October 20, 2008

Guest: Fr. John Kuehner, of the Redemptorist Missionaries
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Darrin Casey
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Five Issues that Matter Most: Catholics and the Upcoming Election.": Mary Kluessner

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. John Kuehner, of the Redemptorist Missionaires in Chicago. The Redemptorists will be coming to St. Pius X Sunday, October 26-Wednesday, October 30 to preach a Parish Mission. The priests who will be in town for that are Fr. Tony Judge and Fr. Gan Nguyen.

Fr. Kuehner shared with us the importance of rituals and symbols in the Catholic Faith. It is for that reason that the Redemptorists use rituals and symbols when they preach. For example, next week at St. Pius' Parish Mission the symbols will be: the Bible, the Crucifix, the Paschal Candle, the Break, and the Altar. These symbols then are used to deepen the parish's understanding of the mysteries of faith.

Fr. Kuehner also gave us some information on how the Redemptorists were formed. They were founded in 1732 by St. Alphonsus Liguori in Naples, Italy. In the city of Naples at the time there were 5,000 priests. St. Alphonsus went into the country to get away from the city for a few days of retreat. When he was in the hills he met with people who had no priests and had never heard of the Gospel. St. Alphonsus founded the Redemptorists to care for those who had been overlooked. Now there are over 5,000 Redemptorists.

There are three basic formats to the Redemptorists' Parish Missions: One that focuses on Conversion, one that focuses on the Sacramental Life of the Church, and one that focuses on the Normative Role of the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church. Fr. Kuehner spoke of the importance of constant conversion. He said that we can think that we know our faith, but without a renewal of our spirit and seeking to constantly convert our hearts, it fails to take root. The Redemptorists see Parish Misisons as a tool for Revival and Evangelization.

The schedule for the St. Pius X Parish Mission is:
October 26: Symbol: Bible Topic: God's Plan of Salvatoin and our Response Goal: To deepen our awareness of God's love for us.
October 27: Symbol: Crucifix Topic: Who is Jesus for us? Goal: To grow in our faith in Jesus.
October 28: Symbol: Paschal Candle Topic: Sin, Reconciliation and healing
October 29: Symbol: Bread Topic: Jesus as nourishment for the journey of faith. Goal: To enrich our celebration of the Eucharist and to be Eucharist.
October 30: Symbol: Altar Topic: Our Mission to share in the work of Jesus and the Church Goal: To renew our commitment to proclaim the Good News.