Confreres Discuss Aging & the Unification
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June 9, 2025Confreres aged 55 to 70 gathered in Tucson last week to reflect on our many years of service to the mission of Jesus the Redeemer. We focused on what it means to be a Redemptorist at our ages during three days of prayer, reflection and sharing led by Fr. Paul Coury, who has already transitioned from full-time active work to senior ministry.
We had an opportunity to talk about our current ministries and the service we provide to the Denver Province. The next four sessions centered on the transition of our Redemptorist lives as we embrace the reality of healthy aging and remaining active with more limitations. The importance of having a purpose, allowing our spirituality and charism to guide us, maintaining a desire to share our gifts, and reflecting on how to do it in a healthy waywere the main topics discussed.On our final day together, we hosted a Zoom discussion and invited those of this age group who were unable to join us to participate in the discussion.
We had an opportunity to talk about the unification process and where we saw each other in five years. A portion of the discussion was spent trying to understand how the three Provinces would become one, especially with the individual Chapter elections that would have to take place. Some of the main points that we reflected on during this discussion include:1. We still have a lot to offer for the future of the new Province because we have so much experience.2. We need to recognize our limitations as we age and begin to let go of responsibilities we can no longer do or have the energy to complete. Our health will dictate our activity levels because we do not know the future health issues that will affect our abilities to continue in ministry.3. We must be careful not to dictate how we have done things in ministry with younger confreres who are taking on leadership roles. They need to learn by their own successes and mistakes. If younger confreres ask for advice, we should encourage them and share our experiences.4. At our ages, we do not expect major changes in where we live, or to cross boundaries for ministry.5. We are aware that our numbers will continue to shrink over the next few decades, which means the closure of more communities.6. The unification will offer a greater chance to work with others who share similar ministries.7. Even though we have fewer men, the mission of Jesus the Redeemer will continue with the younger confreres and our Partners in Mission who have been trained in our spirituality and charism.