About Us

Hello and Welcome to Redemptorist Communications.

Redemptorist Communications is the communications and publications ministry of the Irish Redemptorists.In addition, Redemptorist Communications publishes a range of pastoral books and Mass leaflets, to aid priests, people and parishes in the difficult task of passing on the faith and building up in the church in the Ireland of today. And so for the last 75 years the Irish Redemptorists have had an official apostolate of the pen. We are called Redemptorist Communications, and we are based in Dundalk, County Louth. We would love to have you come visit.

 The Irish Redemptorists

redemptorist communications redcoms.org team

The Redemptorists order was established in Ireland over 150 years ago. From its initial base in Limerick, the Redemptorists now have a presence throughout the country. The Redemptorists in Ireland are based in communities in Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dundalk.

 

The Vision

 The Irish Province engages in a wide range of ministries throughout Ireland and abroad, including:

Novenas

The story of how the Novena came to Ireland is fascinating. In 1866 Pope Pius IX commissioned the Redemptorists to make Mary known under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. In 1916 the American Redemptorists celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of that event by establishing a perpetual or weekly Novena. Eventually a young Redemptorist by the name of Matthew Meighan CSsR became the Novena director. Then in 1942 the attack on Pearl Harbour happened and the USA entered World War II. Matthew Meighan joined the US marines as a chaplain and quickly found himself posted to Northern Ireland in 1943. When visiting Clonard Monastery in Belfast he urged the Redemptorists to establish a perpetual Novena and on Thursday, 09th December 1943 the Novena began. It flourished in Belfast and quickly spread to other Redemptorist centres, especially Mount Saint Alphonsus in Limerick. In the late 1970s a team of Redemptorists based in Mount Saint Alphonsus, led by Vincent Kavanagh CSsR developed the Novena even further, giving it the particular festive atmosphere and popularity it enjoys today.

We are happy to bring the Novena to your parish or cluster of parishes. It is a joyful, scripture-based festival of faith which is very popular throughout Ireland.

Youth Ministry

Young people have always been important for our Mission. In 1987, however, the Redemptorists identified young people a priority ministry as we believe that their experience, hopes, and challenges must be at the very heart of the church. Since then, the Irish Redemptorists and Co-workers have drawn on resources both nationally and internationally to become one of the biggest providers of youth ministry in Ireland. The aims of Redemptorist youth ministry is summed up in our mission statement. Inspired by Jesus Christ, we engage with young people in exploring faith and life issues, and journey with them in discovering their worth, and their potential to live life in service of others. Taking Jesus as a model, we seek to meet young people where they are, journey with them into young adulthood, help them to discover their giftedness and offer opportunities for them to put their gifts at the service of others. Redemptorist Youth Ministry is not a single programme but a dynamic process that helps young people to articulate and integrate their faith and life commitments.

For further information on Redemptorist Youth Ministry contact Dermot Kelly, Director of Youth Ministry at  dkelly@cssr.ie 

 

Redemptorist Dublin Province Library & Archive

LIBRARIES

The libraries have been built by successive generations of Irish Redemptorists, dating from the first Redemptorist house in Limerick in the mid-19th century. Books date from the mid-1500s to the present day, and are a testament to the scholarly interests of the Congregation in Ireland. There are 4 main collections: Redemptorist Collection, Pre 1900 Collection, Irish Studies Collection and Moral Theology Collection. In addition to these specialisations, there are books on all areas of religious life including theology, spirituality, bible studies, and Christian church history, as well as general collections of literature, history, geography and social science.

The libraries are intended to offer a valuable resource for members of the Province and for those engaged in studying the Redemptorist order and related topics.

Special Collections:

  • Redemptorist Collection: A multilingual  collection of published works by or about the order, with a particular focus on Irish Redemptorists.
  • Pre 1900 Collection: Books dating from the mid-1500s to the late 1800s covering a variety of religious and      cultural topics.
  • Irish Studies Collection: Books about Irish history, literature, culture, religion and geography, as well as      extensive collections of Irish language publications dating from the 18th to the 20th century.
  • Moral Theology Collection: A collection relevant to the teachings of the Redemptorist founder, St Alphonsus de  Liguori, dating from the 18th century.

The Redemptorist libraries currently consist of 4 main locations:

  • Dundalk (St. Joseph’s)
  • Limerick (Mount Saint Alphonsus)
  • Belfast (Clonard)

Please see the online catalogue to explore the collections. Books are added to the catalogue daily. https://cssrlibrary-search.interleaf.ie/ 

Marianella Dublin, 1932. [Front row centre, Ukrainian Redemptorist Bishop Nicholas Charnetskyj, who was visiting Ireland for the 1932 Eucharistic Congress. Nicholas Charnetskyj was beatified by Pope John Paul II during his visit to the Ukraine in 2001].

ARCHIVES

The archives contain the records of the Redemptorists in Ireland from 1851 onwards. The archives contain papers relating to Redemptorist Province administration, individual Redemptorists, Province communities, missions and retreats, and records of the Vice-Provinces. Each community holds its own archival collection, in addition to the Province Archives.

Archival holdings include house chronicles, confraternity registers, photograph albums, tape recordings and artefacts.

Projects:

LIBRARIES: A project is currently underway to create an online catalogue of Redemptorist libraries and to rationalise holdings through a systematic deselection process.

ARCHIVES: Accessioning and listing of the archives are ongoing.

Please see the Irish Redemptorist Archives Flickr account for photographs from the archives.

Redemptorist Library Flicker A/c

Sign up to receive our newsletter and upcoming events.

 

Our Mission

We Redemptorists may be best known for our preaching, but the written word is also an integral part of our mission. It is important to us because it was important to our founder St Alphonsus. He believed that what he called ‘the apostolate of the pen’ was as essential to preach the Gospel as parish missions, novenas and retreats – the apostolate of the spoken word. All of the Redemptorists involved in the writing and production of our publications have extensive pastoral and mission experience which provides a valuable foundation to all of the parish and catechetical material we publish and distribute.”Both go together.

A Dose of Reality, Fr. Peter McVerry

There is something profoundly wrong when, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, we have a record number of people homeless, children going to school hungry, and many, many people struggling to make ends meet and even provide basic necessities for their children.”

This books contains a selection of articles from Fr Peter’s monthly column in the Redemptorist magazine Reality. They offer a reflection on issues from homelessness and drugs to justice and faith, as seen from the perspective of the poor. Inspired by the Gospel and the Catholic Church’s social teaching, Fr McVerry, challenges us all. To examine our attitudes, and to attack the causes of inequality.

Proceeds from the sales of this book support the Peter McVerry Trust.

A Look of Love by Jim Deeds

In A Look of Love – Witnesses to Jesus, Jim Deeds brings the stories of Jesus and his early followers to life. Through a series of imagined conversations, stories and poems, he invites the reader to experience familiar Gospel stories through the lens of various characters who witnessed Jesus’ ministry first-hand – a servant at the Cana wedding, a man who helped Zacchaeus climb the tree, the woman at the well, the apostle Peter in his old age, and many others. Jim’s love of the Gospels shines through, while his gift for storytelling imbues each of these unique stories with emotion and gentle humour. With questions to encourage further reflection and prayer, this book is the ideal companion for anyone looking for a fresh approach to the Gospels.

Pope Francis: Follow His Call

Pope Francis: Follow His Call. Divided into four sections, this full-colour co-publication examines a number of key topics – family; social justice; the environment; and the centrality of Mary to the Christian prayer tradition – that have all been particularly close to Pope Francis’ heart since he became pontiff.
X