Adoremus 2018 - Family Hour

As part of the parallel programme that ran alongside Adoremus 2018, Bishop Eton Parish held two events. The first of these was a family friendly Holy Hour

The 17 young Altar Servers and the members of the Bishop Eton and St Mary's Youth Justice and Peace Group were a credit to their families.

The service started with the Youth Justice and Peace Group signing (Britsh Sign language) 'Bread of Life - Truth Eternal'

The family Holy hour was led by Bishop Ralph Heskett C.Ss.R

Read more: Adoremus 2018 - Family Hour

Pray for the Synod of Bishops in Rome...

Bishop Ralph CSsR greets Pope Francis

Bishop Ralph Heskett CSsR (Hallam), Cardinal Nichols (Westminster) Bishop O'Toole (Plymouth)

More Summer CSsR Reflections...Dublin

The Ninth World Meeting of Families took place from 22^nd to 26^th of August in Dublin, Ireland. The Irish Redemptorists embraced this opportunity to give greater focus on marriage and family life in the months leading up to the main event, with various initiatives carried out at the local community level.

During the main event itself which ran from 22^nd to 26^th August, the Redemptorists had a large visual presence at the congress promoting all the aspects of the Redemptorist life and ministry. We gave particular focus to St. Gerard Majella with a standalone prayer space. This provided an opportunity for many people to chat, pray, write petitions and receive a blessing with the relic of St Gerard. This initiative was a great success and one appreciated by the many hundreds of people who visited our stand.

Read more: More Summer CSsR Reflections...Dublin

Fr Provincial speaks to the Spanish CSsR...

(Madrid, Spain) A gathering of 15 confreres under the age of 45 from the Province of Madrid took place from the evening of 16th until the afternoon of 19th September in the retreat house of the Oblate Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer.

The group received some input sessions and actively participated in lively discussions on the major areas of our ongoing Redemptorist formation.  Among the areas covered were the apostolate, the community living, human sexuality, relationships, our partnership with the laity and transition to ministry.  The facilitator, Fr. Ronnie McAinsh of the London Province, also gave 5 input sessions as well as processing the reports from the groups’ sessions.  There was a remarkable degree of openness, transparency, and a common desire to continue developing our shared mission and ministry.  The Provincial Superior of Madrid, Fr. Jose Luis Bartolome, participated in each plenary session and was open to receive the feedback and process it.

Encounters such as this are ongoing in the Province, and both the Provincial government and the participants are committed to this continuing dynamic which they find to be life giving and energizing.

Fr. Ronnie McAinsh, CSsR.

XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops...

(Rome) The Press Office of the Holy See published the list of the Participants in the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which will take place from 3 to 28 October 2018.

Among the participants there will be the following Redemptorist confreres:

1.     As elected by the Union of Superiors General Rev. Fr. Michael BREHL, C.Ss.R. Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (The Redemptorists)

2.     As a member of the Pontifical Nomination His Eminence Rev. Cardinal Joseph William TOBIN, C.Ss.R., The Archbishop of Newark (United States of America).

3.     As a member of the representation of Great Britain (England and Wales) His Excellency Rev. Msgr. Ralph HESKETT, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Hallam (England)

4.     For the Synod of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Excellency Rev. Msgr. Bryan J. BAYDA, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Saskatoon of the Ukrainians

5.     As a Consultor Rev. Fr. Sabatino MAJORANO, C.Ss.R., Professor Emeritus of Systematic Moral Theology at the Alphonsian Academy of Rome

We wish our confreres good work and we join with St. Alphonsus in prayers for the outcome of this universal church event.

Scala News

Bl Maria Celeste Crostarosa OSsR Feast Day...

We thank God for our Sisters and their ministry of Prayer

- they are a wonderful gift to us.

Vivant CSsR & OSsR

Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa - Pray for us

Sr M Patrick OSsR - RIP...

Of your charity please pray for the happy repose of our dear

Sr M Patrick OSsR - RIP

a Redemptoristine Nun

when went home this morning to 

Our Most Holy Redeemer.

Originally Sr Patrick, Irish by birth,

was a member of the Chudleigh/Gillmoss OSsR Monastery

she died peacefully as a member of the

Dublin Monastery of St Alphonsus.

Homily preached at Fr John Milcz's funeral...

FUNERAL HOMILY FOR FR JAN MILCZ, CSsR

BISHOP ETON, WEDNESDAY 11 JULY 2018 at NOON

“As a man lives, so shall he die” is a phrase that will resonate with all Redemptorists of a certain vintage: the vintage mainly represented on the sanctuary today. These were the words at the beginning of one of those classic mission sermons that, as students, we were expected to learn by heart and use to hone our skills as preachers. No doubt Fr Jan himself, as a young man, proclaimed them to the assembled brethren at one of those mission academies in Hawkstone back in the 1960s. Of course, these sermons were all designed to stir the so-called lapsed and wayward to mend their ways, but today I would like you to reflect that those words – as a man lives so shall he die – can very aptly be applied in the best possible way to this good and holy man. Jan died a very peaceful death in the Marie Curie Hospice on Tuesday evening last week. When I saw him for the last time on the Sunday morning before I left for Hampshire there was a wonderful serenity about him. In the final weeks of his life, I have rarely met anyone who so continually expressed his gratitude for any little kindness. This natural courtesy was much appreciated by the staff at Marie Curie as well as the carers and nurses who tended to him in the monastery and the staff at Christopher Grange, where he spent a short time a few weeks ago. To them all and to our own wonderful resident team, we, as a Redemptorist family are immensely grateful, as we are to his family and his many friends in this congregation today: he treasured your love and support.

By what seems to me an act of divine providence, a couple of years ago Jan and others among our older confrères had to stay in Hawkstone Hall while the lift was being repaired in Bishop Eton. During that time as the result of a chance conversation with the wonderful Sr Jackie Smith we have a unique record of Jan’s early life. She was so fascinated by what he told her that she spent hours with him during those days and the result of their conversations was published in the Lent Extra of 2016. Redemptorist Publications have kindly furnished us with the text so that copies have been made available at the back of the church today. If we have not produced enough, just put in your order and we will duly respond. As many of you know, not long afterwards, Sr Jackie herself was suddenly struck down with a serious cancer and died. Please God, she and Jan are now reunited in that home where Jesus promised he was going ahead to prepare places for us all.

Read more: Homily preached at Fr John Milcz's funeral.

A long great life....

Fr Jan Milcz C.Ss.R. – a story of goodness and mercy  – a shortened version

Fr Jan, an elderly Polish Redemptorist, showed Sr Jackie Smith S.P. that great suffering can also reveal great goodness.

When did you leave Poland?” I asked the gentle, elderly priest with a slight Polish accent. He looked up and replied, “During the war, when I was fourteen, in a goods truck.” It was a startling revelation: one of those significant moments when time stands still. Thus began a series of conversations at Hawkstone Hall with Fr Jan, now aged 88, during which he related the story of his early life.

“I was born in the small village of Podchybie, about 20 km from Krakow in Southern Poland.  My parents, Jan and Hermenegilda, were basket makers. They had their own small business, but as you can imagine, life was hard. I never heard my parents complain and we were happy and content with the little we had.

Read more: A life for the Redeemer

Short Biography of Fr Jan John Milcz CSsR - RIP...

FATHER JAN (JOHN) MILCZ

29.8.1927 - 3.7.2018

Father John Milcz was born in Podchybie, Poland. He attended primary school from 1933-1940 after which he attended grammar school but because of the 1939-1945 war his education was interrupted until 1956  when he attended Campion House Osterley in London, the late-vocations house run by the Jesuits.

On the 6 of September 1958 he entered the Redemptorist novitiate in St.Mary's Kinnoul Perth where he made his first profession on 6.9.1959. From Perth he went to the house of studies at Hawkstone in Shropshire where on 6.9.1962 he made his final profession. He was ordained at Hawkstone on the first ofJuly 1966.

From July 1966 his apostolic career was appointments to:

July 1966 to Bishop Eton, Liverpool; February 1967 to Erdington, Birmingham; August 1967 Capetown, South Africa; July 1975 Salisbury in the then Rhodesia; March 1980 Bishop Eton, Liverpool; February 1981 Clapham; May 1987 Bishop Eton; May 1993 Sunderland; 1999 Sunderland; 2011 Bishop Eton.

Latterly he had not been in good health. He died in Bishop Eton on 3rd of July 2018. He is to be buried from Bishop Eton on July II 2018.

MAY HE REST IN PEACE

REQUIESCAT in PACE