Fr. David Purcell, C.Ss.R.
In earlier posts, I was sharing with you the work of the Redemptorists at Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré. I share here with you something I learned through this work. Messages about the death of the Catholic religion or the death of interest in priesthood and religious life especially in the francophone culture are false messages. Please meet in the picture at the right, Nicolas, Bruno, Michaël, and Justin. These men are seminarians studying for the priesthood with francophone or bilingual French-English dioceses. They impressed me as people of deep faith who very generously want to dedicate their lives to serving the Catholic Church. This is just one of many examples that taught me the Catholic Church is alive and well in Québec!
I share with you another positive sign that interest in religious life is alive and well in the Catholic Church. Redeemer House community, at the beginning of September invited five young men (some of whom attended a vocation retreat in June) for a BBQ.
These young men were able to meet Redemptorists from around the world. The Redemptorists came from different countries such as Ireland and Brazil. We found out that not only the Redemptorists, but these students in addition to English, spoke various other languages.
Many of you from Toronto have met Andrew who is presently living at Redeemer House. He showed us that he is a very talented musician!
Another great sign that young people are interested in the Catholic Church was the Eastern Canadian Catholic Chinese Living Camp. These people for nearly 40 years have been gathering Catholic Chinese young adults for a weekend of fun and faith. They invited me to speak about St. Alphonsus and the Redemptorist way of life and to invite their members to consider such a vocation for themselves. The group in the picture at the far bottom includes young adults who attend Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish of which Fr. Peter Chin C.Ss.R. is the pastor.
