In honor of the anniversary of a Catholic mission whose founder is in consideration for sainthood, his eminence Edward Cardinal Egan will celebrate a special Mass at Our Lady of Solace Church.
The Mass, to honor the 50th golden anniversary of the Indente Missionaries of Christ the Redeemer, founded by Fernando Rielo, a Spanish Catholic who is under consider for beatification by the Vatican, will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 28 at the church, located at 731 Morris Park Avenue.
Several priests who reside at Our Lady of Solace-St. Dominick Parish are active members in the Indente Missionaries.
“Among the great contemporary founders of the church, Rielo is definitely a very significant figure in the history of Catholicism,” said Fr. Robert Badillo, a priest in residence at OLS who is a member of the Indente Missionaries. “Rielo started the Indente Missionaries in Spain on June 29, 1959.”
From a small mission in a remote part of Spain, the organization dedicated to doing good works, now operates in 26 countries in Europe, Africa, India, Asia, and throughout South America, in addition to the United States, where they are present in California and New York. will by fostering the spiritual life.”
Key to the Indente Mission’s work, according to Fr. Badillo, is the ministry of teaching, and many of the priests who are in residence at Our Lady of Solace-St. Dominick and Santa Maria church in Zerega are part of the mission work as university professors.
“Fr. Fernando Real is the superior of the United States Indente Missionaries and the pastor of Santa Maria Church,” Fr. Badillo explained. “Fr. Real holds a Ph.D. in physics, and is a professor at St. John’s University.”
Fr. Badillo himself holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and is also a professor at St. John’s University in Queens.
The Indente Missionaries also have a provincial superior of the Untied States for the women’s congregation, Sr. Elaine Schenk, who is a campus minister for the New York Archdiocese at Wagner College and the College of Staten Island.
For more information about the Mass, call the OLS-St. Dominick’s parish rectory at (718) 863-3282.
