BRIAN Redondo has a dream to serve the Word of God and the People of God in the Church in Australia.
Mr Redondo, born and raised in the Philippines, will be ordained a deacon for the Toowoomba diocese tomorrow at 11am at St Mary’s Parish ,Warwick.
He said he was excited for Towoomba Bishop Robert McGuckin to ordain him, saying “it doesn’t just change the way I dress or the way I will be at the altar, but it means to be a servant of the Word and of the liturgy, but also the People of God by visiting the peripheries”.
Mr Redondo was brought into the Toowoomba diocese in 2018 after Bishop McGuckin visited his home diocese searching for more vocations.
When he first arrived, he was taken to Warwick – where he will be ordained – and was later stationed at St Patrick’s Cathedral.
Toowoomba diocese was a far cry from his bustling metropolitan home diocese in the Philippines.
“Going to Toowoomba, especially when I go as far as Roma or Quilpie, I could only see some trees or maybe some kangaroos…it’s very strange,” he said.
“There’s also one priest who was giving me excursions and I’d say, ‘Where are the people here?’ It’s very strange.
“But I really enjoy the situation I’m in because in the Philippines, the people go to the church and presbytery, but here I’m the one who goes to the houses and talks to them and goes to them – and I go to them as a servant of God.”
Mr Redondo spent more time at Holy Spirit Seminary in Banyo throughout the pandemic where he was able to “meet new friends, experience the food and humour of the seminarians”.
He also treasured the preaching class provided at the seminary with the Australian Catholic University.
As a man who speaks five languages, Mr Redondo appreciated how crucial communication was to his vocation.
In the Philippines, it was common for homilies to be lengthy, he said.
“But here, as much as possible, I try to make it five to seven minutes, or four minutes for daily Mass while I learn to provide the macro and micro ideas of theology,” he said.
“I try to make sure to really enhance my communication skills.”
Mr Redondo was hopeful for his diaconate that he might be “able to understand the farmers”.
“Because most of the people I have lived with or visited are farmers and their struggles about the waters… it pains me to listen to them and their struggle,” he said.
“The sense of being present to them even if I cannot physically help them in providing but giving them hope and reassurance that God will provide for a good rain.
“At the same time, the Diocese of Toowoomba is becoming more multicultural, especially in the bigger areas like Toowoomba or Warwick and it’s a way for me – especially because there’s also a lot of Filipinos – to rekindle in them the fire of faith.”
He said many of the communities are becoming distant to the Church for varying reasons and he wanted to be “present in this need of the Church and to support the goal of mission”.
Mr Redondo also wanted to “share and contribute to the increased vocations in Toowoomba”.
He wanted to urge people not to be “afraid to love and to take the risk and this mission, this service, this ministry is about God’s love and about God’s Church and the People of God”.
“I think I would also just like to thank the people who are really excited (for the ordination) – the musicians, the people in Clifton and Warwick are very keen and I could hear their support and I’d just like to thank them for their big effort to prepare for the ordination,” he said.
You can tune into Mr Redondo’s ordination tomorrow at 11am on the St Mary’s Catholic Parish Warwick Facebook page.
