PROVIDENCE — “Go forth and make disciples of all nations.” These were among the last words spoken by Our Lord before ascending into heaven, according to Matthew 28:19. This final command has been the motivating factor for the Church’s growth for the past 2,000 years.
While it is incumbent upon all the faithful to, in some way, bear witness to the truth, and while every member of the clergy and every institution in the Church is devoted, in an unique way, to the Church’s mission of evangelization, there are some institutions in the Church that exemplify the missionary spirit of Christianity in a particularly direct and poignant manner.
This can be seen in particular in the ministry of the Most Rev. Bruce A. Lewandowski, C.Ss.R., the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Providence, and the first shepherd in the history of the diocese to have been a member of a religious order.
In 1994, Bishop Lewandowski was ordained a priest for the Redemptorist Order. The Redemptorists, known formally as the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, is a religious order founded in the early 18th century by St. Alphonsus de Ligouri and was dedicated to the preaching of the Gospel among the poor.
Born in 1696 to a noble family just outside of Naples, Italy, St. Alphonsus pursued a career in law before, at the young age of 27, he had a mystical experience in which he was asked by God to pursue his vocation as a priest. He was ordained a priest in December of 1726, shortly after his 30th birthday. He was appointed to the episcopacy in 1762, as the Archbishop of Sant’ Agata de’ Goti in Southwestern Italy, a position he held for 13 years until his retirement in 1775. He died in 1787, at the age of 91, and was consecrated a saint by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839.
St. Alphonsus was known for being an eloquent preacher and writer. He wrote several well-known works of theology, including several devotional works (such as a meditation on the Way of the Cross that is still used by many to this day), as well as works on systematic theology (including a work on the Blessed Mother titled “The Glories of Mary” and a treatise on moral theology).
Yet, among the many things this saint is known for, he is most likely best known for his missionary, educational and philanthropic work. Much of his career was spent establishing schools for the poor and developing programs to better catechize those Catholics who lived among the poor and marginalized. These efforts reached their culmination in the formation of a religious order known as the Redemptorists.
The spirituality of the Redemptorist Order was rooted in a desire to share the transforming effects of God’s love with others, one of the highest expressions of which is in missionary activity, particularly missionary activity aimed at the youth and the poor.
St. Alphonsus founded the Redemptorists in 1732, and within the first 10 years they spread quickly throughout Italy before obtaining official papal approval in 1749.
Throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries, the order spread throughout mainland Europe, becoming particularly widespread among the Catholics of Central Europe.
The Redemptorists came to the United States in the 1830’s when a group of three priests and three brothers associated with the order arrived in New York City from Vienna in 1831, eventually heading west, where they established a community in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and took part in extensive missionary and pastoral work throughout Ohio and Michigin. Within the next ten years, the Redemptorists established parishes and communities in Rochester, New York, New York City, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
In the United States, there are 1,000 Redemptorist priests associated with 27 parishes, religious communities and retreat houses. In spite of their fruitful work in education, missionary activity and philanthropy, there are only three bishops associated with the Redemptorists: Cardinal Joseph Tobin (the archbishop of Newark, New Jersey), Archbishop Bishop Edward Joseph Gilbert (former archbishop of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago), and Bishop Bruce Lewandowski. Because of their large presence in Central Europe, the Redemptorists were often invited to the United States to help with Catholic immigrants from the German-speaking world, who congregated in particularly large numbers in the Midwest. As a result, the Redemptorist presence in New England has been historically relatively sparse. In all of New England, there is only one church associated with the Redemptorists, the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a mission parish in Boston.
Bishop Lewandowski brings with him the same missionary zeal that defines most of Redemptorists spirituality and practice.
Following his ordination, Bishop Lewandowski spent the first eight years of his ministry serving as the associate pastor, and later pastor, of two parishes in New York City. From 2002 to 2005, he served as a missionary in St. Lucia, West Indies. Upon returning to the United States, he served a variety of positions in the Church, serving at multiple parishes run by the Redemptorists, including Our Lady of the Visitation Parish in Philadelphia and Most Sacred Heart Parish in Baltimore.
Those who knew Bishop Lewandowski from his time working in Redemptorist-led ministries have noted that his work with the order’s missionary efforts has caused him to internalize many elements of the order’s pastoral philosophy.
“While Naples had an excess of priests, the poor there had no one to preach the Gospel to them. Alphonsus founded the Redemptorists to preach the Gospel to the most abandoned, especially the poor,” noted Father Kevin O’Neil, C.Ss.R., the Provincial Consultant for the Redemptorist Province of Baltimore.
“A particular mark of St. Alphonsus and Redemptorists is a closeness to the people. Bishop Bruce has exemplified this quality throughout his Redemptorist priestly ministry.”
Bishop Lewandowski carries with him into this new phase of his ministry a continued fondness for the spiritual growth that the Redemptorists made possible.
At the April 8 press conference taking place upon his appointment as bishop of Providence, Bishop Lewandowski noted, “I’m grateful, too, for my Redemptorist brothers. Whenever I’ve served my family and my Redemptorist brothers, their constant love and unfailing support have been with me, and I am forever faithful,” going on to describe many of the people he has met and pastoral roles he has played as an “opportunity to grow in faith, hope and charity.”
“All of the people and experiences of those years have enriched my life and brought me closer to Our Lord and to his People. I love the Church. There is nothing I would rather do than serve God’s People and the Church. I love being a priest. I love being a Redemptorist.”
