Branché
sur le Christ!
Plug into Christ!
¡Conéctate a Cristo!
Ancaster, Ontario…
August
2006…
A peaceful and stunningly
beautiful retreat center…
90 enthusiastic young adults
and Redemptorists from across North
America…
A gentle invitation from God…
…the ingredients for Dialogue
2006.
Only a few weeks ago I arrived at Mount Mary Immaculate Retreat Centre
in Ancaster (near Hamilton,
Ontario,
Canada)
on a sunny afternoon, not completely sure
of what I was going to experience during the
following week. But I knew that when you combined
young adults, Redemptorists, and some “dialogue”
between them, things were bound to happen
that would surpass my expectations.
North American Redemptorist Dialogues are opportunities for young adults
and Redemptorist Priests and Brothers to come
together to celebrate, share, reflect and
pray about different themes in our world and
Church. It is an opportunity, as well, to
envision how the Redemptorist Charism, “to
preach the gospel to the poor”, is a call
and charism that young people in the Church
today can make their own, in collaboration
with Redemptorists, through their ministries
of preaching, parish work, youth and young
adult ministry, and inner-city ministries.
Dialogue is held every 3-4 years. Dialogue 2006 was the fourth North American
gathering for Young Adults and Redemptorists.
Other regional Dialogues in Canada
and the United States
are held more frequently to address particular
needs and situations in different regions
of the continent.
The theme for Dialogue 2006 was, “Plug into Christ”, “Branché sur le Christ”, “Conéctate a Cristo”.
The atmosphere throughout Dialogue was incredibly
welcoming and accepting. Through small group
discussions, activities that brought much
laughter, and loud conversations at mealtimes,
a strong sense of community was built and
new friendships quickly formed. We had the
opportunity to hear inspiring words from several
Redemptorists, who shared not only their knowledge
and love of God with us, but also their very
selves and the personal experiences that have
brought them closer to God and deeper into
mission and service. Fr. Serafino Fiore, C.Ss.R.,
the Vicar General of the world-wide Redemptorist
Congregation, was present for the gathering
and represented the Superior General, Joseph
Tobin W., C.Ss.R. Fr. Serafino shared these
words with the assembly as we neared the end
of our week together: “The whole message of Alphonsus revolves around
this crazy love of God for the world, this
love that induced God to become a child, to
die for us on the Cross and to become bread
for us. The Incarnation, the Passion and the
Eucharist are the three pillars of Redemptorist
spirituality and the conditions for our way
of looking at life. For example, for St. Alphonsus
it is not important to ask oneself ‘what must
I do? What are my obligations to be a good
Christian?’ The decisive question is rather:
‘If God has loved me so much, how can I respond
to so much love?’ For Alphonsus the key to
happiness is to know Jesus Christ and make
our relation with him the motive of our love.
If the heart allows itself to be touched by
this love the person will learn how to direct
his or her conscience and freedom in a more
profound way.”
In addition to several talks and presentations by Redemptorists and Young
Adults, we gathered together in prayer. Prayer
and Eucharist were planned by those from the
various Redemptorist Provinces, each sharing
their culture, songs, and ways of worshiping
God, including French, Spanish, English, and
Ukrainian (Byzantine-Catholic tradition).
We celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation
in the peace of a quiet evening, with the
sun setting and casting long shadows until
darkness surrounded us, yet Christ’s light
burning deep within our purified hearts.
A day was spent in downtown Toronto,
bringing that light to the poor and abandoned
by meeting and interacting with the poor of
the streets and providing them with lunch
bags and some friendly conversation. And of
course, we celebrated! From bonfires, to dancing,
to a Hawaiian Luau, to dynamic liturgies,
we rejoiced in Jesus, our power-source and
Redeemer.
One Dialogue 2006 participant, Andrij Harasymowycz from Toronto, Ontario
reflects on the challenge of living the theme
in his life: “When we struggle, even just a bit, Christ is willing to give us whatever
support we need. In this He becomes our power
source. Consequently, when Christ struggles
in the world we are expected to be His power
source.”
For many of the participants who came to Dialogue 2006, this was their
first opportunity to encounter other men and
women who share their experience of faith
and the desire to be servants of the Gospel.
As the young adult participants and the Redemptorists
returned home, they went with this challenge:
to integrate, nurture, and call forth the
gifts they had received in this experience
and to allow those gifts and graces to bear
fruit in their particular parish and community
through the ministry and charism of the Redemptorists
as it is lived out in its outreach to youth
and young adults across North America.
For more information about Dialogue 2006, you can go to: www.dialogue2006.org
Sarah Villiger and Fr. Santo Arrigo, C.Ss.R.
Sarah
is a Parishioner of St. Mary’s Parish in Beaverlodge,
AB, and has been a participant on the Redemptorist
program S.E.R.V.E. in 2004 in Edmonton, and
worked on the Young Adult Team for Dialogue
2006.
Fr.
Santo is the Coordinator of Redemptorist Vocation
Ministry based in Toronto, ON,
and served as the Chair of the Dialogue 2006 Planning Team.
