Answering the Call: Redemptorist Vocation Efforts in Action
-
February 27, 2025Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,Fr. Peter Linh and I are most grateful and thankful for you continued prayers in asking God to bless us with good and holy men to the Redemptorist brotherhood and priesthood.We would like to share with you some of our January happenings as we promote vocations to the Redemptorists. From January 2-4, we took part in SEEK25 which was held here in Washington, DC. The location was the Hilton Hotel in downtown DC, where over 7,000 college-age men and women gathered along with cardinals and bishops, priests, religious and deacons.Alongside where our booth was located on the main floor of the hotel were the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters (IHM) and Religious of Mary Immaculate (RMI). The IHM have a close kinship with the Redemptorists. It was very nice to have Sr. Laura and Sr. Rose, vocation directors, on one side of us and Sr. Marta and Sr. Gloria, RMI, on the other side.
The convent and boarding house where Sr. Marta and Sr. Gloria live together with Sr. Ruby, Sr. Rosaria and Sr. Meena sits right across the street from us on Jackson Street. The sisters join us for Mass Monday through Friday. On Saturday we offer Mass at their convent and Sunday they attend their parish Mass at St. Anthony Church. So, it was great teamwork as young men and women came to our booths to learn a little bit about our charisms and missions.Our presider for the opening liturgy on Thursday, January 2, was Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, DC. The homilist was Bishop Robert Brennan, Diocese of Brooklyn, NY. On Friday the presider and preacher was Archbishop Richard Garth Henning of the Archdiocese of Boston. The Saturday presider and preacher was our Redemptorist Cardinal Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R. of the Archdiocese of Newark. The presider and preacher for the closing liturgy was Archbishop Nelson Perez of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Wonderful liturgies!Throughout the days of SEEK25 a room was reserved for adoration before the Blessed Sacrament and a special evening was dedicated for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through the days many came to our booth to hear our story, take our prayer card for vocations and pamphlets that spoke about Alphonsian Spirituality.
Most importantly at our booth was had a first-class relic of St. John Neumann, a rather large piece of his backbone. So many came to be blessed with the relic and to seek his intercession. We invited all to write down their prayer requests and these we brought back to our Saints Shrine at St. Peter the Apostle Redemptorist parish in Philadelphia. We also gathered 20 names of young men with their phone numbers and email addresses as they expressed interest in knowing more about the Redemptorists in their discerning a religious vocation.On Saturday afternoon, Fr. Peter and I moved from SEEK25 and drove north to our Redemptorist parish St. Peter’s for the celebration of Epiphany and the feast day of St. John Neumann, C.Ss.R. A concelebrated Mass was offered on Sunday, January 5, with the presider and preacher being Fr. Jerome Chavarria, C.Ss.R. Fr. Jerome holds the position of Conference Coordinator for our North American Conference which comprises Canada, United States and Mexico. A most beautiful celebration with choir, brass, Knights of Columbus and a full church. Following the Mass refreshments of hot chocolate and cookies were served in the Atrium.Fr. John Kingsbury, Director of the Shrine, let it be known in his closing comments at the end of Mass, that hot chocolate was the favorite drink of St. John Neumann, C.Ss.R. There was plenty for everyone!On our return to Holy Redeemer Residence on Monday, January 6, we hosted two young men, Mr. John Healy, Elkridge, MD, and Mr. Ryan Franklin, Charlottesville, VA, the weekend of 10-12 as they are discerning a call to religious life. It was good they could join us for community prayer and community meals. The big highlight was going out on Saturday, January 11, to visit the homeless.
We made ham and cheese sandwiches with a bag of chips and a bottle of water and put them in brown paper bags. We also brought along 20 pairs of winter socks. As Jesus has told us: “The poor you will always have with you,” so it was not difficult to find them. In cold, cold winter weather there were our brothers and sisters in makeshift tents, doing their best to keep warm and survive. We asked them their names and gave them our names. We spoke about God’s love for them and we prayed together. We blessed them.
At one tent a young woman asked if she could offer a prayer for us. How beautiful and humbling! We also came across a group of young men and women doing the very same thing as ourselves. How warming to all our hearts in sharing this ministry to the most abandoned, especially the poor. We all shared a little bit about ourselves and we prayed together for God to watch over all the homeless, his children. “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do for me!” Fr. Peter and I have just returned to Holy Redeemer Residence after having our “Come and See” weekend at our pre-novitiate house of formation at Immaculate Conception Church, Bronx, NY, and at our San Alfonso Retreat House, Long Branch, NJ.Six men joined us for these four days, January 23-26. Five flew into LaGuardia airport to be part of the weekend. John Osterfeld from New Smyrna Beach, FL, Bao Nguyen from Ocoee, FL, Sean Loughlin from Atlanta, GA, Tomas Cruz from Mission, TX, Anthony Tran from CA, and Teddy Thongratnachat from Bronx, NY. The weekend is designed to allow these candidates to participate in the daily life of our seminarians.On Thursday, January 23, after all had arrived we gathered for Mass at 4:30pm followed by evening prayer. Dinner was at 5:30pm and at 6:45pm we all gathered again in chapel for Holy Hour. After Holy Hour as is the custom of our seminarians we all gathered upstairs for social time and the chance to get to know each other a little bit better.On Friday we gathered in chapel at 7:00am for morning prayer and meditation. After breakfast, we all headed over to St. John University. For our seminarians it was the start of a new semester. For our candidates, it gave us the chance to go to the registrar’s office and get updated information on the application process for fall semester. Lunch was back at the house at 12:30.Following lunch, Fr. Peter and I with our six candidates went out into the streets to do what is known as the “Hope Walk.” Just like what we did with John and Ryan in DC. In the morning before going to St. John’s we had made peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches as well as turkey and mayonnaise sandwiches. Into brown bags we put the sandwiches, about 20-25 altogether, along with a bottle of water, an apple and a hostess snack.
Thank God the weather was not nearly as cold as it was in DC. Many of the homeless, some undocumented, have fear of the new policies taking effect, so we did not find them in their usual places. We came across 7 men about 5 blocks from Immaculate Conception Church. We asked their names, told them ours and prayed with them and gave them something to eat. It was humbling to see their thankfulness and appreciation despite their state and condition.On our return to the house, Fr. Greg May, C.Ss.R. and Fr. Peter Sousa, C.Ss.R., formation directors for our pre-novitiate program, spoke to our candidates about the formation program in place there. They spoke of the dimensions addressed in this stage of formation on the human, spiritual, community, pastoral and academic level.It allowed for good questions and answers time. Mass followed at 4:30pm and evening prayer at 5:15pm with dinner at 5:30pm. At 6:45pm one of our seminarians, Mr. Sean Wu, took us for a tour of St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Grand Central Station. For some, it was their first time to be in New York and first time to ride on the subway. An adventure!On Saturday, January 25, Fr. Peter and I and our six candidates left the Bronx at 7:00am for San Alfonso Retreat House. We arrived for breakfast and at 9:30am, Fr. Jim Dowds, C.Ss.R., part of the Redemptorist retreat team, gave the men a conference on the life of St. Alphonsus as well as his vocation story and his encouragement to them during their discernment to frequent Mass and Holy Communion, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, good spiritual direction and spiritual reading. Mass followed at 11:00am. I presided and Fr. Jim preached. Following lunch, the afternoon was open to our candidates as Fr. Peter and I did half-hour interviews with each of them.We gathered at 5:00pm for evening prayer and meditation. From there we moved to the common room for social time before dinner at 6:00pm. At 7:00pm we did a wrap-up again back in the common room. The candidates shared their take of the “Come and See” experience, what were highlights for them. Fr. Peter and I in conclusion reinforced all that Fr. Jim had shared with them in his conference.
On Sunday, we gathered in chapel for Mass at 7:30am with Fr. Peter presiding and I preaching. Following a good breakfast we packed up and headed over to the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Our Redemptorist, Joseph Cardinal Tobin, C.Ss.R., designated the Cathedral Basilica as one of the four special pilgrimage sites in the Archdiocese of Newark in this Jubilee Year 2025, “Pilgrims of Hope.” As pilgrims we entered this most beautiful Cathedral Basilica, the fifth largest Cathedral in North America in seeking the plenary indulgence.The Spanish Mass was just concluding for a packed church. We had the opportunity to meet the Rector of the Cathedral Basilica, Fr. Bismarck, who had presided at the Mass.We were indeed hoping to see Cardinal Tobin, but he was away at another parish for Mass. Most beautiful to bring our “Come and See” to its conclusion as “Pilgrims of Hope” giving thanks to the Lord for all the blessings he has bestowed upon us.We soon found ourselves back in the Bronx. Trips were made to LaGuardia for their departures and all returned home safely. Fr. Peter and I got back safely Sunday evening to DC after stopping at a Vietnamese restaurant in Silver Spring for Pho. Delicious!So, dear brothers and sisters, continue your daily prayers for Redemptorist vocations. Pray for these six men. Pray the Holy Spirit will well up within them a deep desire to be good and holy Redemptorists. Be assured we have you in our prayers.We will be having our next “Come and Pray” February 21-23 in Ephrata, PA, and in Philadelphis, PA. We have six men signed up to join us. Keep the prayers coming! The “Come and Pray” is the first of our programs before “Come and See.” Pray, pray and pray.