An essential aspect of Redemptorist life is...
That they live in community and can carry out their apostolic work through means of the community.
Community does not truly exist when members merely live together; it requires genuine sharing on the human as well as on the spiritual level.
The community then must further the personal growth of its members, develop interpersonal relations and build up genuine brotherhood. This will demand that persons, with their values and qualities, be highly esteemed. Moreover, opportunities must be given to members to make their own personal decisions, in order to promote real development of maturity and responsibility.
These statements are taken from the Redemptorist Constitutions. It is no wonder then that living and growing in community is given a very high priority in the formation of students aspiring to be Redemptorists. In fact a very important part of the formation of students in Marianella takes place in their interaction with each other in their daily living together. They support, encourage and challenge each other in their relationships and friendships. This is the ideal. However, just like any other human community, it is not all smooth sailing.
There is good community when people are self-sufficient and can stand on their own feet. It is important then for students not to confine themselves to those whom they like or who have the same interests as themselves. The path to growth is in reaching out and opening oneself to different ideas and expectations. This can be done while at the same time having special friends within the community.
One of the main aims of Marianella is to be a place where students can grow in an atmosphere of love, freedom, trust, responsibility and accountability. This aim will be achieved when there are acceptance and respect for each other, generosity, attentiveness, honesty and a genuine joy of sharing each others company.
While the student group is our basic formation community in Marianella it should never be our whole world. We live in and belong to other communities as well.. our families, our circle of friends, the wider Marianella community of professed Redemptorists and those who regularly attend Mass in Marianella. All of these have a role to play in the formation of students to a greater or lesser degree. The community in which students find themselves most often outside of Marianella is the community of students at Milltown.
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