On September 3, 2022, Friar Augusto Esteban URZÚA GONZÁLES professed his solemn vows as a Conventual Franciscan friar into the hands of the Vicar Provincial of the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy), Friar Gilberto DEPEDER.
The ceremony took place at the end of the Delegation’s formation week, at the Jesús de Nazareth Church in Curicó, Chile.

Friar Augusto is the first native friar from Chile to profess perpetual vows. He was born in Curicó on June 16, 1995, the year the friars first arrived in Chile. In 2015, he entered the Order as a postulant. After two years of postulancy, he was sent to Medellín, Colombia, where he undertook his novitiate year with other young men from Latin America. On January 13, 2018, he professed his simple vows and was then sent to Italy to continue his philosophy and theology studies along with several young friars from different countries.
This solemn profession was a time of great excitement and joy for the friars of the Delegation in Chile. After twenty-seven years of presence in Chile, the Lord finally gave them their first native friar.
The ceremony was attended by many people from the Delegation’s communities in Santiago and Curicó, as well as the friends and relatives of Friar Augusto. In his homily, the Provincial Delegate, Friar Tullio PASTORELLI, thanked the Lord for this gift. For his part, Friar Augusto thanked all those who accompanied him on his vocational journey and expressed his joy at seeing so many confreres present.
After the ceremony, there was a moment of fraternal celebration as everyone personally congratulated Friar Augusto and his family.

Friar Jack GINTING