The Redemptorist Brothers I have known have been men of deep prayer; the cornerstones of their ministry. Brothers had been in ministry at St. Peter's Church at 50 Clarendon Street in Saint John, NB since Redemptorist Priests and Brothers began caring for the people of the parish in 1884. I have been a Redemptorist Brother since 1964.

Continuing on my stories from last month, here are some more memories of the Redemptorist Brothers I have known since I was a kid growing up in St. Peter’s Parish, and of Brothers I met later when I joined the Community. They are my heroes.

Brother Nick Haley was at St. Peter’s for a short time in the early 1950’s. For many years he was stationed as head chef at St. Mary’s Junior High School Seminary near Brockville, Ontario. Later he was stationed at St. Patrick’s Church in Toronto, where he ministered in the parish office.



Sometime later he came to Holy Redeemer College in Windsor, Ontario where I was stationed and the two of us prepared meals for as many as 120 people on some of the retreat weekends that were held at our Retreat and Conference Centre.

Brother Nick Haley was a jovial person, always welcoming everyone who dropped by to have a cup of tea or coffee with him. He was the heart of hospitality at Holy Redeemer College and was loved by all who met him. He was a wise man with great insight. It was a pleasure to work with him in the kitchen.

Brother Aloysius was in charge of the altar boys when I joined up around age 12. He was from northern New Brunswick. Brother Aloysius taught us how to serve daily Mass, funerals and weddings, while elderly Brother Joe Duffy, who also grew up in Saint John, taught us our Latin prayers so we would know the proper responses for serving Mass.

Brother Aloysius was well liked and respected by everyone, especially the altar boys. In the winter months, Brother Aloysius organized movie nights with refreshments in the church basement for us.

In the summer there were all-day picnics and swimming at Chapel Grove. Parishioners with cars volunteered to transport us to the Milledgeville Ferry and across the Kennebecasis River to the Kingston Peninsula side. Brother Aloysius also organized several cars on the other side, so we were transported to Chapel Grove in small carloads, then each car in turn, returned to the ferry dock for another load of kids. You can see why he was one of my heroes.

I remember a few years later how I, and many other altar boys, were upset when we heard Brother Aloysius was being transferred to St. Ann’s Parish in Montreal. We couldn’t understand how they could take such a wonderful brother away from us.



Brother Liguori arrived to take Brother Aloysius' place. We came to like Brother Liguori too, but we still missed Brother Aloysius. I was stationed with Brother Liguori at what was then called Madonna House at 426 St. Germain Avenue. At that time the Madonna Magazine was published from there in the 1960's. Brother Liguori and Brother Alexis worked in the offices and I was the chef.

After supper when Brothers Liguori, Alexis and I washed the dishes, and scrubbed pots and pans, we had fun telling jokes while we worked. Brother Alexis had a dry sense of humor and would make funny comments about our Superior, Fr Robert McDonald (Big Bob) that would have Brother Liguori in stitches.

Years later, Brother Liguori was stationed at Holy Redeemer College in Windsor, Ontario. He went back to school and trained as a nursing assistant. He was just one year under the maximum age limit when he applied for the course. Well, he found his niche in that ministry. He loved nursing at the Windsor Western Hospital, and we heard glowing accounts of his role as a nursing assistant. He was known to drop into patients’ rooms to visit after his shift was finished.

Brother Cecil Chisholm was also assigned to St. Peter’s with Brother Liguori. During one of the parties held for the altar boys Brother Cecil entertained us by singing a complicated humorous song titled “The Irish Jubilee”. Everyone enjoyed his singing so much he was the star of our party. How he remembered the lyrics was a marvel.