Redemptorist Calling Worldwide

The 9th of November is a significant date for the Redemptorists, as it marks the foundation of this congregation by Saint Alphonsus Liguori in Scala, Italy, in 1732.  It commemorates the founding mission of the Congregation to serve the poor and spread the Gospel in a simple language that people may understand but does not simplify the Good News. 

Here in Australia, a Redemptorist was appointed by Pope Francis last year to be our cardinal, Mykola Cardinal Bychok CSsR (being the youngest cardinal in the world), who resides in North Melbourne and ministers to the Ukrainian Catholics in Australia and Oceania. We also have Bishop Paul Bird CSsR, who is the current Bishop of Ballarat. The congregation continues to uphold the charism established by Alphonsus, focusing on mission preaching, the ministry of reconciliation (known as great confessors), and teaching moral theology; their moral theology institute in Rome, called Accademia Alfonsiana, has contributed highly qualified moral theologians to the church since 1960. Pope Francis designated the Alphonsian Academy in Rome as a pontifical institution in 2023, affiliating it with the Lateran University. They are known for the parish missions in Australia and the homilies they preach, which aim to invite people to a deeper love for God and a fuller practice of the Christian life. They are still running a magazine for families in Australia called The Majellan, a limited TV channel called Common Home TV, and a daily prayer app called bread 4 Today. They are also known for introducing the icon of our Mother of Perpetual Help around the world. Some big shrines of our Mother of Perpetual Help have attracted people from different cultures and beliefs such as the Novena Church in Singapore,  and Baclaran in Manila.

The Redemptorists in Australia are part of a province called Oceania Province (Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, China, the Pacific, and some other units attached to it: Malaysia and Singapore, Manila, and Sri Lanka). The Oceania Province is large, and its largest community, located in Kew, is nearest to us. The community consists of 28 members who are engaged in various roles, including lecturing, ministering sacraments of reconciliation, assisting in different areas of ministry as needed, and providing chaplaincy; additionally, the younger members are pursuing their master’s degrees in theology at Yarra Theological Union Box Hill, University of Divinity. 

This Sunday is vocation Sunday for the Redemptorist Congregation. The Redemptorist seminarians will be singing at 5.00pm Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church.

If you would like to learn more about the Redemptorists, you are most welcome to contact the monastery at 10 Majella Court, Kew, telephone 9816 9342 or visit their website.