On Thursday, February 10, 2022, Friar Maria Francesco Hwan-seok SEONG of the Province of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in South Korea professed his simple vows at the Friary of St. Francis of Assisi (Provincial Curia) in Seoul, South Korea.

This important moment for the Province of Korea took place in an atmosphere of fraternity and joy during the celebration of Mass.
Our brother’s baptismal name is Joachim Hwan-seok. For his profession, however, he has changed his name to Maria Francesco Hwan-seok.
The Mass was presided over by the Minister Provincial, Friar Marco Jin Chol JEONG. In his homily, Friar Marco emphasized that the Franciscan life is about witnessing to the Gospel according to the charism of our father St. Francis.
The celebration was attended by other friars of the Province along with some family members of the newly professed. Due to the pandemic, few faithful attended the event. Nevertheless, the liturgy was live-streamed and recorded on YouTube (https://youtu.be/pfIjcxhEjKM).
We thank the Lord for this great gift and pray that Friar Maria Francesco Hwan-seok may become a true son of St. Francis of Assisi.

Friar Bonaventure Kyuhee HAN, Provincial Secretary