In this article for The Baltimore Beacon, I would like to write to you about our Provincial Residence here at 3112 7th Street NE, Washington, DC.Let me start by saying that our building here is often referred to by the Redemptorists as the “little Mount,” or you might say, mindful of the Austin Powers movies, “mini-Mount.” Holy Redeemer College is a small-size scale of what had been our major theologate, Mount St. Alphonsus, Esopus, New York where, until 1985, our professed Redemptorists did their theology studies and were ordained to the priesthood.

It was August 1, 1933, that the first Redemptorists priests and brothers moved into what became known as Holy Redeemer College. The provincial government back then deemed it providential and worthwhile that Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province should avail themselves to the higher degree programs being offered by the Catholic University of America (CUA). So, it did happen in short time that Redemptorists of the province completed higher studies and a number of them would go on to teach on the faculty of Catholic University, most notably in the field of moral theology. In later years Redemptorists, upon completion of studies at Catholic University, received different degrees in fields of education to teach at our formation houses, including: St. Mary, North East, PA; St. Alphonsus College, Suffield, CT; and Mount St. Alphonsus, Esopus, NY.

Holy Redeemer College would in its history also become an international house where Redemptorists from all over the world could live and pursue degrees that would aid their ministry back home and benefit the Congregation as a whole. You can rightfully say it became the first truly international community in our Baltimore Province.

With the closing of Mount St. Alphonsus in 1985, the provincial government of that time made the decision to have our students move here to Holy Redeemer College and continue their studies at Washington Theological Union in Takoma Park, a suburb of Washington, DC. This continued until 2009 when the decision was made to have our students move to the Redemptorist rectory at the Basilica of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Boston, MA, and do their studies at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and St. John Seminary. Our students lived and studied there from 2009 until 2017.

In 2017 the Baltimore Province and Denver Province agreed on a merged theologate that would bring all our students on the theology level together. The choice was made to move the students from Boston and Chicago to the parish of St. Gerard, San Antonio, TX. There they would be housed in a parish building that sits on the parish grounds alongside the rectory. Their studies would be done at the Oblate School of Theology run by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. This is the present situation.

Just a note of clarification. Though the students and formation program ceased operating at Holy Redeemer in 2009, a Redemptorist community still remained there. Jim Wallace, C.Ss.R., and Kevin O’Neil, C.Ss.R., continued on the faculty of Washington Theological Union until its closing in 2012. Other members included Tom Forrest, C.Ss.R., Gerry Chylko, C.Ss.R., and Brian Johnstone, C.Ss.R.

When this last Redemptorist community of Holy Redeemer College was transferred in 2013, Holy Redeemer College was pretty much vacant except for two lay students given province permission to live there for security reasons. Conditions remained that way until 2018 when the decision was made to move the Provincial Residence from 7509 Shore Road, Brooklyn, NY to Holy Redeemer College, Washington, DC. The years 2018-2019 brought to Holy Redeemer College some necessary renovations which included an elevator and an updating of the bathrooms.

In July 2019 the newly assigned Redemptorist community began to arrive and to begin the daily and seemingly never-ending detailed work of transforming the “little Mount,” that for all practical purposes had been uninhabited since 2013, into a comfortable home for the community and for guests. I am happy to say this has been accomplished through the untiring work of Francis Gargani, C.Ss.R.

Our present community consists of nine. They are our Provincial Superior, Paul Borowski, C.Ss.R., and his Vicar, Jerry Knapp, C.Ss.R. The third member of the Ordinary Provincial Council, Matt Allman, C.Ss.R., is stationed at St. Clement House, Dominica, West Indies. Our Provincial Secretary and Procurator for the Province stationed here is Henry Sattler, C.Ss.R.

The Communications liaison for the North American Conference of Redemptorists, Fr. Charlie Wehrley, C.Ss.R. is stationed here. Also here are the three members of the Province Evangelization team, Jim Wallace, C.Ss.R., Francis Gargani, C.Ss.R., and Philip Dabney, C.Ss.R. Lastly, two of our Vocation Directors for the Province, Peter Linh Nguyen, C.Ss.R. and myself are stationed here. The third member of our Vocation team, Gerard St. Hilaire, C.Ss.R., is ministering on the island of St. Vincent, Caribbean.

Our daily schedule begins with Morning Prayer and Meditation, 7:30-8 a.m. Concelebrated Mass follows with a different priest signing on each day to preside. Breakfast follows and then on to office work. We are grateful to have Mrs. Denise Edward-Matthews as our cook, so we have lunch and dinner meals, Monday to Friday. At 5 p.m. during the week we gather for prayer. On Monday, Thursday and Friday we gather in chapel for Evening Prayer. On Tuesday we meet in our common room for gospel sharing on the upcoming Sunday readings and on Wednesday we again gather in chapel for Novena prayers to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. We also offer a Mass Monday to Friday at 8:30 a.m. and on Saturday at 10 a.m. for the Sisters of Religious of Mary Immaculate (Centro Maria Residence) who live right across the street from us. We have also been helping out periodically on Sundays with Mass for the Missionary Sisters of Charity (7 a.m.)

Throughout the COVID19 pandemic our house was shut down to visitors and our moving beyond these walls was greatly curtailed. However, we did make good use of social media by streaming Mass (English and Vietnamese), as well as preached Triduums around Redemptorists feasts and homilies/reflections for weekday and Sunday readings. This past Easter 2021 was the first time we welcomed a large group to our Easter Sunday Mass and to a brunch that followed in our dining room. Since then, we have hosted a few guests for overnight stays and also candidates that are discerning a Redemptorist vocation.

We are appreciative of our lay staff that aid us in our ministry. We say thank you to our Director of Development, Mrs. Theresa Montminy; our Communications Director, Mrs. Katie Carpenter; in our Business office, Mr. Michael Wanyama; our Provincial secretary, Mrs. Vanessa Smith; our Cook, Ms. Denise Edward-Matthews; our Housekeepers, Mrs. Lynette Jackson and Ms. Jimai Njodeska; our Maintenance man, Mr. Christopher Brophy; and our Receptionist, Ms. Desirae Javois.

In closing, our Redemptorist community is warm and welcoming and offers the great spirit of hospitality to all who come and visit. May Jesus, our Most Holy Redeemer, bless, guide, and protect us!May Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, watch over us! May it be so!