Letter from the Coordinator, No 17 (14.08.2014)
Dear Confreres,
Dear Lay Missionaries of the Most Holy Redeemer,
Dear Partners in Mission.
Welcome to Luxembourg!
Great news! We will start our new mission in Albania on 13th of September. I ask you to pray for our missionaries and also for the people to whom they are going. But I would like to invite you also to another mission initiative – to the interprovincial community in Luxembourg. We won’t start a totally new initiative as in Albania but according to the theme of this sexennium we want to “preach the Gospel ever anew”.
A little history
The Redemptorists came to Luxembourg (city) after a great mission which took place in 1851. We were the first male religious congregation in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg after the French Revolution. We started to build the church of St. Alphonsus in 1856. We have been given the task of the renewal of the local Church, through the parish missions and the reconciliation ministry. Our church became famous especially because of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Redemptorists became responsible for the Paroisse Européenne in 1969. This parish served the various language groups in Luxembourg (French, German, Italian, Dutch and English). Presently we are looking after the same languages groups except Italian and some of these pastoral ministries take place in various churches in Luxembourg. Masses in French, German, Luxembourgish and English are celebrated in our church of St. Alphonsus. Still the sacrament of reconciliation, the catechesis and the preparations to the sacraments are carried out in our church.
The idea of the Interprovincial Community was born after the General Visit to the Strasbourg Province in 2010. Then the Council of CRE had some discernment and with the help of the Confreres in Luxembourg, the first preliminary project was prepared. There were many meetings with the Provincial from Strasbourg and his Council, with confreres who are working in that place. There are also discussions during the Assemblies of CRE: in Dublin, and in Cracow and then in Madrid where the project of Interprovincial Community in Luxembourg was finally accepted.
Some information about Luxembourg
Luxembourg has a population of about 525,000 and Luxembourg City has about 111,000. The foreign population resident in Luxembourg is 44,5% of the total population and in the capital is 65%. There are immigrants in Luxembourg (city) from 143 nationalities, so the capital is a multicultural, multilingual city. Most of the immigrants came looking for a better life and they are doing simple ordinary work. The Catholic Church in Luxembourg is in the time of changing her structures.
About our project
We would like to open a center of pastoral care especially for immigrants with Spanish, English, German languages. Our church of St. Alphonsus and our community house have enough spaces for all these groups. The Bishop asks also that we will take pastoral care of young people in this city and also of his priests. We will continue the ministry of the sacrament of reconciliation and the Masses in French, English, Spanish, German and Luxembourgish. All these ministries are according to the Apostolic Priorities of CRE.
Community
The Strasbourg Province has started the renovation of our house and the adaptation to the needs of our future pastoral work. The young French-speaking Redemptorists during several meetings, created “a Plan of Community Life” and “the Project of Pastoral Ministry” which will form the basis of the work and life of this community.
There is a special challenge connected with language. Each Confrere will need to speak French and at least two other languages (in order to be able to help each other and to replace one with another). We plan to start work in September 2015.
Dear Confreres,
I invite you to this new mission initiative. If you are interested in joining this project please write to me by November 2014 (jacekwsd@wp.pl). I can provide you with more detailed information. As it was to the Albanian Interprovincial Community, your Major Superior will be involved in this process and of course they have to agree for your presence in this community. I asking you for your prayer and I hope that Holy Spirit will give us all necessary gifts and blessing to start this new Interprovincial Community.
Fr. Jacek Zdrzalek CSsR
