Welcoming Prospects: the Next Generation of Redemptorists
by Adam Tran-Chung
One of the great joys in religious life is welcoming and getting to know many young people who are interested in our Redemptorist way of life. As we have done for so many years, the Baltimore and Denver Provinces hosted our annual “Come and Pray” retreat in the month of November.
We welcomed 10 prospects with diverse backgrounds who came from all over the country. When it comes to these Come and Prays, our goal always has been to showcase the very best of the Redemptorists and what it truly means to be a Missionary of Hope to the poor and most abandoned.
During the first day, prospects heard a reflection from one of the students who asked them, “How is God calling you to spread his love throughout the world?” It set the tone for the entire weekend and gave them a starting point for their own reflections. Aside from getting to know the community and visiting St. John’s University, the prospects were able to do their own Hope Walk. They spent the entire first night making sandwiches and care packages for the people around our neighborhood. The Hope Walk opened their eyes to the realities of the world and how they can be a part of the solution.
For the retreat, we welcomed Fr. Jack Kingsbury Director of the Shrine of St. John Neumann who spoke on the theme of Pilgrimage and Self-Initiative. Fr. Jack talked about retreat as a form of pilgrimage, and that it all happens in stages. We process a pilgrimage experience before we even actually embark on the journey. Every moment has the potential to trigger something in our minds that helps aid our own reflections.
The second half of the retreat day was focused on self-initiative which he describes as the eighth gift of the Holy Spirit. He spoke about the importance of going beyond the 5 pillars of formation. To generalize, how can you go beyond the basic foundations? He drew from his own experience in formation and said that an important characteristic to have is self-initiative. Directed toward the prospects, he drew on the parable of the woman with the lost coin. He explained that the work of the Redemptorists is to help restore that lost coin that lost hope to all those in need.
Please keep all of us students, as well as all these young men, in your prayers as we all continue to discern God’s call for us to bring God’s love to the poor and most abandoned. For more information or to sign up for a “Come and Pray” weekend, go to our Redemptorists Denver Province website.
