The First Vows of the Novices.

Their names are engraved on six small wooden crosses, that were made from the olive trees of Jerusalem. They are Giovanni, Filippo, Marco, Antonino Marco and Lorenzo, from the Euro-Mediterranean Province and Urban, the new scholastic from the Slovenian Province. On 12 September, the six novices of the second year pronounced their first vows at the Gesù Church of Genoa. The Provincial Fr. Gianfranco Matarazzo received these vowed assisted by the Slovenian Miran Žvanut.

The number of participants at this ceremony was limited owing to the Covid emergency. Only close family members, other scholastics and friends from Apostolic Works were present for this solemn and joyful moment. The celebrations continued in the novitiate, a good opportunity to share with family members the wealth of a larger family.

The Novices’ Testimonies

"The first vows in the Society demonstrate the desire of a God who asks us to dwell in our hearts forever, inspiring us to love without holding back anything, imitating the Crucified Christ who was given to each of us on the day of our profession", Antonino says. "May the Lord help us to guard what he has given each of us in order to grow more and more as men of God for others".

"The profession of vows is essentially a moment of communion and trust", Philip highlights. "It is a communion with the Lord and with the companions who together profess the desire to consecrate themselves, after a shared journey with the formation team, in the presence of parents who, by participating, are" integrated "into a larger family. It is a moment of trust as we place our desire to live our life in the best possible way in the hands of Our Lord and through the vows we are witnesses of communion with the Mystery of the Lord who calls us and chooses us for this journey.”

The Novice Master

“For Fr. Agostino Caletti, the Novice Master, living together for two years of novitiate, meant “getting to know each other, accepting each other, talking, clashing, maturing. It is a lived experience bringing out the best in everyone and creating conditions for the novices to continue to grow as they take the next step of their journey. But above all the aim is to deepen the bond with the One who made this state of life possible for us.”

Five of the new scholastics are now starting their philosophy in Rome, while Antonino Marco Maio will be residing at SantAndrea al Quirinale and at the Centro Astalli for his Regency.