St. John Paul II once said in Vita Consecrata, “The profession of chastity, poverty and obedience is a warning not to underestimate the wound of original sin and, while affirming the value of created goods, it relativizes them by pointing to God as the absolute good.”

Last October 22, 2023 in the celebration of the Feast of our Institute’s Spiritual Father on the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, three of our 1st year philosophy-seminarians made their very first profession of vows.

2 brothers from India and 1 from the Philippines officially became “religious” as they offered themselves to God as an oblation and vowed “to live chaste, for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, poor, manifesting that God is the only true wealth of mankind, and obedient, even until death on the cross, to follow more intimately the Incarnate Word.”

Together with their first profession, other seminarians renewed their own vows and pledged for another year “not to be elusive to the missionary adventure, to enculturate the Gospel in the diversity of all cultures, to extend the Incarnation of the Word ‘to all men, in the whole man and in all of the manifestations of man’…in order to be like another humanity of Christ, to carry out, with greater perfection, the service of God and man.”

Rev. Fr. Miguel Soler, the Superior of the Institute of the Incarnate Word – Our Lady of Sheshan Province celebrated the Holy Mass and paid homage to our beloved saint by reminding us during his homily how “…the whole world loved Pope John Paul II because the people felt he loved them too…”

Our beloved priests from the Minor Seminary, Novitiate House and our Contemplative Branch, together with our Major House of Formation Fathers, also graced the event by concelebrating the Mass.

After the Eucharistic Celebration, a banquet was prepared for all who attended including the sisters of the Institute of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (SSVM), members of our Third Order, the Voces Verbi Group, the Padre Pio Group, Legion of Mary, Youth and Children Oratory, etc.

And finally, to close the event, everyone enjoyed the presentations prepared by our brother seminarians, sisters, Mercy House Girls and dear priests!

Let us thank God for this big step in the religious life of our seminarians and continue praying for their perseverance in their vocation while fulfilling their vows with the help of God’s grace! Viva la Virgen! Viva St. John Paul II!

To see photos of the said event please proceed here:

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