From Indonesia to Brazil, from Madagascar to Poland, formators and young men in formation within the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer came together for the liturgical memorial of Blessed Gaspar Stanggassinger (26 September), recognizing him as a model of holiness lived out through fidelity to small, everyday gestures of love.
A Family in Formation, Five Conferences
According to figures updated for 2025, around 1,300 young people are currently at the various stages of initial formation in the Congregation: aspirancy, postulancy, novitiate, and the studentates of philosophy and theology, along with a period of pastoral practice. Among the five Conferences, Asia-Oceania records the highest number of formandi, followed by Africa-Madagascar and Latin America-Caribbean, while North America and Europe have the smallest numbers.
For the feast of Blessed Gaspar, formators and students from several formation communities shared testimonies and reflections on what his example means for the Redemptorist vocational journey.
Indonesia: “Wisma Sang Panabus” House in Yogyakarta
Fr. Dandi Bastian, C.Ss.R., a formator at the studentate in Yogyakarta — home to 76 students from first to fifth year, spanning the period between novitiate and diaconal ordination — introduced the formation house, which follows the five classic dimensions of live: spiritual, academic, pastoral, community, and human.
Young confrere Br. Chandra offered a personal reflection on Blessed Gaspar: “Holiness is not always achieved through spectacular deeds, but truly through small acts carried out with love.” Br. Chandra noted that community life serves as a genuine training ground for learning to listen and to accept one another’s differences, in preparation for future mission.
Madagascar: A Young Vice-Province, a Sign of Hope
Fr. Luis (Ravelojaona Luis Armando), C.Ss.R., recently appointed superior of the Mandroseza formation community and person in charge of the studentate, presented the reality of the Madagascar vice-province. Some years ago the vice-province experienced significant vocational growth, “a sign of hope that the Holy Spirit is still at work,” calling young people to respond to the challenges of the world and to commit themselves to the mission of the Congregation and the Church. The current formation path includes 10 pre-postulants, 25 postulants, and 4 Malagasy novices, within an internationally structured novitiate (COREAM) that also welcomes confreres from Congo and Angola. There are also 8 theology students and 2 formandi.
Poland: From Tuchów to Kraków, Carrying On a Missionary Spirit
The Major Seminary of the Province of Warsaw has a more than 120-year history, its “golden age” coinciding with the pontificate of St. John Paul II. Faced with a decline in vocations — a trend affecting the whole of Europe — the community relocated a few years ago from Tuchów to Kraków, where the Redemptorist students now attend courses at an inter-congregational institute, while the community preserves the independence of its own formation program.
The Polish students live out this missionary spirit, expressing a desire to “bring closer to Christ” those who feel lost, forgotten, or distant from the Church, drawing inspiration from Blessed Gaspar’s dedicating and faithfulness in prayer.
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Brazil: The Juniorate of the Aparecida Province
From São Paulo, Fr. Krzysztof Mamała, C.Ss.R., led the testimony of the 42 young men of the juniorate in the Aparecida Province — the formation stage between temporary and perpetual profession. The formandi recalled one of Blessed Gaspar’s well-known sayings: “a vocation is to go where God leads, and the greatest happiness is to do God’s will.” Their formation, combining theological study, human development, and spiritual life, aims to prepare missionaries capable of dedicating themselves to evangelization among the people.
One Family, United in Prayer
On the day dedicated to Blessed Gaspar Stanggassinger, young Redemptorists and formators around the world found themselves united “in prayer and celebration.” Blessed Gaspar reminds the Redemptorist family that mission is built on everyday fidelity, on listening, and on the joyful obedience to God’s call — a message especially relevant for those who today accompany the new generations in formation.
