On August 13 and 14, the religious professions of temporary vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience were carried out by thirteen novices; additionally, one religious renewed his vows and another professed perpetual vows.
Of different ages and very different paths, these young people are united by the mission to extend the kingdom of Christ in the Catholic Church through their lives as Legionaries of Christ.
The parish of Mary Queen of the Angels was where family and friends accompanied these young people, ready to commit their lives before God and the community.
«What happened?». The question of a worker to a novice
During the summer, novices undertake a month of work, preferably in an agricultural community. This year, it was in the state of Coahuila, in an area near the city of Piedras Negras.
One of the novices was working alongside another young man from the area, mixing cement, stone, and sand. During their conversation, they discussed studies; the novice shared that he had studied architecture and had practiced his career for quite some time before entering the seminary. The young man looked at him with surprise and said: “And what happened? I don’t understand what happened that you’re here doing this.”
Father Jesús Cardier, LC, novice instructor of Section A, shared this incident during the homily of the religious professions and responded to the question by recalling one of the readings. It seems that this answer perfectly fits each of the young people’s stories:
«What happened? It’s that one day the Lord called you, pronounced your name, and you listened, got excited, and said: here I am, speak Lord, your servant listens».
A simple question encapsulates the unique moment of encounter with God, who calls to serve with total dedication to others, inviting us to renounce earthly possessions to focus on eternal good, on the most sublime, on the highest.
On the day of their religious profession, the young people took as their only possession a small crucifix as a sign of Christ’s wealth, exclusive and abundant: «With their testimony, they tell the whole world that God is worth it, that God takes first place», said Father Jesús Cardier, LC, in his homily.
Father Vicente Yanes, LC, novice instructor of Section B, was also present, concelebrating the Eucharist alongside Father Paul Lara, LC, territorial director of the Legionaries of Christ in Northern Mexico.
Renewal of vows
Brother Diego Lobo Mendoza, LC, originally from Venezuela, renewed his religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience; he will soon travel to Rome to study theology.
Perpetual vows
On September 13, at the Legion of Christ novitiate in Monterrey, the ceremony of perpetual vows of Brother Diego Páez, LC, took place.
Brother Diego is from Morelia, Michoacán, and will continue his religious formation by completing his theology studies to move on to the ministries of lector and acolyte, as well as the holy orders of diaconate and presbyterate.
