This week the members of my province of the Congregation of the Resurrection will begin a four-day meeting in Darien, Illinois at the Carmelite Conference Center. This get-together is an opportunity for our American province members to strengthen our brotherhood in Our Lord Jesus Christ and to bring into focus our mission to serve in our ministries with a renewed spirit. We are committed to bringing the light of Our Lord Jesus Christ into the darkest places in our culture.
When we were formed in 1842, we called ourselves “Brothers of the Resurrection.” Today, we are known simply as Resurrectionists. We minister in parishes, universities, and other ministries by carrying the light of the Resurrection into the reality of the 21st-century American Church. We cherish the spirit which brings us together to serve the Church. We need one another more than ever in a time when the Catholic Church is being called to what Pope St. John Paul called the New Evangelization. We are meeting this week to strengthen our commitment to Our Lord and one another.
It’s also a time when we remember brothers who are no longer with us but whose spirit still energizes us. Father Leonard Krzywda was one of the brightest and kindest of men who lived the life of the Resurrection with great humility. Whatever ministry the Congregation of the Resurrection asked of him he accepted. Len was a parish priest, a high school Biology teacher and an army chaplain during the Vietnam conflict. He learned Portuguese and settled in Brazil in order to manage the Brazilian region’s seminary and formation program. He’s gone now but his example of holiness remains.
We ask you who are reading this to please pray for us. We expect to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit and hear his call to courage in this moment of transition in our Church. We would be grateful if each day this week you would lift us up in prayer asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and strengthen us in our commitment to the Church and each other.
We will not forget to pray for you and for the Church we both love.