At the Unification Assembly of the new Seelos Province of North America in Lago Guadalupe outside of Mexico City, the unification commission led confreres in reflecting on their own call, but more importantly, in building the foundation of the new Province. This foundation is rooted in our relationships with one another. Aside from the many business meetings and small group discussions, confreres had the opportunity to connect and meet new people from other units.

Over meals, confreres sat with each other and chatted about everything from their current ministries to World Cup predictions. And with the FIFA World Cup kicking off during the assembly, confreres gathered to watch Mexico vs. South Africa and Korea vs. Czechia. At the café, confreres streamed in for an espresso or chai, catching up with old classmates or meeting new members of their community. It was these and many other organic gathering spaces, where confreres congregated together, that illustrated the incredible spirit of unification.

For me, this meeting showed how each Redemptorist brings the rich heritage of their former unit—Mexico, Denver, or Baltimore—into the Seelos Province. This includes our strong missionary spirit, our willingness to accompany those we serve, and our ability to make Christ’s presence incarnate in the places we serve. With many confreres bringing their unique gifts there will undoubtedly be differences,  but embracing our differences and using dialogue to work together is exactly what it means to be Catholic.

Additionally, with this unification bringing together the incredible lay people that partner with us through Co-Redemptorists and Partners in Mission, our ability to respond to the most abandoned grows even greater. As we prepare for our first Provincial Chapter in January, meetings like this General Assembly allow us to build trust and foster relationships between confreres and our Partners in Mission—who together form the foundations for a new era of collaboration and ministry.