provincial Superior, members of the Provincial Council, Redemptorist confreres, postulants, novices, lay faithful, and local community leaders.
From the airport, the Superior General proceeded to the Provincial House in Weetebula. Upon his arrival, two groups of traditional dancers were already waiting to receive him. In keeping with the rich cultural heritage of Sumba, the welcome ceremony featured traditional dances, poetic chants, and the presentation of the woven ikat cloth, a cherished symbol of respect, hospitality, and friendship. Their vibrant performances reflected the joy of the local Church and the Redemptorist family in welcoming the successor of St. Alphonsus as he began his pastoral visit to Indonesia.
That same afternoon, all the confreres, together with the postulants and novices, gathered at the Provincial House for a fraternal meeting with the Superior General. In his address, Fr. Rogério offered a comprehensive overview of the Congregation around the world. He reflected on its missionary life, the challenges facing the Church and the Congregation today, and the hopes that inspire the Redemptorists to continue proclaiming the Gospel with courage and creativity.
He encouraged the confreres to remain faithful to the charism of St. Alphonsus, to deepen their missionary zeal, and to respond generously to the cries of the poor and the most abandoned. His words inspired hope and renewed the commitment of the Indonesian Redemptorists to live their vocation with joy, fraternity, and missionary enthusiasm. After his address, the Province present the sumba Tenun Ikan and pictures of Mother of Perpetual Help and Saint Alphonsus to him.
The gathering concluded with a joyful Gaudeamus and a shared evening meal, providing an opportunity for informal conversation and fraternity. It was a memorable beginning to the Superior General’s visit, strengthening the bonds of communion within the Redemptorist family and reminding everyone that, despite cultural and geographical differences, we share one common mission: to proclaim the plentiful redemption of Christ to the world.
Second Day of the Superior General’s Visit: A Joyful Celebration of Perpetual Profession, First Profession, and the Opening of the Novitiate Year in Sumba, Indonesia
On the second day (the 30th of June) of his pastoral visit to Indonesia, coinciding with the liturgical memorial of Blessed Gennaro Sarnelli, the Superior General presided over a solemn Eucharistic celebration that brought together the Redemptorist family in a profound expression of faith, gratitude, and hope. The Eucharist marked three significant moments in the life of the Congregation: The Perpetual Profession of vows, the First Profession of confreres, and the official opening of the Novitiate Year for a new group of candidates.
The celebration marked a historic milestone for the Redemptorists in Indonesia. Five confreres made their Perpetual Profession—two Brothers and three students—publicly committing themselves for life to Christ the Redeemer through the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. Brothers Ande and Ari professed their perpetual vows, together with three students preparing for the priesthood. Having completed this important step in their formation, the three newly professed students will now begin their pastoral ministry as part of their preparation for diaconate ordination.
The Eucharist also witnessed the First Profession of fifteen confreres, who embraced the evangelical counsels as the next stage of their religious journey. Following their First Profession, they will continue their philosophical studies at Wisma Sang Penebus in Yogyakarta, the Major Seminary of the Redemptorists in Indonesia, where they will continue their intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral formation.
Another highlight of the celebration was the official reception of twenty-eight new novices, who formally began their Novitiate Year. This is the largest novitiate class in the history of the Redemptorists in Indonesia, a remarkable sign of God’s blessings and a source of renewed hope for the future of the Congregation’s missionary presence in the country. Among the new novices is one candidate preparing to become a Redemptorist Brother, embracing a vocation of dedicated service and missionary witness.
The celebration was attended by hundreds of faithful, family members, friends, and Redemptorist confreres from various communities. Their joyful presence and fervent prayers reflected the support of the wider Church for those who have generously responded to God’s call to consecrated life.
Celebrated on the memorial of Blessed Gennaro Sarnelli, the Eucharist also offered a fitting opportunity to recall the inspiring witness of this great Redemptorist missionary, whose life of compassion, evangelization, and service to the poor continues to inspire new generations of Redemptorists to proclaim the Gospel with zeal and generosity.
The Superior General’s Message: Rooted in Christ, Formed for Mission
In his homily, the Superior General reflected deeply on the meaning of religious vocation, formation, and missionary discipleship. Addressing the novices, he described the Novitiate as a privileged time of discipleship—a sacred season of learning to remain close to Christ, listening attentively to His Word, growing in prayer, and allowing oneself to be transformed by His love.
He emphasized that the Novitiate is truly a “school of the Gospel,” where young Redemptorists deepen their relationship with Christ the Redeemer while embracing the spirituality and charism of the Congregation through its Constitutions.
Using a powerful image, the Superior General compared the Novitiate to the work of digging a deep well in search of the Living Water, who is Christ Himself. Such a journey, he explained, requires patience, courage, perseverance, and trust. Through prayer, discernment, and self-discovery, those in formation gradually encounter the inexhaustible source of joy, strength, and hope found in Christ.
Turning to those making their First Profession, he reminded them that their vows represent a public and generous response to God’s call. Rather than marking the completion of formation, First Profession is the beginning of a lifelong journey of becoming more fully conformed to Christ and embracing the missionary spirit of Saint Alphonsus.
To those professing Perpetual Vows, the Superior General affirmed that their lifelong commitment proclaims a simple yet profound truth: Christ is enough. By placing their entire future in God’s hands, they become living witnesses to the faithful love of God and joyful signs that a life completely dedicated to the Gospel and the mission of the Church is truly worthwhile.
Reflecting on the current life of the Congregation, he encouraged all the confreres to embrace the challenges of missionary renewal with generous and open hearts. In a rapidly changing world, Redemptorists are called to be available for the mission, ready to serve wherever the Congregation needs them most, especially among the poor, the abandoned, and those living on the existential peripheries.
Drawing inspiration from Saint Alphonsus, Blessed Gennaro Sarnelli, and the countless Redemptorist missionaries who have gone before us, he invited the newly professed to remain firmly united with Christ, the True Vine. Only from this intimate communion with the Redeemer, he said, can their lives bear lasting fruits of holiness, compassionate service, and abundant redemption for the People of God.
Concluding his homily, the Superior General entrusted the novices and newly professed confreres to the loving intercession of Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, together with Saint Alphonsus, Saint Gerard Majella, Saint Clement Mary Hofbauer, Saint John Neumann, and all the saints, martyrs, and blesseds of the Redemptorist Congregation, especially Blessed Gennaro Sarnelli.
May they remain deeply rooted in Christ the Redeemer and become joyful missionaries of abundant redemption, faithful witnesses of God’s unfailing love, and generous servants of the poor and the most abandoned.
Fr. Jack Umbu Warata, CSsR.
