This first Sunday in February, we celebrate a World Day of Consecrated Life. In our last edition of Community Connections, I told you how truly grateful I am for all you are doing to promote our Redemptorist Missionary Charism. I am still filled up with thanks to God as expressed by the writer of Psalm 118…. ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good, for God’s steadfast love endures forever.’

Now that the wonders of the Christmas Season are over, I just want to take a few moments and share a few awesome experiences that came my way over the last few days of 2013 and into 2014. Over these days I was blessed to visit more of Saskatchewan than I could have ever imagined.

I am deeply grateful for all the activities that have already taken place and those that are coming in the months to follow. Below are some more stories about events that have already taken place.

After discussion with Fr. Tom Picton, Director of the Desert House of Prayer, it was agreed that I would be Bro. Jeffrey’s socius for the visit to the Vice-Province of Manila (October 1-15). This visit took place before Typhoon Haiyan devastated parts of the Philippines.

The life of the much beloved Brother Edgar Hoffman was remembered and celebrated by a large community of fellow Redemptorists, family and friends gathered at the Mass of Christian burial in St. Patrick’s church.

It is hard to believe that a new liturgical year is upon us…and harder to believe that we are now five months into a Year for the Promotion of the Redemptorist Missionary Charism. In order to help with this promotion, there are seven videos for your use that are posted on RedemptoristTV on Youtube.

On November 6th, 2013 the Redemptorists from Seattle and Vancouver gathered at the cottage owned by the Edmonton-Toronto Redemptorists.

Five members of Fr. Matthew Meehan’s family made history themselves at the North American Redemptorist history conference in October when they attended a session devoted to their uncle’s Redemptorist life and media career.

Joyous hymns and tributes wafted throughout St. Patrick’s church during the Mass of Resurrection for Rev. James Farrell, the oldest and longest serving confrere in the Edmonton-Toronto Province.

We are now at the end of our course on Redemptorist History and Spirituality. We decided to each take a turn at providing a contribution to this article for Community Connections.

July 1st has come and gone, and though the work on the “Monastery” at St. Patrick’s continues, we await the completion of the building which is currently scheduled for mid-September.

I wrote the following poem for the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 2013.

As many of you know I completed the Via Primativa (The Original Route) to Santiago de Compostela on May 7th. The Original way is 325 km of walking if you don’t get lost.

In May I was part of an event that impressed me deeply.

Brother Paul Bernarcyzk CSC expressed his delight to me at being able to lead us in a reflection about the promotion of vocations to religious life. He was very grateful for the hospitality he experienced among us during our Chapter in April.

Through our ministry and living our vocations as members of The Edmonton-Toronto Province in Canada, we are all called to help the Canadian portion of that dream come true.

David Cottingham was born in Moose Jaw, SK and raised in Caronport, on the open Prairie west of Moose Jaw. The Redemptorists served this area and often said Mass in his parents’ home.

On October 27th, the six Redemptorist martyrs from the time of the Spanish civil war (1936-39) will be declared Blessed. The following is an article from the February edition of “Redemptoristen Kontakte,” the mission outreach newsletter from the St. Clement Province (Germany):

When Provincial Superior Mark Miller joined the celebrations on March 16-17 for the 100th anniversary of the founding of St. Patrick’s parish in London, ON, he was also honouring the first new foundation of the English-speaking Canadian Redemptorists.

As you know, Archbishop Joseph Tobin gave the first of two keynote presentations at the biennial convocation of the National Religious Vocation Conference, held in Plano, TX November 1-5, 2012.

In January, the St. Patrick’s community met to reflect on our work of promoting God’s call for people to join our Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer. We recounted stories about what has helped foster vocations in the past. We also discussed some of our disappointments from the past.

This is a report on the first meeting of the newly constituted Redemptorist Spirituality Commission of the North American Conference. I originally wrote it as my weekly letter for the OLPH Parish bulletin in Vancouver. I have modified and expanded it for the more specifically Redemptorist readers of Community Connections.

Seven months down….four more to go (more or less). It’s official, time is flying by in the construction zone at St. Patrick’s. Over the last couple of months, we have seen significant changes in the “zone”, despite the return of winter weather to Toronto.

We shall miss this gentle, cheerful man who was such a dignified and upbeat presence in our midst. May he rest in the Father’s Peace.

Sr. Mary Ann Joseph O’Grady age 94, a Sister at the Redemptoristine Monastery in Liguori near Barnhart, Missouri, passed away Monday, January 14, 2013 at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in South St. Louis Co., Missouri.

What an awesome gift, from December 20 to January 3 (from the Thursday of the 3rd week of Advent until the Thursday following the Feast of Mary the Mother of God) I was blessed to offer pastoral ministry to a few missions in the Mackenzie-Fort Smith Diocese. The following is my reflection on these days.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Pope Paul VI instituted this day while the Second Vatican Council was in session.

Christ is born! The snow is flying! It’s a brand new year! The Christmas Holidays have seen a break from the busyness of demolition, installation of plumbing and electrical and the laying of concrete for both the new handicap entrance in the front of the building and the garage floor. We are happy to say that progress is being made!

On Thursday, Dec. 20th, at St. Mary’s Parish in Saskatoon, confreres and parishioners joined Fr. Kaz Zabawa’s family members and friends from Winnipeg and Calgary to celebrate a Mass of Christian Resurrection for this gentle, dignified confrere.

As you may know, in 1993 our General Government published some guidelines for each Province to follow. These guidelines concerned vocation recruitment and student formation.

All the confreres, out of love and appreciation for their own vocation, should zealously engage in the apostolate of fostering vocations to the Congregation.” (#79)

Construction continues at St. Patrick’s “Monastery”. It is hard to believe that as we move into December, we reach the milestone of 4 months into construction. So much has happened, while so much more needs to be done.

Sacred Heart Parish in Edson, Alberta (current church pictured at left) is celebrating this year one hundred years since the first church was built by Oblate Missionaries.

I really haven’t done anything concrete yet in terms of my job as Episcopal Vicar for Aboriginal people. Getting a start in the parishes has taken up my time.

The Co-ordinators of Vocation Ministry in North America, met in Glenview, Illinois on the 2nd and 3rd of October. We were especially encouraged because we just celebrated first vows for several men in Houston and in Toronto.

Under a sunny autumn sky on October 2, members of the Knights of Columbus provided an honour guard for the burial of Rev. Arthur Connell in his beloved Miramichi, New Brunswick.

On October 13, 2012 in St. Joseph’s High School gymnasium, the Redemptorists at St. Mary’s (Fr. Mick, Fr. Ciro and I) played in the Bishop’s Cup Basketball Tournament against the Youth of Saskatoon. It was a blast!

“Ready? Set? Go!” has been the sentiment amidst all changes that have been taking place this past year at the “Monastery” at St. Patrick’s in Toronto. As of August 17, 2013, the last of the confreres moved from the Monastery into Redeemer House, as the fences were erected and the demolition crew began to make preparations for their work.

What a wonderful experience! The wonderful experience I am talking about is a Clinical Pastoral Education Unit that I recently completed at St. Paul’s Hospital in Saskatoon, SK. I participated in the first of four possible units of CPE. I entered into this CPE Unit out of a great desire to learn even more about an aspect of ministry that I have grown to love, namely hospital ministry.

On the 225th anniversary of the death of St. Alphonsus and with Superior General Michael Brehl in the sanctuary, Graham Hill professed his first vows as a member of the Edmonton-Toronto Province on August 1 at St. Patrick’s Church in Toronto.

Thursday June 14th was a time of remembrance, thanksgiving, joy and hope as the parish celebrated the 62 years of Redemptorist service to the Holy Redeemer community.

The buzz of conversation and laughter wafted among family, confreres, friends, former teaching colleagues and students who gathered for the blessing of the Father Donald MacLellan Catholic Secondary School on May 31.

Two papers on the media career of Rev. Matthew Meehan opened the annual conference of the Canadian Catholic Historical Association (CCHA) on May 28 at the University of Waterloo.

Every year the Redemptorist students from around North America get together for a week that is as much about getting to know one another as it is about the conferences that take place during the gathering.

As my first goal is to serve the Family of Radio Maryja, I have had to undertake several activities during the last six months. But let me first briefly explain what Radio Maryja and its “Family” is. Here is part of the message of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI for the XX anniversary of Radio Maryja.

The legacy of the Indian Residential School System was the focus of prayer, reflection and discussion during a diocesan Congress Day in three locations: Saskatoon, Humboldt and Kindersley.

These next few paragraphs are all about a great weekend in Northern Saskatchewan. This year, I had the wonderful and unforgettable opportunity to celebrate the Easter Triduum in Fond du Lac, SK. Fond du Lac is a beautiful native reserve in the McKenzie- Fort Smith Diocese, the true North of Canada. It was a true gift that I will always cherish in my heart.

They were exciting times and, for me personally, inspirational.

On Sunday, March 4, 2012, the North American Interprovincial Novitiate Board met at 426 St. Germain for its semi-annual gathering. The North American Interprovincial Novitiate has been in existence since 1996, previously located at Villa Redeemer in Glenview, IL.

Tulita, NT is a small village located 200 km south of the Arctic Circle where the Great Bear River intersects the Mackenzie on its course north to the Arctic Ocean. In North Slavey, the language of the Dené who live here, Tulita means, “Where the waters meet”.

In August I moved to the city of Québec. I registered in a program called French as a Second Language, at the University of Laval. In English, there is a saying, “You can never teach an old dog new tricks.” But, I am already able to speak and to write a few words in French!?

Fr. Molnar entered hospital in the summer and wasn’t able to attend the celebrations for his 60th anniversary of priesthood on August 28, although most of the guests visited him in the hospital after the supper. His body is buried in the Redemptorist plot in Holy Cross cemetery in Edmonton.

In the small mining town of Deloro northeast of Marmora, Ontario, Margaret Reid was born to Thomas James Reid and Mary Gillen Reid on March 8, 1921. The second of three girls and one boy, Margaret had not begun to walk before the family moved to Milton, Ontario, northwest of Toronto. Thomas and Mary bought a farm there and from there all four of the Reid children went forth.

In mid-November at the General Assembly, the Sisters of Service (SOS) signed a sponsorship agreement with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, who will provide Leadership in the closing years of the community.

It really is a great gift to be able to experience so much of our wonderful country. It is often said, with a smile, that we are “Redemp-TOURISTS” and sometimes that may be true but there is so much more to that simple expression than a smile and laugh.

I am Sarath Maddineni C.Ss.R. from the Province of Bangalore – India. I was born on January 5th, 1977, in the State of Andhra Pradesh in India. On June 8, 2000 I made my profession and was ordained on May 18th, 2005.

On July 31st, 2011 we Redemptorists lost one of our close associates and a dear friend when Yvonne Meehan died. Yvonne is known to many of us as the wife of Dr. Joe Meehan, as sister-in-law of Father Matt Meehan, as mother of 6 children and as a parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption in her family’s early years.

A standing-room only congregation attended a Mass on August 21 celebrating the 60 years of Our Lady of Assumption Church in North Toronto.

I didn’t attend World Youth Day 2012 in Madrid but Fr. Michael Brehl, Superior General of the Redemptorists, sent me pictures of his experience of this incredible event.

On July 28, 2011, four men arrived to begin their Novitiate year at the Interprovincial Novitiate in Toronto, Canada. These include Quy Duong, Kevin Zubel, Graham Hill and Tomás Murray.

On the evenings of April 1 and 2 of this year, St. Joseph’s parish hall was magically transformed into a medieval dining hall, offering a feast for the eyes and ears, as well as for the stomach.

This unusual International group of 9, coming from the United Kingdom, St. Lucia and Dominica in the Caribbean, the United States and Mexico, came to Canada last July with a boat load of lively talents, each one seeking the answer to one very serious question – do I want to become a Redemptorist and do the Redemptorists want me as part of their family? They had one year in which to decide.

After years of fine-tuning, the Redemptorists of English Canada (Edmonton-Toronto province) last week unveiled their new on-line religious education TV channel: www.redemptorist.tv. (RTV) to a group of young people attending S.E.R.V.E. (Summer Endeavour in a Redemptorist Volunteer Experience).

The money raised from sale of the stamps goes to the Canadian Food for Children Mission Fund run by Dr. Andrew Simone who sends food, clothing and school supplies to 3rd world countries through local missionaries. The Redemptorists match the donations made from the Stamp Burse.

As we celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth in 2011, may the example of his life inspire and encourage us all. Above all, may his spirit continue to find an echo in our spirit and renew our hope, our hearts and our structures so that we may continue to preach the Gospel ever anew!

It is both an honour and privilege to have been asked to speak briefly about Brother Francis, and on behalf of the Redemptorists, to express our affection, offer our congratulations and blessing as he marks 60 years of Profession.

The Redemptorists of the Edmonton-Toronto have donated the media records of Rev. Matthew Meehan, their prominent religious broadcaster, to the Archives of Ontario.

Rev. Raymond Corriveau C.Ss.R. passed away at noon on November 12, 2010. May Corry’s prayers now support us as we continue in the vision he so faithfully lived.

Fr. Davis returned to St. John’s in 2008 and lived at the Agnes Pratt home, where he died on October 21, 2010 with Fr. Leo English at his bedside. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Teresa’s Church, St. John’s, on October 23 and his body was buried in the Redemptorist plot in Belvedere Cemetery in St. John’s.

The best way I can describe Father Jim Farrell is to say that from his birth some 93 years ago to this day, he has been a joyful man and a happy priest of the people, for the people and with the people. Caring moves deeply in his Irish blood.

The summer 0f 2010 would have been an eventful one for our Father Stoeckel. He would have celebrated three anniversaries- that of his birth on August 15th, of his 78th as a Redemptorist on August 2nd, and his 73rd as a priest on June 20th. Instead, since he died on May 13th this year, he will celebrate these events with our Redeeming Saviour as he takes his place in heaven.

He was ordained in the chapel of Holy Redeemer on June 19th, 1950 by Bishop John C. Cody of London, the last class of Redemptorists that bishop Cody ordained.

The timeline for this work is, hopefully, to have the majority of the foundations work done by July and the basement ready by the middle of September.