A Family Reunion at St. Alphonsus in Grand Rapids
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July 21, 2023More than a thousand people gathered at St. Alphonsus Parish in Grand Rapids to celebrate the end of an era: 135 years of Redemptorist parish leadership. A three-day Family Reunion, held June 16-18, provided those gathered with an opportunity to reflect on generations of Redemptorists serving generations of families.
The milestone celebration began with friends reconnecting and sharing stories around a bonfire on Friday night. Saturday evening featured the famous Festival Chicken Dinner, followed by a walk down History Lane with a slide show and display of photographs and memorabilia. The evening also included fun games and prizes.
Fr. Chung Tran welcomed Provincial Superior Kevin Zubel and Fr. Aaron Meszaros, Provincial Vicar, who served as homilist at his home parish. Fr. Chung presided at the liturgy, with other concelebrants including Fr. Tom Santa and many confreres who traveled from around the country to participate in the celebration: Fr. Chuck Beierwaltes, Fr. Harry Grile, Fr. Pat Grile, Fr. Gary Ziuraitis, Fr. Tuan Nguyen, Fr. Andy Thompson, Fr. Rick Potts, Fr. Bernie Carlin and Fr. John Steingraeber. Br. Leo Patin and Br. Dan Hall also participated in the liturgy.
Fr. Aaron based his heartfelt homily upon the essence of the first sermon preached at St. Alphonsus Parish on September 2, 1888: ‘Build a house for the Lord, and He will build a house for you.’ But he tweaked that statement, revising it to ‘Build a house for the Lord, and He will build a home for you.’
“A home is far more than a house. A house is a building. A home is for a family. On this weekend of homecoming, of family reunion, we recall what this home has become for us and what it is being called to be,” he said.
Fr. Aaron shared his perspective growing up in the parish – receiving the Sacraments, learning about the Redemptorist Saints and Blesseds, and falling in love with Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help. His home parish is a place where people unite to make the world a better place, feeding the hungry and caring for the sick.
The community supports the grieving and celebrates the lives of those who have gone to their eternal home. This is where the community feasts – on breakfasts, dinners and funeral luncheons. Where strangers become guests and guests become family, and everyone shares in the Eucharistic feast.
“It is a preaching home, a teaching home, a loving home, a consoling home, a home of celebration, a home of love. Our home of love,” he said. Today is about the home that has been built, established within our midst, in the presence of the Redeemer, under the care of our Mother of Perpetual Help.
Today is about the experience of a community that has been built up. It is about the ministry and work of many Redemptorists over the years, and the ministry and service of men and women who have filled these pews, taught in the classrooms, graduated from our school, sung in the Choir, and the many unnamed who have served in little and big ways over the years. It also prepares us to be sent into the world.”
“You are missionary makers!” Fr. Aaron said. “You have fed us, nurtured us, called us by name, and now you send us out. We ask your blessing as we go to the homeless families living at the border … We ask your blessing as we reach out in new ways to young people who are abandoned in our society … We ask your blessing as we continue to build our retreat ministries where people come to pray and discern God’s will … We ask your blessing as we preach the Good News, that Christ the Redeemer is alive, and working in our world.
“And join us. Hold onto the charism that we have shared. You, too, are called to proclaim the Good News, to serve the poor, to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger. You, too, are missionaries of hope, following in the footsteps of the Redeemer,” he said.
After Fr. Kevin blessed the assembly, those gathered imparted a blessing on the Redemptorist missionaries, echoing words written in 1906 in The Michigan Catholic: This church will stand as a monument for all time to the magnificent faith, the undying hope, and the exquisite and heroic charity that has been exemplified in such marked degree in the small yet great Congregation of St. Alphonsus.
Sending the Redemptorists forth to continue building the Kingdom of God, the parish presented Redemptorist leadership with a hand-blown glass flame in appreciation of the flame the Redemptorists have shared and ignited in the community. A duplicate is displayed in the church.
Watch the entire liturgy at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqAjZcPSqIQ