The Provinces of Mexico & Denver Are Collaborating on Parish Missions
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March 9, 2022Confreres of the Denver and Mexico Provinces discussed their rich histories of preaching missions and the potential for future collaboration in a webinar last week.
Members of the Denver Province Apostolic Life Secretariat – Fr. John Fahey Guerra, Fr. Aaron Meszaros, Fr. Quy Duong, Fr. Tom Donaldson, Br. Gerry Patin, Fr. Thomas Pham, Fr. Son Tran and Fr. Gary Ziuraitis of the Denver Province, and Fr. Roberto Guerra of the Province of Mexico, the lone member due to transitions caused by the global pandemic – hosted the online event.
Confreres in the Province of Mexico offer three types of missions: Itinerant; In-House; and Special Needs. Most Itinerant Missions are preached in diocesan parishes for a period of three years.
Confreres are at the parish at certain times of the year, depending upon specific needs. In addition to the proclamation of the Gospel, confreres help form the community and restructure and/or improve certain aspects of the parish. Each of the three years is dedicated to a specific task. The goal of the first year is to generate interest.
During the second year, confreres create small faith communities that meet in homes, which gives them a chance to learn more about the parish and determine its needs. Leaders of faith communities are chosen. During the third year, the mission is concluded when confreres and parishioners present a formal pastoral plan to the pastor. In-House missions are very similar to Itinerant Missions but are exclusively presented in homes. Particular Missions are presented to specialized groups, such as immigrants or indigenous people.
In addition to mastery of the Spanish language, many Mexican confreres are learning English. They work well with groups that are culturally centered and are adept at building communities. They are experienced at planning long-term, and bring a Redemptorist touch to the ministerial aspects of a parish or faith community, such as liturgy or leadership workshops.
Denver Province confreres offer what is traditionally called the popular or conversion mission, integrating symbols into a mission and calling people to a deeper understanding of their faith. Fr. Pete Schavitz, Fr. Tom Donaldson and many others are notable preachers of these parish missions, which typically last five evenings.
Fr. Tom Santa also developed a more contemplative approach in his new Jesus Mission. Other confreres are known for preaching specialized missions to certain groups, for example: Fr. Mike McAndrew with migrants; Fr. Maurice Nutt with revival missions for African Americans; and a lengthy history of preaching to the Deaf.
Confreres discussed several potential areas of collaboration: reactivating small faith communities at St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in Whittier; collaborating on missions in Mexico, which are scheduled to resume in the next quadrennium; working with migrant communities along the Mexican border in Juarez or Tijuana; perhaps assisting arch/dioceses with community building efforts as parishes are being consolidated into single multicultural parishes in the United States; and engaging Redemptorist Associates and Lay Missionaries of the Most Holy Redeemer in parish missions.
Confreres are enthusiastic about the potential for collaboration, and look forward to further discussions.(Courtesy of DenverLink.)
