Provincial Ponderings

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

I begin this month’s Provincial Ponderings with a word of congratulations to our newly elected Provincial Superior, Fr. John Collins, his Provincial Vicar, Fr. John Olenick, and his Provincial Consultor, Fr. Kevin O’Neil. They will officially be installed and begin their time of service on March 13th when the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province gather in Chapter at San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, NJ. I ask that those reading my message join me in prayer for each of these men and that the Spirit of God and the zeal of St. Alphonsus be upon them during their time of leadership. May Our Mother of Perpetual Help also continue to watch over each of you.

And so, I sit at my computer to pen my final words to those who read this little publication called The Baltimore Beacon (sorry Fr. John McGowan … the title will not be changing!) I want to take this moment to begin by thanking all my Redemptorist confreres, both in the Baltimore Province and throughout the world-wide Congregation, for your confidence in me over these last eight years. I have tried my best to give my life in service to the Congregation. A special word of thanks to Jerry Knapp and Matt Allman for serving on the Ordinary Provincial Council. The members of the Baltimore Province have supported me with their love, care, and prayers; the members throughout the world have been a joy to work with whenever we gathered at meetings for North America or for an international gathering.

I wish to thank our Partners in Mission for journeying with us and for being a reminder to us of how important it is to be missionaries of hope and to follow in the footsteps of the Redeemer. To those I have met during my various trips to our Redemptorist ministry sites, thank you for your faithfulness and your love for each of our confreres. To those who may be in parishes that the Baltimore Province unfortunately had to withdraw from over the last eight years, know that I have never stopped praying for each of you and, while necessary, how painful it was that we had to leave your parish when we did.  To our benefactors reading this publication, words fail to express the deep gratitude I have for each one of you. Because of your generosity you have helped us in the training of our seminarians, in our care for our elderly Redemptorists after years of service to the Good News, in our ability to respond to the needs of our Caribbean brothers and sisters after natural disasters, in our attempt to offer relief to those affected by the war in Ukraine, and simply to help us continue our mission to preach the Good News to the most abandoned, especially the economically poor. To all I have had the privilege to be a part of your life somehow over these past eight years … thank you and continued blessings from our loving God!

Now I take your leave to spend some time on sabbatical starting around Easter at St. Alphonsus Villa in New Smyrna Beach, FL. My hope is to refresh, recharge, and renew after eight years in leadership before accepting a new assignment from the new Provincial Government. My golf game has suffered over the last eight years, so that will be one of my main focuses, and my brother, his wife, and my niece live a short 45 minutes away so I hope to be able to spend some time with them.

To end my Provincial Ponderings, I would like to paraphrase the words of Walter Cronkite (March 6, 1981) from his final broadcast on CBS News:

This is my last ponderings as the Provincial of the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province; for me, it’s a moment for which I long have planned, but which, nevertheless, comes with some sadness. For eight years, after all, we’ve been meeting like this each month, and I’ll miss that. But those who have made anything of this departure, I’m afraid have made too much. This is but a transition, a passing of the baton. A great priest and Provincial, Fr. Kevin Moley, preceded me in this job, and another, Fr. John Collins, will follow. And anyway, the priest who writes this column is but the most conspicuous member of a superb team of Redemptorists - Priests, Brothers and Partners in Mission - and none of that will change. Furthermore, I’m not even going away! I’ll be back from time to time. Old Provincials, you see, don’t fade away; they just keep coming back for more. And that’s the way it is. I’ll be away on sabbatical, and Fr. John Collins will be sitting in here for the next few years. Goodbye and God Bless!

In the Spirit of the Redeemer,
Paul J. Borowski, C.Ss.R.
Provincial Superior of the Redemptorists of the Baltimore Province