News and Events
News and Events... Updated regularly
Our Lady of Fatima - 100 years
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Our Lady of Fatima - 100 years...
13th May 1917 - 13th May 2017
Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta
Pray for us
The London contingent at the Madrid Perpetual Succour Conference
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The London contingent at the Madrid Perpetual Succour Conference...
Eddie Loughton, Fr Ronnie McAinsh CSsR, Maureen Loughton
The Redemptorists from all around Europe gathered in Madrid for a Conference on Our Mother of Perpetual Succour.
Our Province was represented by our friends from Kinnoull, Perth.
Mother of Perpetual Succour
Pray for us.
Vocations Sunday May 2017
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Vocations Sunday May 2017...
Here is one of the stories being told by the
National Office for Vocations for this Vocation Sunday.
Please pray for Vocations for the Priesthood and/or Religious Life.
Pray especially for us the Redemptorists!
To Commemorate the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
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To Commemorate the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help...
The 150th anniversary of the restoration of the icon of our Mother of Perpetual Help for public veneration will stir up in people many theological, spiritual and personal thoughts.
As a preacher of the Word of God, I often give conferences on the role of our Blessed Lady in our lives. As a Redemptorist, I recall the urging of our founder St. Alphonsus that we should not omit on any mission or retreat, a conference on Mary the mother of Jesus. And of course as a member of the Redemptorist family I have a personal devotion to Our Lady - especially under this title of Perpetual Help. As a member of the Church, I recall chapter 8 of Lumen Gentium, on the role of Mary in the economy of salvation.
It is good to call to mind the debate that took place during the Second Vatican Council prior to the completion of this great document on the Church. Many Council Fathers wanted a separate document on the role of the Virgin Mary in the Church. This was just fourteen years after the solemn declaration of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven by Pope Pius XII on 15th August 1950, and just over ten years after the conclusion of the Marian Year of 1954 which was celebrated throughout the world. So one can see why many of the Council Fathers thought that a separate document was important.
However, the periti, that group of wise and I also believe pastoral men, who were the theologians preparing the documents, together with a sizeable group of bishops, argued differently. They did not wish to downplay the role of Mary. However, they wished to situate her exactly where she belongs: that is, at the heart of the Church. It is for this reason that the final chapter of this great and seminal document of the Council is named: The Role of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, in the Mystery of Christ and the Church.
Of course Mary is not given one specific title in this document. Every local Church, and many Religious Orders and Congregations honour Mary under a title that is meaningful and suitable for them. As we know, St. Alphonsus had his own personal devotion to Mary under the title of our Lady of Good Counsel. And of course his appreciation of her as the Immaculate Conception is at the heart of his Marian doctrine. We also know that at one stage he wanted all Redemptorists to take a vow to defend the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. However, this was removed from the early outline rule by Rome.
Read more: To Commemorate the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Fr Provincial writes 30th April 2017
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Fr Provincial writes 30th April 2017...
30th April, 2017
Dear Confreres and friends,
As we begin this month traditionally dedicated to Our Lady, I offer a few words from Constitution 32.
"Let them take the Blessed Virgin Mary as their model and helper. For she went on her piIgrim way in faith, and embraced with her whole heart the saving will of God. Indeed she still serves as the perpetual help of God's people in Christ. Therefore let them relate to her as a mother with all the love and veneration they owe her as sons.
Let them be generous in fostering devotion, especially of a liturgical nature, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and celebrate her feasts with special fervour".
I will try and keep this letter short, as I intend to enclose an article I have written on our Lady of Perpetual Help which may appear in Scala soon. It is I hope theological, but also personal and devotional.
The OPC has just returned from three days of meetings. During these days we did a complete and comprehensive audit of every confrere who is attached to the London Province, reviewed the situations in our restructured communities, and tried to brainstorm in terms of our future as a Province within the Congregation and the Conference of Europe. We will share the latter reflections initially with the EPC.
Celebrating one of our great Patrons!
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Celebrating one of our great Patrons!...
We will celebrate liturgically tomorrow,
however, we celebrate our great Patron
St George
today.
Celebrated in the five continents, we are glad to have this special link.
Everyone in England, have a Happy Feast Day!
God bless England!
CSsR Redemptorist World!
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CSsR Redemptorist World!...
Click here to see the Redemptorists in every part of the world!
We think you will be impressed!
Easter Message from Fr General CSsR...
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Easter Message from Fr General CSsR 2017...
WITNESSES OF THE REDEEMER: In Solidarity for Mission to a Wounded World
“Through this total dedication to the Mission of Christ, Redemptorists share the self-renunciation of their crucified Lord, the virginal freedom of his heart, and his whole-hearted offering of himself for the life of the world. They must therefore become signs and witnesses before people of the power of his resurrection, proclaiming the new and eternal life” Constitution 51
Dear Confreres, Sisters, Partners in Mission, Associates and friends:
As we celebrate the great mysteries of our Redemption during Holy Week and Easter, it is a great joy to greet you and to offer these brief reflections. Constitution 51 captures the very heart of our missionary vocation – we are called to participate fully and whole-heartedly in the paschal mystery of Jesus our Redeemer so that we become living signs and prophetic witnesses of the power of the resurrection!
The Gospels remind us forcefully that the power of the resurrection does not erase the wounds of the crucifixion. Jesus continues to bear these marks in his body, and on his soul. He invites Thomas to touch them, and to place his hand in his wounded side. As the Theme for this Sexennium reminds us, it is in this wounded world that we are called to witness to the power of the resurrection to heal and transform, and to accompany those who suffer with compassion.
As Holy Week began we were confronted by the news of the terrorist attacks in Egypt, which followed closely on the attack in Stockholm, and the news of chemical attacks and air raids in Syria, and violence in so many parts of this wounded world. Ukraine, Venezuela, Philippines, Congo, Syria, Iraq and so many other places call us to a new solidarity in mission among all people of good will. The fear of refugees and migrants in Europe, the United States, Australia, and among so many other nations, calls not for building walls to keep people out, but for a prophetic witness to compassion and welcome.
Holy Thursday
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Holy Thursday...
An amazing amount of stuff! This was one of the most pivotal days in the life of Jesus Christ. Here are some of the things the gospels record for this day (including events that happened after midnight). Jesus:
- Sent Peter and John to arrange for them to use the Upper Room to hold the Passover meal.
- Washed the apostles' feet.
- Held the first Mass.
- Instituted the priesthood.
- Announced that Judas would betray him.
- Gave the "new commandment" to love one another.
- Indicated that Peter had a special pastoral role among the apostles.
- Announced that Peter would deny him.
- Prayed for the unity of his followers.
- Held all the discourses recorded across five chapters of John (John 13-18).
- Sang a hymn.
- Went to the Mount of Olives.
- Prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane.
- Was betrayed by Judas.
- Stopped the disciples from continuing a violent resistance.
- Healed the ear of Malchus, the high priest's servant, after Peter cut it off with a sword.
- Was taken before the high priests Annas and Caiaphas.
- Was denied by Peter.
- Was taken to Pilate.
Read the Gospel passage for yourself; it is all there.
Sr Bernadette OSsR Funeral RIP
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Sr Bernadette OSsR Funeral RIP...
It was a strange start to Holy Week for the Redemptorists and the Redemptoristine Nuns of Dublin as they all gathered in Liverpool for the Requiem of the last English Redemptoristine Nun - Sr Mary Bernadette OSsR. They gathered to thank God for her life and to lay her to rest.
Along with her own blood family there were also six OSsR Nuns who had left the enclosure and sang the Requiem Mass. Fr Provincial Ronnie McAinsh CSsR presided at the Funeral Mass, accompanied by many other Fathers and Brothers. Bishop Ralph Heskett CSsR was in attendance as was Archbishop Kelly, Emeritus Archbishop of Liverpool.
Fr Provincial writes April 2017...
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Fr Provincial writes April 2017...
2nd April, 2017
Dear Confreres and freinds,
It is difficult to believe that the month of March has passed so quickly, and that next Sunday will be Palm Sunday.
Then we will begin the final days of the drama of the life of Jesus, experiencing the ups and downs of the final week of his life, hopefully not as spectators but as participants in a real-life event which continues to be lived out in our contemporary world. Denis McBride's Stations of the Cross which I recommended at the beginning of Lent, focuses on this theme of the on-going and lived passion of Jesus in today's society. And we are all aware of how absolutely central the Passion of Christ was to the spiritually of St. Alphonsus and how important to our Redemptorist charism.
Tomorrow I will go to London to attend an RPTC meeting in Clapham, and then on Wednesday I go to Rome to participate in a meeting of the Preparatory Commission for Phase Three of the General Chapter. As you may recall, the Third Phase of the Chapter is held in each Conference. The Conference of Europe has chosen Kinnoull as its venue, and so the capitulars and vocals, together with the Superior General and our lay partners, will meet in the Monastery from 3rd to the 9th September.
Next weekend I will be in Liverpool as we celebrate the Requiem Mass of Sister Bernadette, O.Ss.R. at Bishop Eton - on Monday at 11.15. I have already expressed my gratitude to all who supported Sister over the years.
A Stamp to commemorate St Clement in Vienna
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A Stamp to commemorate St Clement in Vienna...
The Redemptorists of Vienna-Hernals have brought out a new postal stamp to commemorate the feast of St. Clement Hofbauer CSsR.
Read the story by clicking here St Clement's Postal Stamp
St Clement Hofbauer CSsR - Pray for us!
Sr Mary Bernadette OSsR RIP
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Sr Mary Bernadette OSsR RIP...
Please pray for the
happy and peaceful
repose of the soul of our sister
Sr Mary Bernadette OSsR
Redemptoristine Nun
(Liverpool)
who went home to the Father
in the early hours of this morning.
Requiescat in pace
Read Sr Bernadette's story "Why I became an OSsR Nun?..."
CSsR Edmonton London
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CSsR Edmonton London...
Fr. Charles Corrigan, (Prefect of Students) went with our students to visit the church of the Most Precious Blood in Edmonton.
This church has important connections with the Redemptorists. The parish was founded by the Redemptorists in 1904 and we stayed there until 1926. During that time we built the church and the Monastery.
The church has a beautiful shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and devotion to her continues in the parish.
Fr Provincial writes...3rd March 2017
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Fr Provincial writes...3rd March 2017...
3rd March, 2017
Dear Confreres,
We are already well into the season of Lent and my prayer is that we will be open enough, through our self emptying, to receive the countless graces that the Lord wishes to offer us. I was in Clapham last week for a Finance Secretariat meeting and also an EPC meeting, and the spirit of this season was apparent in both our student group and the community at large.
Fr. Richard and I had just returned from a rather gruelling canonical Visitation of the Region of Zimbabwe. I am very happy to communicate to you that the Region is vibrant, faithful, hard-working, with a very good community spirit. We visited each community, as well as the mission in Chiweshe and a new Shrine Centre in the area we used to call 'Sally Mugabe’.
What was most striking is the complete collapse of the infrastructure in the country, and in particular the roads, many of which are just a mass of potholes. Each day we were stopped on many occasions by the police, and en route to Chiweshe had to pass 8 police road blocks. For the first four days there we were also without power in Tafara. We had intended to have a formal Novitiate Board meeting but some of the principals could not attend, and so we had an informal meeting with the Zimbabwean representatives, Fr. Sean Wales from South Africa and Fr. Raphael Kitheka from Kenya. I was also able to deliver the habits made by our Redemptoristine Sisters in Dublin and the rosaries made by our Polish students.
