ST. JOHN NEUMANN

REDEMPTORIST COMMUNITY

PLAN OF COMMUNITY LIFE

(PCL 2025 - 2026)

CONGREGATION OF THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER

DALLAS, TX

I.PROLOGUE

II.MISSION STATEMENT

III.  STRUCTURES AND FORMATION

A.  MEMBERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1.  At The House

2.  At The Parishes

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B.  DAILY SCHEDULE AND FORMATION

1.  Daily Schedule

2.  Formation

IV.  LIFE AS A COMMUNITY

A.  APOSTOLIC LIFE AND MINISTRY

1.  Apostolic Life

2.  Ministry

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B.  FINANCE AND TEMPORAL GOODS

1.  Finance

2.  Temporal Goods

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C.  RETREATS AND VACATIONS

1.  Retreats

2.  Vacations

V. EPILOGUE

SIGNATURES

Apendix 1

Apendix 2

Apendix 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. PROLOGUE

1. The Vice-Provincial Council/Committee in 1992 decided to establish Formation House for the Redemptorist students of Vice-Province of Extra Patriam in Texas.

2. Since arriving in Texas in the summer of 1993, the House in Dallas has gone through three transitions.

• In the first phase, 1993-1995
• In the second phase, 1995-2003,
• Phase three, from January 2003 to present

3. St. John Neumann Redemptorist Community includes:

• The professed members assigned at St. John Neumann House with postulants.
• And also the pastors and parochial vicar(s) of two parishes:
• Mother of Perpetual Help Parish – 2121 Apollo Rd., Garland, TX 75044 and
• Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Vietnamese Parish – 2121 N. Denton Dr., Carrollton, TX 75006.

4. Although the members of St. John Neumann Community reside at different physcial addresses, they should always be proud of their Redemptorist identity by living out religious evangelical counsels, Redemptorist preaching style and even by wearing habit and uniform.

II. MISSION STATEMENT

The mission statement of this community includes:

1. fostering the bond of community life,
2. as well as the spiritual growth of each member in the love of Christ, the Redeemer, and
3. serving the most abandoned as well as preparing postulants for future mission by learning to be familiar with and carrying out the Redemptorist Charism in daily life.

III.  STRUCTURES AND FORMATION

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A.  MEMBERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

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B.  DAILY SCHEDULE AND FORMATION

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A.  MEMBERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. AT THE HOUSE

• Rector & Director of Students (Bề Trên Nhà & Giám Đốc Dự Tu): Fr. Paul Vu Nguyen, CSsR

b. Vicar (Phó BT Nhà): Fr. Paul Thach Nguyen, CSsR

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c. Treasurer & Vice Director of Students (Quản Lý Tài Chánh & Phụ tá Dự Tu): Fr. Anthony Viet Nguyen, CSsR

d. Community Consultor & Culinary Management (Quản Lý Ẩm Thực): Br. Dominic Khanh Nguyen, CSsR

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e. Community Schedule Organizer (Quản lý Lịch Lễ): Fr. Thomas To-Kha Hoang, CSsR.

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f. Postulants (Dự Tu): The postulants are to follow the instruction of Rector/ Director of Students and to help out with the assigned tasks.

2. AT THE PARISHES

• Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, Garland, TX

Pastor: Fr. Francis Hoa Dang, CSsR

Parochial Vicar 1: Fr. Joseph Tu Thanh Dinh, CSsR

Parochial Vicar 2: Fr. Immanuel Martin Cat Van Nguyen, CSsR

b. Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ Vietnamese Parish, Carrollton, TX

Pastor: Fr. Anthony Dung Nguyen, CSsR

Assistant: Fr. Thomas To-Kha Hoang, CSsR.

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B.  DAILY SCHEDULE AND FORMATION

1. DAILY SCHEDULE

6:30AM Wake-up: (Tentatively, depending on the postulants’ school schedule)

7:00AM Morning Prayer & Mass

11:45AM Midday Prayer

12:00AM Lunch

3:00PM

• Daily Divine Mercy (personal devotion but recommended)
• Station of the Cross on Friday (except Advent, Christmas and Easter)
• On Saturday: Adoration & Devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help (On the last Saturday of the month – Students’ Day-Out – will be right after morning Mass)

5:15 PM Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday: Evening Prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, and Rosary, except Wednesday – personal rosary.

6:00 PM Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: Evening prayer.

6:15 PM Dinner

7:30PM Night prayer

• Monday, Adoration & Common Rosary.
• Friday: Adoration & Divine Mercy.
• Saturday: Night Prayer followed by choir practice and Family Night.
• Sunday (8:00PM): Adoration and Reflection.

• In regard to postulancy formation, besides attending classes at University of Dallas and North Lake College, postulants should be:

• having Gospel Sharing/ Classes on Friday night and “Day of Reflection” on first Saturday’s morning with subjects scheduled in the CSsR POSTULANT PROGRAM (See Appendix 1),

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• participating in THE MEAL OF HOPE project, where they learn to love Christ, Redeemer in the poor and the most abandon (See Appendix 2).

IV.  LIFE AS A COMMUNITY

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A.  APOSTOLIC LIFE AND MINISTRY

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B.  FINANCE AND TEMPORAL GOODS

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C.  RETREATS AND VACATIONS

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A.  APOSTOLIC LIFE AND MINISTRY

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• St. John Neumann Community will host annually two events: one for Benefactor Conference in October and other for Lunar New Year Celebration.

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• Each month, the community will donate $500.00 to the work of charity ($500 x 12 months = $6,000 a year). Father Paul Thach Nguyen, CSsR, with discretion, will distribute to those who are in need.

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• All members should always show hospitality toward the guests visiting the community and see it as an evangelized moment. The CARE PROGRAM should be adopted as hospitality guideline (see Appendix 3).

• Postulants are to help at the two parishes on Sunday with catechism and Vietnamese Eucharist Youth Movement (VEYM).

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• Postulants also do their ministry at the assigned places that belong to Vice-province during summer for the period of one month.

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B.  FINANCE AND TEMPORAL GOODS

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1. FINANCE
1. A monthly allowance of $200 USD for all professed members and $30 USD for postulants will be given by the treasurer at the beginning of each month.
2. For the professed members, all stipends and monetary gifts shall be handed in to the treasurer, who records them on community’s bookkeeping. House treasurer also prepares and presents a monthly financial report during the monthly community meeting – on the first Tuesday of the month.
3. For a confrere’s expenses and debts, they must be first approved by the rector and then to be paid by the community. Otherwise, the community is not responsible for any personal expenses and debts of its members (VPS031).

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2. TEMPORAL GOODS

• All vehicles belong to the community. Car insurance and any other maintainance expenses will be covered by the house (except vehicles used by the pastor and parochial vicar of Mother of Perpetual Help Parish).
• Since the community includes professed members and postulants who are learning about and practicing the evangelical counsels, all community members are asked to live a simple lifestyle, minimizing luxurious and unnecessary items.
• As a community within the Vice-Province, St. John Neumann Community willingly contributes to the Vice-Provincial Treasury 10% of its gross income annually (VPS 039).
• A life-style audit will also be discussed as needed.

C.  RETREATS AND VACATIONS

1. RETREATS

• The first Saturday of each month shall be designated as Retreat Day. At the house, it begins right after Friday night prayer and ends with Eucharistic Adoration and OMPH Novena on Saturday at 3:00PM. A community lunch will be served in silence with meditative music.
• On every first Tuesday of the month, there will be Community Meeting among professed members from both of the house and the parishes

2. VACATIONS

• Each professed member is allowed to have 30-day vacation. Postulants will have 3 weeks of summer vacation.
• All international travels must first be consulted with the rector and then get approved by the Vice-Provincial Superior. The permission can only be granted once every two years; however, exception happens when the members’ parents are abroad.
• To foster the fraternal bond, at a certain time of the year, the professed members will have a “community week.” Together with the rector, they decide the location and the manner how it shall be done.
• Postulants also will have their Day-Out on the last Saturday of the month right after the Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, OMPH Novena in the morning, and should be at home before evening prayer.
• Members who are absent, especially overnight, must have permission from Rector of the Community (VPS013).

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V. EPILOGUE

1. This Plan of Community Life (PCL) has been written, discussed, modified and accepted by all the members of the community. It serves as practical guidelines for living at St. John Neumann Community.

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• Upon approval from the Vice-Provincial Council (VPS0I7), this Plan of Community Life becomes a practical and binding rule of life at St. John Neumann Community; and all members are obliged to carry it out while not neglecting Sacred Scriptures and our Constitutions & Statutes.

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• This PCL is effective for a duration of one year and is to be evaluated, modified and revised, if necessary, at the beginning of each new year and/or when the personnel of the community changes.