In the Footsteps of the Redeemer: Retreat for Partners in Mission

by Francisco & Lucille Otero, Redemptorist Associates

We were very blessed to participate in the Denver Province’s first Retreat for Partners in Mission at the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson. Organized and conducted by Fr. Greg May and the Tucson community of Redemptorist Associates (RAs), the historic event occurred on May 26-31. We have been regularly participating in a virtual RA Circle via Zoom that allows us to cross geospatial barriers and distances. Zoom gives us a viable option for belonging to the Denver Province and the larger Redemptorist family that we otherwise would not have. It has been wonderful to connect with kindred spirits who have fully embraced Alphonsian/ Redemptorist spirituality, share our experiences of how we live and express the love of Jesus the Redeemer, and support each other in our journeys as followers and disciples of Jesus the Redeemer.

Getting to know each other online has led to a desire to meet in person. Set in the beautiful and peaceful surroundings of the Sonoran Desert and the foothills of the Tucson Mountains, the Redemptorist Renewal Center was a beautiful setting for the retreat. The grounds are filled with a variety of cacti and other desert flora. Being late spring, it was a delight to enjoy the Lord’s beautiful creation as the plants in this desert landscape were blooming with flowers of different colors and shapes. The very tall Saguaro cacti, especially their graceful arms, were most impressive.

Fr. Greg’s retreat talks, our activities, and our shared prayer and reflection times were meaningfully integrated. We had the opportunity to learn how the Tucson community RAs witness to the Redeemer’s love through their dedicated and diverse volunteer service serving and caring for the poor, migrants, and mothers with special needs, recognizing their dignity and their humanity. It was inspiring to see how their love for Jesus the Redeemer guides their service and also spoke to the quality of their formation as RAs. Our retreat group served at Casa Maria, a soup kitchen in a very poor area of Tucson operated by Catholic Workers. Some of us packed lunches to be handed out and others served soup. We were warmly welcomed by the Casa Maria staff. What impressed us was the non-judgmental generosity and kindness of the Casa Maria staff and volunteers shown toward the people they served. Afterward, we celebrated Mass at Casa Maria with Fr. Greg presiding in both English and Spanish. We intuitively united this Eucharistic celebration with our service at Casa Maria—how Jesus identifies with and cares for the poor. We recognized Christ in the poor. Bagging lunches and serving soup is serving Christ himself.

We also visited Casa Alitas, a facility where migrants who have been processed by United States Customs and Immigration Enforcement can stay for a brief time until they move to another location in the USA while they await a final decision on their application for asylum. Fr. Greg celebrated Mass in the dining hall of Casa Alitas. Again, we united the Eucharistic celebration with the serving of food to our sisters and brothers. We observed that many of the migrants were Catholic, and that their faces showed how much they had suffered. After Mass, many of them requested a special blessing from Fr. Greg. It was heartbreaking and touching at the same time; the blessing gave them hope despite their very precarious circumstances.

It was truly a joy to gather in person for the first time and meet people whom we had only known via a screen. Our first online gathering following the retreat had a different vibe because we had gotten to know each other better by sharing our lives over five days as a community through the retreat itself and taking all our meals together and informally socializing. The retreat created strong bonds among us and solidified and deepened our connection to the Denver Province and the Redemptorist family. We have a sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, united in our dreams for the flourishing of Partnership in Mission. We hope the RAs in the Denver Province will have other occasions to gather together in person. We extend a very special thanks to Fr. Greg and Diana and John Davenport as we recognize the effort and logistics that went into planning and organizing the retreat.