About

In 1967 the Redemptorists opened Notre Dame Retreat House in Canandaigua, NY. The Redemptorist Congregation is a congregation of preachers and retreat ministry is a part of their charism. In the beginning, retreats were given to men in the Diocese of Rochester by Redemptorist priests and a Sister of St. Joseph from Rochester, NY. In the late 1970s, the retreat ministry expanded to offering retreat weekends to women and in the early 2000s, couple retreat weekends were added to the mix.  In 2023, the Redemptorists withdrew a permanent staff from the retreat house and a group of committed lay persons have assumed responsibliity for the running of the retreat house.  Redemptorists assist on occasion with the retreats.


Who are the Redemptorists?

Redemptorists serve the poor and most spiritually abandoned. We work in parishes and shrines, minister to immigrants, preach parish missions and retreats, promote devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, and evangelize through traditional preaching and social media.

Following in the footsteps of St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Gerard Majella, St. Clement Mary Hofbauer, St. John Neumann, and 15 other confreres who have been beatified, there are approximately 5,500 Redemptorists who serve in 82 countries on all five continents helped by many men and women who collaborate in their mission and together form the Redemptorist Family. “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” is the missionary icon of the Congregation.

Our Redemptorist family bring a message of hope and Good News to everyone they encounter: “In Him there is plentiful redemption” (Psalm 130:7)

Founding of the Redemptorists

St. Alphonsus Liguori was born in Naples, Italy, in 1696. He left a promising legal career against the wishes of his family and became a priest.

Alphonsus dedicated himself completely to the service of the poor and most abandoned, and in 1732 he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer: The Redemptorists. Alphonsus and his companions preached the Word of God in rural and isolated communities around Naples. He died in 1787 at age 90 and was declared a saint in 1839. His feast day is August 1.

By the early 19th century Redemptorists were serving in central Italy, Poland, Germany, Belgium, and Holland.

In 1832 six Redemptorists traveled to the United States at the request of American bishops and began their first missionary work outside of Europe. They worked first among Native Americans and then with Irish, German, and Slavic immigrants.

They ministered to the people and opened parishes and schools, often teaching immigrants the English language.

In 1847 St. John Neumann, born in Bohemia and the first Redemptorist to profess vows in the United States, was appointed superior of all Redemptorists in America. Five years later he was consecrated the fourth bishop of Philadelphia.

He died in 1860 and in 1977 became the first American bishop to be canonized. His feast day is January 5.

In 1850 the Redemptorists’ American Province, consisting of nine houses, was established from the Belgian Province, and headquartered at the Redemptorist seminary in Baltimore.

Redemptorist ministries soon spread throughout the United States and Canada. Missions were established in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, the Virgin Islands, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Our Lady of the Lake

1941-1949 Canonically erected on November 21, 1941

Notre Dame, Alexander Street

1949-1966 Deeded November 1, 1949

Notre Dame Retreat House

1966-2023 Canonically erected on September 30, 1966