The future Seelos Province of North America gained three new members last Sunday, the Feast of the Most Holy Redeemer. Confreres from throughout North America and Mexico joined family and friends to support Abraham Ezequiel Rubio and José Antonio Encarnación of the Province of Mexico and Huy Pham of the Denver Province as they professed their first vows to the Congregation at the novitiate house in Tlalpizahuac, Mexico.

Fr. Kevin Zubel, Provincial Superior of the Denver Province, presided at the 10:00 am Mass. Fr. Javier Moran, Novice Master, delivered his homily in Spanish and English. He compared the novitiate experience with the World Cup in four phases: Preparation, Development, Conclusion and Continuity.

Leadership decided to host the Mass and ceremony at the novitiate house because only three students were professing vows. Michael John Le will profess his first vows on August 2 at his hometown parish in Las Vegas, NV. Previous larger novitiate classes have professed vows at Santisimo Redentor, a local Redemptorist parish. This year, no one will be entering the novitiate program in Mexico. The only candidate—Adam Tran-Chung of the Denver Province— will enter the program at the interprovincial novitiate in the Philippines. Six novices are expected during the coming year, providing a large peer community and broad intercultural formation experience for Adam.

Please continue to pray for vocations to the Redemptorist life. May Our Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, continue to bless us and the newly professed on their vocation journeys.