Who We Are
Redemptorists are a religious Order founded in 1732 by Saint Alphonsus Maria De Liguori. Our special mission is to spread the gospel to the poor and the most abandoned. We began this work by going among the poor and forgotten shepherds living in the hill country surrounding Naples in southern Italy.
At first there were just a handful of our men working with St. Alphonsus Liguori. At the present time there are over 5,500 (five thousand five hundred) of us working in over 77 countries of the world. In 1832 when the Congregation was one hundred years old, six Redemptorists (three priests and three brothers) journeyed to America to establish the Congregation there. From there two priests and two brothers came to Lagos State, Nigeria in October 1987 to establish the Congregation.
OUR INITIALS
The four letters ‘C. Ss. R’ following the name of a Redemptorist stand for Congregatio Sanctissimi Redemptoris’. That is the official title given to our religious Congregation. It can be translated into English as “Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.” Members of the Congregation are commonly called the “Redemptorists”. It is a fitting name because in a special way we continue the work of Christ’s redemption. Like the first apostles, our task is to bring the message of salvation to all people.
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SPECIAL PREACHING
Saint Alphonsus, our founder wanted his men to be preachers. They were to travel from town to town and parish to parish bringing the word of God to the people. Today, this is done by means of parish mission or renewal. A Redemptorist will go to a Parish and each day for a week or more preach a special sermon calling the faithful to a fuller practice of the Christian life and a deeper love for God. There will be special devotions, visits to the sick, and also a generous amount of time for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Redemptorist special preachers also conduct three and nine -day periods of prayer called triduum and novenas. They are frequently called upon to preach retreats to lay people, priests, Rev. Sisters and Rev. Brothers.
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PRIESTS AND BROTHERS
The urgent task of every Redemptorist is the following of Christ by preaching the Goodnews to the poor. In this way the Redemptorists share in the call of the Church which is missionary by nature.
The ordained Redemptorist follows Christ in one way, the Redemptorist brother in another, but both care for the Lord’s flock. The priest involves himself with frontline preaching of the gospel, the ministry of the sacraments and the various Church leadership roles for which he is trained. The Redemptorist Brother, sharing the same vows, is called to a variety of other ministries such as sacramental preparation, and giving instruction of the faith, overseeing office-personnel, coordinating engineering projects, and sometimes doing counseling and spiritual direction. But perhaps the greatest contribution of the brother is the witness he gives to living and loving in a community life based on the gospel.
