Dear confreres,
Grace to you and peace from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ through
whom we have received the grace of apostleship
(Rm 1,5).
The General Council would like to invite all the
members of the Congregation to join in
a year of intense reflection on the apostolic
life of Redemptorists. Constitution 1
reminds us that this life comprises at one and the same time a life specially
dedicated to God and a life of missionary
work. Our invitation is that Redemptorists
make a particular effort to consider the
first element in this essential formula,
that is, a
life specially dedicated to God, one
that begins with our religious profession,
which is the definitive
act of the whole missionary life of Redemptorists
(Constitution 54).
We believe that it is very fitting to begin this
year of reflection on 9 November 2007,
the 275th anniversary of the
founding of the Congregation. On that
day we will thank God for the gift of
our charism to the Church and world. We
will also recall that Alphonsus recognized
that the divine inspiration to announce
the Gospel to the abandoned poor would
be carried out by and through a community
whose members are strengthened by the
vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
as well as a vow and oath of perseverance.
This year, the celebration of our founding
will mark the beginning of a period of
intense reflection on the special consecration
of our apostolic life.
Why is the General Council making this proposal to
the Congregation? The XXIII General Chapter
called on all Redemptorists to “examine
afresh the consequence of the ‘definitive
act of our whole missionary life as
Redemptorists’, that is, our religious
profession” (Message, 4). The General Chapter also asked the Congregation “to recognize,
in continuity with the XXII General Chapter,
the need to ‘renew our living out of the
evangelical counsels in the light of community
and mission’, according to our Constitutions
and Statutes” (Orientations,
9.1). It is clear that successive General
Chapters have asked the Congregation to
engage in a profound reflection on the
meaning of our vows and the necessary
witness of our lives.
What is more, a deeper awareness of our consecration
is absolutely necessary in order that
the restructuring of the Congregation
be carried forward successfully. During
the six regional meetings last year, the
major superiors expressed broad acceptance
of the principles proposed by the Commission
for Restructuring
to guide the process. As you know, the
second of these principles is rather blunt
in linking a renewed appreciation for
our identity with the vital work of restructuring:
“Restructuring for mission must prompt
and stimulate an awakening of our identity,
a conversion of our mentalities in line
with our calling and a new availability
– or it will all come to nothing” (Work
in Progress [2006], p. 5).
Finally, this year of reflection will join us to
a broader movement within the Church,
which seeks to understand how religious
should live their consecration today.
The Congregation for Institutes of the
Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic
Life has asked “What place will be reserved
for the traditional forms of the consecrated
life [in the third millennium]?” (CIVCSA,
Starting
Afresh from Christ: a Renewed Commitment
to Consecrated Life in the Third Millennium
[14 June 2002] 12). In an unprecedented
moment of unity, the superiors general
of institutes of men and women religious
met in 2004 to consider the present and
future reality of religious life as “Passion
for Christ, Passion for Humanity”. The
reflection that began in that congress
continues today in most religious families
across the world. The experience of the
General Council in visiting the (vice-)provinces
convinces us that our Congregation too
should join this movement in an organized
manner. Finally, this year of reflection
should serve as a valuable preparation
for the XXIV General Chapter in 2009 by
helping us understand better who we are
and what we must do in order to be faithful
to our vocation. The General Council and
Preparatory Commission will welcome concrete
proposals from the (vice-) provinces that
are fruit of this particular year.
During the course of this year, the General Government
will offer the (vice-)provinces
resources to assist in this reflection,
including a communicanda
as well as materials from the General
Secretariat for Redemptorist Spirituality
and the Office of Communications. By now,
your unit should have received the third
booklet of the Charism 2000 series: Charism
3: The Apostolic
Community Dedicated to Christ the Redeemer,
which can be used by a local community
to carry out a methodological reflection
on themes from the third chapter of our
Constitutions and Statutes.
While the General Government is making this year
a priority in its program of work, the
success of the reflection will depend
on planning and execution at the regional
and (vice-) provincial level. We hope
that the major superiors and their councils
will accept this invitation and help the
local communities examine the meaning
of our religious profession today. Some
suggested activities are interprovincial
or regional meetings on the meaning of
Redemptorist consecrated life, including
the vocation of Redemptorist Brothers,
days of prayer with other religious, laity
and young people, workshops on the meaning
of our vows in a particular cultural context,
provincial retreats and monthly days of
recollection that progressively examine
important aspects of our consecration,
especially the theology of our Constitutions
and Statutes and using the means of social
communication to deepen the appreciation
for consecrated life in the Church and
world.
Will a focus on our religious profession be a dramatic
departure from the theme of this sexennium,
Giving our Lives for Abundant Redemption? Not at all, since the plentiful
love of God that has been poured out in
Jesus Christ is the necessary starting
point for any consideration of our response.
Together with Saint Paul, we strive to
say, “I still live my human life, but
it is a life of faith in the Son of God
who loved me and gave his life for me”
(Gal 2,20). Only the awareness of being
infinitely loved can help us overcome
every personal and institutional difficulty.
The abundant love of God urges us to strive
to respond generously through the total
gift of ourselves as expressed in the
vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
May this year assist the Congregation in living our
vocation in creative fidelity.
Fraternally,
Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R.
Superior
General
