Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The expression - ‘we are family’ - is ringing in my ears as I share this month’s pondering. In a recent reflection on the “Redemptorist family”, our Superior General, Father Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R., reminded us that the bond which unites as family is not one of blood, but rather ‘a charismatic, spiritual and missionary one’. Indeed, it is the Spirit of God that unites us as one missionary body, who imbues us with the apostolic zeal of Saint Alphonsus, and who sends our whole Redemptorist family into the world to proclaim and to give witness to the plentifulness of God’s love in Christ, our Redeemer.

It is often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This February issue of the Beacon is chock full of pictures that celebrate and tell the story of our “Redemptorist family.” In the pages to follow you will see pictures of our lay partners from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Brooklyn, celebrating the Feast Day of the Virgin of Altagracia, the patron of their homeland, the Dominican Republic; God’s people celebrating our Redemptorist spirituality in Canandaigua; Father General Rogério Gomes sharing his faith and hope with our lay partners and missionaries; our confreres and our staff celebrating life in community and loving collaboration in Florida; our sisters and brothers seeking racial healing and justice; our Redemptorist Lenten mission preachers, and our confreres who are celebrating jubilees and anniversaries. These pictures, I believe, tell a wonderful story of good news for the Church and for the world.

They represent the Redemptorist family, made up of over 4,500 vowed religious priests and brothers from across the globe, our lay missionaries and partners in mission, our devoted lay colleagues and staff, the people of God whom we serve throughout the world, and anyone who drinks from our Redemptorist spirituality. We are all members of a large and extended family rooted in the charism and spirituality of Saint Alphonsus Liguori. Through his openness to the Holy Spirit, he founded our community to ‘follow the example of Jesus Christ by preaching the gospel to the poor” (Cons #1).’ Inspired by the proclamation of the Gospel and rooted in the Sacraments of the Church, bonded together in a community of faith, hope, and love, we are all sent, in different ways, into our world as ‘helpers, companions, and ministers of Jesus Christ in the great work of redemption (Cons #2).’ 

The widening circle of our Redemptorist Family through these past years is a testament to the work of the Holy Spirit and to the life and ministry of the Congregation throughout history. Today we rejoice and thank God that our family continues to grow and that we continue to enrich the world by our generous witness to the abundance of God’s love and mercy in Christ. We are family!

As you peruse and read this issue of the Baltimore Beacon, I invite you to do so in a spirit of grateful prayer, not only for those whose pictures and whose story you may see herein, but for everyone in our Redemptorist family.

May this sacred season of Lent be for you, and for all of us, a time of grace and renewal of our shared resolve to follow Christ as helpers, companions, and ministers. Together, as Redemptorist family, we are all called to be “agents” of his mission to proclaim God’s great love for all.

Thank you for all the ways you witness to our mission and for being a special gift to our Redemptorist family. Blessings on your Lenten journey!