Silver Jubilee of Our Foundation

Silver Jubilee

of the

Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer

On the Isle of Sheppey in Kent, in a small, once Toc H, chapel duly decorated for the Sacrifice of the Mass in the Extra-ordinary form, five young men gathered around a young Redemptorist priest who was offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It was the Feast of Saint Alphonsus 1988. On this day then, began the foundation of a religious community that would follow the Rule written by Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori and which would finally receive the blessing of the Church to become the Congregation of the Sons of the Most Holy Redeemer.

Today, twenty Five years later, a Sung Mass in honour of Saint Alphonsus was offered in thanksgiving to God and Our Blessed Lady for all the graces and blessings received. The ones we know about and the ones known only to God.

We share this joy with all of you, and wish to thank everyone that made our foundation a reality. Many have passed to their eternal rest, others still await the reward God has prepared for them - to one and all, we say thank you and may God ever bless you all.

Below are a few photos from the past which may bring back some happy memories.

Br Nicodemus as a young postulant clearing out the chicken coop.

Building works in progress to link the Sacristy to the Chapel.

On the right can be seen the door of the caravan

which served as sacristy for over three years.

Fr Michael Mary giving his blessing,

to Brother (now Fr) Anthony Mary and Brother Gerard Maria
 on their return from an outside trip.

This is taken at Guildford where we lived for a year.

Site of the Sacristy, Bell Tower and Annex rooms.

Mr Coates and his sons were the builders and friends of the Monastery

Father Anthony Mary as a novice hanging out the washing.

The future chapel can be seen behind the tree on the left.

Unpacking boxes in preparation for the foundation

Every monastery needs a cloister.

Here the brothers prepare the wood for the enclosure fence.

The refectory in the early days.

Oliver Cromwell stabled his horses here, once upon a time.

The ceiling beams were used from dismantled wooden ships.

Solemn High Mass for the Profession of one of the brothers.

In our first humble kitchen with a caravan gas oven,

Br Gerard Maria prepares breakfast.

A Foggy Feast

I personally really like it when it is foggy on Papa Stronsay.  There is a real feeling of peace and of monastic isolation.  Therefore I was not at all upset when I left my cell this morning to find that on the feast of Our Holy Father Saint Alphonsus, he had sent us some fog for the occasion!  While it was not so bad this morning, as I write this we are completely cut of visually even from the neighbouring island of Stronsay...I can barely even see the sea!  Here are some photos of our crossing to Stronsay this morning for sung Mass.

Making the crossing from Papa Stronsay to Stronsay for Mass.

The Stronsay village of Whitehall where our chapel is. 

 Arrived at the Stronsay pier. The Brothers ascend the pier steps.

Looking back towards Papa Stronsay, which risks being swallowed up by the mist. 

"The chalice of benediction, which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?... 

...And the bread, which we break, is it not the partaking of the body of the Lord?" 1 Cor 10:16 

"In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:4-5

Papa Stronsay as it looks while I write this post.  The Fog has really come in. 

Standing almost on the water's edge you can only just make out the pier with our boat. 

And out towards nearby Stronsay...nothing.

Lovely

St Alphonsus and Prayer - Pope Benedict XVI, yesterday.

ON PRAYER

ACCORDING TO ST. ALPHONSUS LIGUORI

"He who prays is saved. He who prays not is damned!"

Only yesterday.

The Holy Father spoke about St Alphonsus for his feast day.

Dear brothers and sisters!

Today marks the liturgical memorial of St. Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori, bishop and doctor of the Church, founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer -- the Redemptorists -- patron saint of scholars and moral theology and of confessors. St. Alphonsus is one of the most popular saints of the 18th century because of his simple, straightforward style and his teaching on the sacrament of Penance: In a period of great rigorism -- the result of the influence of Jansenism -- he recommended to confessors to administer this sacrament by revealing the joyous embrace of God the Father, who in His infinite mercy never tires of welcoming back the repentant son.

Today's memorial offers us the occasion to consider St. Alphonsus' teachings on prayer, which are extremely valuable and filled with spiritual inspiration. He considered his treatise, Prayer: The Great Means of Salvation and of Perfection, which dates back to 1759, to be the most useful of all his writings.

In fact, he there describes prayer as

"the necessary and sure means of obtaining salvation, 

and all the graces we need to attain it"

(Introduction). 

Only yesterday the Pope said:

"He who prays is certain to be saved.

He who prays not is damned".

This sentence sums up the Alphonsian understanding of prayer. First, in saying that it is a means, he reminds us of the end to be attained: God created out of love in order to be able to give us the fullness of life; but because of sin, this goal, this abundance of life has, so to say, drifted away -- we all know this -- and only God's grace can make it available. To explain this basic truth, and to enable us to understand in a straightforward way how real the risk is of man's "being lost," St. Alphonsus coined a famous, very elementary maxim, which states: 

"He who prays is saved. He who prays not is damned!" 

Commenting on this lapidary statement, he added: "To save one's soul without prayer is most difficult, and even impossible … but by praying our salvation is made secure, and very easy" (Chapter II, Conclusion). And he goes on to say:

 "If we do not pray, we have no excuse, 

for the grace of prayer is given to everyone …

 if we are not saved, 

the whole fault will be ours, because we did not pray" (ibid.). 

In saying that prayer is a necessary means, St. Alphonsus wanted us to understand that in every situation in life, we cannot manage without praying, especially in times of trial and difficulty. We must always knock at the Lord's door with trust, knowing that in all things He takes care of His children, of us. We are invited, therefore, not to be afraid of turning to Him and of presenting our requests to Him with trust, in the certainty of obtaining what we need.

Dear friends, this is the central question: What is truly necessary in my life? With St. Alphonsus I respond: "Health and all the graces we need for this" (ibid.); naturally, he means not only bodily health, but above all also that of the soul, which Jesus gives to us. More than anything else, we need His liberating presence, which truly makes our lives fully human and therefore full of joy. And it is only through prayer that we are able to welcome Him and His grace, which by enlightening us in each situation, enables us to discern the true good, and by strengthening us, makes our will effective; that is, it enables it to do the good that is known. Often we recognize the good, but we are unable to do it. Through prayer, we arrive at the point of being able to carry it out.

The Lord's disciple knows that he is always exposed to temptation, and he never fails to ask God for help in prayer in order to conquer it.

St. Alphonsus recalls the example of St. Phillip Neri -- very interesting -- who 

"used to say to God from the first moment he awoke in the morning,

 'Lord, keep Thy hands over Philip this day; for if not, Philip will betray Thee'" (III, 3). 

A great realist! He asks God to keep His hand upon him. 

We, too, in the awareness of our own weakness, 

should humbly ask God's help, relying on the richness of His mercy.

In another passage, St. Alphonsus says: "We are so poor that we have nothing; but if we pray we are no longer poor" (II, 4). And in the wake of St. Augustine, he invites every Christian to not be afraid of obtaining from God, through prayer, the strength he does not possess and that he needs to do the good, in the certainty that the Lord does not withhold His help from whoever prays with humility (cf. III, 3).

Dear friends, St. Alphonsus reminds us that our relationship with God is essential for our lives. Without a relationship with God, our fundamental relationship is missing. And a relationship with God develops by talking with God in daily personal prayer, and by participating in the Sacraments; and so it is that this relationship can grow in us, and that the divine presence that directs our path, enlightens it and makes it secure and serene can also grow in us, even amid difficulty and danger. Thank you.

[Translation by Diane Montagna]

© Copyright 2012 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Thank you! Holy Father!

Happy Feast Day to all our readers!

Feast of St Alphonsus

Today, the Feast of our Holy Father Saint Alphonsus, was a very special day for us since we also had a final profession, temporary profession and two clothings!


The four candidates present themselves before the superior.


With Our Lord enthroned within the tabernacle and the doors open, Br. Xavier Maria, F.SS.R. kneels before His Divine Majesty and pronounces his final vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience together with a vow and oath of perseverance.


Br. Xavier binds himself with his hand upon the Holy Gospel.


Br. Alfonso, also kneeling before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament pronounces his temporary vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience for three years. He received his complete religious name: Br. Alfonso Maria of the Star of the Sea, F.SS.R. Brother had spent some years as a sailor before he joined the Transalpine Redemptorists.


At the time of first profession, brother receives his pallium, or, mantle.


Our two postulants preparing to be clothed in the habit of the congregation. On the left Mr Tyler Lunsford and on the right Mr Arden Mills, both from the United States.


Exuat te Dominus veterem hominem cum actibus eius,
et induat te novum, qui secundum Deum creatus est
in justitia et sanctitate veritatis.

May the Lord strip thee of the old man with all his acts and
clothe thee in the new, who is created by God in justice
and in the holiness of truth.


The new Brothers receive their habits.


Indue, Filii Dominum Jesum Chrisum, semper
mortificationem ejus in corpore tuo circumferens.

Son, put on Our Lord Jesus Christ, always surrounding
thy body with His mortification.


Accipe, Fili, imaginem Crucifixi, Magistri et Redemptoris tui,
qui passus est pro te, et tradidit Semetipsum pro te. Pone Illum
ut signaculum super cor tuum, ut signaculum super brachium
tuum.

Receive, my Son, the image of the crucifix,
image of thy Master and Redeemer, who suffered for thee and
offered Himself for thee. Place it as a seal upon thy heart, as a
seal upon thy arm


The first step towards leaving the world! Today we have seen all three:
These young men leave the secular life and enter the novitiate.
Br. Alfonso completes his novitiate and makes his temporary vows.
Br. Xavier, after three years of temporary vows takes the final step and gives himself to religious life until his death.


Accipe, Filii, Rosarium beatæ Virginis Mariæ, quæ tibi sit semper murus ad protegendum, mater ad nutriendum, stella ad dirgendum, portus ad salvandum. Tu autem stude diligenter Mariam diligere et imitari, ac ejus saluberrimam devotionem ubique propagare. In periculis, in angustiis, in rebus dubiis, Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca. Dulce nomen illius non
recedat ab ore, non recedat a corde.

Receive, Son, the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may She always be a wall to protect thee, a mother to nourish thee, a star to guide thee and the door to thy salvation do Thou, however, learnest diligently to love and imitate Mary, and to propagate Her most salutary devotion everywhere. In dangers, in anguishes, in doubtful things, think of Mary, call upon Mary. May Her sweet name not disappear from thy lips, nor disappear from thy heart.


Accipe hunc habitum benedictum precans sanctissimam
Virginem, ut eius meritis illum perferas sine macula, et te ab
omni adversitate defendat, atque ad vitam perducat æternum.

Receive this blessed Scapular and beseech the Blessed Virgin
that through Her merits, you may wear it without stain. May
it defend you against all adversity and accompany you to
eternal life.


With the reception of the skull cap comes the new name:
Mr Tyler Lunsford is now Br Seelos after Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos, C.SS.R.
Mr Arden Mills is now Br Peter after St. Peter the apostle.


Congratulations to Br Peter and Br Seelos!

And to Br Xavier Maria and Br Alfonso Maria!




Br Seelos with his mother and father and three brothers.


And Br Peter with his father.


Mr de Jarving, a friend of Br Alfonso, entered as a postulant today.


Br. Xavier Maria and Br. Magdala Maria, both from the Pacific Islands.

Today Pope Benedict XVI spoke of St. Alphonsus.

The Holy Father spoke of St. Alphonsus
during today's General Audience.

VATICAN CITY, 30 MAR 2011 (VIS) - In this Wednesday's general audience, celebrated in St Peter's Square, the Pope spoke about St. Alphonsus Maria of Liguori, bishop, Doctor of the Church and "outstanding moral theologian and master of spiritual life".

"St. Alphonsus was born in 1696 to a rich and noble Neapolitan family", and undertook a brilliant career as a lawyer, which he abandoned in order to become a priest in 1726.

The Holy Father explained that the saint "began his work of evangelisation and catechesis at the most humble levels of Neapolitan society, to whom he enjoyed preaching and whom he instructed in the basic truths of the faith".

In 1732 he founded the religious congregation of the Holy Redeemer. Its members, "under the guidance of Alphonsus, were genuine itinerant missionaries, who travelled to the remotest villages exhorting conversion to the faith and perseverance in Christian life, above all by means of prayer".

Benedict XVI recalled that St. Alphonsus died in 1787, was canonised in 1839 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1871. This title was granted for a number of reasons. Firstly, for his valuable teachings in the field of moral theology, which accurately expressed Catholic doctrine and on account of which Pius XII proclaimed him as "patron of all confessors and moralists".

"St. Alphonsus", continued the Pope, "never tired of repeating that priests were a visible sign of the infinite mercy of God, Who pardons and illuminates the minds and hearts of sinners that they might convert and change their lives. In our age, in which there are clear signs of a loss of moral conscience and - it is necessary to note with some concern - a certain lack of respect for the Sacrament of Confession, the teaching of St. Alphonsus remains valid".

The Holy Father explained that, "along with his theological works, St. Alphonsus composed many other writings which contributed to the religious formation of the people, such as 'Eternal Maxims', the 'Glories of Mary' and the 'Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ'. This last work represented a synthesis of his thought and is his masterpiece".

The Pope emphasised that the Neapolitan saint "insisted on the need for prayer", and remarked that "among the forms of prayer recommended by St. Alphonsus, most important was the visit to the Blessed Sacrament or, as we would say nowadays, adoration - brief or sustained, personal or communal - of the Eucharist".

"Alphonsus' spirituality was eminently Christological, centred upon Christ and His Gospel. Meditation on the mystery of the Incarnation and of the Passion of the Lord were frequently subjects of his teachings. ... His piety was also markedly Marian. Personally devoted to Mary, he emphasised her role in the history of salvation".

Benedict XVI concluded his catechesis by commenting that "St. Alphonsus of Liguori was an example of a zealous priest who won souls by teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments, and by his own gentle and mild manner which originated from his intense rapport with God's infinite goodness. He had a realistically optimistic view of the resources the Lord grants to every man, and gave importance to affections and sentiments of the heart, as well as to the mind, in loving God and others".

Answering the Call - the clothing of a novice.

Answering the Call.

The Most Holy Redeemer
from atop the Cathedral of the Most Holy Saviour
is calling:
All that the Father giveth to me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me, I will not cast out. ...

No man can come to me,
except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him;
and I will raise him up in the last day.
(John 6:44.)

On 2 February 2011,
Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
we celebrated

the Clothing of a Novice
and the mystery of the Religious Vocation.

During the ceremony the Holy Ghost is invoked
and the postulant is covered with the funeral pall:
For whosoever will save his life, shall lose it:
and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel,
shall save it.
(Mark 8:35)

"I will die O lord for the love of Thy Love
who hast deigned to die for the love of my love."

Many desire to become saints,
but wish that God would do all,
and that He would bring them to eternal glory
without labour or inconvenience to them.
But this is impossible. ...
Sometimes, to carry this yoke, and merit everlasting happiness,
we must do violence to the feelings of flesh and blood.
The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away.
(Mt. 11:12.)
(St. Alphonsus -The True Spouse of Jesus Christ.)

O Disciple of Jesus I say to you,
hold fast that which thou hast,
that no man take thy crown.
(Apoc. 9:12.)
(St. Alphonsus -The True Spouse of Jesus Christ.)

Saint Clemens Maria Hofbauer.

Saint Clemens Maria pray for him!