Greetings from our Redemptorist Philosophy Students in the Bronx
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January 28, 2022As the virus continues to surge, the Bronx community strives to persevere. There are seven postulants at the Redemptorist Pre- Novitiate Program residence at Immaculate Conception Parish: Andrew Tran-Chung, John Nguyen, and Dominick Do-Tong for the Denver Province; and Andrew Jones, McQuain Clovis, Tran Do, and Son Lai for the Baltimore Province.
Some may believe that postulants in the Redemptorist formation program are secluded in training for 10 years and walk out of the monastery ready for ministry. Although it is indeed true that we devote time for prayer and the liturgy, we are deeply involved in the Church during formation.
Whether through discussions, teaching catechism, or hosting volunteer events, we are being prepared academically, spiritually, mentally and physically to serve God and His people. As Redemptorist students, we are called to serve the poor. One of the community’s apostolic works is volunteering in the soup kitchen, where we learn how to cook food from scratch and serve the poor in small ways. We are also part of a youth group and lead various activities to help young people better understand the Church’s stances on many current issues.
One way we grow together is by all attending Sr. Maco’s Wednesday sessions, which take place twice a month. During these sessions, we talk about various topics directly related to our daily lives. By openly sharing our problems and discussing these conflicts with one another and Sr. Maco, we can better understand each other’s stances.
These discussions allow us to be more open-minded and reconcile with one another so that there will not be conflicts among our brothers. In a sense, we would say that Sr. Maco’s sessions could also be known as “detox” sessions because they enable us to openly share our thoughts and what stresses us. Sr. Maco also provides us with methods to deal with our problems, which can serve as useful learning tools that we may be able to implement in ministry later down the road.
Another opportunity that postulants experience in Redemptorist formation is leading a religious education class. We get to teach students about the Catholic Church and receive firsthand experiences on what methods are effective for today’s youth. We teach them about their faith mainly through the Catholic Catechism, and host a youth group meeting every other week. It is truly a privilege to get the opportunity to interact with the younger generation and teach them about God because it is wonderful to be able to make a difference in their lives. The previous generation was once teaching us, and by being part of the formation program, we can give back to the younger generation.
One of the biggest events we held this year was the Thanksgiving Walk of Hope. After we attended Thanksgiving Mass in the morning, we headed to the St. John Neumann Hall to join some parishioners to pack food and hygiene products for the poor. After that, as a community, we walked through the streets and around our neighborhood in the Bronx to give food to the homeless. It opened our eyes to the desolation that the poor suffer. We were brought to tears that night because we saw homeless people who were truly abandoned, with no celebration during Thanksgiving.
We are truly blessed that this formation program offered the Thanksgiving Walk of Hope, because we sometimes forget the people on the street. Caught up in our own lives and struggles, we forget to show love to others as God has shown love to us.
Although it is indeed true that we are still lacking and in need of formation, we will try our best to give the little that we have, for Jesus teaches us, “I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me” (Matthew 25:35). We hope to continue to be involved with the community and be of service during our formation.
(Courtesy of DenverLink.)
Pictured are our students with their formators and Redemptorist Cardinal Joseph Tobin, C.Ss.R.