Provincial’s letter, summer 2015

By Father Paul Borowski, C.Ss.R. |

July 1, 2015 |

Dear Brothers:

On my desk is a plaque from a good friend of mine that reads:

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
—Gandhi

As many of us watch the nightly news, read the newspapers, or glance at stories on the internet, we often grumble about the avalanche of “bad news” that is out there.

When will terrorism stop? When will senseless violence come to an end? When will nations put down their swords and change them into plowshares? When will the world be transformed into the kingdom of peace that Our Lord wanted to bring us?

Perhaps in the spirit of Gandhi we need to look inside to see how we are changing ourselves.

We celebrate many “new beginnings” during the calendar year . . . New Year’s Day, Ash Wednesday, the start of the academic year.

As a Province we are once again entering into a new beginning on August 6. Many confreres are now in the process of moving to their new assignments, wondering what type of community they will be in and what type of ministry they will be involved in. Nearly every one of our communities will have a different makeup in a few weeks.

Indeed, for each of us as individuals and as communities, it is a chance to begin anew. To take up the call of conversion and strive not only to preach it but allow it to take root in us interiorly.

New assignments will always create some anxiety in each one of us, but they also bring a fresh start so we can “. . . be the change you wish to see in the world.”

To those who are in the process of transitioning this month to new ministerial assignments: THANK YOU.

Know that you are in my prayers during this time, and please let me know if there is anything I (or the Council) can do to help.

Saturday, June 27, saw us celebrate the wonderful feast of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. As we truly enter this 150th anniversary year, may it be a time for us to deepen our personal devotion to Our Mother and to actively encourage greater devotion to her in all our ministerial settings.

At this time I would like to congratulate our newly ordained: Calvin Auguiste, Pierre Desruisseaux, Jacky Merilan, Anthony Michalik, and Yvon Tremont. May the Spirit of the Living God be ever within you as your minister to God’s People!

Also, just a few Province dates to keep in mind:

• Monday, July 6: Missionary Mass and dinner at San Alfonso, Long Branch, N.J.
• Tuesday, July 7: Province picnic at San Alfonso, Long Branch, N.J.
• Friday, July 31: St. Alphonsus feast day picnic at Ephrata, Pa.
• Thursday, August 6: First profession for Caribbean Region in Dominica
• Saturday, September 5: First profession for Baltimore Province at St. Peter’s, Philadelphia

One final request . . . as we are trying to keep news about confreres and the Province flowing through The Chronicle, we need your help. I have been asking various communities to write something about their ministries to highlight our various apostolates, but you can help by sending in short news articles or anything you find newsworthy. Often we hear about something that happened or an award someone received well after the fact.

To steal a phrase from Homeland Security: “If you see something, say something.”

Please feel free to email items for The Chronicle to Mary Weaver at mary@redemptorists.net or me at PaulBrow@aol.com

As always we remember in prayer our recently deceased confreres and all our infirm confreres at Stella Maris, the Villa in New Smyrna, Boston, Brooklyn, and Ephrata.

In the Spirit of the Redeemer,

Paul Borowski, C.Ss.R.

All the confreres will honor the Blessed Virgin Mary every day, following the tradition of Saint Alphonsus. To all is recommended the recitation of the holy rosary, so that with grateful hearts they may reflect upon and imitate the mysteries of Christ in which Mary had a share.
(Constitution 32)