On October 4, 2022, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, three friars from the Province of St. Anthony and Bl. James of Strepar in Poland (Cracow) and one from the Provincial Custody of the Holy Cross in Ukraine, professed their perpetual vows at the Conventual Franciscan Basilica in Cracow.
During the liturgy, the faithful prayed for the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that the newly professed might each day increasingly conformed themselves to Christ, who was chaste, poor and obedient to the will of the Father. They prayed that the newly professed might desire above all to have the spirit of the Lord and be guided by his holy workings. They prayed that God might fill them with a lively love for poverty, fraternal life and the Church and bless, sanctify and consecrate them.
The Minister Provincial, Friar Marian GOŁĄB, presided over the Mass and addressed the friars, saying: “Serhyi, Szymon, Paweł and Mateusz, we thank you very much for inviting us to this beautiful celebration. It is a special moment, a special event when you place your life, your whole life, upon the altar. Can there be anything more beautiful than when a person says ‘yes’ to God, when he gives him all of himself, especially when he is young and his whole life is still ahead of him? Through these vows of poverty, obedience and chastity, you keep nothing for yourselves. We thank you very much for letting us witness such praise, such an act of faith, like the one we are participating in today.”
In his homily, the Vicar Custos of the Custody of Ukraine, Friar Stanisław PĘKALA, explained to the friars that the profession of perpetual vows is more than the completion of a certain phase of their lives, it is not the end but the beginning of their journey to the gates of heaven, and that they have still a long way to go in order to reach the throne of God the Father.
The newly professed are: Friars Serhiy HOROVYY, Mateusz HNAT, Szymon GRESZTA and Paweł BABIK. They will continue their theological studies in Cracow in preparation for priestly ordination.
Friar Jan Maria SZEWEK
